BOYS BB: Mac's Ball leads 62nd Kokomo Tribune All-Area Team

The winning kept going in high school. Maconaquah won 18 games in their freshman season, with Kelly and Ball on the varsity squad. Kile joined the rotation as a sophomore and Adams got in a few games, and the Braves won 16 games. They won 15 games as juniors. Then as seniors, with all five in starting roles, Maconaquah surged, going 21-6 and reaching the semistate for the first time since 1999.

“I think it was definitely our chemistry,” Ball said. “I wouldn’t even say this was the most skilled team I played on. Freshman year, Hayden [Maiben] and [Brayden] Betzner were great players. Sophomore year, Bauer Maple. Junior year, Ethan [Zeiser] and M.J. [Ellis]. This year it came back to how bad we wanted it. We didn’t care who scored. Especially come tournament time, we just wanted to get the win.”

With a collective will and an up-tempo style, the Braves flourished and Ball stood out not just on the Maconaquah squad, but throughout the area as the most dangerous weapon on the floor.

The Bethel signee led the area in scoring with a prodigious 28.7 points per game, was seventh at 7 rebounds per game, added 2.1 assists, was third with 2.4 steals, hit a team-high 44 3-pointers, led the area by a mile in made free throws at 180 and was second in the area in free-throw percentage at 82.6.

It was quite a senior year, and on the strength of his performance and his role on Maconaquah’s breakthrough campaign, Ball is the MVP of the 62nd Kokomo Tribune All-Area Boys Basketball Team.

“It means a lot,” Ball said of being selected MVP. “It’s really cool. Obviously, our area has a lot of good players. Even being in the conversation with the players in the area is cool and being named MVP means that much more. It’s a huge honor.”

Ball crossed the 1,000-point milestone midway through his junior season and kept motoring, reaching the 2,000-point milestone during this season’s Logansport Sectional and topping out at a Miami County-record 2,138. He’s tied for 44th on the state’s all-time scoring list.

An athletic 6-foot-6 forward, Ball flourished in third-year Mac coach John Burrus’ fast-paced style.

“He’s really good in the open floor, and he can square up to the basket from about halfcourt and then decide at that point what kind of move he’s going to make in the attack area,” Burrus said. “He can pull up and shoot. He’s definitely a throwback player where he doesn’t shoot a ton of 3s. He shot over 200 free throws this year, and there’s not too many players in Indiana that did that.

“He was a nightmare for other teams to guard individually and if you help, he’s a good passer and he can find guys to get layups. He’s a complete player on offense. He can also post. He had a variety of moves he could go to around the basket. He was also good at man or zone. He would find ways to score, find gaps, and then if you didn’t guard him in space, he could step out and really bust 3s and then you’d have to come out and guard him.”

Ball got his feet wet as a freshman, averaging 9.9 points for the final squad of Tim Maiben’s tenure before the coach moved to the athletic director spot and Burrus came in as the new coach. Ball said the season under Maiben was important, but that was a 3-point shooting squad. When Burrus arrived and the style changed, Ball found himself ideally suited.

“Having faith in me to take the scoring lead, he definitely turned me into the player I am today,” Ball said of Burrus.

“Just getting out and running — I feel like I’m at my best. It’s definitely hardest for me to score against set defenses, because there’s a lot of focus on the drive. The way Burrus plays, getting out and moving, I get a lot of opportunities one-on-one.”

The Braves kept winning and refining their style.

“He figured out how to bring guys along with him, and guys really played well with him,” Burrus said. “Most of our team was seniors, so I think it kind of went back and forth — he helped them and they definitely helped him because they bought in to [that] we needed him to score, and those other guys were able to score too.”

Ball said highlights of this season were repeating as Miami County Tournament champions over Peru — a rivalry that Ball relished — and a victory over Kokomo. All that was before the sectional, where Mac won its first title since 2000. The regional title was Mac’s first since 1999.

“We’ve been playing together forever, so to be able to do something big like that together, it meant the world,” Ball said.

The Braves ended up going 1-1 against state champions this season. In the regular season, the Braves beat eventual Class 2A state champ Manchester. Then the Braves’ run ended with a loss to eventual 3A state champ South Bend St. Joseph in the semistate.

Ball closed his Brave career with a 38-point game against SBSJ, his 13th 30-point game of the season and 27th of his career.

“Oh, it’s so difficult,” Ball said of finishing his Mac career. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in that it’s over yet. We’ll still play together, but never in a competitive sense like that again. It’s very sad. We’ve made some great memories and I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Ball earned a pair of All-State honors. He was a third-team pick on the Associated Press team and a senior large school pick by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Below is the rest of the All-Area team. Players are listed alphabetically within their squads.

FIRST TEAM

ZION BELLAMY, KOKOMO

The accelerated heartbeat of the go-go Kats’ up-tempo emphasis, Bellamy was the leader as Kokomo landed on its feet after graduating two Indiana All-Stars the previous season. Kokomo finished 17-8 and averaged 74.8 points per game, which ranked No. 2 in the state.

The senior guard led the Kats in scoring and was fifth in the area at 19.4 points, added 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists and was seventh in the area with 2.0 steals. Bellamy hit a team-high 82 3s, connecting at an area-best 41.8% from 3-land and also was third in free-throw percentage at 81.3%

He finished his career with 1,046 points, taking a spot on Kokomo’s 1,000-point scorer list. Bellamy is a two-time All-Area selection.

GRADY CARPENTER, TIPTON

What didn’t Carpenter do for the Blue Devils? The 6-5 senior was third in the area in scoring at 21.2 points, third on the glass at 7.9 rebounds, was second in assists at 6.6 assists, and third with 1.3 blocks, leading Tipton in all those averages. He also added 1.4 steals and hit 47 3-pointers. The Grace College signee finished his career with 1,629 points and a school-record 695 assists.

A point guard with a varied game, Carpenter’s length allowed him to make an impact outside, dishing, shooting and driving as a traditional point, but he also stepped into the lane to move defenses and open cutting lanes.

Carpenter’s best stat of all doesn’t show up in a box score or season stats. The four-year Blue Devil standout was a four-time sectional champion. Carpenter is a three-time member of the All-Area squad. In addition, the IBCA honored him as a senior small school all-state player this year.

ELI FALKENBERG, CARROLL

With Falkenberg taking a primary role as a senior after a strong back half of his junior campaign, the Cougars didn’t miss a beat despite significant graduation losses. Carroll went 18-5 with Falkenberg in a lead role.

Imposing his will as an attacking post forward, Falkenberg was a load with which to deal. With a combination of scoring from post position, shooting out higher, attacking the rim, and scoring on putbacks, Falkenberg shot a robust 61% from the field. He was second in the area at 21.3 points and third with 7.7 rebounds while adding 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals.

JAVIONNE HARRIS, TAYLOR

The area standard-bearer on the glass, the junior forward set the bar for hard work locally and helped lead Taylor to a 16-8 season, its fourth straight winning campaign. One of the most versatile players in the area, he had a whopping 14 double-doubles.

A forward with a significant serving of guard skills mixed in, Harris led the state in rebounding at 12.6 per game, led Taylor in scoring at 14.9 points (seventh in the area) and in blocks at 1.7 (second in the area), and added 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 49% from the field.

How dominant was Harris on the glass? Had he taken no offensive rebounds whatsoever, he’d have still led the area in rebounding by averaging 8.6 defensive boards alone. Harris is a repeat member of the All-Area squad.

SECOND TEAM

CARTER BIGGS, WESTERN

A growth spurt and an influx of youth at the guard spot allowed Biggs to move off the point guard role and into the shooting guard spot, where the junior flourished as the Panthers’ main option. Biggs’ contribution helped Western post a turnaround season, going 13-11 and winning the Hoosier Conference title after just five wins the previous season.

Biggs expanded his offensive role, upping his scoring to a team-high 14.8 points, eighth in the area, and nearly tripled his 3-point output to a team-best 43 triples. His rebounding increased to 4.9 per game and he was still an effective creator-distributor with 2.4 assists despite the position change.

HAYDEN COOK, NW

Another lunch-pail standout on the All-Area squad, Cook made an impact in the paint as a major post scoring threat, enthusiastic rebounder and a player that gave the Tigers balance. Opponents had to deal with Cook inside, which opened up the wings for shooters. His contribution was key as the Tigers enjoyed a 13-9 season despite entering the season with a lot of questions.

Cook was the leading scorer for the Tigers, averaging 12.5 points, and was the area’s second-leading rebounder at 8.3 per game. He was efficient on offense, hitting 56.9% from the field, eighth-best in the area, and tied for sixth with four charges taken.

KORBYN HAMMEL, KOKOMO

A key cog at guard as a junior after moving to Kokomo a season before, Hammel was well-suited to Kokomo’s shift to an up-tempo offense and liked to keep his foot on the gas whether in transition, or driving to the hoop in half-court play.

Taking on a larger role, Hammel responded as Kokomo’s second-leading scorer at 13.3 points, had a hand in rebounding at 4.2 rebounds, and was Kokomo’s leading facilitator at 3.7 assists, fourth in the area. In addition, he hit 33 triples, helping the Kats pull defenses apart with shooting from three or four positions on the floor at a time.

A.J. KELLY, MAC

Is the 400-meter dash a sprint or a distance race? A track standout who rules the 400 locally, Kelly feasted with sprinter speed and had the endurance to play fast all game long. It could be argued that even more than All-Area MVP Ball, Kelly is the Brave most ideally suited to Mac coach Burrus’ pressure defense and love of the transition game.

The senior guard held his offensive contributions right where they were while more than doubling his rebounding and was an indispensable piece of the Braves’ semistate squad. He was sixth in the area in scoring at 17.5 points, added 5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals (second in the area), while shooting a strong 51% from the field and connecting on 27 3-pointers.

Kelly, who is a repeat-selection to the All-Area team, closed his Brave career with 1,093 points.

FUDDY KILE, MAC

In some ways, the senior was the most irreplaceable piece to Maconaquah’s semistate team, because without him, the Braves would have been at a loss inside. Mac listed him at a forward, but he played center. Undersized, by quite a bit, the 6-1 Kile held his own and a lot more, giving the rest of the squad freedom to take risks defensively and burst out in transition.

Kile contributed 9.4 points on offense, scoring when it was available, but really made an impact getting defensive stops and fueling transition with lead passes. He was fourth in the area at 7.9 rebounds, sixth at 2.0 steals, 10th with a team-best 2.7 assists, and led the area with 1.7 blocks per game.

THIRD TEAM

AIDAN DUFF

Duff took over as primary point guard and flourished with more responsibility. With Duff serving as an efficient set-up man and scoring complement to Falkenberg, the Cougars maintained their strong recent standard, posting their fifth straight season of 16 or more wins.

Using a driving, shooting and dishing game, the junior more than tripled his scoring average to 14.0 points, 10th in the area, while upping his assists to 4.9, third in the area, and taking 4.3 rebounds. Also of note was his 56% shooting accuracy, ninth in the area and high for a guard. He hit 24 3s at a team-high 37.5% clip, fourth-best in the area, and was fifth in steals at 2.2.

GAVIN ELDRIDGE, PERU

The Bengals have a major hole to fill next winter as a four-year mainstay at point guard graduates this season. As a senior on a squad that graduated several key players the season before, Eldridge took on even more responsibility to create for others, posting an area-high 7.6 assists while also leading the area in steals at 2.6 per game.

Eldridge’s offensive output held steady at 13.1 points, while upping his glasswork to 4 rebounds and connecting on a team-high 52 3s.

Eldridge is a repeat selection to the All-Area team.

COLTON LINDSAY, EASTERN

One of the area’s major scorers, Lindsay kept up his prolific pace. The junior guard reached the 1,000-point milestone in February and takes a tally of 1,140 points into next season.

A shooter by trade, Lindsay was fourth in the area in scoring at 19.7 points and added 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists, eighth in the area. He hit 52 triples. Lindsay made a major impact at the free-throw line, leading the area at 84.9% and hitting the second-most freebies in the area at 124. He was also fourth in steals at 2.2 per game.

Lindsay is a repeat selection to the All-Area team.

KEYSHAWN GALLOWAY, TAYLOR

The youngest member of the All-Area squad, Galloway has half his career ahead of him but is already an impact player. The athletic guard grew into a larger role this season and helped the still-young Titans to a 16-win season.

A sophomore guard, Galloway upped his scoring to 11.7 points, grabbed 4.4 rebounds and dished a team-best 2.6 assists. He took 2 steals per game, eighth in the area.

DRAKE RAMSEYER, TC

A combo guard, Ramseyer ascended to the lead scoring option as a senior, propelling the Trojans’ offense with an all-around game as a shooter, driver, cutter and facilitator.

Ramseyer grew from a support role to an impact player, averaging a team-high 14.2 points, ninth in the area, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals.

HONORABLE MENTION

Hudson Biggs averaged 9.6 points, a team-high 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists for Hoosier Conference champion Western. … Drey McClatchey complemented Harris and Galloway in Taylor’s lineup and averaged 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists. … Devon Murry averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds for Maconaquah. He topped the Braves in field-goal percentage (58.5) and 3-point percentage (38.2). … D.J. Nash had a terrific freshman season for Kokomo, averaging 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds and shooting 61.7% from the field. … Sam Quigley provided steady play for Tipton, averaging 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He also led the area in charges taken with 16.