When the ninth-ranked Richmond Red Devils traveled to Anderson on Thursday, Feb 1, to face the Indians, there was a lot riding on the outcome. Richmond and Anderson are potential sectional opponents, and the two teams joined the Kokomo Wildcats as the only remaining North Central teams without a loss in league play.
The game lived up to its pregame hype. The Indians took a 3-point advantage after one period, before the ‘Devils fought back to take a 26-24 lead by halftime.
The third quarter turned out to be the decisive period of the contest. The Indian defense limited Richmond to 9 points to build a 39-35 advantage after three periods. Anderson went on to win 50-45.
It was ironic that in a game between two teams with explosive offenses the game was a low-scoring defensive battle.
Two players combined to score 42 of the 50 points Anderson scored. Damion King, who entered the game with a 23.9 points per game scoring average, poured in 27 points to lead the Indians and all game scorers. Javon Warfield scored 15 points for Anderson.
Cedric Horton led the Red Devils with 20 points, Braiden Hogg scored 11 points and Mason Carpenter scored 10 points.
The Red Devils will host the Kokomo Wildkats on Friday, Feb. 9, in another battle of highly ranked teams.
Anderson (15-4, 4-0 NCC) 12 12 15 11 50
Louis Jackson 2, Aaron Morgan 0, Colin Lewis 1, Warfield 15, Spencer Proctor 3, King 27, Christian Townsend 2 – Total 50
Richmond (18-2, 4-1 NCC) 9 17 9 10 45
Zion Deloney 2, Carpenter 10, Ryder Cate 2, Juien Smith 0, Hogg 11, Gavin Haynes 0, Deante Smith 0, Horton 20 – Richmond 45
A version of this article appeared in the February 7 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.