6/29/2019 basketball Edit

Galloway, Culver (Ind.) Academies take down Thomas, Brownsburg (Ind.)

Ryan Gregory

Special to TheHoosier.com

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INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2:30 p.m. Saturday slot of the Charlie Hughes Shootout at Hamilton Southeastern High School provided an opportunity to watch two IU basketball targets in one game.

Brownsburg (Ind.) took on Culver (Ind.) Academies in front of Indiana head coach Archie Miller, as well as a host of other high-major coaches.

Brownsburg features 2021 wing Pierce Thomas, while Culver is led by 2020 three-star guard Trey Galloway. Culver Academies escaped the matchup with a 43-39 victory in a gritty defensive battle.

Neither Galloway nor Thomas shot particularly well from the field, mainly because the two were guarding each other with ferocity. This was twofold for Thomas. When Galloway wasn’t guarding him, he had to deal with the aggressive defense of Deontae Craig, a class of 2020 3-star defensive end and IU football target.

Galloway was the better of the two in this matchup. He finished the game with nine points, shooting 3-of-10 from the field, with five assists and two blocks.

“It was a rough start,” Galloway said. “We didn’t get off to a really good start but once we settled in we did a lot better. It’s kind of tough for us because we don’t play much together so this is the first time we’ve really gotten to play together.”

Though not every shot found the bottom of the basket, Galloway is utilizing this tournament as an opportunity to hone not only the mechanics of his shot, but also his confidence in it.

“I want to be more consistent in my shot,” Galloway said. “Off the catch, being able to knock it down all the time. That’s one thing to improve on, being a knock-down shooter and, overall, just get better at everything.”

Thomas struggled with Culver’s defense, recording just one make in 12 attempts. He did add four assists to his three points to help his team. This shooting slump could have been attributed to the walking boot he wore following each of his games today.

“I’m going to have to score a lot more this season,” Thomas said of his shooting performance. “Most of the shots were right there. I’m playing kind of hurt. There are excuses I could make but I just didn’t make shots. I’ll get through it.”

Much like Galloway, Thomas is also benefitting from these extra reps. His role at Brownsburg will be drastically different this season as a junior. Competition against some of the best the state has to offer should prove beneficial.

“I was not much of a scorer last year, more of a facilitator,” Thomas said. “I’m going to be more of a scorer now so it’s something I’ve got to go through. I need to get in better shape, right now. If I get those down, there’s no one that can really stop me if I work on that.”

Thomas has two more chances to hone his craft on the final day of the shootout with matchups against Topeka (Ind.) Westview and Indianapolis Warren Central Sunday. Culver Academies plays twice Sunday as well, against Mishawaka (Ind.) Marian and Indianapolis Warren Central.