Top Players from Basketball Day Indiana: Morning Session

With the numerous high school, college, and professional games on Saturday, the state of Indiana deemed it to be Basketball Day Indiana. One of the main events of Basketball Day Indiana included four top-level games at Memorial Gymnasium in Kokomo, Indiana. The morning games at Memorial Gymnasium featured the Kokomo Wildkats taking on the Tipton Blue Devils in game 1. The second game pitted the Northwestern Tigers against the Peru Tigers. In the first game of the day, the Tipton Blue Devils were led by the future Huntington University Forester, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/">Ben Humrichous</a></a>. Tipton started the game with outstanding shooting from outside, and a monster third-quarter from <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/">Ben Humrichous</a></a> resulted in a 15 point lead for the Blue Devils heading into a fourth-quarter. On the first possession of the fourth quarter, Tipton knocked down another three to extend the lead to 18. Then, in the next 7:30, it was all Wildkats. Kokomo proceeded to go on a 25-0 run on 4-6 from three-point range as they completed the monster comeback with a 66-61 victory to start the day. With the expectations of the first game, the second game had to live up to the hype, and the pair of Tigers did their part. The top player on the court for both teams was Northwestern’s <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/">Tayson Parker</a></a>, but Peru did a great job forcing him into some tough contested looks and early foul trouble. At the half, Peru led 24-18, and Parker was held to only 4 points. However, in the second half, he took over. Peru could not find an answer for the Northwestern star as he finished the game with 27 points including the last 7 of the game. After two free throws by Parker in the final 10 seconds, Peru came down the floor with two chances to tie the game with a three, but the first attempt was blocked, and the second attempt came up just short. Now, let’s look ahead at the top performers from the morning session of Basketball Day Indiana.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/">Tayson Parker</a></a>, Northwestern, 2020 PG As I mentioned above, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/">Tayson Parker</a></a> was obviously the top player on the court during the second game of the day. He struggled in the first half, but in the second half of the game, it seemed like Parker was able to get absolutely whatever he wanted. He ended the game with 27 points, and he was able to score 23 of the Tigers’ 30 second-half points. He was also able to add an 11-11 shooting performance at the free-throw line which helped put Northwestern over the top. Overall, Parker tallied 27 points and 7 rebounds, and he showed that Indiana Wesleyan is going to be very happy with the player that they get this summer. He is definitely a difference-maker on the court.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bobby-wonnell/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bobby-wonnell/">Bobby Wonnell</a></a>, Kokomo, 2022 SG In the first game of the day, Kokomo was able to come back from an 18 point deficit in the final quarter of action, and this was largely in part to the play of sophomore guard, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bobby-wonnell/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bobby-wonnell/">Bobby Wonnell</a></a>. Wonnell was able to tally 20 points in the ball game including four big three-pointers late to cut into the large Blue Devil lead. He even added a late triple to cut the lead to one with a minute remaining. Wonnell showed that he is a player to watch in the future, and he could have the potential to lead this young Wildkats team to do something special.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/">Ben Humrichous</a></a>, Tipton, 2020 PF <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/">Ben Humrichous</a></a> was no doubt the best player in the first two games of Basketball Day Indiana, but in the fourth quarter, he disappeared. With Tipton up 18, Humrichous only attempted two more shots in the game, both coming on deep three-point attempts in the final minute. Despite this, Humrichous was able to total 25 points and 12 rebounds to grab another double-double, and he showed why everyone who has seen him play is high on his potential. He has the ultimate green light while shooting the ball, and he showed his versatility in all aspects of the game. He hit some deep threes early, but later in the game, he relied more on his post-ups and mid-range game to get him going. Huntington is definitely going to be happy with this guy’s versatility next season.   Savion Barrett, Kokomo, 2020 SG As we just discussed, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-humrichous/">Ben Humrichous</a></a> went quiet in the fourth quarter of the game between Kokomo and Tipton, and Savion Barrett was a big reason why. Barrett was face guarding Humrichous for the entirety of the fourth quarter, and he was able to completely shut him down. Also, on the offensive end, Barrett was able to shine. He ended with 16 points and 6 rebounds including two offensive rebounds putbacks in the fourth quarter to propel their comeback. Barrett can definitely be a difference-maker on both ends of the floor, and if he can continue to play well down the stretch, the Wildkats are going to be a tough out in the postseason.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/noah-wolfe/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/noah-wolfe/">Noah Wolfe</a></a>, Tipton, 2020 SF <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/noah-wolfe/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/noah-wolfe/">Noah Wolfe</a></a> may not be a top-rated recruit or a player that coaches key in on during the film sessions throughout the week. However, he was a key player for Tipton during the first game of the day. Early on, Wolfe was out-hustling everyone on the court, skying for numerous rebounds. He also hit two key triples early on to help the Blue Devils extend their lead, but in the fourth quarter, he also got ice-cold as he went 0-3 shooting as the Wildkats were able to come back for the win. Despite this, Wolfe ended up with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. If he can continue putting out maximum effort in their games, Tipton may be able to make a run late into March.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-richards/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-richards/">Jackson Richards</a></a>, Kokomo, 2021 SG <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-richards/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-richards/">Jackson Richards</a></a> struggled to get anything going offensively early on as he was just 1-9 from the floor in the first three quarters of action. However, in the fourth quarter, Richards got out of his slump by hitting two big threes including one in the final minute to put them on top for good. Richards finished with 8 points and 7 assists as he helped facilitate the Wildkats come back. If Richards can get his shot back, he will be able to help the Kats in even more ways for the rest of the season.   Treyden Curtis, Peru, 2021 SG Treyden Curtis was the leader for Peru on Saturday as he ended with 16 points to help Peru keep pace with the Northwestern Tigers, led by <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayson-parker/">Tayson Parker</a></a>. Curtis hit one of Peru’s only two three-pointers, and he went a perfect 5-5 from the line late to help Peru stay close. However, his last-second corner three came up just short as Peru fell by 3. Peru doesn’t have a star-studded lineup by any means, but if Curtis can continue to put up 15 point performances and their defense stays as tough as it was in this game, they are going to have the potential to pull of an upset or two in March.