Bluejay Rollercoaster Moves Back Up The Track!

The North Judson San Pierre Bluejays have been fighting to stay at .500 throughout the season, but it has seemed that every time they have taken two steps forward, they then take one step back. On Tuesday night, the Bluejays (9-9) took a gigantic step forward in their 68-24 win over the West Central Trojans (0-18).

The step forward for the Bluejays was not merely due to the point spread in the win. It was, in fact, seen in the all-around team effort of Kyle Evans’ boys in blue. The Bluejays would be led in scoring, to no one’s surprise, by Cooper Hochstedler, who continued his incredible season with a 34 point performance in the win. The 6’4 senior would be seen scoring in every way a basketball player can score, including fourteen two-point field goals, a three-pointer, and 3-5 at the free throw line. Hochstedler would delight the Bluejay fans in the stands with a thundering one-handed slam dunk in the first half, to electrify the Bluejay faithful.

Turnovers would be the biggest factor in the game, as the Trojans would commit thirty-two in the loss, while the Bluejays would only be guilty of nine. Hochstedler, along with 6’0 Sophomore Payton Cox, would lead the team in the steals category, with Hochstedler accounting for seven, while Cox pulled away five. Perhaps one of the biggest boosts in the ballgame for the ‘Jays came from Ty Schumacher. The 6’1 sharpshooting Freshman was on fire behind the arc, knocking down five three-pointers in the game to account for all fifteen of his points. It started early for Schumacher as he was able to hit three of the team’s six three-point shots in the first half. The smooth release did not cool off much in the second half. All in attendance could see Schumacher’s confidence begin to go through the roof as the game continued. He would knock down two more shots from behind the arc in the second half, to cap off his scoring total for the night. While he did not record a steal, Schumacher was seen playing smothering, on-ball defense from start to finish.

Another Freshman who would make his mark on the game for the Bluejays would be Cheyenne Allen, who led the team in rebounding with ten, while also putting up seven points in the win, which included one of the team’s eight made three-pointers. The hard-nosed running back, uhhh….forward, added a great deal of physical play for the Bluejays throughout the evening.

The Trojans began to calm down as the game continued on. The West Central roster, which holds six freshman, two sophomores, four juniors, and no seniors, was seen throughout the second half adjusting to the physicality of the Bluejays. Led by the aggressive play of Sophomore Blayden Huber, who would score a team-high nine points, West Central began to lower their shoulders a bit more in the final two quarters. Freshman forward Carter Lewark would end up putting together a solid performance for his Trojans, as he was able to drop six points to go along with six tough rebounds.

Ultimately, the Bluejays simply had too much firepower up and down their roster. Led by Cooper Hochstedler’s 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 steals, the ‘Jays were able to get their record back to .500 in the effort. Hochstedler’s performance earned him the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI, while his first half slam dunk provided us with the Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game as well!

North Judson will have a couple of days off before they return to action on February 14th, when they travel to Caston, while West Central will be at home on Valentine’s Day, as they play host to LaCrosse.

Game Statistics

Scoring

North Judson(68): Cooper Hochstedler-34, Wyatt Stowe-4, Blayne Wilcox-3, Payton Cox-5, Ty Schumacher-15, Cheyenne Allen-7

West Central(24): Blayden Huber-9, Ayden White-3, Carter Hudson-2, Garrett Leman-2, Carter Lewark-6, Jackson Wall-2

Free Throws

WC: 7-10 70%

NJSP: 4-8 50%

3-Point Shots Made

NJSP(8): Cooper Hochstedler-1, Blayne Wilcox-1, Ty Schumacher-5, Cheyenne Allen-1

WC(3): Blayden Huber-3

Rebounding

NJSP(26): Cooper Hochstedler-9, Wyatt Stowe-2, Blayne Wilcox-2, Trey Hampton-1, Payton Cox-2, Cheyenne Allen-10, Kelson Jordan-1