Crown Point Bulldogs take down Merrillville Pirates 67-53 In conference play

Crown Point Bulldogs take down Merrillville Pirates 67-53 In conference play

Merrillville High School fought a tough game on Friday night against their rivals from Crown Point High School in a varsity conference game at Merrillville High School.

Crown Point was favored to win, coming in at 4-1 overall, while the Pirates have struggled a bit this season, coming into tonight’s game at just 3-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, gaining a 16-6 lead over the Pirates at the end of the first quarter, due to a strong showing by #15, AJ Lux, who hit two 3-pointers, along with #14, Drew Adzia and #42, Jake Oostman, each putting up a pair of 2-pointers in the first quarter to give their team an early lead.

BOYS BASKETBALL Crown Point vs. Merrillville 2021

BOYS BASKETBALL Crown Point vs. Merrillville 2021 80 Photos
BOYS BASKETBALL Crown Point vs. Merrillville 2021BOYS BASKETBALL Crown Point vs. Merrillville 2021BOYS BASKETBALL Crown Point vs. Merrillville 2021BOYS BASKETBALL Crown Point vs. Merrillville 2021

Merrillville battled back in the 2nd quarter, putting another 14 points on the board and cutting Crown Point’s lead to just 25-20 at halftime, but the Bulldogs came on strong in the third quarter, with a string of 3-pointers from #12, Ty Smith as well as Adzia and Lux, who continued to prove formidable opponents on the court.

The game really heated up in the 4th quarter, as the Pirates pulled out all stops, putting up 24 points in the final period, based on outstanding play from Merrillville’s # 23, Dorian Harris, who put up a pair of threes, as well as #50, AJ Dixon, with two 2-pointers. But in the end, it just wasn’t quite enough to hold the Bulldogs off as Crown Point cruised to a solid 67-53 victory against Merrillville. 

The Bulldogs will return home to welcome the 3-7 Griffith High School Panthers for a non-conference home game tomorrow at Crown Point, while Merrillville will pack up and head out to Munster High School for a non-conference game against the 6-2 Mustangs.