Chesterton’s inside-outside combination of Bradly Basila (20 points) and Logan Pokorney (18 points) too much for scrappy host Merrillville to handle in 59-40 Trojans victory

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Even on a basketball team loaded with as many accurate shooters as Chesterton features, the 3-point shot has a fool’s gold element to it if it’s not complemented by a reliable scoring option closer to the basket.
The Trojans routinely produce big 3-point numbers, and in a physical, intense DAC opener at Merrillville on Saturday night, they showed they can put pressure on a defense in multiple ways in winning 59-40.
The outcome wasn’t locked up until the visitors put it away by scoring the final 11 points.
In a loud gymnasium packed with decibels coming from a drum-heavy band and cheerleaders from both schools booming through megaphones, Chesterton coach Marc Urban grew hoarse yelling instructions to his players, and at one point a referee thought he was yelling at him, which led to a discussion about staying in the coach’s box.
Throughout all the madness, Chesterton figured out to score points by one means when a scrappy, quick, motivated Pirates defense was taking away another avenue.
Lighting it up from long range in the first half for the second game in a row, senior Logan Pokorney made four 3-pointers and scored 12 of his 20 points before the break.
Then the Trojans moved from bypassing the rim to gently brushing the net to violating the iron with dunks from their most skilled low-post point producer, sophomore Bradly Basila, who scored 10 of his 20 points in the third quarter.
Posterized at one point by Pirates 6-foot-5 senior pogo stick Jumpin’ Josiah Jones, Basila was on the right end of a few dunks of his own.
“I got my first dunk-on today,” Basila said afterward. “That’s my first one though. But I dunked on someone too, so it’s fine.”
The physical nature of play didn’t throw Basila off his game and he credited teammate Gunner Ello for that.
“When you have someone like Gunner, he’s like 240 pounds and I’m 191, it’s hard to go against him and he makes me better,” Basila said of his season-opening weight. “Every day, man, he gets me ready to play against someone who is stronger than me.”
Added Porkorney: “Yeah, Gunner’s a brick wall.”
Urban said that Basila, who appears to have lost some weight during the season, which is not unusual, has withstood contact well: “I feel that our practices are extremely physical and at a good pace. What Bradly did a good job of tonight was staying out of foul trouble.”
As for what the Trojans did to hit him with so many passes in the third quarter, Basila said: “It’s the system. The system gets it for you.”
Early in his career, Basila tended to try to force his way to the basket, which led to offensive fouls and/or rushed shots. The Trojans don’t have anyone who can replicate Basila’s presence, so him playing with more control helps there. It also leads to higher-percentage shots, whether he shoots or sends the ball back to the perimeter.
“Bradly made great decisions,” Pokorney said. “Sometimes getting shots for himself, but also kicking it out for open shots. He did a really good job with that tonight.”
That was exactly how Urban saw it.
“If we’re going to throw it to you, you have to make the right decision,” Urban said. “Sometimes you score, sometimes you kick it out. We shoot better when that ball hits that paint. Bradly made really good decisions when he got the ball down there.”
Chesterton improved to 10-2 and Merrillville dropped to 1-9.
Indications that Urban was right in predicting this would be a tougher game than the records would suggest came early. Cam Jones scored seven first-quarter points to spark the Pirates to a 12-10 lead.
Hitting a pair of 3-pointers in each of the first two quarters, Pokorney led the Trojans at one end of the court early. Jaylon Watts held Merrillville leading scorer Charles Hardiman scoreless at the other end as Chesterton took a 26-18 lead into the locker room.
“Jaylon did a good job on him,” Urban said. “Hardiman’s slippery, can get to his spots. He’s a good player.”
Hardiman heated up and scored eight of his team-high 11 points in the third period, when Chesterton’s lead grew to 10 points.
Hardiman’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter cut the deficit to 45-38. Chesterton had an answer. Nobody had bigger fourth-quarter buckets than point guard Tobias Ray, who hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Trojans to keep the Pirates at arm’s length.
“It’s always a difficult place to play and our guys fought through some things and figured out how to get to 1-0,” Urban said.
Chesterton next plays Friday night vs. visiting LaPorte (9-3), which dropped its DAC opener to visiting Lake Central (7-3), 60-56 in overtime.