Kyle Ballard was searching for a leader for his Triton Central boys basketball team.
On Friday night in the second semifinal game of the 97th Annual Shelby County Boys Basketball Tournament, senior point guard Alex Crouse answered the call.
Crouse scored a team-high 18 points and had six assists and two rebounds to lead the Tigers past Morristown, 59-38. Triton Central (6-6) will attempt to repeat as county champions Saturday night against Waldron (6-4).
“(Alex) and I talked a couple of times this week about seeing him getting back to being an Energizer bunny for us,” said Ballard. “There is no question he did that. He made a couple of plays in the first half that were big and he sparked our run in the third quarter with some effort plays and making some really heady plays with the basketball which is what we expect of him.”
Crouse entered the county tournament averaging 5.4 ppg and a county best 4.8 apg. He matched that before halftime Friday against a Morristown team battling illness and injury.
Starter Chase Theobald rolled his right ankle early in the contest and sat out the rest of the game. Still, Nolan Laster and Nick Stidham kept the Yellow Jackets within striking distance.
Triton Central got out to an 8-0 lead before Laster scored five straight. The Yellow Jackets trailed 10-5 after one quarter.
Stidham heated up in the second quarter and scored 12 points but Crouse had seven and Caleb Miller and Mason Krebs each had four to keep TC in front 25-17 at halftime.
Laster splashed a pair of 3s in the third quarter but Crouse continued to direct the Tigers, who extended the lead to 40-28 with one quarter to go.
Ballard was running eight players through the rotations all night and that helped wear down the Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter.
“We got back within striking distance but when you are playing a low-scoring game like that, every defensive mistake gets magnified,” said Morristown coach Collin McCartt. “We got beat on a couple of back doors that we were trying to adjust to. We had to come out into (man-to-man defense) and that was probably my fault. I think we came out of our zone to early and when we had to go man, we had nothing left in the tank to try and stay in front of those guys.”
Laster led Morristown with 20 points and four assists. Stidham scored 18 and had three rebounds.
Triton Central had three in double figures with Miller getting 15 points, six rebounds and four assists and Isaac Morgan collecting 12 points and five rebounds.
Josiah Blair finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Triton Central 59, Morristown 38
MT: Mahin 0-2 0-0 0, Laster 7-20 1-2 20, Carlton 0-0 0-0 0, Stidham 6-15 2-3 18, Theobald 0-0 0-0 0, Riley 0-1 0-2, Garthwaite 0-0 0-2 0. Totals: 13-38 3-9 38.
TC: Blair 3-7 2-3 8, Crouse 8-10 0-0 18, Miller 7-11 0-0 15, Morgan 5-6 1-2 12, Kemper 0-2 0-0 0, Faust 1-3 0-0 2, Palmer 0-0 0-0 0, Krebs 2-2 0-0 4, Stuckey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-42 3-5 59.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
MT (1-9) 5 12 11 10 -- 38
TC (6-6) 10 15 15 19 -- 59
Three-point field goals: MT 9-19 (Laster 5-10, Stidham 4-8, Riley 0-1), TC 4-11 (Blair 0-2, Crouse 2-3, Miller 1-4, Morgan 1-1, Faust 0-1). Rebounds: MT 12 (Mahin 4, Laster 3, Carlton 1, Stidham 3, Garthwaite 1), TC 26 (Blair 7, Crouse 2, Miller 6, Morgan 5, Kemper 3, Faust 3). Assists: MT 8 (Laster 4, Carlton 2, Stidham 1, Riley 1), TC 14 (Blair 3, Crouse 6, Miller 4, Palmer 1). Steals: MT 4 (Mahin 2, Laster 1, Stidham 1), TC 3 (Crouse 1, Miller 1, Morgan 1). Blocks: MT 1 (Mahin 1), TC 2 (Faust 1, Krebs 1). Total fouls: MT 7, TC 10. Turnovers: MT 13, TC 10.
