Springs Valley Community High School

From the tip on Wednesday, Deion Edwards was on a mission. The Springs Valley boys’ basketball team was in Loogootee to open IHSAA Sectional 63 play against Washington Catholic, and the Blackhawks’ leading scorer got hot quickly. He scored the opening bucket, then another. He hit a pull-up 3-pointer and before the fans in the stands could find their seats, Edwards had nine of Springs Valley’s first 11 points. That would set the tone for the evening, at least the competitive portions of it, as the sophomore scored early and often to finish with 28 points as the Blackhawks romped past Washington Catholic, 83-48. “We kind of go as he goes. If you look at our scores and everything, Deion is really important. I thought tonight (getting off to a good start) was even more important because we were missing two of our leaders who weren’t even in the gym tonight,” Springs Valley coach Jonathon Bowles said. “That was big for us for him to get going.” Though the Blackhawks inevitably ran away with the game, it was tight through the first half. The Cardinals dropped six 3-pointers in the first half to stay within striking distance, the Springs Valley lead just 40-32 at the break. The Blackhawks weathered that storm, though, and when Catholic’s threes stopped falling, Springs Valley took off. “We just kept saying that you can’t worry about it. This is tournament basketball, there are going to be runs. We knew we were battling adversity with some guys gone and I thought all in all our guys really stepped up and made plays when they needed to,” Bowles said. “You have to give (Washington Catholic) coach (Billy) Nolley a lot of credit. He had his team ready to go.” It didn’t help matters that neither of Springs Valley’s two captains — Max Pendley and Konner Chase — were even in the gym on Wednesday night. A sickness that ran through the team left the duo unable to make the trip to Loogootee and sidelined Xander Cook completely. Larron Childers was able to start the game, but couldn’t finish it, and throughout the game a few more ‘Hawks started to feel sick too. That left a lot of minutes up for grabs and only a few guys to fill them. A few young guys. Springs Valley’s underclassmen stepped up in a big way against Washington Catholic. Edwards’ sophomore classmates were pivotal in the win. Evan Brown came in during the second half to put up 10 points. James Walls ran the point for long stretches of the game, collapsing the Washington Catholic defense with his driving ability before finding an open teammate. Christian Hamilton tallied a career-high 16 points. Freshman Keyton Jones stepped up to, playing some extended minutes and hitting his first shot from the field as a varsity player. It was a much-needed development for the Blackhawks. “We talked about it right before the game and a couple of those younger guys like Keyton and Evan’s eyes lit up. We said that they don’t have a lot of experience, but we’re down to nine so we were going to need those guys,” Bowles said. “I thought those kids came in and helped make big plays.” Hamilton, particularly, was superb on Wednesday. He was one of the first players off the bench for the Blackhawks and continued to show why he’s risen in the rotation over the course of the season. He scored every which way, knocking down a 3-pointer in the second quarter, rising up for and hitting mid-range jumpers in defenders’ faces, doing the dirty work to grab a loose ball and put it back. He also flew around defensively, hounding the Cardinals’ ball handlers all night. The Blackhawks hope it was the first of many performances like that and know it very well could be given what Hamilton has shown this season. “He’s played some big minutes for us over the year and tonight’s a night why you do that, why you get those sophomores some varsity experience,” Bowles said. “You never know what might happen during sectionals.” Springs Valley (8-15, 3-3 PLAC) advances to the semifinal round of Sectional 63 with the victory. The Blackhawks will take on Orange County rival Orleans on Friday night. If they’re to compete with the Class 1A No. 2 Bulldogs, their roster will have to be in better shape than it was on Wednesday. “Getting healthy is the biggest thing. We had guys dropping like flies,” Bowles said. “We need to get Konner, Max, Chilly, and Xander healthy and then another guy at the end of the game who fought through it was Keaton Pritchett. The biggest thing we have to do is get healthy.” SPRINGS VALLEY BLACKHAWKS 83, WASHINGTON CATHOLIC CARDINALS 48 Springs Valley (8-15);17;23;26;17—83 Washington Catholic (3-19);13;19;11;5—48