12-05-08
BY JACK BULLOCK
ALTAMONT - After missing nearly the entire 2007-08 season because of a broken wrist – Altamont’s Greg Sperry is back.

The teams in the National Trail Conference won’t be happy about this.

The 6-foot-9 senior scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds - as the Indians "man-handled" Brownstown, 69-41 in the National Trail Conference opener for both clubs.

The senior post player complimented the strong backcourt of Altamont - giving mentor Doug Hill yet another offensive weapon.

And on the defensive end – Sperry was very tough to shoot over – which also contributed to the win over the Bombers.

Not only did Altamont force Brownstown (2-3) into 17 turnovers but the Bombers could muster just a 16-of-44 shooting night (36 percent) in falling to 0-1 in the NTC on the road.

The Indians backcourt of Kiefer McCarron and Landon Duckwitz added 12 and 11 points respectively for the ABV Preseason top team in the 1A Carbondale Supersectional Area rankings.

But it was Sperry who keyed the victory with his inside play on both ends of the floor.

“He (Sperry) has played well for someone who hasn’t played much in the past two seasons,” said Hill. “He played himself back into shape at the JV level last season and he is doing a great job for us now. He has improved his footwork and his touch around the basket is a lot better.”

Sperry opened the contest with an offensive rebound and a put back just seconds into the game to give the Indians the lead.

Brownstown’s Levi Tackett answered the Sperry score with a basket on an assist by Carl Sefton to forge a 2-all tie with 7:22 remaining in the quarter.

It was downhill from there for head coach Adam Bussard’s club.

The Bombers were “torpedoed” by a 12-2 run that took just under four minutes to complete.

A couple of 3-pointers by Devin Frailey and Mitch Ruff were part of the “rough” time that Brownstown had in the opening stanza.

Duckwitz scored on a fast break lay in after a steal and Sperry scored on a nice hook shot in the lane during the sprint that pushed the lead to 14-4 at the 3:10 mark.

Brownstown committed four turnovers in the process and trailed 22-8 after a pair of 3-pointers by McCarron and Duckwitz.

However a brief run of 5-0 by Brownstown – which featured a 3-pointer to end the quarter by Michael Kramer – cut the lead to 22-13 at the end of one.

It was clear that the Bombers were going to struggle to get second shots and that problem lasted the entire game.

A 6-1 run to open the second quarter by Altamont doubled up the score on Brownstown.

Brian Suckow scored on a drive to the basket - which was followed by a steal by McCarron and a behind-the-back pass assist to Duckwitz for a fast break score.

Two free throws by Sperry made it 28-14 with 4:44 remaining.

Sperry – in fact – was 4-of-4 from the line in the quarter and closed out the half at 34-22 with a lay in on an assist from Duckwitz.

Jared Winters – a 6-foot-3 junior forward who topped Brownstown with 12 points and six rebound on the night – hit an early third quarter 3-pointer to cut the Altamont lead to just 36-25.

However from that point forward Altamont brazenly increased its advantage.

The Indians forced their rival into six-third quarter turnovers and ended all doubt of the outcome with a “pulverizing” 15-0 stretch.

Four of the buckets came in transition for Altamont with Frailey, Duckwitz and Sperry all contributing.

The dust - and the outcome - settled at 58-29 heading into the final eight minutes.

Like an adult who can’t admit they have turned 30 – Brownstown stayed at 29 for eight-minutes and fifty-one seconds of game time from the middle of the third to the middle of the fourth quarters.

The lead grew to 63-29 (20-0 run) before the Bombers’ Cody Robbins connected on a short bank shot with 4:09 remaining.

Altamont finished with a shooting total of 28-of-58 overall (48 percent) while dominating the rebounding battle 35-17.

Brownstown grabbed just two offensive rebounds – one in each half.

The Indians committed just nine turnovers – four of them in the fourth quarter long after the decision had been rendered moot.

Mitch Ruff and Benton White each chipped in seven points each for the unbeaten Tribe.

“With the transition game that we are in now I know we are adding an extra five or six turnovers a game now but I will bite my tongue because this is how we get all of our points in the first place,” added Hill – talking about his team’s run-and-gun nature of the beast attitude the past two seasons. “We will have some trips down the floor where we will make mistakes but we will make up for it by pushing it up the floor and getting points.”

Altamont will head back to action next Tuesday at home against Windsor while Brownstown will host Teutopolis the same night.

Brownstown (41) – Sefton 0 0 0-0 0, Kramer 2 1 2-2 9, Rigdon 2 1 0-0 7, Mason 0 0 0-0 0, Robbins 2 0 0-0 4, Younker 0 0 0-0 0, Tackett 4 0 1-2 9, Stonebring 0 0 0-0 0, Winters 3 1 3-4 12, Holloway 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-13, 3FG-3, FT-6-8, PF-12.
Altamont (69) – L. Duckwitz 3 1 2-2 11, B. Duckwitz 0 0 0-0 0, Suckow 3 0 1-2 7, White 1 0 0-0 2, McCarron 4 1 1-4 12, Schlief 0 0 0-0 0, Ruff 2 1 0-0 7, Frailey 2 2 0-0 10, Hooks 0 0 0-0 0, Berg 0 0 0-0 0, Kuhns 0 0 0-0 0, Winters 0 0 0-0 0, Sperry 7 0 4-8 18. 2FG-23, 3FG-5, FT-8-16, PF-14.
Fouled Out – Sefton, Brownstown; McCarron, Altamont.
Technical Fouls – None.