Ertel drops 33 at HOF Classic
NEW CASTLE, Ind. — Luke Ertel continued his Indiana Mr. Basketball campaign on Tuesday morning, as the Purdue signee scored 33 points in Mt. Vernon’s 62-51 win over Northview in the Hall of Fame Classic.
The annual event at New Castle Fieldhouse featured a pair of highly-anticipated matchups, with Silver Creek and Crown Point following the debut game in the morning.
Mt. Vernon coasted down the stretch, but its was a closer game than the final score may indicate.
On two occasions, Northview ramped up its pressure and had Mt. Vernon on its heels. In the second quarter, Ertel had missed four straight shots in quick succession and Northview was poised to take command of the game. The senior guard then rattled off three straight buckets, and assisted on another to give the Marauders a 28-23 advantage at halftime.
“I think our coaches talks a lot about just controlling the pace of the game, always. Making sure our guys are comfortable in the game, not getting sped up, because I’ve got a tendency to do that,” Ertel said.
Ertel has made it a point of emphasis to slow the game down and let things come to him, instead of forcing the issue. When he does so, like on Tuesday, these are the types of performances you are going to see.
“Over the course of the game, you can’t just go attack, attack every every time. So, I thought I did a good job of getting everybody else involved. And then, you know, if I do that and just control my pace, I’m going to have a really good game at the end,” Ertel said.
“I think one of the things young guards always do is like try to force the issue a little too much. I mean, I feel like it’s going to be a lot easier for you in the long run if you just let the game kind of come to you,” Ertel said. “I don’t know how many I had, but it’ll just naturally come as the game progresses.”
The second half is when Ertel took control of the game, and was aggressive in looking for his shot. He had four drives to the rim, two of which resulted in three-point plays. Ertel also knocked down nine of 10 free throws down the stretch and connected on a trio of triples.
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Ertel finished with 33 points on 10-16 shooting, 20 of which came in the second half to help guide Mt. Vernon to what wound up being an 11-point win. That expanded offensive repertoire will serve him well next year in West Lafayette.
“I feel like I’m able to go from slow to fast. I’m able to kind of get to the rim. I’m able to finish and I’m able to shoot the three balls. I think you can’t really take away everything,” Ertel said.
In addition to his scoring outburst, Ertel grabbed ten rebounds and dished out five assists. Becoming a better facilitator is something Ertel has prioritized of late, and it showed on Tuesday.
“I mean I just think kind of slowing down, watching the game happen, and seeing different reads, watching film, watching a lot of basketball, kind of allows you to see some things,” Ertel said.
Ertel and Mt. Vernon will have an even tougher task ahead in the nightcap, facing off with Crown Point, who is 4-0 and fresh off a win over Silver Creek in the second game of the day.
