Boys hoops: Lawrence North finds its stride in second half, tops Lawrence Central

Three games. Three up-and-down performances. Three wins.

That’s where the Class 4A fourth-ranked Lawrence North boys basketball program stands after a 74-56 win over visiting rival Lawrence Central in a raucous atmosphere on Wednesday night.

There was some good – mostly good – for the Wildcats in win No. 3. The second half was especially strong after a poor second quarter put Lawrence North in a 30-26 halftime hole.

“We wanted this one bad,” said Lawrence North junior Kevin Easley, who led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds in front of Michigan assistant coach Jeff Meyer. “We went 0-2 last year (against Lawrence Central), so at least we got a lot better since last year. We always have that second-quarter drought every game, but we always come back strong in the second half.”

The 6-7 Easley believes this is the best team he’s played on in his three seasons at Lawrence North. It’s hard to argue otherwise. Easley and 5-8 point guard Antwaan Cushingberry (14 points, six assists) are in their third season as starters and 6-9 senior Ra Kpedi (nine points) is a force on the interior.

Others, like sophomore Dexter Shouse (11 points, five rebounds) and freshman Mike Saunders Jr. (11 points, two steals) also appear to be finding their way. Saunders came up big in the fourth quarter, just as he did in the season-opening win over Park Tudor, scoring 10 of his 11 points as the Wildcats expanded on a 48-42 lead after three.

“He’s a big-time player,” Easley said of Saunders. “He’s going to be a big-time player. He just has to have that first-half mentality. But he’s young. He just turned 14. But I’ve never seen a freshman come in the game in the fourth quarter and do what he’s been doing.”

Saunders said he’s been watching Easley and Cushingberry for two years, hoping to prepare himself for his chance as a freshman. He’s jumped into the starting lineup from the get-go for coach Jack Keefer, who coached his first game in the refurbished Lawrence North gym on Wednesday.

“I study (Easley and Cushingberry) and what they do and study all of their moves,” Saunders said. “A couple more games and I’ll be good.”

Lawrence Central is a new-look team this year without last year’s IndyStar Mr. Basketball, Kyle Guy, and fellow guard Mekhi Biffle. The Bears showed they can hang with a top-10 team but committed 16 second-half turnovers after a strong start.

Donyell Meredith and Wesley Jordan each had 14 points to lead Lawrence Central and K.J. Davis added 11. Lawrence Central defeated Brownsburg in the opener before falling to Carmel in its second game.

“We’re still getting in the flow of things,” said Davis, a senior guard. “I feel like we rushed a lot of shots tonight, maybe out of frustration. But we’re still learning. It’s just a matter of getting more reps. By midseason, I think we’ll be a better team.”

Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.