Walking down the concrete steps with his teammates into the pit at the sound of a pre-game buzzer, with the drums banging the school’s fight song in the corridor of the gymnasium — that’s what Zach McCory will miss the most about playing basketball at Brownstown Central.
In his senior season, like years past, McCory exemplified a team-first attitude as a leader for the Braves.
Across the board, McCory’s numbers contributed to the Braves’ successful 2015-16 campaign. With all his accomplishments this season, The Tribune has named McCory the 2016 boys basketball Jackson County Player of the Year.
The Braves finished their season 21-4, 9-0 in the Mid-Southern Conference, and were ranked in Class 3A’s top-10 and top-5 polls throughout the season.
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Running the floor as a guard, McCory led the team with 112 assists while tallying 287 total points.
He modeled consistency, shooting 53 percent on 184 attempts from two-point range and 77 percent from the free-throw line on 102 attempts.
“I think I see the court really well, and that’s where I excelled,” McCory said. “I’m a bigger guard, and I think that really helped me. It made it a harder matchup for some smaller guards. Cam (Shoemaker) got us a lot of good looks passing from the inside.”
McCory also got it done defensively, collecting 125 rebounds, snagging 36 steals, recording 11 blocks and taking five charges.
“He’s one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever coached,” Braves coach Dave Benter said, who just completed his 18th season. “He never made excuses and blamed anyone else. That’s something to say. It’s easy in today’s society, when something goes wrong, to want to blame something else. He always accepted responsibility.”
Benter said that McCory’s ability to score inside and out, with the option of making an extra pass, was difficult for the opposition.
The coach also said that McCory’s passing ability helped the other four members of the starting lineup average double digits in scoring.
“(McCory) had such a unique skills set because of his strength and ball-handling ability,” Benter said. “You put a bigger guy on him, he would beat them off the dribble. If a smaller guy was on him that wasn’t as strong, we could post him up.
“A lot of our offense we ran the past couple years suited him. He’s so unselfish. When he was double-teamed he found open guys.”
One of McCory’s greatest accomplishments on the season was being named the Graber Post Buildings Classic tournament MVP and to the All-Tournament team.
Graber Post, which boasted four unbeaten squads, including two No. 1-ranked schools, fielded one of the most competitive holiday tournaments in the state.
In the championship game, McCory tallied 20 points to help his team retain the title.
His efforts on the season also earned him All-Mid-Southern Conference status and IBCA All-State Senior honorable mention.
At the Braves’ awards ceremony to conclude the season, his teammates voted him most valuable player.
While the individual accolades racked up, McCory prefers the memories shared with his teammates.
“I think how close I was with the guys in the locker room made it special for me,” McCory said. “We had a really good bond and chemistry. I think that this year is one that I will always remember.”
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2016 Jackson County Player of the Year
Zach McCory, Brownstown Central, Senior
287 total points, 11.5 PPG, Season-high 21 pts
111-233 FG, 48%
79-102 FT, 77%
125 rebounds
112 assists
36 steals
11 blocks
Honors: All-Mid-Southern Conference, Graber Post Buildings Classic tournament MVP/All-Tournament team, IBCA All-State Senior honorable mention, MSC Champion
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Toriek Miller, Seymour, Senior
391 total points, 16.9 PPG, Season-high 35
113-301 FG, 38%
100-130 FT, 77%
63 rebounds
29 assists
28 steals
5 blocks
IBCA All-State Senior honorable mention, All-Hoosier Hills Conference, eclipsed 1,000 points for career, has a NAIA basketball scholarship at Madonna University
Cam Shoemaker, Brownstown Central, Senior
305 total points, 12.2 PPG, Season-high 22
124-284 FG, 44%
66-86 FT, 77%
141 rebounds
61 assists
39 steals
29 blocks
All-MSC, MSC Champion, All-Graber Post tournament team
Jacoby Shade, Brownstown Central, Senior
325 total points, 13 PPG, Season-high 25
171-400 FG, 43%
29-37 FT, 78%
162 rebounds
58 assists
41 steals
14 blocks
IBCA All-State Senior honorable mention, All-MSC, MSC Champion, All-Graber Post tournament team
Ryan Wieneke, Seymour, Senior
153 total points, 7.7 PPG, Season-high 18
58-114 FG, 51%
23-31 FT, 74%
109 rebounds
38 assists
19 steals
7 blocks
Daniel Horton, Trinity Lutheran, Senior
456 total points, 18.2 PPG, Season-high 29
168-293 FG, 57%
118-158 FT, 75%
207 rebounds
34 assists
30 steals
4 blocks
All-time leading scorer at TLHS (1,063 points), IBCA All-State Senior honorable mention, school record points in season (456), school records in free throws made (282) and rebounds (533) for career, single season school record in free throws made (118) and field goals made (166), All-Edinburgh tournament team
Cody Waskom, Brownstown Central, Junior
303 total points, 12.1 PPG, Season-high 23
143-271 FG, 53%
48-70 FT, 69%
85 rebounds
57 assists
42 steals
10 blocks
MSC Champion, All-Graber Post tournament team
Carson Lambring, Brownstown Central, Junior
296 total points, 11.8 PPG, Season-high 24
161-340 FG, 48%
34-45 FT, 76%
76 rebounds
77 assists
38 steals
1 block
MSC Champion, All-MSC honorable mention
Keegan Rebber, Trinity Lutheran, Senior
269 total points, 10.8 PPG, Season-high 30
98-208 FG, 47%
54-72 FT, 75%
88 rebounds
48 assists
28 steals
8 blocks
Alan Perry, Seymour, Sophomore
152 total points, 6.6 PPG, Season-high 15
41-132 FG, 31%
48-63 FT, 76%
49 rebounds
80 assists
18 steals
6 blocks
Kam Flynn, Medora, Senior
273 total points, 11.9 PPG, Season-high 23
93-247 FG, 38%
34-50 FT, 68%
71 rebounds
48 assists
36 steals
2 blocks
Eli Mollet, Crothersville, Senior
397 total points, 16.5 PPG, Season-high 29
135-291 FG, 46%
104-136 FT, 76%
149 rebounds
22 assists
23 steals
12 blocks
Tiller Cummings, Seymour, Sophomore
177 total points, 7.7 PPG, Season-high 20
75-121 FG, 62%
27-36 FT, 69%
101 rebounds
11 assists
12 steals
6 blocks
Chase Booker, Medora, Senior
330 total points, 14.3 PPG, Season-high 26
122-310 FG, 39%
50-71 FT, 70%
109 rebounds
31 assists
43 steals
5 blocks
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Tyler Luedeman, Crothersville, Senior
217 total points, 9.4 PPG, Season-high 26
78-236 FG, 33%
39-64 FT, 61%
49 rebounds
44 assists
40 steals
3 blocks
All-Southern Athletic Conference
Jalen Beesley, Medora, Senior
213 total points, 9.3 PPG, Season-high 24
67-165 FG, 41%
61-80 FT, 76%
88 rebounds
65 assists
25 steals
8 blocks
Brandon Moore, Medora, Junior
191 total points, 8.3 PPG, Season-high 18
63-196 FG, 32%
28-43 FT, 65%
71 rebounds
33 assists
28 steals
9 blocks
Chad Stuckwisch, Trinity Lutheran, Junior
195 total points, 7.8 PPG, Season-high 19
54-158 FG, 34%
48-76 FT, 63%
61 rebounds
85 assists
36 steals
0 blocks
Dylan Maschino, Trinity Lutheran, Senior
197 total points, 7.9 PPG, Season-high 22
69-157 FG, 44%
29-42 FT, 69%
70 rebounds
57 assists
20 steals
9 blocks
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