01-17-04
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARMI - When Webber Township coach Clarence Gross made the decision to enter his team in the Carmi-White County Invitational Tournament, he was hoping that the tough competition would get his team ready for the post-season while also getting his program some respect.

After just one night of the event, the Trojans convinced at least one coach that they are one of the top Class A teams in the area.

With a balanced attack that they have featured for most of the season which on this night produced 'sizzling shooting' from behind the 3-point line, Webber waltzed to its 13th win of the season while making their debut in the CWCIT a successful one.

Their 70-39 win over Mount Carmel on Monday night opened some eyes from those in attendance that hadn't had the pleasure of seeing the Trojans in action.

With five players hitting for double-figures, coach Gross saw his team play perhaps its best game of the season.

"We are not really a 3-point shooting team but they were falling for us tonight," said Coach Gross, who saw his club drill home 9-of-15 attempts from behind the arc. "We are playing well right now and that means we are getting contributions from everyone out there. When we are playing well we are tough to defend."

Six-foot-four senior Joey Ullery was the top Trojan on this night with an 18-point, 13-rebound effort.

Brad Porter and Jabe Michel added 13-points each for Webber while teammates Jamie McKenzie and Cody Swartz 12 and 10.

"When a team shoots like that from the 3-point line I don't know how you beat them," said Mount Carmel coach Ronnie Wilcox. "They (Webber) are a good ballclub with five good athletes on the floor. They play hard and they shot the ball better than anyone I have seen this season. You don't expect a team to come out and shoot 60 percent from behind the 3-point line but they did that tonight. They are a tough team to defend because they have kids that can all shoot the ball."

After spotting the Aces an early 4-3 lead, Webber showed why they were such a highly regarded small school in this part of the state.

Webber scored 11 of the games next 12 points, with three different players hitting 3-point shots in the run.

Ullery put his team back on top with a long bomb from the left corner making it 6-4 with 5:34 to go in the opening frame.

Porter and Swartz followed Ullery with 3-pointers and when Porter scored on a fast break lay in off of a steal and long assist by Ullery, Mount Carmel burned a timeout trailing 14-5 at the 1:34 mark.

The Aces hit a couple of shots at the end of the quarter, the most important of which was a 3-point shot by Ryan Spear just before the first horn to cut the Trojan lead down to 17-10.

The second quarter started better for Mount Carmel as they got an early score on a three-point play by Justin Lewis making the score 19-13.

However after a Webber Township timeout, the Trojans offense found a gear that the Aces had no answer for.

A 22-1 run removed little doubt which team was better on this night.

In fact four different players had a hand in the run.

Porter, Ullery and McKenzie all hit 3-pointers and Michel, who came off of the bench in the second quarter, scored on a drive to the basket while being fouled by Aaron Hanley.

The play resulted in another three-points and a 28-14 Webber advantage.

A steal and fast break lay in by Ullery and a Cory Braden drive to the basket late in the quarter sent Webber trotting off the court with a commanding 43-19 halftime lead.

"They just wanted the rebounds more than we did tonight and it showed. They got after it on the boards. We had a size advantage but we couldn't exploit it tonight," added Wilcox. "They are one of the best teams in our Sub Sectional and area. We didn't get the job done tonight and they out played us."

While Webber cooled down some in the third quarter, the Trojans were in no danger of 'coughing up' the lead.

Six-foot-six sophomore Caleb Knepper scored six-third quarter points off of the Mount Carmel bench.

However Michel had a hand in seven third quarter points with a pair of assists to both Ullery and Swartz while he also got into the 3-point field goal act, hitting his only attempt from behind the line.

When that 'trifecta' rattled home, Webber was cruising at 59-30 with just over a minute left in the third quarter.

After Knepper scored in the paint, Ullery polished off the quarter with a spin move in the lane on another pass from Michel which made the third quarter score 61-32.

McKenzie scored on a lay in early in the final quarter and when he found Swartz on a lob to the basket with 5:55 to play, the mercy rule of a continuous clock came into effect at 65-35 Webber.

Part of the problem on this night was the Aces inability to take care of the ball.

Webber forced Mount Carmel into 16-turnovers, including 11 in the first half when the Trojans took over the contest.

Webber committed 10 turnovers, but five of them were in the final quarter when the outcome was decided.

Coach Gross' club improved to 13-2 on the season with the win.

The Trojans were 25-51 from the field (49 percent) while hitting 11-of-14 from the foul line.

Mount Carmel (6-8) was topped in scoring by Knepper with 10-points and six rebounds.

Grant Stoltz and Justin Lewis added nine and seven points respectively.

The Aces hit just 14-of-39 attempts including just 3-of-13 from behind the arc.

Webber Township steps right back into action Tuesday night at 7 pm when they take on the host Bulldogs in a game which could decide which team will represent Pool A in Saturday night's championship game.

Mount Carmel will play Harrisburg Tuesday night at 8:30 pm.

Galatia (48) - Alka 0 0 1-2 1, Hanley 0 0 2-2 2, Yarbor 0 0 0-0 0, Lewis 2 0 1-3 5, Knepper 4 0 2-4 10, Stoltz 3 1 0-0 9, Spear 0 2 0-0 6, Buss 1 0 0-0 2, Haase 1 0 0-0 2.
2FG-11, 3FG-3, FT-6-11, PF-14.
Webber Township (70) - Porter 3 2 1-2 13, McKenzie 3 2 0-0 12, Ullery 3 2 6-7 18, Michel 3 1 4-5 13, Swartz 2 2 0-0 10, Trout 0 0 0-0 0, Braden 2 0 0-0 2.
2FG-16, 3FG-9, FT-11-14, PF-15.
Fouled Out - None.
Technical Fouls - None.

OLNEY EAST RICHLAND 62, GRAYVILLE 27
The Tigers roared out to a 16-4 first quarter lead as they kept Grayville winless on the season.

Logan Weems topped East Richland with 13-points while Alex Berry added 10.

Three Bison players (Greg O'Neal, Drew DiMaggio and Travis Rudisill) each scored five points in the loss.

FAIRFIELD 53, MOUNT VERNON, IN. 49
The Mules took a step toward winning Pool B with a tough win over two-time defending champion Mount Vernon.