Sectional host Chesterton survives momentary late scare from Portage and advances with a 56-46 win to move to Friday’s semifinal vs. Merrillville

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Suddenly, Chesterton’s lead that grew as large as 15 points late in the third quarter had shrunk to six points and the Trojans turned it over trying to inbound the ball with 41.1 seconds remaining against Portage’s full-court pressure.
That’s plenty of time for a team to catch up, but Chesterton junior guard Malachi Ransom didn’t let that happen and stole the ball on the perimeter, a huge play that he followed by making two free throws at the other end after getting fouled on a drive to the hoop.
The momentary scare quashed by Ransom’s big play, the Trojans earned their 20th win, 56-46, Tuesday night in front of a big home crowd in a sectional opener.
It wasn’t always pretty, and the Trojans made just 10 of 17 free throws, but they got all they needed out of the night, which was a berth in the semifinal game vs. Merrillville on Friday night at 7:30.
Portage, shortening the game by moving the ball deliberately early and not forcing any bad shots, scored the final seven points of the first quarter to take an 11-10 lead.
Chesterton took control in the second period, heating up from 3-point range and led 27-19 heading into the second half on the strength of eight points from senior Logan Pokorney, who led the team with 17 points. Pokorney hit three 3-pointers, giving him 14 in the past three games, extended possessions with hustle plays and finished 1 of 2 dunk attempts.
For the first time on the night, Chesterton used its superior size to its advantage in the third period, getting an eight-point quarter from 6-foot-7 sophomore Bradly Basila, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.
“In the second half, we were able to finish down low, finish through some contact, to give us a little lead there and they had to play a little quicker,” 10th-year Chesterton coach Marc Urban said.
When Basila hit a pair of free throws shortly after missing a pair, Chesterton’s lead grew to 49-36 with 2:31 remaining, seemingly a comfortable lead, except that it grew uncomfortable quickly.
Portage’s best player, sophomore Bryce Kobe nailed a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 10 points. Portage’s 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Mikey Rivera hit a 3-pointer, Chesterton made just 1 of 4 free throws, and Rivera scored again on a quick drive down the right side of the lane to cut the lead to six and the Trojans turned it over on the inbound play.
The second-half free throw bug that plagued the roster did not infect the Trojans’ two primary ballhandlers, juniors Tobias Ray and Ransom, who combined to make 6 of 6, four from Ransom. The Trojans did not attempt any free throws in the first half.
Chesterton (20-4) extended a winning streak that started with a 66-56 outcome vs. Portage on Feb. 13 to six games. Portage finished with a 19-5 record under Coach Bryon Clouse, who has re-energized the program with a 85-39 record in five seasons at the DAC school.
“They beat us on a lot of ball screens the first time and I felt we did a better job on it this game, but I also think that we didn’t do as good a job of keeping the ball in front of us,” Urban said. “And we gave them some rebounds that we just can’t give up.”
It never hurts to have fresh shortcomings to work on leading up to a weekend in which Chesterton will be the only school that didn’t receive a first-round bye.
Per usual, Urban used his bench extensively, so fresh legs shouldn’t be a problem. Chesterton reserves combined for 13 points. Ransom had six points. Ello entertained the crowd with his non-stop hustle to go with four points and seven rebounds and sophomore Cooper Huwig made a 3-pointer in the second period.
Sectional play resumes at Chesterton on Friday night, when Hobart (13-9) faces Valparaiso (13-11) at 6 p.m., followed by Merrillville (6-16) playing Chesterton at approximately 7:30.