10 things we learned as shorthanded Indiana All-Stars get bragging rights over juniors

FORTVILLE -- The senior boys Indiana All-Stars knocked off the Junior All-Stars 90-75 Wednesday in preparation for this weekend’s doubleheader against the Kentucky All-Stars.

Lafayette Jeff’s Javan Buchanan led the balanced All-Stars with 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The All-Stars will play Friday in Owensboro, Ky., against the Kentucky All-Stars, then return home Saturday to play the second game of the doubleheader against Kentucky.

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Here are 10 takeaways from Wednesday’s game:

Bragging rights for the seniors

You better believe the competitive juices were flowing, especially after the Junior All-Stars took an 11-0 lead to start the game and battled back and forth almost the entire night.

The seniors finally took control about midway through the second half, then put it away for good when Carmel’s Pete Suder drilled a 3-pointer with 6:15 left as the seniors took a 75-69 lead.

That shot started an 8-0 run as the seniors closed the game by outscoring the juniors 18-6.

“We came out a little sluggish,” Cathedral’s Jaxon Edwards said. “We had some guys out, so me and Javan were the biggest kids on the team and had to battle inside a little more.”

Edwards, who is headed to Murray State, finished with 13 points and 19 rebounds. Suder, also a guard and headed to Bellarmine, did his share inside with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

In fact, Suder’s effort did not look that much different than when he played at Carmel despite the all-star setting. He had five offensive rebounds to tie Edwards for team-high honors.

“It becomes habit when you play hard like that all the time,” Suder said. “Coach (Ryan) Osborn took me in as a freshman and developed me pretty well. I never played the ‘four’ and the ‘five’ my entire life, but I’m up for any role and any challenge. It’s a lot about pride, especially when they have 6-11 and 6-9 in there. (The juniors) have a really good team and they are going to be really good in the future.”

The seniors have won four consecutive games over the juniors.

Myles Colvin on the rise

The juniors were at their best with their starters on the floor with Penn’s Markus Burton, Heritage Christian’s Myles Colvin, Zionsville’s Logan Imes, Ben Davis’ Zane Doughty and Cathedral’s Xavier Booker.

Colvin, the 6-6 Purdue recruit, was particularly impressive during stretches of the game. He scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first half, scoring on and-1 jumper from 15 feet and attacking the rim for near-dunk and-1 on the next possession.

Sometimes you can tell when players just look different on the court. Colvin, still 16 years old, has that type of look.

“Indiana is a really good basketball state so it’s a blessing for me to play with and against the top kids in the state,” said Colvin, who was 5-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. “I take it to heart. It was a good experience and I’ll be happy next year to come back and represent the seniors.”

Colvin’s national ranking at No. 104 on the 247Sports composite for the 2023 class seems a little low to me, all things considered. I would expect him to end up making a significant jump.

Connor Essegian injury

Central Noble star Connor Essegian injured his left ankle in the first four minutes of the game and did not return. The Wisconsin recruit came down on a defender’s foot after he was fouled on a 3-pointer and went down in a heap in the corner of the court.

Essegian stayed in to shoot the free throws, making two of three, but was replaced by Cathedral’s Jaxon Edwards and did not return. He immediately went to the trainer’s table behind the All-Stars bench and sat on the bench with an ice pack covering his ankle for the remainder of the night.

Essegian, the No. 10 all-time scorer in state history with 2,526 career points, said he was unsure of the severity of the injury. He arrives on Wisconsin’s campus Monday.

“A similar type of thing happened during the season,” Essegian said after the game. “It’s really just a day-to-day thing. I kind of knew when it happened that I wouldn’t be playing the rest of the time. I’ll probably get an x-ray in the morning and see what happens. It’s part of the game. Injuries happen. I’ll use it as motivation to come back and get ready.”

Seniors missing some pieces

Essegian’s injury left the All-Stars with just nine healthy players available Wednesday.

The 14-player team was already missing Gary West Side’s Jalen Washington, a North Carolina commit who missed his senior year with a knee injury, and Warren Central’s Tae Davis, who enrolled at Seton Hall at the end of May.

The All-Stars were also without IndyStar Mr. Basketball Braden Smith of Westfield, who is about a month away from a full return from surgery on his left foot. Lawrence North’s CJ Gunn missed the game vs. the juniors due to graduation. Gunn will be available for both games this weekend vs. Kentucky, getting the All-Stars back to 10 players if Essegian is unable to go.

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Amhad Jarrard playing at home

Mt. Vernon senior Amhad Jarrard played his final game in his home gym and threw down a pair of dunks on his way to an eight-point, four-rebound, three-assist game.

His coach at Mt. Vernon, Ben Rhoades, was assistant to Marc Urban with the Junior All-Stars. Rhoades, half-jokingly, told Jarrard before the game it was the only game he ever hoped he would lose in the Mt. Vernon gym.

“I wasn’t going to go out like that,” said Jarrard, who is signed with IUPUI.

Jarrard’s twin brother, Armon Jarrard, who is also committed to IUPUI, was in attendance to watch his brother. Armon was one of a handful of players who had a good case to make the team.

The Jarrards did a lot of winning at Mt. Vernon, leading the program to back-to-back sectional championships.

“It was a great experience,” Amhad Jarrard said. “I know not a lot of people get to experience this.”

Poor shooting from perimeter

It was not a stellar night shooting from the perimeter for either team. The juniors were 5-for-26 from the 3-point line and the seniors went 6-for-24.

Cathedral’s Jaron Tibbs was 2-for-4 to lead the juniors from the arc, while Zionsville’s Logan Imes made his only attempt.

For the seniors, Pike’s Ryan Conwell was 2-for-5 and the only player to make multiple 3s. Silver Creek’s Branden Northern was 1-for-2.

More: Zane Doughty could barely do anything on a court. Now he's a Junior All-Star.

Stars for Juniors

Other than Colvin, who led the juniors with 15 points, Ben Davis’ 6-9 Doughty gave the seniors issues as he finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Doughty was 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Valparaiso’s Mason Jones provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists. Tibbs added 10 points and five rebounds. Markus Burton finished with 10 points and four assists.

Cathedral’s Xavier Booker, fresh off his most valuable player performance at the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas, finished with two points on 1-for-5 shooting and added four rebounds. Booker admitted he was exhausted after the three-day camp and arriving back in Indianapolis early Wednesday, but wanted to play.

Booker, who is now ranked as the No. 4 player in the country by 247Sports, added an offer from Auburn earlier in the day Wednesday.

Trash talking — a little

With four Cathedral players on the court — Tibbs and Booker for the juniors and Edwards and Comer for the seniors — there was sure to be a little smack talk.

“A little trash talk but it’s all love,” Edwards said.

'He's very underrated': Lafayette Jeff's Javan Buchanan makes early impression on All-Stars

Javan Buchanan proves worth

Several teammates noted Lafayette Jeff’s Buchanan as one of the surprising players on the first day of practice. Buchanan proved himself Wednesday with some of his future Indiana Wesleyan teammates in attendance.

“I’m kind of used to guarding the tallest guy because that’s what I do for my high school team,” Buchanan said. “I just take whatever role I can so we can win. I’ve got another guys down there helping me, too. Pete’s an animal. He’s an animal, man. I got him and Jaxon’s a dog, too. So we’re good.”

Markus Burton a name to know

Penn’s Burton, a 6-foot guard, averaged 27.2 points as a junior. Burton did not have his best shooting game, going 4-for-16 from the field, but is quick and can score.

Burton finished with four assists to lead the juniors.

“I’m blessed to play with players like this,” he said. “I felt like I played really well and the team played really well. We just didn’t quite get the job done. I loved playing with Xavier Booker and all of those really good players.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana All-Stars basketball 2022: Seniors beat juniors at Mt. Vernon