Lawrence Central’s victory in Marion County is a testament to Summers’ heroism. Results, Matchups.

Snow? Cold? forget it; Mid-January is summer weather.

Specifically, DJ Summers. The Lawrence Central senior guard returned from missing four games with a groin injury to lead the Bears to a 71-69 win over Ben Davis in the Marion County Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

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“DJ was out for a minute, so it was big for him to come back and bring energy like that,” Harris said. “He does that all the time. He brings energy off the bench. He‘s a big part of our team.”

Summers finished with a team-high 15 points off the bench, including seven in a pivotal third quarter that saw the Bears outscore Ben Davis 22-6. Lawrence Central, after trailing by 15 points in the first half, led the Giants by 13 points early in the fourth quarter.

Ben Davis (10-3), who brought a 10-game winning streak into the game, tied the score at 69-69 on Sherman Moss-Wright’s 3-pointer with 33.2 seconds left. Lawrence Central (6-7) worked the clock before fouling Summers while driving to the basket with 9.5 seconds left.

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His first free throw spun around and down. The second was nothing but a net.

“We were 59 per cent (from the free-throw line) the first half of the year,” Lawrence Central coach Phil Washington said. “We’re trying to get it back to 85% as a team. We hit some key shots tonight. We’ve been charting our free throws in practice. That’s something I got from (former LC coach, Al Gooden).”

The Bears had to survive one more chance for Ben Davis. Moss, who led the Giants with 21 points, missed a tough, contested 19-footer from the top of the key. Sophomore Jasir Rogers rebounded and was fouled just before the buzzer, sending him to the line with two free throws.

With no time on the clock, Rodgers’ first free throw bounced off the back of the rim. Lawrence Central celebrated the victory, which earned the Bears their first county semifinal appearance since reaching the 2019-20 team championship game.

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“It means a lot,” Summers said. “For so long we haven’t gone past the first round. It means a lot to make it to the semi-finals.”

Lawrence Central will play Class 4A No. 5 Pike (11-2) Friday night in the second semifinal (around 7:45 p.m.). In the first semifinal in Southport, at 6 p.m., Park Tudor (8-4) takes on 4A sixth-ranked Lawrence North (12-1).

“It was a similar game (Tuesday night),” Ben Davis coach Don Carlisle said of the Giants rallying from a 16-point deficit to win 55-46 over Warren Central. “As good a team as we can be – that’s where we’ve got to be better. It’s the little things. We’re a defensive-minded team. However, we lose games when our defence is not visible. (Opponents) are touching the paint and kicking to wide-open shooters. It’s probably the last five games.”

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JaShawn Ladd scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half for Ben Davis.

Other Marion County results from Wednesday:

Park Tudor 51, Franklin Central 39: Park Tudor made their first county semi-final appearance since winning the county title 12 years ago, the second of back-to-back titles. Keelan Smith and Carlos Lopez each led the Panthers with 14 points.

Lawrence North, 59; Roncalli, 49: Cam Webster led a balanced attack with 16 points, and Brennan Miller and Duke Carnes each added 15 to lead the Wildcats to their fourth straight semifinal appearance. The Wildcats won the title two years ago and have won three of the last six championships.

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Pike 66, Decatur Central 54: Zahari Miller had 25 points and four rebounds, and Isaiah Hill added 10 points and 13 rebounds as Pike advanced.

Other notes from Wednesday

*Washington said Summers’ injury, which occurred in the first round of the Fishers Tournament – ​​a 64-61 loss to New Albany – was a critical turning point for the Bears.

“DJ is huge for us,” Washington said. “So we had him out for two games last week against Hamilton Southeastern and Park Tudor. We said, ‘The only way we can win this week and move on is if you stay healthy.’ He bought into it and you could see he was doing better.”

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*Senior Caleb Wells added 13 points and 6-5 senior Dayton Stephans added 10 for the Bears, providing a spark in the second quarter.

“It’s our second day with everybody on the roster,” Washington said. “And we’re 2-0. I feel good about that.”

*Lawrence Central has not won the Marion County Tournament title since 1996.

“(Going to the semifinals) is huge for this senior class,” Washington said. “It’s great for the school and the basketball program.” We started taking haymakers from everyone. I lost a match by two points and another by three points. It is preferable to have a positive outlook. They now see the goal; it’s achievable.”

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*Washington on Pike: “I think it’s going to be a fantastic MIC showdown game. It will be a game (like the Ben Davis game). It’s going to be tough, physical. They bring that length to the court. But we have a lot of talent and depth. Whichever team stops the other from making big runs, Friday’s game is going to be a winner.”

Note other scores

There weren’t many other games on Wednesday, although the Crispus Attacks defeated Guerin Catholic 71-69. DeZhon Hall led Atucks with 33 points and Corde Hill added 13. Jake Grissom led Guerin Catholic with 24 points. I’ll do a story on the contest in the morning, but it’s worth noting that Attacks coach Chris Hawkins posted his 180^m wins as Atucks coach, breaking the school record set by legendary coach Ray Crowe.

Triton Central (10-2) edged Scecina 48-44 in Class 2A Sectional 43 in a matchup of sectional rivals.