Lying on his back under the basket between making a layup and completing a three-point play, Alec Peters smiled and directed a few choice words toward Tevonn Walker.
The Valparaiso senior was asked about that sequence after Saturday night’s 89-71 win over Indiana State at the Athletics-Recreation Center, eliciting another grin.
“I told him I wanted the lob,” Peters said. “But he made a different call, he saw what we saw. I just tried to make the best play I could out of it. I told him afterwards to trust me, but it’s all right. He didn’t think I could jump that high.”
That was the type of jocularity that existed for the Crusaders against the Sycamores in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
After the conclusion of finals week, Peters carried Valparaiso in the first half before the Crusaders (9-2) overwhelmed the Sycamores (5-6) in the second.
Coach Matt Lottich liked the way Valparaiso responded in its return to the court.
“I’m really pleased with the effort,” he said. “These are hard games to play. … You get a little out of your routine. I’m thankful the game was at home because Indiana State was in exams this week too.”
Peters had 29 points, his highest total against a Division I opponent this season after he put up 36 against Trinity Christian, and matched his career high with 15 rebounds. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone, playing the entire 20 minutes.
“Transition helped,” Peters said. “Getting a few going to the basket, getting to the free-throw line gets you going.
“We made a lot of extra passes that maybe we haven’t made in the past. That’s probably why our 3-point shooting percentage was better because they were a lot more open. You get into a rhythm that way. When your teammates are looking for you, it helps you pull the trigger.”
Peters’ first-half performance even grabbed Lottich’s attention.
“It was fun to watch,” Lottich said. “I don’t glance at the scoreboard too much, but I looked up to see how many he had. It felt like he was scoring every time down.”
The Crusaders led 41-33 at halftime and ripped off 20 straight points in six minutes of the second half. Tevonn Walker scored nine points during the run, Shane Hammink added eight and Peters had three.
Hammink scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and Walker nine of his 15.
“We came out with a different mindset,” Walker said. “We started to play harder and we wanted this game to be over in the next five minutes. We wanted them to feel like they didn’t want to be on the court any more.”
The Sycamores missed their first nine shots of the second half. They didn’t score until Brenton Scott hit a free throw with 13:38 left and didn’t make a basket until Scott’s 3-pointer 21 seconds later.
“Our defense to start the second half was absolutely fantastic — it changed the game,” Lottich said. “When you get on the break and everyone’s touching the ball and moving it the way we were, shots are falling, it’s a fun way to play.”
Freshman center Jaume Sorolla matched his career high with eight points and had a career-high 12 rebounds. He made his second straight start with Jubril Adekoya held out for the second straight game. The senior forward/center was on the bench not in uniform.
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff
