FORTVILLE — Cooper Galli buried a 3-pointer to open the game, then Razhaun Wells went to work in the paint for a quick bucket before Amhad Jarrard threw down the hammer.
With the Mt. Vernon Marauders’ championship aspirations building, they wasted little time on Tuesday night at home against Hoosier Heritage Conference rival Pendleton Heights.
Tied at 5-all early in the first quarter with the Arabians, Jarrard converted five consecutive points, including a steal and a thunderous dunk in transition, followed by a 3-pointer en route to a decisive 77-57 Marauders’ victory.
“I just have to bring more energy for the team. That’s how we got to get started from the first quarter,” said Jarrard, a 6-foot-4 junior guard. “(Dunks are) to bring the energy up. I like to get them early in the game.”
He had two, both off steals in the first quarter as the Marauders’ defense fueled their offense to extend the program’s winning streak to four straight and keep them unbeaten in the HHC at 3-0.
Mt. Vernon (8-2) has played six games since coming off a 25-day layoff on Dec. 30 after facing various COVID-19 quarantine postponements, and they’ve won five without missing a step.
Actually, they’re recharged, and against the Arabians’ they erupted with 11 steals, 26 defensive rebounds and four players reaching double digits.
“We had such a long break for a while, which was both good and bad. We didn’t get worn out at that time, but it was tough not to play for 25 days,” Mt. Vernon head coach Ben Rhoades said.
“Now, we’re more in the flow of one or two games a week, and I feel like they’re getting into the flow, too. It’s not choppy from who knows what’s going on from one day to the next.”
Jarrard had a game-high 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting after putting up back-to-back 18-point performances in wins over Whiteland on Jan. 9 (in overtime) and Avon on Friday.
In 10 games, Jarrard has posted 15 points or more six times with 23 marking his season best.
Galli finished with 14 points, converting 4 of 8 shots from the field with five rebounds, and Eli Bridenthal had 12 points and eight rebounds. Wells muscled inside for 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Marauders led 10-8 halfway through the first quarter, and they picked up the pace on both ends of the floor to orchestrate an 11-4 run and a 21-12 advantage by the second.
A 12-5 run to start the second quarter, capped by a slick take to the basket by Galli, increased the margin to 15 points.
The Arabians (5-5, 0-2 HHC) struggled to keep pace, shooting 27 percent from the field in the first half while being out rebounded 22-11 with nine turnovers.
A 9-4 charge by Mt. Vernon gave it a 42-25 halftime lead. A 14-2 swing in the third quarter foreshadowed the Marauders’ eventual 30-point lead early in the final frame.
“Our defense is spurring those runs. Whether we get a stop, a rebound, a deflection or a steal. That’s when we’re at our best. When we get some things going and we’re moving down the court quickly, we’re definitely at our best at that time,” Rhoades said.
“Our scoring tonight was so balanced. The players were all sharing the ball tonight. They were genuinely happy for their teammates that were getting points, and overall tonight was a really good team win.”
The win was powered by efficiency all around.
The Marauders shot 49 percent, buried 7 of 16 3-pointers, had 15 second-chance points and 16 points off 13 Arabians’ turnovers. The group attacked the glass with 40 boards overall, and the Marauders’ bench chipped in 25 points.
Defensively, they were disruptive, cutting off passing lanes and forcing the Arabians’ into unforced turnovers. Pendleton Heights finished 34 percent from the field, though they hit 9 of 22 3-pointers.
“We didn’t want them to drive baseline or shoot from the outside. We wanted to make them drive to the basket,” Jarrard said. “And, stop Jamison (Dunham).”
The Arabians’ leading scorer, Dunham, entered the game averaging 15.7 points and was shooting 43 percent from 3-point range at 24 of 56.
Against the Marauders, the junior had a team-high 13 points with eight in the second half with three treys in the game. Ethan Ross had 12 points and five rebounds. Luke Candiano added 11 points.
The Marauders countered with depth, going 10 deep with seven points from Armon Jarrard, six points from Avery Williams and Drew Walker and five points from Cameron Lusby. Walker had four rebounds.
Galli converted an and-1 with 6 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the game to give Mt. Vernon its largest lead of the night 65-35, and Chris Hays buried a pair of free throws with 42 seconds left to keep it at 21.
Josiah Gustin’s final bucket and eighth point brought the margin sub-20 until Bridenthal converted 1 of 2 free throws to make it an even 20 in the final seconds.
The Marauders have won eight of their last nine games and face a non-conference test on Saturday at Hamilton Southeastern before resuming their quest towards the HHC title at Shelbyville on Jan. 26.
“We’re looking forward to (contending for the HHC). Hopefully, we can stay undefeated in the conference and stay humble,” Jarrard said.
