Published: June 16, 2008 05:06 pm            

Hobbs, Hoosier stars fall to Kentucky

NA product scores two in Indiana setback

BY MATTHEW CRESS

Matthew.cress@newsandtribune.com

LOUISVILLE — Braydon Hobbs wasn’t much of a factor, but then again neither were his Indiana All-Star teammates.

The former New Albany star played sparingly, spending most of the game watching the Kentucky All-Stars score from the inside, the perimeter and the 3-point line in Sunday’s 95-78 win over the Hoosier stars at Louisville Gardens.

Kentucky avenged an 83-82 loss at Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night, jumping out to an 11-4 lead and never looking back in snapping an eight-game losing streak in the annual series.

“I’ve been around a long time and I’ve seen a lot of Indiana-Kentucky All-Star games,” said Indiana coach Rick Baumgartner. “That’s one of the most talented Kentucky teams I’ve seen in some time.”

The game was scarcely in doubt once Tyler Brown got going. A product of Owensboro Apollo High School, the Morehead State University-signee dazzled with his outside touch. He hit 5-of-6 3-point shots, including his first five, and scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half to lead Kentucky to a 51-38 halftime lead.

Hobbs made his first appearance with 16:56 left on the clock in the first half and played three uneventful minutes. The most local product on either roster, Hobbs got one of the loudest ovations during pre-game introductions — even with University of Kentucky guard Darius Miller on the court — but seemed to struggle finding a comfort zone throughout.

“I just couldn’t get into the flow of the game,” said Hobbs, who scored two points and made two steals. “When you are subbing in and out every one or two minutes, it’s tough to get into it.”

He played another stint late in the first half, then sat out the first nine minutes of the second half while Indiana Mr. Basketball Tyler Zeller spurred an Indiana run that cut the deficit to 62-54. But Miller delivered a three-point play and Henry Clay product Victor Moses scored five of his 16 points during a 21-8 run that finally put the Hoosier stars away.

“They came out hot and we sort of came out flat,” said Hobbs. “That’s the best team they’ve had in a while.”

Baumgartner agreed.

“They counted on sweeping us this year,” said the Indiana coach. “ We were very fortunate (to win on Friday). There’s no question.”

Hobbs, who is taking his game to Bellarmine University next season, got to show off a few of the skills that New Albany fans have been accustomed to the past four season. He finally scored with 10 minutes left to play, getting the ball on a fast break and driving in for a contested layup. He also had one assist, bringing the ball up the court and finding IUPUI-bound guard Larry Stone for an open jumper.

A point guard in high school, Hobbs sometimes appeared to struggle with his All-Star position of small forward. After his basket, he began to assume his natural position, bringing the ball down on consecutive possessions and running the offense.

“We’ve got four very good point guards on this team,” Hobbs said. “He (Baumgartner) told me to bring it down a couple of times to see if I could get into it a little.”

Stone was the biggest bright spot for the Hoosiers. The smallest player on the court at 5-foot-9, he led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 9-of-14 shots and three of his five 3-point attempts. Zeller was as good as advertised as well, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in less than 30 minutes of playing time.

Chesterton product Zack Novak added 10 points in the loss for the Hoosiers. Gordon Hayward — star of the Brownsburg team that ended New Albany’s season in the Class 4A semi state last season — had six points and led Indiana with 12 rebounds.

Kentucky led in nearly every major offensive category and the game seemed to follow the same script as the first meeting in Conseco, with Kentucky taking leads and Indiana clawing back. But every Indiana rally was halted and Kentucky eventually pulled out to a 22-point edge late in the second half to keep the suspense low for the announced crowd of 2,200 at the venerable downtown Louisville arena.

Miller finished with 13 points for the Bluegrass stars, while highly-touted Tennessee signee Scotty Hopson added 10. Shelvin Mack, signed to Butler University like fellow Indiana stars Hayward, Chase Stigall and Garrett Bucher, scored 16 points while both attacking the basket and showing outside range by hitting 2-of-5 3-point tries.

“You’ll be hearing from some of those players in the future,” Baumgartner said.

It was the final high-school obligation for Hobbs, who will end his career as one of the most decorated Bulldogs ever and led New Albany to the state’s No. 1 ranking for most of the season.

“It was just a great experience,” he said. “To play with these guys who are all going to awesome colleges. It was all a lot of fun. It was fantastic to play at the Gardens.”

        

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