Photo by TRAVIS DAVID | Sullivan junior Carter Mischler reaches out to haul in a pass during the first half of Thursday's Wabash Valley Classic game against host Terre Haute North.

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BY TRAVIS DAVID

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TERRE HAUTE — More turnovers than made field goals is not an ideal recipe of success for any basketball team.

The Sullivan boys team can attest that after Thursday.

The Arrows turned the ball over nine times in the second half while making just five shots from the field against Terre Haute North.

The result was a 53-38 loss to the Patriots in the opening round of the Wabash Valley Classic at Terre Haute North.

“That’s the story of the game,” Sullivan Hall of Fame coach Jeff Moore said of the turnovers. “You can’t have that many turnovers and expect to win. And the thing is, a lot of those turnovers were because we just tried to rush things.”

The loss dropped the Arrows to 4-3 on the season while the Patriots improved to 7-1.

While nothing much went right for Sullivan in the second half, the Arrows found success in the first 16 minutes. 

Sullivan led 12-11 after the first eight minutes of play and carried a 25-21 lead into the break.

Levi Hollifield sparked the Arrows late in the first quarter. The 6-foot-6 junior scored buckets on back-to-back possessions, giving Sullivan a 12-9 lead. The reserve post player added a third bucket in the second frame which extended the Arrows’ lead to 23-17 with just under five minutes left in the half.

“He came in and made his presence felt,” Moore said of Hollifield. “The situation has to be right for us to use Levi but we love having him on the floor. He goes after every rebound and he is a big body. He really gave us a good boost there in the first half.”

Sullivan opened the second half with turnovers on its first two possessions. North cashed in with buckets to pull even.

After a drive by Paul Ridgway put the Arrows ahead 27-25 with 6:14 left in the frame another turnover led to North taking the lead. Brady Klopfenstein was left alone in the right corner and made one of his five triples in the game. The shot gave the Braves their first lead since leading 9-8 midway through the opening period. 

South would not relinquish the lead.

After just four turnovers in the first half, Sullivan gave the ball away six times in the third while making just two shots.

North led 35-29 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

After the Patriots scored the first five of the fourth to open up the largest lead of the game, Ridgway knocked down a three from the wing. The shot — his second three of the game — pulled the Arrows to within 40-32 with 6:06 left on the clock.

After getting a defensive stop, the Arrows missed a contested layup. 

Then came the dagger.

Klopfenstein was once again left all alone in the corner, this time for the left side, and buried a three for an 11-point lead.

“He is probably their best shooter,” Moore said of Klopfenstein. “And we left him open too many times.”

Gavin Woelfle followed with a triple from the top of the key before Cam Fennell came up with a steal and finish for a 48-32 lead.

Klopfenstein paced the Patriots with 15 points while Woelfle and 6-foot-10-inch Bryce Renn tallied 12 points apiece.

Cooper Bock paced Sullivan with a game-high 16 points and pulled down eight boards in the loss. Bock netted 10 points in the first half including a highlight-reel worthy slam off an offensive rebound. 

Ridgway added 10 points in the loss while Hollifield finished with six.

Sullivan (4-3) will face Marshall (Ill.) in a consolation bracket game Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Thanks to Sullivan Westside Church and Roberts & Daughters Construction for the sponsorship of this story