Hoops: Bloomington South holds Martinsville to 29% shooting in 56–34 sectional playoff win

After losing their final regular season game to Northview last Thursday, the Bloomington High School South boys basketball team entered the sectional playoffs with a chance to bounce back against Martinsville.

And the Panthers answered the call, holding the Artesians to a 29% performance from the field to win 56–34 at Martinsville High School on Tuesday night.

The Panthers and the Artesians were already familiar with each other, as the teams matched up against each other on Jan. 24. South came out on top in the first game 68–56, after the Panthers knocked down every shot attempt in the fourth quarter.

In the first showdown, South finished the contest shooting 60% from the field and knocking down six 3-pointers. It was a red-hot shooting performance that continued into their playoff matchup on Tuesday.

South finished at 57% from the field and made five 3-pointers throughout the contest. The Panthers were able to rain down four 3-pointers in the first half to push their lead out to 11 points at halftime.

Bloomington South was led by senior guard Jack Clark’s 18 points. Clark knocked down 6 of his 7 shots from the field and went 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point arc. However, no other Panther finished with double-digit points. Junior forward Rylan Stikeleather added nine points, the second-most for South.

The Panthers held Martinsville to a 29% performance from the field, as the Artesians only made 10 of their 34 shots. Martinsville tried to get its 3-point shot going throughout the game, but finished with only three 3-pointers made. Senior guard Grady Gardner and junior guard Carson Robertson combined for 31 of 34 total points for the Artesians.

Robertson knocked down a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game, a sign for things to come for Martinsville. He finished the first quarter with eight points, making two 3-pointers.

However, South seemed to always have the upper hand in the first quarter. Senior forward Matt Tierney responded to Robertson’s opening bucket with a 2-pointer. Then, a couple of possessions later, a bucket for senior guard Max Surdam put South up 6–5, the first lead of the game for the Panthers.

Martinsville was able to regain the lead with a 3-pointer from Robertson, but then Clark started to catch fire for Bloomington South. Clark sank a 3-pointer after a Stikeleather 2-pointer that tied the game at 8-8. Clark finished the first frame by knocking down another 3-pointer to give South a 16–12 lead when the buzzer sounded.

However, Martinsville’s chances to win began to fade in the second quarter. The Artesians only made two shots in the eight minutes, both of which came in the first four minutes. Robertson made a 2-pointer that reduced Martinsville’s deficit to two points, while a 3-pointer from Gardner trimmed it to one point. After those two baskets, the Artesians would not score again until almost halfway through the third quarter.

South capitalized on its strong defense, making 5 of its 11 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers. The shot-making catapulted the Panthers into a 28–17 lead at halftime.

Bloomington South’s dominant defense continued into the second half. Martinsville finished the third quarter only making one shot from the field—a 2-pointer from junior guard Gavin Nelson with just over three minutes left on the clock. The only place Martinsville found success was at the free throw line, going 5 of 6.

During the third quarter, South wasn’t able to exploit the poor shooting from the Artesians as much as in the second quarter, but the Panthers did outscore Martinsville 14-7. In the third quarter, South went 4 of 8 from the field and 5 of 5 from the charity stripe.

The good shooting helped the Panthers extend their lead to 20 points, 42–22, when the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter. And South didn’t give any ground to Martinsville in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 14–10 to finish the game as 56–34 victors.

With the win, Bloomington South (19–6, 5–0 Conference Indiana) advances in the IHSAA Class 4A Section 13 bracket. The Panthers will play Terre Haute South Vigo on Friday. The South Vigo Braves will enter the showdown 3–20 this season and 0–5 in Conference Indiana.