- Flory Bidunga seeks 34 points and 22 rebounds in the last game at the Kokomo Memorial Gym
KOKOMO – Flory Bidunga’s final match at Memorial Gym was memorable before it even began.
Bidunga, this year’s IndyStar Mr. Basketball, returned to Kokomo after two days at his college home in Kansas to a standing ovation when his name was announced for the Indiana All-Stars vs. Junior All-Stars game Wednesday night at Memorial Gym. .
“I love the people of the city,” Bidunga said. “It was good to see them again and I appreciate the support they have given me.”
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Then, in the building where he provided so many thrills and highlights over the past three years, the 6-9 Bidunga put in one more standout performance. The Kokomo star finished with 34 points and 22 rebounds (the latter number breaking the record he shared with Cody Zeller in a Junior All-Star game) to lead the All-Stars to a 104-96 victory over the Junior All-Stars in front to a crowd of 3,407 people.
The All-Stars, coached by Kokomo’s John Peckinpaugh, clearly prioritized playing through Bidunga, who was rarely stopped while shooting 15 of 23 from the field. His most impressive shot, however, was a three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half.
How unusual was that shot? In his high school career, Bidunga was 1-for-9 from 3-point range. His only mark came on senior night.
“I shook when he realized he was going to shoot,” Peckinpaugh said with a smile. “But she looked good and has been working hard this spring and summer to expand that reach.”
Bidunga also finished with five assists and three blocked shots as the All-Stars held back a talented Junior All-Star team that had every intention of defeating the All-Stars, taking a one-point lead late in the first half. when Heritage Hills’ Trent Sisley got hot and scored 16 of his team’s 18 points. But Bidunga’s 3-pointer helped the All-Stars take a 10-point lead into halftime.
“He’s easy to play with,” said Ben Davis guard and Northwestern recruit KJ Windham, who finished with 10 points and a team-high seven assists. “Obviously he is in a high position for a reason. You can put him on the court with anyone and he’s easy to adjust to. “You can just throw the ball in the hoop and he’ll go get it.”
The All-Stars stayed comfortably ahead for most of the second half. The Juniors got within five points early in the half before the All-Stars increased the lead to 18. The Juniors rallied again, this time behind a burst from East Chicago Central’s Dominque Murphy, who scored 12 of his 17 points after halftime, to get as close as eight points.
But that was all. Bidunga was removed from the game with 67 seconds left. But he made his last shot count. With New Palestine’s Julius Gizzi guarding him at the top of the zone, Bidunga dribbled to his right, then crossed to his dominant left hand, turned toward the center of the line and fired a 12-foot shot over the outstretched arm of the 6 – from Cathedral. 9 Brady Koehler.
Whistle.
“I’ve played with Flory for three years in AAU and when I tell you you can throw that thing anywhere, I can throw it anywhere,” said Noblesville All-Star Aaron Fine. “I can throw him to the moon and he’ll probably catch it. He just makes the game easier. We were talking in our warm-up about how loud it was going to be when they announced it. And it was very, very loud. It was like our sectional crowd. “I’m happy for him because he was amazing.”
The All-Stars will now prepare for the weekend’s doubleheader against the Kentucky All-Stars. Friday’s girls and boys doubleheader will be played at Lexington Catholic High School, followed by return games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
However, there were some bragging rights at stake against the Juniors. There was a lot of familiarity on both sides, especially the Ben Davis duo of Windham and Mark Zackery IV who guarded each other for several minutes.
“Mark was talking crazy before the game,” Windham said with a laugh. “I’m glad I shut him up. But that will be the last time we play together on the same court in high school. We’ll see what college has in store for us, but it was fun. “We’re still competitors at the end of the day and we’re still going to push each other.”
Purdue recruit Jack Benter of Brownstown Central finished with 19 points, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds. Bidunga’s 34-point effort was the second-highest in senior history against the Juniors dating back to 1996, trailing only the 44 points scored by Park Tudor’s Trevon Bluiett at Columbus North in 2014.
The All-Stars finished with 26 assists as a team and 42 field goals.
“I thought we played very well,” Fine said. “These last two practices have had to do with intertwining. It’s a different function of a team because everyone on this team is the best player on their high school team. It’s an adjustment, but I think we did a good job tonight. Giving 26 assists is phenomenal in an all-star game. “We shared the ball well.”
New Palestine’s Gizzi added 14 points for the Junior All-Stars and Greenfield-Central’s Braylon Mullins provided several highlights on his 13-point night (he was 6 of 8 from the field).
But the night belonged to Bidunga and the senior Indiana All-Stars.
“He’s had a lot of special moments here,” Peckinpaugh said, “and to see the crowd’s reaction when he was introduced and some of the plays he made was just a good ending to his career and his legacy here in Kokomo.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
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