Hanover Central sophomore Landen Babusiak continues to develop, and he displayed that ongoing progress against host Griffith in a Greater South Shore Conference game Friday night.
The 6-foot-9 forward/center had 18 points as the Wildcats defeated the Panthers 70-53.
Babusiak also blocked seven shots.
“I shut down the paint, and that’s a big part of my game,” Babusiak said. “We like to force teams to shoot outside from 3(-point range). They tried to drive a couple times at the beginning of the game, I sent a few shots back and that intimidates them. It’s something I work on a lot and take a lot of pride in.”
Babusiak, who spent the first semester as a freshman at Marian Catholic in Illinois, impressed Hanover Central coach Bryon Clouse.
“When you’re gifted a player like that, it’s easy for the guards and forwards to play good defense on the perimeter because you know he’s back there,” Clouse said. “As a sophomore, his timing and athleticism are just great.
“He dominated the paint, which is what we want him to do. It was awesome to see. As a sophomore, to come up that big in a big game, I’m proud of him.”
With its win against Griffith (8-4, 3-2), Hanover Central (12-1, 5-0) tightened its grip atop the conference standings. The Wildcats ended a five-game losing streak to the Panthers, including a 77-57 setback last season, dating to 2012 — the season before Clouse took over the program.
“We really wanted this one, that’s for sure,” Clouse said.
Hanover Central led from start to finish, scoring the first five points. The Wildcats had a 23-8 advantage after the first quarter and 39-21 at halftime.
“We came out strong, which hasn’t always been the MO of my team,” Clouse said. “When you come out to a team’s home and you deflate them right away, it gives them a little less hope and their fans a little less hope.
“It deflates everything, and we get to do our stuff. They pressure you and pressure you and pressure you, and we handled it pretty dang well.”
Babusiak scored the first four points of the third, and senior guard/forward T.J. Burt scored four straight points to push Hanover Central’s lead to 54-28 with 3:32 left in the quarter.
Senior guard Dominic Lucido had a game-high 19 points for the Wildcats. Burt added 17.
“We have one of everything, and I’ve never had one of everything,” Clouse said. “It’s awesome.”
Senior guard Oshawn Lee led Griffith with 16 points. Senior guard Tyler Knezevich added 14, including four 3-pointers.
Babusiak liked the way Hanover Central practiced in preparation for the game.
“We know Griffith’s a high-energy team, so we worked on composure and ripping through and passing,” Babusiak said. “We executed.
“We click on all cylinders. We work so well together. There’s not a single selfish person on this team. There’s not a single person we can’t rely on. From the starting five to the bench, there’s no hesitation to get them the ball and trust them in big situations.”
