IU recruit Gordon, North Central fall short in state finals

INDIANAPOLIS – It took 30 seconds for IU recruit and Indianapolis North Central star guard Eric Gordon to show how good he was in Saturday night’s Indiana Boys Basketball 4A state final. \nThen, not long afterward, East Chicago Central showed it took more than Eric Gordon to win a state championship. \nThanks to electric performances from Purdue recruit E’Twaun Moore and 6-foot-11 junior Angel Garcia, North Central fell short of a state title, closing out Gordon’s season in the spotlight.\nStill, Gordon showed IU fans he was worth the attention on the first possession of the game. \nAfter Gordon lost the opening tip to Garcia, East Chicago forward Kawaan Short crashed to the North Central hoop from the baseline, attempting to force a layup through the North Central defense. \nGordon, patrolling the center of North Central’s zone, used all of his 42-inch vertical leap to trap Short’s shot against the glass. North Central recovered and moved the ball down the floor, just in time for Gordon to hit an NBA-range 3-pointer. \nAfter that flurry, though, East Chicago’s defensive strategy – a 1-2-2 zone that flew at Gordon wherever he touched the ball – kept the 6-foot-4 guard from getting to the rim. Sometimes, Gordon fought through double-teams and made it to the hoop, but often, he settled for long threes. \n“They used a matchup zone and a zone and one against me,” Gordon said. “It was hard to get good shots.”\nMeanwhile, East Chicago made plenty of shots of its own. \nPurdue’s own highly touted recruit Moore was 10-of-17 from the field for 28 points. Garcia – who is attracting the attention of several major programs, including IU and Louisville – had 25 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals. Garcia showed off an array of skills, including perimeter play and ball handling, and was a force on the offensive glass. \nIn what was perhaps the play of the night – and one that elicited “oohs” from a nearly full Conseco Fieldhouse – Garcia crossed over North Central defender Adnan Hodzic near the 3-point line before finishing the drive with a three-point play. \nShort added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinals. \n“It’s a team game,” East Chicago coach Pete Trgovich told the Gary Post-Tribune after the championship game. “It wasn’t going to be E’Twaun against Eric; it was going to be East Chicago against North Central. That was the difference. It was a team win.”\nDespite the East Chicago offense and an 18-point halftime deficit, Gordon’s Panthers had a chance to steal the win late. Senior guard Joey Brown hit four 3s and a layup to eventually tie the game at 72. But the Cardinals were able to run out the clock down the stretch, and Moore and Garcia sealed the game from the free-throw line. \n“It’s real tough,” Gordon said. “Anybody who gets here can’t be happy with losing. But there was a lot of talent here.\n“It’ll be fun battling E’Twaun (at IU).”