LEO, Ind. —
Ten straight wins. More than 100 points scored. And a 1,000-point milestone.
Anderson couldn’t ask for much more from its first meeting with the Lions of Leo High School.
The Indians moved to 12-2 on the season Saturday with a 104-87 victory over Leo, one night after a tough, emotional win over the Marion Giants. Tre Boyd led the Tribe with 24 points, joining the Indians’ 1,000-point club along the way.
Anderson coach Joe Nadaline knew the contest would be a high-scoring, fast-paced affair and scheduled the Lions for just that reason. The Indians responded to their coach’s challenge, outplaying the Lions at their own game. The Tribe’s exquisite execution of the run-and-gun offense was exactly what Nadaline wanted to see — even if it was hard for him to watch.
“It was hard for me as a coach just because a lot of the things you coach just kinda go out the window,” Nadaline said. “Once we got going, we played hard. Offensively, we played pretty well. Defensively, we need to work on some things. But I’m happy to get two wins out of the weekend.”
Boyd was one of six Indians to reach double figures as the Tribe crossed the century mark. The senior converted on easy layups and rebound baskets, scoring perhaps the quietest 24 points of the Indians’ season with a bad toe. After the game, the reality of his accomplishment was still sinking in.
“I didn’t even realize until after the game they told me,” Boyd said. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet.”
Nadaline was “awfully happy” for his senior.
“(Tre is) in an elite club in Anderson High School history as a 1,000-point scorer,” Nadaline said. “I think that’s a wonderful accomplishment for him.”
Anderson built an early 14-9 lead, which quickly became a 28-21 deficit. When the first quarter ended 28-25 in favor of Leo, whispers of seeing a 100-point outing started circulating through the stands. The Lions charged out on a 10-point run to reach a 40-31 lead in the second, but something finally clicked for the Indians as the minutes slipped toward halftime. The Tribe went on a 17-0 run to enter halftime with a 52-46 lead and put 100 points in its sights.
“I loved the pace,” said Boyd, who had six points during the run.
The Lions closed the gap to three points early in the third. But Anderson wasn’t about to let Leo wrestle back the lead.
The margin grew to 10, then 15, then 22 before the Lions put together another 10-point run to cut the Tribe’s lead to 12. It was too little too late, however, and Leo was out of time and out of gas.
Anderson finished 43-of-74 from the field, 58.1 percent overall and 60 percent in the second half. The Indians were 7-of-14 from behind the arc and a perfect 11-of-11 at the free-throw line. For Nadaline, those numbers are a little bit deceiving.
“If you run the floor and pass the ball well enough, you’re going to get easy layups,” Nadaline said. “We were shooting a lot of layups, so we better shoot 58 percent.”
Boyd’s 24 came on 9-of-11 shooting, and the senior grabbed eight rebounds. Jalin Beard was 8-of-12 for 18 points and eight rebounds, while Chris Lemon had 17 points and nine assists. Armon Daniels, who scored the Indians’ 100th point with 25.4 seconds left, notched 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Tim Boyd was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field for 12 points.
Peyton Newsom added 10.
Senior AJ Busche led the Lions with 27 points and six rebounds. Other Leo players in double figures were Sam Waters (21), David Hardin (14) and Bryce Beer (12).
Anderson will seek to extend its win streak to 11 at home against Kokomo on Friday. It’s a big game for the Tribe — both the Indians and Wildkats are undefeated in the North Central Conference.
Tre Boyd thinks the Indians are in a good place heading into the matchup.
“(The win streak) builds our psyche, the confidence that we can play better,” Boyd said. “I guess when you win, you do stuff that you don’t normally do. You feel more comfortable. Everybody’s having fun.”
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Related Photos
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Anderson's Tre Boyd drives to the basket during a game last season. Don Knight
Discussion
Tribe runs winning streak to 10
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