Seymour’s boys basketball team battled from start to finish, but couldn’t keep up with a talented Silver Creek squad Friday night.
The Dragons’ Mr. Basketball candidate, Trey Kaufman-Renn, scored 30 points to lead his team to a 72-56 win. Though they led from start to finish and enjoyed a double-digit cushion for much of the game, the victory never felt comfortable for the Class 3A No. 2 Dragons.
“We played the game tonight the way it should be played,” Seymour coach Kirk Manns said. “We played with determination. We’re starting to execute better. We’ve got to play every game like this.”
The Owls fell behind by sometimes large margins, but always found a way to fight back. In the second quarter, Silver Creek scored eight straight points, built a 24-10 lead and appeared to be on the verge of a rout.
Instead, Seymour outscored the Dragon 11-4 over the next three minutes and closed the gap to 28-21.
In the second half, Silver Creek opened with a 9-0 run and again seemed ready to blow out the home team. But the Owls scored 17 points over the remaining five minutes of the third quarter to keep the game respectable.
In the end, Seymour simply had no answer for Kaufman-Renn. The 6-foot-9 senior made 11 of 18 shots from the field and eight of 14 foul shots to top his 27-point average by three points.
“He’s so long, at some point, his size and athleticism take over,” Manns said. “I was pleased with the way Casey (Regruth) played him down around the basket, and he got a lot of help. I felt that (Kaufman-Renn) had to play hard tonight.”
Regruth fouled out in the fourth quarter. In the second quarter, the 6-foot-4 junior had to step off the court with a bloody nose after catching a shoulder from a driving Kaufman-Renn.
Regruth ended with 9 points and was one of seven Owls to score four or more points.
Sophomore Landon Fritsch led Seymour with 13 points, his seventh consecutive game in double figures. Sophomore Eli Meyer followed with 10 points, while junior Marcus Brooks finished with seven.
Freshman Bret Perry gave Seymour his best effort of the season, scoring seven points, including a 3-pointer and a buzzer-beating put-back to end the third quarter.
Charlie Longmeier scored 6 points, while Andrew Levine ended with 4.
Besides Regruth’s bloody nose, the second quarter featured some fireworks. Silver Creek’s Brandon Northern was hit with a technical after he and Seymour’s Brooks got tangled up while fighting for a loose ball. Brooks ended up on the floor, with help from Northern, drawing the technical.
Friday’s loss is Seymour’s seventh straight to Silver Creek and drops the Owls’ season record to 10-11. While not a winning mark, Seymour improved its win total over last year’s 8-15 record and reached double-digit victories for just the second time in the last 11 seasons.
The Owls now turn their attention to the Class 4A Seymour Sectional and an opening-round match-up with Bedford North Lawrence (10-10). The teams tip off Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
At Seymour
Silver Creek 72, Seymour 56
Silver Creek;20;20;18;14;—72;
Seymour;10;17;14;15;—56;
Silver Creek (17-4): Trey Kaufman-Renn 11 8-14 30, Brandon Northern 3 7-11 13, Kooper Jacobi 4 2-3 11, Nolan Gilbert 3 2-2 9, Isaac Hinton 2 2-5 6, Trey Schoen 1 0-0 3, Hayden Garten 0 0-0 0, Zac Stricker 0 0-0 0, Totals 24 21-35 72.
Seymour (10-11): Landon Fritsch 6 0-2 13, Eli Meyer 5 0-0 10, Casey Regruth 4 0-0 9, Marcus Brooks 2 3-4 7, Bret Perry 3 0-0 7, Charlie Longmeier 2 2-2 6, Andrew Levine 2 0-0 4, Dylan Fields 0 0-0 0, Totals 24 5-8 56.
3-point goals: Silver Creek 3 (Schoen, Jacobi, Gilbert), Seymour 3 (Fritsch, Regruth, Perry).
Rebounds: Silver Creek 22 (Jacobi 5, Kaufman-Renn 5, Hinton 4, Northern 3, Gilbert 2, Stricker 1, Team 2), Seymour 23 (Brooks 7, Meyer 4, Fritsch 3, Longmeier 2, Regruth 2, Levine 1, Perry 1, Team 3).
Turnovers: Silver Creek 7, Seymour 13.
Fouls: Silver Creek 12, Seymour 23.
Junior Varsity
Silver Creek 41, Seymour 29
Seymour (7-10): Donovyn Thomas 17, Will Cottrill 6, Evan Smith 2, Jack Pennington 2, AJ Harrell 2.