The Portage boys varsity basketball team saw its season come to an end on Wednesday night as the Indians fell to Hobart in their first sectional game 46-30. The game took place at the Wolves’ Den as part of the Class 4A Sectional hosted at Michigan City. The two teams engaged in a defensive struggle in the first half, but the Brickies eventually pulled away.
Portage had played one of its best games of the season on Friday night in a 49-45 loss to Merrillville. In addition, the Indians knocked off Hobart in December for their only regular season victory. For those reasons, Portage was expected to have a good chance to win, but the Brickies outscored the Tribe 14-8 in the third quarter and 17-9 in the fourth.
Solid defense was displayed in the first half as both squads struggled to find the net. The Indians held a 6-5 lead at the end of the first quarter but trailed 15-13 at halftime. The Portage defense forced 14 turnovers, seven steals and one block in the game.
On the offensive end senior David Jercha led the way with 14 points. Jercha returned to the basketball court this winter after sitting out his junior season to focus on baseball. He quickly found success on the hardwood leading the team in scoring throughout the season. He will continue his baseball career next year at Indiana State University. Jercha’s basketball career is now in the books, but he has less than a month before his senior baseball season gets underway in late March.
Sophomor
e Peter Psomadelis chipped in six points. Freshman Mike Diaz drained a three while Jacob Bearss, Tyler Gonzalez and Rashaan Coleman all entered the scoring column.
The majority of the Portage team will return next season with just one starter and three total players graduating. Nikola Nacovski, Kyle Carter and Jercha were the three seniors on the team this season.
Hobart advances to Friday’s sectional semifinal against host Michigan City. That game will tip-off at 7:30. The other semifinal features a matchup between Chesterton and Merrillville, with the winners facing off in the championship on Saturday night.