Eisenhower center returns to end Titans'
season
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
Decatur Eisenhower senior Brock Von Nordeck returned to his team just in time to post 28 points to
lead the Panthers to a 69-63 win over Glenwood last Wednesday in a semifinal game at the Class 3A
Decatur MacArthur Regional.
Von Nordeck, 6' 9", had been kicked off the team recently by coach Jeremy Moore for disciplinary
reasons. But his request for another chance was granted, and Von Nordeck put on quite an offensive
display against the Titans in his first game back.
"Honestly, we scouted their last two games and he wasn't on the bench," Glenwood head coach
Todd Blakeman stated. "He was reinstated that morning, didn't start and came out and I'm not sure he
could have played a better game. He was 12 for 20 from the field, he had a dunk, a 3 and scored every
which way."
Glenwood saw its season come to a close at 14-14 overall. The Titans fell for the second straight
year in the regional semis to Eisenhower (9-18), which went on to lose to MacArthur 67-58 in the
regional title game last Friday night.
"I don't think we played terrible," Blakeman added. "Our kids played hard, but at the same time, you
can't give up that many points and expect to win."
Despite their overall record, the Panthers have a lot of talent, and after a slow start that included 2-of-
14 shooting in the first quarter, Eisenhower sprinted to a 31-23 halftime lead on 11-of-15 shooting in
the second quarter.
The speedy Panthers led by 17 points early in the fourth quarter before the Titans embarked on a
furious comeback, at one point cutting the deficit to four with just under a minute left. A technical foul on
the Eisenhower bench added to the drama, but in the end the Panthers were able to hang on.
Zack Zimmermann helped lead the late comeback, finishing with 22 points. He made six 3-point
field goals. Mitch Falter added 14 points for Glenwood.
•The Titans led 11-7 after the first quarter, as the teams combined to make just 6-of-25 field goals.
Falter had six early points for Glenwood, and Zimmermann's corner 3-ball with 21 seconds left gave
Glenwood a four point advantage.
In the second quarter, Drew Washington nailed consecutive wing 3-balls early to tie the score at 15-
15. Von Nordeck had 10 points in the period, including a transition dunk with 4:45 left.
Von Nordeck hit an array of buckets, turn-around shots around the basket and baseline jumpers
included. The Panthers' 20-6 run concluded with an 18-foot baseline jumper from Caleb Davis.
Zimmermann's corner 3 at the buzzer pulled the Titans within 31-23 at the break.
Zimmermann started the second half with another 3 and Falter added a layup as Glenwood closed
to 31-28, but the Panthers again stretched the lead to double digits as Von Nordeck added a 3-point
field goal to his arsenal, giving Eisenhower a 40-30 lead with 3:55 left in the third.
Cody Traina closed the period with what may have been the move and shot of the season for the
Titans. The senior point guard drove coast-to-coast for a layup through the entire Eisenhower defense,
going behind the back and twisting through the lane with defenders draped all around him.
The Panthers opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to go up 54-37. Following a timeout by
Blakeman, Glenwood roared to life, with 3's from Michael Greene and Zimmermann, followed by layups
from Zimmermann, Traina and Falter cutting the deficit to five, at 54-49, with 2:55 let.
But Glenwood's 12-0 run was countered by a 6-0 spurt by Eisenhower, as Von Nordeck hit a twisting
jumper and two free throws, and Washington hit a transition layup to put the Panthers up by 11 at 60-49
with 1:41 left. Glenwood missed three 3-point field goals on one possession during that time.
But down 63-50 with 1:28 left, Glenwood scored nine straight points in just 40 seconds to slice the
Eisenhower lead to 63-59. Noah Adams nailed a 3-ball, and Jared Turner followed seconds later with
a deep jumper off an Eisenhower turnover. Following two missed free throws by Jarod Oldham,
Zimmermann connected on a trey from the corner with 48 seconds to play.
Davis then scored inside and was fouled seven seconds later, but confusion reigned as a technical
foul was assessed on the Eisenhower bench for arguing. Zimmermann hit two free throws, and GHS
trailed 66-61 with 41.4 seconds to play.
However, Falter had his shot blocked inside, then was called for his fifth foul as Washington
grabbed the loose ball. In the final 28 seconds, the Titans had a missed 3, turnover and layup with
three seconds left. Eisenhower's Washington and Oldham hit 3-of-4 free throws.
•Adams added nine points for Glenwood, while Greene had seven, Traina six and Turner five. GHS
hit 23-of-51 field goals, including 9-of-25 from 3-point range. The Titans had 22 rebounds (Adams 5,
Falter 4, Greene 4, Traina 3, Zimmermann 2, Willie Brooks 2, Turner 1, Aaron Wenneborg 1), 18 fouls
and 12 turnovers. The Titans made 8-of-10 free throws.
Oldham had 15 points for Eisenhower, while Washington added 12 and Davis 10. The Panthers
finished 26-of-50 from the field, including 24-of-36 (67 percent) in the final three quarters. Eisenhower
made 4-of-10 three-point field goals and 11-of-16 free throws. The Panthers had 27 rebounds, 14
fouls and 12 turnovers.
"They play in a very good conference, the Big 12," Blakeman added. "They played a lot of good
teams, and there aren't any 'gimmes' on their schedule. Their one weakness may be shooting, and
they shot it pretty well against us."
season
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
Decatur Eisenhower senior Brock Von Nordeck returned to his team just in time to post 28 points to
lead the Panthers to a 69-63 win over Glenwood last Wednesday in a semifinal game at the Class 3A
Decatur MacArthur Regional.
Von Nordeck, 6' 9", had been kicked off the team recently by coach Jeremy Moore for disciplinary
reasons. But his request for another chance was granted, and Von Nordeck put on quite an offensive
display against the Titans in his first game back.
"Honestly, we scouted their last two games and he wasn't on the bench," Glenwood head coach
Todd Blakeman stated. "He was reinstated that morning, didn't start and came out and I'm not sure he
could have played a better game. He was 12 for 20 from the field, he had a dunk, a 3 and scored every
which way."
Glenwood saw its season come to a close at 14-14 overall. The Titans fell for the second straight
year in the regional semis to Eisenhower (9-18), which went on to lose to MacArthur 67-58 in the
regional title game last Friday night.
"I don't think we played terrible," Blakeman added. "Our kids played hard, but at the same time, you
can't give up that many points and expect to win."
Despite their overall record, the Panthers have a lot of talent, and after a slow start that included 2-of-
14 shooting in the first quarter, Eisenhower sprinted to a 31-23 halftime lead on 11-of-15 shooting in
the second quarter.
The speedy Panthers led by 17 points early in the fourth quarter before the Titans embarked on a
furious comeback, at one point cutting the deficit to four with just under a minute left. A technical foul on
the Eisenhower bench added to the drama, but in the end the Panthers were able to hang on.
Zack Zimmermann helped lead the late comeback, finishing with 22 points. He made six 3-point
field goals. Mitch Falter added 14 points for Glenwood.
•The Titans led 11-7 after the first quarter, as the teams combined to make just 6-of-25 field goals.
Falter had six early points for Glenwood, and Zimmermann's corner 3-ball with 21 seconds left gave
Glenwood a four point advantage.
In the second quarter, Drew Washington nailed consecutive wing 3-balls early to tie the score at 15-
15. Von Nordeck had 10 points in the period, including a transition dunk with 4:45 left.
Von Nordeck hit an array of buckets, turn-around shots around the basket and baseline jumpers
included. The Panthers' 20-6 run concluded with an 18-foot baseline jumper from Caleb Davis.
Zimmermann's corner 3 at the buzzer pulled the Titans within 31-23 at the break.
Zimmermann started the second half with another 3 and Falter added a layup as Glenwood closed
to 31-28, but the Panthers again stretched the lead to double digits as Von Nordeck added a 3-point
field goal to his arsenal, giving Eisenhower a 40-30 lead with 3:55 left in the third.
Cody Traina closed the period with what may have been the move and shot of the season for the
Titans. The senior point guard drove coast-to-coast for a layup through the entire Eisenhower defense,
going behind the back and twisting through the lane with defenders draped all around him.
The Panthers opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to go up 54-37. Following a timeout by
Blakeman, Glenwood roared to life, with 3's from Michael Greene and Zimmermann, followed by layups
from Zimmermann, Traina and Falter cutting the deficit to five, at 54-49, with 2:55 let.
But Glenwood's 12-0 run was countered by a 6-0 spurt by Eisenhower, as Von Nordeck hit a twisting
jumper and two free throws, and Washington hit a transition layup to put the Panthers up by 11 at 60-49
with 1:41 left. Glenwood missed three 3-point field goals on one possession during that time.
But down 63-50 with 1:28 left, Glenwood scored nine straight points in just 40 seconds to slice the
Eisenhower lead to 63-59. Noah Adams nailed a 3-ball, and Jared Turner followed seconds later with
a deep jumper off an Eisenhower turnover. Following two missed free throws by Jarod Oldham,
Zimmermann connected on a trey from the corner with 48 seconds to play.
Davis then scored inside and was fouled seven seconds later, but confusion reigned as a technical
foul was assessed on the Eisenhower bench for arguing. Zimmermann hit two free throws, and GHS
trailed 66-61 with 41.4 seconds to play.
However, Falter had his shot blocked inside, then was called for his fifth foul as Washington
grabbed the loose ball. In the final 28 seconds, the Titans had a missed 3, turnover and layup with
three seconds left. Eisenhower's Washington and Oldham hit 3-of-4 free throws.
•Adams added nine points for Glenwood, while Greene had seven, Traina six and Turner five. GHS
hit 23-of-51 field goals, including 9-of-25 from 3-point range. The Titans had 22 rebounds (Adams 5,
Falter 4, Greene 4, Traina 3, Zimmermann 2, Willie Brooks 2, Turner 1, Aaron Wenneborg 1), 18 fouls
and 12 turnovers. The Titans made 8-of-10 free throws.
Oldham had 15 points for Eisenhower, while Washington added 12 and Davis 10. The Panthers
finished 26-of-50 from the field, including 24-of-36 (67 percent) in the final three quarters. Eisenhower
made 4-of-10 three-point field goals and 11-of-16 free throws. The Panthers had 27 rebounds, 14
fouls and 12 turnovers.
"They play in a very good conference, the Big 12," Blakeman added. "They played a lot of good
teams, and there aren't any 'gimmes' on their schedule. Their one weakness may be shooting, and
they shot it pretty well against us."
Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: March 12, 2009
