Bradly Basila scores 17 points, Tobias Ray 16 and a bench led by Malachi Ransom and Gunner Ello totals 27 points in 75-30 win at Washington Township

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Every basketball team, even one that gets up and down the court and shoots 3-point shots as accurately as Chesterton, can find a place for a big man who lives in the paint, knows how to throw his weight around and does it with soft hands and slick footwork in the post.
Physically, thick 6-foot-5 junior Gunner Ello comes much closer to the prototype of an offensive lineman than a basketball player, but he makes it work on the hardwood. He can absorb the hits, hold his position and get done what the team needs from him.
Ello received extended playing time Friday night in a 75-30 win at Washington Township and made good use of it.
Ello scored seven points, played disruptive defense and rebounded well.
Hustling throughout against the 1A school that took a 3-0 record into the game, the Trojans had nine different players score and five players came off the bench to combine for 27 points: Ransom 12, Ello 7, Tommy Kostbade 3, Crosby Moore 3, Ethan Virgil 2. Kostbade and Moore both buried 3-pointers from the right corner.
“Gunner did everything tonight,” starting senior guard Jaylon Watts said. “He cleaned up the boards. He did everything we knew he could do, so we just need that from him every game. And it was exciting to see him do that. We’re going to need everyone. And it was good to see Malachi get his rhythm going. We’re going to need everyone to be their best for us to be our best.”
Ello would have scored nine points if he had finished his best move of the night, a quick spin in the post. The shot didn’t drop but the move left him alone.
“I did that one time in the JV game and it really stuck with me,” Ello said. “t’s been a good move for me in games.”
Ello said he considers his hands as important a tool as he has.
“Just catching the ball does a lot,” he said. “You have to catch to score.”
Ello works with and against three distinctly different type post players daily in practice in sophomores Bradly Basila and Tommy Kosbade and senior Caden Schneider.
“It’s pretty cool,” Ello said. “You get to see everything practice. You know what you’re going up against and it’s always something different.”
The Trojans (2-0) were able to rest the starters for most of the fourth quarter and in a quick turn-around will face Fort Wayne Snider (1-1) Saturday at Grace College at 1 p.m. Central Time. Snider also played Friday night, defeating Fort Wayne Wayne 73-55.
More than just the bench played well for the Trojans in their second game of the season.
Basila rocked the rim with the first two dunks of his high school career, again showcased his soft 3-point shooting touch and scored 17 points on the same night that junior Tobias Ray pushed his two-game 3-pointer total to nine and scored 16 points. Senior Logan Pokorney added nine points and Watts six.
The last 5:53 was played with a running clock in game that the host school was able to scrap its way to a close score early in the second quarter, Chesterton leading 17-14. The Trojans went on a 15-point run at that point and never let the Trojans back into the game. Ray’s rushed 3-pointer at the half went in to give the visitors a 39-18 lead at the half.
“It’s a good game for us because they’re a good 1A team and they’re well coached,” Urban said of the Senators. “They’re going to pass. They’re going to back cut. They don’t play as quick as some of the teams that we’ll see, but we didn’t do our job on a flare screen. We got loose chasing guys. We got beat on some back doors. It was kind of good that we got exposed in a way.”
Then when it turned for the Trojans, it never turned back.
“We were kind of in a funk and I felt that we started doing our job and doing what you’re supposed to do to execute,” Urban said. “We defended better. Our energy was better and it kind of just loosened up and we became more us. Our whole thing is our standard is our standard no matter who we play.”
The competition grows considerably tougher Saturday.