CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (May 12, 2010) – The Busco Eagles beat the Prairie Heights Panthers in tennis action at both the varsity and JV levels Tuesday, May 11.

Busco Varsity won, 5-0, and the JV team won, 5-4.

Prairie_Heights_@_Busco

Busco scores listed first.

Article Contributed

Fourteen years ago, Churubusco High School began hosting a men’s track invitational.  The Eagles spent the first 11 years of the invite’s existence hosting, but not winning.  That all changed in 2008, when the team won its own invitational for the first time in program history.  The last 2 years have been just as lucrative for the Busco track program.  On Saturday, the Eagles defeated 10 other teams to win their 3^rd straight Busco Invite title. 

This year, the Busco Invite added 3 new schools to the field of competitors; Culver Community, Woodlan, and North Miami.  Those three schools joined existing participants Jimtown, Bluffton, Southern Wells, Wabash, Manchester, Eastside, and Fremont.  

In the field events, Busco held its own.  Zack Adams finished 3^rd in the pole vault, and Kyle Mathewson claimed the top spot with an uncontested vault of 12’0”.  Alex Zolman finished 4^th over-all in the long jump.  Jess Percy took 8^th in the high jump, and Kyle Monk finished 1^st with a jump of 6’0”.  Josh LeFever finished 8^th in the discus, and Skylar Greve finished 2^nd in the shot put. 

Busco dominated the sprints and the hurdles.  In the 100m and 200m dash finals, Busco finished 1^st and 2^nd with Brian Trump and Kyle Mathewson respectively.  In the 110m hurdle finals, Josh LeFever finished 3^rd, and Kyle Monk took 5^th.  Kyle Monk won the 300m hurdles with a record time of 41.89, while Josh LeFever finished 3^rd. 

The youthful D-unit of the Eagles showed up in a big way.  In the 1600m run, freshman Davon Geiger finished 4^th and sophomore Greg Bloem took 7^th place.  Freshmen Conner Hogeston and Davon Geiger finished 3^rd and 4^th respectively in the 3200m run. 

The Busco 4×1 relay team of Brian Trump, Kyle Monk, Jeremy Forker, and Kyle Mathewson finished 1^st with a time of 44.77 seconds.  The 4×4 relay team of Alex Zolman, Josh LeFever, Bob Arvola, and Jeremy Forker took 2^nd.  The 4×8 relay team of Austen Hively, Dalton Heinkel, James Fehring, and Joel Fehring finished 3^rd.

In the 400m dash, Alex Zolman finished 2^nd and Jeremy Forker finished 7^th.  Perhaps the most exciting race of the day came in the 800m run.  Busco’s Austen Hively came from 3 positions back to edge out Woodlan’s Blake Wiel for the win.  Hively’s winning time was 2:12.50, Wiel’s 2^nd place time was 2:12.89.

Busco Junior Kyle Mathewson was the top individual scorer Saturday.  Mathewson finished 2^nd in the 100m and 200m dashes, won the pole vault, and was the anchor of the winning 4×1 relay team.

For the full results, click here.

South Side beat Busco 5-0 at the varsity level of women’s tennis, but in spite of that, the Churubusco coach found reasons to be pleased with the team’s performance.

“Though the score was 0-5, I was pleased with a few things in the varsity matches,” Coach Ben Jagger said.

Jagger said Morgan Young played extremely well during the first set.

“I think she saw the potential to win her first varsity match, and she started playing too carefully,” Jagger said. “She really lost her game after that, but we have something to build on.”

The two dubs spot of Marla Martinez and Ali Shambaugh played an extremely tough match. It looked like they were going to be down and out quickly after dropping the first set, and going down 5-2 in the second. Jagger had a couple of JV players waiting on their court during that time.

But the Busco dubs stormed back, and took the first set in a tie-break. They played a tight third set before eventually going down a break, and dropping it 4-6.

The #1 dubs set of Hannah Dodson and Alysa Holloway played an allright match, Jagger said. The girls stayed close, and had the momentum a few times during the match.

“They just couldn’t get that point to put them over the top,” Jagger said. “They weren’t out-matched or out-played, South Side just wanted it more.”

According to Jagger, South Side played with a little more aggression, and that was the undoing of Busco. He said the team needs to be proactive in building points rather than reactive.

“There are a few things that we need to take back to practice, and try and correct,” Jagger said, “but, overall, I was fairly pleased with the varsity’s performance. We could have a fairly decent season.”

To view the full results of the matches, click here.

The members of the 2010 Men’s Track Team are:

Skylar Greve  – 12

Noah Polakavic - 12

Jordan Hamilton - 12

Jay Linscomb – 12

Brian Trump – 12

James Fehring – 12

Bryce Shively – 12

Justin Turnbow – 11

Dustin Arvola – 11

Dalton Heinkel – 11

Kyle Mathewson – 11

Shawn Kelly – 11

Jes Percy – 11

Thomas Tidwell – 11

Zach Armstead – 11

Kyle Monk – 11

Austin Hively – 11

Jeremy Forker – 11

Charlie Huelsenbeck – 11

Spencer Conrad – 11

Alex Edsall – 11

Alex Zolman – 10

Josh LeFever – 10

Joel Fehring – 10

Brent Beasley – 10

Stu Hilsmire – 10

Greg Bloem – 10

Zac Adams – 10

Cameron Ray – 10

Chris Euker – 10

Tyler Nevil – 9

Conner Hogeston – 9

Eric Kuznar – 9

Gunner Barnhart – 9

Davin Gieger – 9

Cole Stauffer – 9

Joe Zumbrun – 9

Austin Bogges – 9

Austin McClure – 9

Jesse Green – 9

Jason Nicodemus – 9

Luke McParlan – 9

Brian Richardson – 9

Nic Simmons – 9

The members of the 2010 Women’s Track Team are:

Alex Eyer – 10

Rachel Fehring – 10

Haliegh Gross – 10

Erika Lehner – 10

Payton Summers – 10

Paige Roe – 10

Heather Monk – 10

Peyton Hunsberger – 10

Emily Hively – 9

Emma Frericks – 9

Emily Barr – 9

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (March 18, 2010) — Churubusco High School track and field will be represented at the indoor state championships held annually at Purdue University. There are only two divisions at the meet, so the Eagles will be competing with much larger schools like Wayne and Harding of Fort Wayne, to name just a couple.

Heather Monk qualified with a throw of 34’4” in the shot put and is seeded 4th in her event. Busco will have two distance runners in the 3200 meter race, with both Rachel Fehring and Alex Eyer qualifying. Additionally, the distance medley relay team of Eyer, Fehring, Haleigh Gross, and Peyton Hunsberger will compete.

On the boys side, Kyle Matthewson will go to work in three events-the 55 meter dash, the long jump, and the 4X200 relay. Alex Zolman will join him in the long jump and relay competitions. Skylar Greve will look to exceed his personal best in the shot put, while he strives for the difficult to attain 50’ mark. The 4X200 relay team has been blazing so far this year, shaving a second and a half off their best time of last year and with fierce opposition at the meet, could drop below their posted best of 1:37. Jeremy Forker and and Josh Lefever, along with Matthewson and Zolman, make up the relay team.

Busco

vs

Central Noble

Sectional Round 2 Preview

2010 2A Sectional 36 Game Info

Date:  Friday March 5^th

Time:  7:30pm

Location:  Bateman Gymnasium, Garrett High School 

Article Contributed

Coming off a two-game losing streak, it looked as though the Busco boys basketball team would be limping into the sectionals.  Last Friday the Eagles lost 44-48 in overtime to Fairfield – the second loss to the Falcons this season.  In that game, the Eagles offense sputtered throughout the first three quarters of play.  The following night, the Eagles traveled to Whitko.  There, they suffered a 51-74 loss to the Wildcats.

Tuesday, the Eagles played their last home game.  In front of a Senior Night crowd, Busco hosted the then 12-6 Wawasee Warriors.  The Warriors have gained a reputation for their high-scoring offense.  Prior to the Busco game, the Warriors had faced 6 NECC schools.  They beat Angola 101-48; they beat West Noble 95-69; they beat Lakeland 86-64; they beat Central Noble 77-55; they beat Westview 84-60; and they beat Fairfield 81-54.

The Eagles would certainly have their hands full.

The fast-pace of the game appeared to be a little much for the young Busco team initially.  The Eagles found themselves in a 15-point deficit early in the 2^nd quarter.  They managed to recover, and a last second jumper by Hunter Nicodemus tied the game 36-36 at halftime.  Busco ended the 3^rd quarter with a 59-58 lead. 

The 4^th quarter would be epic.  The Busco defense clamped down on the high-powered Warrior offense, blocking shots and forcing turnovers.  The Eagle offense also showed up in a huge way as Busco outscored Wawasee 30 to 11 in the fourth quarter to secure an 89-69 victory over the favored Warriors.

Kyle Mathewson scored a game-high 31 points for Churubusco.  Wawasee seemingly had no answer for Mathewson in the paint.  Sophomore Josh LeFever added 17 points.  Junior Hunter Nicodemus scored 12 points for Busco.  Offensively, the Eagles delivered and have the stats to prove it.

But, perhaps the performance of the night came from big man Tyler Arrowsmith.  The sophomore contributed 6 points offensively, but it was on defense that he made his presence known.  Arrowsmith’s strong inside presence gave the Warriors fits all night.  He was also credited with four blocked shots on the night…four very crucial blocked shots.

The victory moves Busco to 9-9 on the season.  The Eagles will travel to Butler Friday night to face-off against the Eastside Blazers (9-9, 4-5) in the regular season finale.

The IHSAA sectional draw took place on Sunday night.   Churubusco participates in 2A Sectional 36 at Garrett High School.  The Eagles will face the Prairie Heights Panthers on Tuesday March 2^nd at 7:30 p.m.  The Eagles defeated the Panthers 68-60 earlier in the season.

Churubusco Middle School Honor Roll

First Semester 2009-2010

GRADE 6

HIGH HONORS                  HONORABLE MENTION

Alyssa Anderson                Jeremy Barrus

Andrea Aung                        Brody Belh

Jeremiah Bock                     Carly Bonar

Shelby Brockman                Trevor Bonar

Drew Buffenbarger             Seth Brown

Anna Bulmahn                     Seth Carter

Camille Cseri                         Braxton Clark

Robert Dreyer                      Sierra Coil

Alissa Edsall                          Tristan Creech

Julia Folland                         Paige Curry

Bridgette Foote                    Cailey Gladieux

James Fry                               Ralph Harshman

Emilee Gaerte                       Corinne Hobbs

Chance Gallmeier                Skyler Johnson    

Donovan Geiger                   Vincent Johnson

Reed Geiger                            Dalton Kimes

Molly Green                           Alek Kintz

Morgan Gressley                  Kaylee Leeuw

Shyenne Greve                     Caleb Partin

Jhai Herendeen                    Kyriah Ramsey

Sarah Holloway                    Thomas Savieo

Elaine Horn                            Bethanie Smith

Joshua Howk                         Alexandria Sutton

Kendall King                           Zachary VanEvery

Olivia Knight

Cortney Luttman

Deserea McConnell

Emily Murphy

Adrianna Nagle

Alec Nash

Landon Pence

Kara Reed

Baylee Shively

Gage Shively

Noah Stucker

Luke Sturtz

Cody Thomas

 GRADE 7     

HIGH HONORS                  HONORABLE MENTION

Madison Bieber                   Alicia Armstrong

Peyton Brandt                     Skyler Barrett

Valerie Pope                         Molly Blake

Kennedy Sade                      Sam Boneff

Kaley Scott                            Alexis Bultemeier

Brittney Shambaugh         Skyler Chambless               

Kaleb Walker                        Shylyn Clouse

Damon Weatherholt          Cheyenne Conner

Devon Zeigler                       Kolten Corson

                                                    James Crooks

                                                   Chase Downing

                                                   Landen Edwards

                                                   Gabe Erwin

                                                   Jacob Geiger

                                                   Blake Gross

                                                   Holly Haupricht

                                                   Brooke Herendeen

                                                   Kristen Krill

                                                   Luke Lillmars

                                                   Paige Long

                                                   Montana Martin

                                                   Lyle McParlan

                                                   Briana Modezjewski

                                                   Cassidy Perlich

                                                   Dalen Peters

                                                   Isaiah Ramsey

                                                   Hannah Richards

                                                   Taylor Sobasky

                                                   Cody Teusch

                                                   Lukus Troyer

                                                   Christian Tucker

                                                    Brett Uecker

                                                    Megan Vogts

                                                    Aaron Zolman

GRADE 8

HIGH HONORS                  HONORABLE MENTION

Kristine Bechtold               Morgan Anderson

Chelsea Bennett                  Hannah Berghoff

Evan Byrd                             Teegan Brumbaugh

Brooke Foote                       Te’ryk Campbell

Brandon Goepfrich            Samantha Colchin

Danielle Johnson                Cliff Crabill

Maggie Kitt                            Emily Ditton

Mandi Krecik                        Kari Fulk

Brittany McKinney            Logan Harris

Danielle Pippenger             Mikaela Harshman

Nicholas Uecker                   Jerra Householder

Ashlee Wakeman                  Austin Johnson

                                                     Rachel Jones

                                                      Kaley Kanis

                                                      Hayden Kilgore

                                                      Savannah King

                                                      Cody Luttman

                                                      Bradley Martin

                                                      Katie Monk

                                                      Marisa Neely

                                                       Logan Paris

                                                       Landon Pearson

                                                       Abigail Richards

                                                       Gabrielle Savieo

The weather may have kept the students out of school for a few days, but the Eagle Basketball players made the trip to Hamilton to face the Marines in NECC play on Thursday night.

The game stayed tight throughout the first two quarters of play.  At halftime, both teams entered the locker room tied at 28.  The Eagles faired much better in the 3^rd quarter as they outscored their opponent 21 to 13.  The lead dwindled a bit in the 4^th, but the Eagles still managed to pull out a 10-point victory.  Final score:  Busco 58, Hamilton 48.

Sophomore Josh LeFever led the Eagles with 13 points in the Eagles' 58-48 victory over Hamilton.

The win was the Eagle’s 8^th on the season over-all, and their 4^th in the NECC.  Four Busco players scored in double-digits.  Sophomore Josh LeFever led the team with 13.  Junior Kyle Mathewson scored 12.  And Juniors Hunter Nicodemus and Dylan Herendeen each scored 11.

Busco can now set its sites on a much anticipated rematch against NECC rival Fairfield.  The two teams met earlier this season in the first round of the NECC Tournament.  In spite of a hefty lead and a stingy defense, the Eagles let the Falcons get the best of them in a 49-46 loss at Fairfield.

The Falcons are led by Junior Tanner Foust.  Foust scored a game-high 19 points in the previous meeting between Busco and Fairfield.  If the name sounds familiar, it may be because Foust scored the game-winning touchdown when the Busco football team lost to Fairfield last October.   Foust is joined by the Falcons’ defensive leader, Micah Noble and offensive threat, Justin Scott who is coming off knee surgery.

With an average of over 16 points per game, Kyle Mathewson is the team’s leading scorer.

There is no doubt that this game is one that the Busco players have been looking forward to since the final buzzer in the previous meeting.  Busco’s defense will need to show up in a big way if they are going to pull out a victory.  Also, the Eagles will need to stay out of foul trouble and take advantage of their own trips to the charity stripe.

The Churubusco Eagles (8-7, 4-4) will host the Fairfield Falcons (9-8, 4-3) Friday February, 19^th at Churubusco High School.  The junior varsity will start the night off at 6:00pm with the varsity game to follow.  A large crowd is expected, so an early arrival may be prudent.

Team assist leader, Kyle Monk is averaging just under 6 assists per game. Monk is also considered one of the best defenders in the NECC.

The Busco boys basketball team did not start February off the way they had intended.  Instead of extending their winning record, the boys fell to the Lakeland Lakers 73-50 and saw their record drop to 7-7. 

The Eagles allowed a 10 point halftime gap to be the insurmountable difference.  An inability to score on offense and an inability to stop the long range attack of the Lakers proved to be the back-breaker for the young Eagles. 

Sophomore Tyler Arrowsmith led the team with 11 points.  The Eagles (7-7, 3-4) will travel to Hamilton on Thursday to face the Hamilton Marines (2-13, 0-7).

The Churubusco Lady Eagles lost a close game to Lakeland’s Lady Lakers on Friday.  The 39-35 loss was difficult because of how close Churubusco came to pulling off the upset, and because it was the last home game for Seniors Taylor Amber and Alyssa Holloway. 

Amber led the team with 15 points.  Following the conclusion of the game, Coach Jamie Perlich read a letter addressed to the 2 seniors, written by Indiana high school basketball legend, Shanna (Zolman) Crossley. 

            The Lady Eagles enter tournament play next week as they will participate in the Eastside Sectional, which begins on Tuesday.

Sectional Teams with Records according to indianagirlsbasketball.homestead.com.

Saturday was the Carroll regional.  Only a wrestling tournament at Carroll could combine Mossy Oak pajama bottoms with catered fettuccini from Casa’s. 

Busco sent 6 wrestlers to Carroll on Saturday.  Three of them will advance to the Semi-state round of the IHSAA tournament held at the Fort Wayne Coliseum. 

At the 152lb division, senior Jordan Nicodemus placed 4^th.  Braxton Siddons placed 3^rd in the 189lb division.  And at 171, Jordan Hamilton defeated Whitko’s Austin Striggle 9-0 in the championship match.  Hamilton’s defeat of Striggle was the second consecutive time he had done so.  Hamilton beat Striggle last Saturday in the championship round of the sectional as well. 

First round match-ups for FW Semi-State:

152LBS

Nick Duke, Marion—Senior (38-2)

Vs

Jordan Nicodemus, Busco—Senior (26-9)        

171LBS

Jordan Hamilton, Busco—Senior (31-1)

Vs

Ben Pfister, Bluffton—Freshman (24-16)

189LBS

Braxton Siddons, Busco—Junior (29-7)

Vs

Grant Brown, Yorktown—Senior (34-9)

Round 1 begins at 9:00am

 If you’ve never had the opportunity to witness the Fort Wayne semi-state, I encourage you to attend on Saturday.  It really is one of the greatest events in all of high school sports.

Jordan Hamilton

One constant during the winters in Turtle Town is quality wrestlers.

For the past 4 years, one of those quality individuals has been Jordan Hamilton.  After winning an NECC title in the 171 lb. division last week, Hamilton added another championship to his resume by defeating Whitko’s Austin Striggle in a 6-3 decision.

Braxton Siddons finished 2^nd in the 189 lb. division.  Jordan Nicodemus finished 3^rd in the 152lb division.  Jason Nicodemus finished 3^rd in the 125lb division.  Adam Boggess finished 4^th in the 130 lb. division.  A.J. Herron finished 4^th in the 140 lb. class.

All six athletes will advance to the regional next Saturday (Feb. 6^th) at Carroll High School.  Round 1 will begin at 9:00am.

Busco’s First Round Regional Match-ups:

125lb

Jason Nicodemus (19-18):  Busco—Freshman

Vs

Tony Elkins (13-5):  Snider—Sophomore

130lb

Adam Boggess (28-11):  Busco—Sophomore

Vs

Tucker Smith (29-6):  Homestead—Senior

140lb

A.J. Herron (21-7):  Busco—Senior

Vs

Nate Bloomfield (31-8):  New Haven—Senior

152lb

Jordan Nicodemus (25-7):  Busco—Senior

Vs

Logan Thatcher (23-10):  Southside—Junior

171lb

Jordan Hamilton (28-1):  Busco—Senior

Vs

Jeremy Salmon (13-20):  Woodlan—Junior

189lb

Braxton Siddons (27-6):  Busco—Junior

Vs

Nolan Wilson (20-13):  Harding—Freshman

ANGOLA, Ind. (Jan. 23, 2009) – The Churubusco wrestling team placed 3rd at the NECC tournament held at Angola High School on Saturday. The Eagles placed behind Fairfield and Prairie Heights. Heights is the traditional conference power. However, this year the Fairfield Falcons won the NECC regular season and the tournament on Saturday.

Team standings from Saturday’s NECC Wrestling meet are as follows:

• 1. Fairfield (214)
• 2. Prairie Heights (208.5)
• 3. Churubusco (177.5)
• 4. Lakeland (147.5)
• 5. West Noble (143.5)
• 6. Westview (82)
• 7. Fremont (74)
• 8. Eastside (58.5)
• 9. Angola (49.5)
• 10. Central Noble (28)

Busco also saw its share of individual successes:

• 119lb: Clint Bechtold-5th Place
• 125lb: Jason Nicodemus-5th Place
• 130lb: Adam Boggess-3rd Place
• 135: Zack “Blue” Armstead-2nd Place
• 140lb: A.J. Herron-1st Place
• 145lb: Sam Siddons-3rd Place
  

  Jordan Hamilton takes down his opponent in this 2009 file photo.
• 152lb: Jordan Nicodemus-3rd Place
• 171lb: Jordan Hamilton-1st Place
• 189lb: Braxton Siddons-3rd Place
• 215lb: Jay Linscomb-3rd Place
• 285lb: Travis Liggett-4th Place

Busco’s two champions, A.J. Herron and Jordan Hamilton, got the job done in style.

In the 140lb weight class, Herron won by a 12-5 decision over Dustin Hinen of Fairfield. Perhaps the most anticipated match of the day came in the 171lb weight class when Busco’s Jordan Hamilton faced Fairfield’s Alex Hostetler. Although, the match was only heavily anticipated because of the talk (initiated by Hostetler) leading up to the match, Hamilton chose to display his talents rather than discuss them. Leading 7-0 at the 1:14 mark in the 2nd period, Hamilton pinned Hostetler … enough said.

The Eagles will travel to Carroll High School next Saturday to compete in sectionals. The tournament begins at 9 a.m.

Article contributed (Note: Because of limited staff, and because we are a community-and reader-based news site, BuscoVoice relies heavily upon reader contributions. Send us your Eagle wrestling photos and we will see that they get posted. Send them to: editor@buscovoice.com)

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Jan. 22, 2010) — The Churubusco girls and boys varsity basketball teams traveled to Angola Friday night to face the Hornets. Both teams came up empty-handed.

The Lady Eagles (3-13, 1-7) fell 29 to 61 to the Lady Hornets (9-7, 7-1). The Lady Eagles kept it close for most of the game, but were unable to keep pace with the Angola team.

The junior varsity and varsity Lady Eagles will host the South Adams Lady Starfires (2-11) on Jan. 28. The evening will begin with the JV game. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., followed by the varsity game.

The boys didn’t fair much better, losing 49 to 60 to Angola (9-5, 4-0).

The Busco boys would then travel to Fort Wayne on Saturday night to face the Canterbury Cavaliers, ranked #15 in the 1A AP Poll. On little rest, the Eagles defense flexed its muscles early. After the 1st quarter the Eagles trailed 16 to 14…slightly different than the first quarter of the Leo game. The second quarter saw more of the same. The Eagles thwarted several Cavalier scoring attempts and the frustration from an inability to run their offense began to show on the faces of the Canterbury players and coaches. At halftime, Busco trailed 28-26.

The Eagles have often struggled in the 3rd quarter this season. However, on Saturday night the Busco defense managed to hold the Cavs to a measly 6 points. At the end of 3, Busco led 37-34. But, the best (as they say) was yet to come. Scoring 14, 12, and 11 in the previous 3 quarters-the Busco offense put up 25 in the 4th quarter to stave off a late charge from the Cavaliers.

Perhaps the most impressive stat for the Eagles was what they were able to accomplish from the foul line. Busco made 25 out of 27 free throws on the night … a season bet. Busco’s ability to score from the charity stripe provided security when Canterbury began hitting its long range shots and then fouling the Eagles. The Busco boys delivered when they had to and the result was a 62-55 victory over the #15 Cavaliers.

Kyle Mathewson led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points. Junior guard Kyle Monk added 11. Sophomore Josh LeFever contributed 10. Tavin Herendeen and Dylan Herendeen scored 9 and 5 points, respectively. The victory moved the Eagles back up to .500 on the year.

Busco (6-6, 2-3) will host arch rival Central Noble (1-10, 1-4) Friday, Jan. 29. The JV game will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity. A victory would move the Eagles to 7-6 and would be the first time the program has been above .500 since 2005.

Article contributed (Note: Because of limited staff, and because we are a community-and reader-based news site, BuscoVoice relies heavily upon reader contributions. Send us your Eagle sports photos and we will see that they get posted. Send them to: editor@buscovoice.com)

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. – (Jan. 20, 2010) It is often said in sports that defense wins championships. And, in a state where locals argue over the greatness of Bobby Knight and Gene Keady (and Digger Phelps…to a lesser degree): you’ll get little discrepancy on the value of a solid defense. However, there is another statement in sports that is less philosophical, but likely just as true: Offense is more fun to watch. True…so true.

Tuesday night’s boy-girl double header started off with the Lady Eagles hosting the Leo Lady Lions. The Lady Eagles fell 54 to 26 to a very tough Leo team.

And then it was the boys’ turn.

Coming off its first loss in 5 games, many people wondered how the Busco Boys would respond. They responded by putting on a clinic. Session 1: How to take full advantage of a bad defense. Session 2: How to outscore the opponent that is shooting above 50% from beyond the arc. Session 3: How to finish the game WITHOUT Kyle Monk and Hunter Nicodemus. The result was a 122-118 overtime win for Churubusco … and a few more gray hairs on the heads of the captivated fans.

(photo courtesy of K. Gilbert)

From the tip-off it was clear that many people may have paid to see a basketball game, but instead witnessed one of the most thrilling track meets in Busco basketball history. Churubusco ended the 1st quarter leading 33 to 32. With many people reaching for their Dramamine to deal with the sudden onset of motion sickness, the Eagles dug in for one wild ride.

Kyle Mathewson would lead the Eagles in scoring with 29 points. Hunter Nicodemus, who is known for his long range shots, scored 24 points all from inside the 3 point arc. Kyle Monk cut through the porous Leo defense to add 18 points, mostly from lay-ups. And, sophomores Josh LeFever and Tyler Arrowsmith scored 14 and 16 points respectively.

The game did not end in regulation. It would take an overtime period to determine the winner.

With Monk on the bench after fouling out late in the fourth quarter, and Nicodemus in the training room from an injury, it was up to the rest of the team to rally for the win.

Tavin Herendeen put the Eagles up early with a steal followed by a lay-up. Arrowsmith, LeFever, and Mathewson also added buckets. With a 2-point lead the Eagle defense came up with the much-needed rebound following 3 Leo misses.

Kyle Mathewson was fouled and hit both free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining (Check this out in the video below).

Final Score, Churubusco: 122, Leo: 118. The Eagles managed 2 score 122 points WITHOUT shooting a 3 point shot the entire night.

The boys and girls varsity teams will travel to Angola Friday night to face the Hornets in NECC action. The girls game will tip-off at 6 p.m. followed by the boys.

(article, photo and video of Kyle Mathewson making last shot of the game all contributed)

Article contributed

A unanimous sigh of relief was heard Tuesday night by those involved in the Busco Boys basketball program.

The relief came not from a come from behind win, a buzzer-beater, or a last second defensive stand … but because for the first time in 5 games the Eagles played the way many have expected them to play all season.

In a 66-49 win over Manchester, Busco earned its first win of the season and may have at least begun the process of getting a huge monkey off of its back. Following a Saturday night loss at the hands of conference foe West Noble, which is led by former Eagles’ coach Ross Hales, there were a lot of questions and concerns throughout the community about the direction of the basketball program.

Tuesday night, the Eagles answered some of those questions, at least for the time being. The defense was noticeably improved, and the offense seemed to be clicking a little better.

Tavin Herendeen, who drained 3-point basket after 3-point basket to thwart a Manchester rally, scored 14 points on the night.

Coming off a career-high 27 points on Saturday, Kyle Mathewson added 14 points from the paint in the Eagles’ victory Tuesday night.

Point Guard Dylan Herendeen scored 10 points. Also contributing to the Eagle’s scoring effort was sophomore Josh LeFever with 7 points; junior Jordan Turner with 5 points; and junior Hunter Nicodemus with 10 points.

The 17-point win was the Eagles’ largest margin of victory since 2006. Perhaps more than any statistical information, the most comforting thing about the victory was that it looked as if Busco was playing as a team for the first time this season.

With all of the negative talk outside of the program, they’ll need to stay together to face the challenges up ahead. The Eagles (1-4, 0-2) travel to Prairie Heights Friday, Dec. 18, to take on the Panthers (2-4, 0-1) in NECC action. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the junior varsity game.

Under the direction of first year Coach Jamie Perlich, the Churubusco Lady Eagles have battled in nearly every game they’ve played, in spite of the team’s youth and inexperience. Unfortunately, that inexperience proved to be the Achilles heel for the Lady Eagle’s as they lost a conference game at home Saturday night against the visiting Westview Lady Warriors, 30-45. The loss dropped the Lady Eagles to 2-7 overall and 0-3 in the NECC conference standing. Westview improved to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the NECC.

Seniors on the team include starting center Taylor Amber and Alysa Holloway. Their supporting cast includes sophomores Morgan Young, Heather Monk, and Haliegh Gross; and freshman Kasey Gibson. While the record doesn’t necessarily show it, the Lady Eagles have worked extremely hard this season. The team’s 2 wins included a 57-39 win over Whitko and a 62-60 double overtime thriller against Blackhawk Christian. With a solid group of underclassmen, including a dedicated and previously successful freshman class, the program’s future is seemingly bright.

The Lady Eagles travel to Ligonier to face West Noble (2-6, 1-3) on Friday. Game time is set for 7:30 following the JV game.

Article contributed

Varsity

Junior Varsity

CHURUBUSCO, Ind (Nov. 25, 2009) – Churubusco is not a basketball town.  Mike McBride wants to change that.

McBride enters his second season as the head coach for the Churubusco boys basketball team.  The Eagles finished 6-15 last year, which was the programs best record since the 2005-2006 season.  But, 6 wins doesn’t satisfy McBride’s hunger.  Since his first day on the job, Coach McBride has had one goal in mind:  a sectional title.  In his first team address, he herded the players into the gymnasium and showed them all the banners on the wall – none of which are basketball banners.

McBride explained to his players that the road to a championship is the road less traveled and would require a tremendous commitment from them.  In a school where baseball competes annually for a conference title, where wrestlers regularly go deep into the tournament, where the track team just won its first conference title, and where the football team has established itself as a perennial power, basketball has lagged behind for … well, forever.  And so the basketball coach took a page from the Busco football playbook – he took his team into the weight room.  Some of the best basketball coaches in the state refuse to allow their teams to lift weights, but McBride saw a lack of toughness, strength, and team speed.  All summer long, the basketball players lifted with the football team before going into the gym for their drills.  The time invested has all been in an effort to reach the team’s ultimate goal:  a sectional title … something the Busco basketball program has yet to accomplish.

With a plethora of experienced players returning for the Eagles, and no seniors on the team – the stage has been set.  The Eagles return Juniors Tavin Herendeen (5-11″ 150lbs), Kyle Monk (6′2″ 190lbs), Kyle Mathewson (6′2″ 195lbs), Jordan Turner (6′2″ 190lbs), and Dylan Herendeen (5′8″ 140lbs).  The Eagles also gain sophomores Josh LeFever (6′2″ 170lbs), Dylan Jones (6′3″ 185lbs), and Tyler Arrowsmith (6′7″ 195lbs).

McBride’s hard-nosed, no nonsense coaching style may be just what this program needs to get the job done.  Only time will tell.

Churubusco High School

Boys Basketball Rosters

Varsity

#10                  Tavin Herendeen                  Jr..                   5′11                  150 lbs.

#12                  Kyle Monk                                    Jr..                  6′2                  190 lbs.

#14                  Jes Percey                                    Jr.                  5′11                  150 lbs.

#20                  Dylan Herendeen                  Jr..                  5′8                  140 lbs.

#22                  Hunter Nicodemous                  Jr.                  6′1                  140 lbs.

#24                  Kyle Mathewson                  Jr.                  6′2                  190 lbs.

#32                  Alex Zolman                                    So.                  5′10                  130 lbs.

#34                  Josh LeFever                                    So.                  6′2                  170 lbs.

#40                  Dylan Jones                                    So.                  6′3                  185 lbs.

#42                  Jordan Turner                                    Jr.                  6′2                  190 lbs.

#44                  Austin Goepfrich                  So.                  6′1                  150 lbs.

#50                  Tyler Arrowsmith                  So.                  6′7                  195 lbs.

Varsity Coach:                  Michael McBride

Assistant Coaches:                  Phil Brackmann, Jody Herendeen, John Pelz

Junior Varsity

#10                  Alex Zolman                                    So.                  5′10                  150 lbs.

#12                  Greg Bloem                                    So.                  5′8                  135 lbs.

#14                  Jess Percey                                    Jr.                  5′11                  150 lbs.

#20                  Austin Goepfrich                  So.                  6′1                  150 lbs.

#24                  Jay Petrie                                    Fr.                  5′11                  150 lbs.

#32                  Joe Zumbrun                                    Fr.                  5′11                  155 lbs.

#34                  Chris Jones                                    So.                  5′9                  140 lbs.

#40                  Jesse Green                                    Fr.                  6′1                  200 lbs.

#42                  Davon Geiger                                    Fr.                  5′9                  130 lbs.

#50                  Jeremy Forker                                    Jr.                  6′3                  190 lbs.

JV Coach:                                    John Pelz

Assistant Coach:                  Jody Herendeen