Class 4A Lafayette Sectional Breakdown

<p>It is finally that time of the year - post-season high school basketball here in Indiana. Today I will be breaking down and making predictions for the Class 4A Lafayette Sectional which is loaded with talented teams. The teams consist of Marion, Jeff, Harrison, Kokomo, Logansport, and McCutcheon. The bracket was posted on Sunday the 21st and is as follows: Marion vs. Jeff with Harrison receiving a bye and will be playing the winner. Then, on the other side of the bracket, we have Kokomo vs. Logansport with McCutcheon getting the bye and playing the winner. Next, of course, there will be four teams left and the winner of those two games will face off in the championship. Last year, the championship consisted of Harrison and Marion with Marion taking home the hardware. </p> <p>Favorite: Lafayette Jeff<br /> I believe Jeff to be the easy favorite here to win the sectional title. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brooks-barnhizer/">[player_tooltip player_id="783143" first="Brooks" last="Barnhizer"]</a> is playing like he is the best player in the state and according to his stats this season, he very well maybe. Jeff also has talented players surrounding Barnhizer making it very difficult to stop their offensive scoring including sharpshooter <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ashton-beaver/">[player_tooltip player_id="874137" first="Ashton" last="Beaver"]</a>. However, they do have a tough schedule playing Marion first (which will be a great matchup between two of the top players in the state with Marion’s <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-blackmon/">[player_tooltip player_id="874110" first="Jalen" last="Blackmon"]</a>) then going against a solid Harrison team, and finally, we may see a rematch of Jeff and McCutcheon in the championship. Jeff will be looking for revenge if they face McCutcheon in the final game as they previously played a few weeks ago. </p> <p>Sleeper: Harrison<br /> Harrison has been battling injuries the past month or so and they are finally becoming healthy right when it matters most. Seniors, Bryant Smith and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/max-jacobsen/">[player_tooltip player_id="874149" first="Max" last="Jacobsen"]</a> have shown their leadership by leading the team through adversity during a tough stretch when injuries took out some key starters for the team. When healthy, they are a very balanced team who plays extremely hard on both ends. Pair the two seniors with underclassman <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-henderson/">[player_tooltip player_id="1049173" first="Ben" last="Henderson"]</a> and junior <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jonah-lucas/">[player_tooltip player_id="870258" first="Jonah" last="Lucas"]</a> and that is a team some may overlook. They received a first-round bye which will be a great opportunity to game plan for stopping either Barnhizer or Blackmon. They are very familiar with Jeff and McCutcheon - the two top teams in the sectional - being that all three schools are in the same area. If Harrison can get a win against either Jeff or Marion, I can see them staying hot and taking home the title. </p> <p>Other players to watch throughout the tournament:</p> <p>McCutcheon - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joseph-phinisee/">Joe Phinisee</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/leyton-mcgovern/">Leyton McGovern</a> - perhaps the best duo in the entire sectional. <br /> Logansport - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/malachi-pearson/">[player_tooltip player_id="963903" first="Malachi" last="Pearson"]</a> - a guard with great length and ability to get the cup and finish or get to the line. He leads the team in nearly every statistical category. </p> <p><br /> Kokomo - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-richards/">[player_tooltip player_id="874170" first="Jackson" last="Richards"]</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bobby-wonnell/">[player_tooltip player_id="870228" first="Bobby" last="Wonnell"]</a> - while Wonnell is more of the sharpshooter on the perimeter and Richards is more a well-rounded scorer, both players can rack up the points in a hurry. </p> <p>Here is my prediction game by game:<br /> Marion vs. Jeff ---&gt; Jeff<br /> Jeff vs. Harrison ---&gt; Jeff</p> <p>Logansport vs. Kokomo ---&gt; Logansport<br /> Logansport vs. McCutcheon ---&gt; McCutcheon</p> <p>Championship: Jeff vs. McCutcheon ---&gt; Jeff</p>