FORTVILLE – Jason Gardner Jr. was not going to just lay down and let Luke Ertel have an easy time of it in front of the home crowd in his final game in the Mt. Vernon gym.
That’s respect.
“A lot of people were kind of talking about Mr. Basketball vs. future Mr. Basketball and that brought a little more energy to me,” Gardner Jr.
Ertel, like usual, got the winning end of it as the IndyStar Indiana All-Stars defeated Gardner Jr. and the Indiana Junior All-Stars in a 105-100 showdown on Wednesday night. The Purdue-point Mr. Basketball finished with 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to lead the senior group, which will play a doubleheader on Friday in Lexington, Ky., and Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Kentucky All-Stars.
Ertel, who had a long line of young autograph seekers waiting for him after the game, shot just 2-for-9 from the 3-point line. But his signature passing was on display all night.
“His court vision is really good,” said Northridge star Brady Scholl, an Indiana Wesleyan commit who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-for-9 shooting. “I was talking to him earlier (Wednesday) and he said he played quarterback until his sophomore year. You can kind of see that because his court vision is so good. It’s really fun to play with him.”
The All-Stars were without Lawrence North duo Brennan Miller and Cameron Webster, who were attending graduation. Both will play in the weekend games against Kentucky. Also out with a foot injury was Fishers’ 6-9 standout and Ball State commit Kai McGrew, who said he hopes to play against Kentucky. He suffered the injury in Tuesday’s practice.
Crown Point’s Dikembe Shaw, Mr. Basketball runner-up, got off to a fast start and finished with 18 points despite batting foul trouble. Plainfield’s Noah Smith had 13 points and eight rebounds, Silver Creek’s Dane Caldwell added 10 points and Noblesville’s Baron Walker had nine points and 10 rebounds.
“For the Juniors, it’s a personal game,” said Ertel, who scored a record 36 points last year when the Junior All-Stars knocked off the All-Stars 117-114. “The state of Indiana has really good players, so all of those guys are very good so it’s a tough challenge for us whether they are a year younger or not. It was good to get the ‘W’ and not have to think about it until Friday.”
The Junior All-Stars, despite facing a serious size disadvantage, gave the senior group all it could handle. A big reason for that was the Fishers’ backcourt duo of Gardner Jr. and Cooper Zachary. Gardner Jr., who scored 30 points in the win over the Kentucky Junior All-Stars on Sunday, went for a game-high 21 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Zachary added 17 points, including a couple of deep 3-pointers late to keep his team in striking distance.
Plainfield guard Harper Baker-Lands added 13 points and four rebounds for the Junior All-Stars and Pike 7-footer and Purdue commit Isaiah Hill had 12 points and four rebounds. South Bend Riley’s Da’Kori Parker had 13 points.
“Luke plays super hard on defense and offense,” Gardner Jr. said of the matchup with Ertel. “It makes me want to play harder on defense, just knowing how good of a player he is. You can’t back off. I always want to win, of course, but it’s always fun playing against him … there are a lot of connections and friendships off the court. On the court it was super competitive but off the court we are all cool.”
Indiana All-Star coach Todd Woelfle of Terre Haute North said the challenge from the Junior All-Stars was expected. The smaller lineup presented some issues that may not exist in the same way against the Kentucky team.
“The juniors were able to expose us a little bit on some drive-and-kicks and get some open threes,” Woelfle said. “We’ll have to go back and watch that. But I thought everybody who got on the court got in and contributed with good attitudes and effort. If we continue that, we’re going to have success.”
It was a fitting sendoff for Ertel, who had plenty of family in attendance for the game. Mt. Vernon, the Class 4A state champions, were also represented with coach Joe Bradburn assisting Woelfle and Max Vise playing for the Junior All-Stars.
“The crowd was great for the girls and the boys,” Woelfle said. “I think it was special for the Mt. Vernon community. Any time you have Luke Ertel on the floor you are kind of on the edge of your seat – not only as a fan but as a coach. It’s just nice to have him on our team this time. Coach Bradburn is used to that, but the rest of us aren’t.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana All-Stars defeat Junior All-Stars in down to the wire battle