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High-scoring Spartan junior  drawing lots of defenders

Zack Denny leads area scorers with 27.2 ppg., and few can stop him.

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1:55 AM Friday, January 20, 2012

By Greg Billing

Staff Writer

Zack Denny has set the bar high for his senior season.

The Valley View High School junior’s goal — similar to those of other basketball players — is to “have a big senior year.”

For Denny, though, the difference is an average night on the court for him is a career night for other players.

Denny leads the area with 27.2 points per game, up from 24.5 as a sophomore and 7.5 as a freshman.

Is 30 points per game possible? During an eight-game stretch to close out last season he averaged 33.

“It’s definitely rare,” Valley View coach Ben Buehner said. “You have a lot of guys who want to be that good, but it’s not very often you have (that commitment) to go along with the talent.”

To be a high scorer in high school basketball there are certain requirements.

Confidence. Shooting touch. A quick first step.

Being labeled a scorer does have its drawbacks.

Denny faced a triangle-and-two defense against Madison, with both of those and-two defenders guarding him.

That’s where the confidence comes in.

“I feel like I can score from anywhere,” Denny said. “That’s what helps me out. If I’m awful on one part I can just go to another (part of my game).”

Denny averages 27 of his team’s 64 points per game. He scored a school-record 42 points in the season opener against Brookville.

His success is no accident.

“I probably play about four hours a day,” Denny said of a typical day during summer break. “Basketball is my favorite sport. I just want to go to the next level and play college.”

The Spartans host Monroe tonight.

Focus on boys basketball Valley View High School

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