UPDATED: North takes out Linton-Stockton

Miner center Jordan Tharp (34) goes up for two of his 10 points over Terre Haute North's Justin Gant in an opening-round game at the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic on Friday. (By B.J. Hargis/Greene County Daily World). [Order this photo]

TERRE HAUTE -- Terre Haute North raced to a 14-2 lead and never glanced back as the Patriots defeated Linton-Stockton 61-34 in an opening-game at the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic at Terre Haute South on Friday.

North, who improved to 3-4, made half of its first 30 shots, as it led 18-7 after the first quarter and 35-12 at intermission.

"We were really tight early," said Linton-Stockton Coach Darren Clayton, whose Miners dropped to 0-5. "It took us a while to relax and just play ball.

"By the time we settled down, they had built a pretty big lead."

Senior guard Zach Harrison, who at 6-2 is taller than anyone on the Linton-Stockton roster, hit two 3-pointers in the first minute to set the tone outside.

Harrison made 4 of 7 treys as part of a game-high 23 point performance.

Justin Gant, a 6-8 center, made 8 of 14 shots as part of a 17-point, 10 rebound game.

"We knew coming into the game that they were going to be a handful," Clayton said of North. "We knew that Harrison could shoot the three. He hit a couple of threes early that them going.

"Gant is 6-8 and very active inside. They had a nice inside-out game going and we just did not have an answer for it."

The Miners outscored the Patriots 16-13 in the third quarter. After Gant scored on an offensive rebound to begin the second half, the Miners came up with a 6-2 run as Stefan Sparks hit two free throws and then scored in the post and then Jordan Tharp hit a basket in the lane, cutting the deficit to 39-18.

Tharp hit half of his 10 shots and tallied a team-best 10 points. He also had four rebounds and one steal.

Sparks had nine points, five rebounds, one block, three assists and one steal. He made 5 of 6 free throws.

"Jordan was our only player that wasn't tight from the start," said Clayton. "He played really well from the get-go. Stefan was better in the second half. "The team played better in the second half."

The Miners made 6 of 13 shots in the third quarter after misfiring on 14 of 19 in the first two quarters.

They were 12 of 37 for the game, .324.

Linton-Stockton hurt itself with turnovers, handing the ball over 19 times. But North threw the ball away 15 times.

The Miners had six steals as Keith Cunningham and Evan Magni each were credited with two apiece.

Cunningham and Sparks each had three assists as the Miners had eight assists on its 12 baskets.

North cooled off some in the second half, but still connected on 25 of 53 field goal attempts (.472). Harrison and Gant combined to make 17 of 29. Harrison was 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

The Miners will play Turkey Run at 10 a.m. today in the second round of the PHWVC.

"We went 0-3 up here last year," said Clayton. "We really need a win.

"We feel like we match up pretty well with Turkey Run. It is tough to come back and play the 10 a.m. game. Whoever wants it the most and is ready to play will win."

Wabash Valley Classic

At Terre Haute South

LINTON-STOCKTON (34) -- Stefan Sparks 2-6 5-6 9, Jordan Tharp 5-10 0-0 10, Keith Cunningham 2-6 0-0 4, Evan Magni 1-6 1-2 3, Chase Rhoten 1-6 1-2 4, Jake Tibbett 0-0 0-0 0, Caleb Stuppy 0-1 0-0 0, Ross Gentry 1-2 0-0 2, Gunnar Passen 0-0 2-2 2, J.D. Fish 0-0 0-3 0, Totals 12-37 9-15 34.

TERRE HAUTE NORTH (61) -- Scott Weatherford 1-2 0-0 2, Jerrell Thompson 3-8 2-2 8, Justin Gant 8-14 1-1 17, Chase Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Zach Harrison 9-15 1-1 23, Tommie Bolden 1-1 0-0 2, Jordan Marshall 0-2 0-0 0, Logan Shipley 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Mauk 0-0 0-0 0, Brett Taylor 2-3 1-1 5, Ross Sponsler 0-3 2-2 2. Totals 25-53 7-7 61.

Linton-Stockton 7 5 16 6 -- 34

Terre Haute North 18 17 13 13 -- 61

3-point shooting -- Linton-Stockton 1-10 (Rhoten 1-4, Stuppy 0-1, Cunningham 0-1, Magni 0-4), Terre Haute North 4-16 (Harrison 4-7, Marshall 0-1, Shipley 0-1, Gaver 0-1, Weatherford 0-1, Sponsler 0-2, Thompson 0-3). Fouls -- Linton-Stockton 9, Terre Haute North 11. Fouled out -- None. Rebounds -- Linton-Stockton 21 (Sparks 5, Magni 4, Tharp 4), Terre Haute North 27 (Gant 10). Assists -- Linton-Stockton 8 (Cunningham 3, Sparks 3), Terre Haute North 16 (Thompson 4). Steals -- Linton-Stockton 6 (Magni 2, Cunningham 2), Terre Haute North 5 (Gaver 2, Harrison 2). Turnovers -- Linton-Stockton 19 (Magni 5), Terre Haute North 15 (Thompson 3). Blocks -- Linton-Stockton 1 (Sparks), Terre Haute North 5 (Gant 3).