4A Lafayette Sectional Update: Standouts and Top Performers

<p>The first round of the Class 4A Lafayette Sectional is over and we now look forward to round 2 which happens on Friday. This article will incorporate a quick recap of the first-round games and then will highlight important items for the final two games. </p> <p>Lafayette Jeff 83, Marion 74</p> <p>This offense game was nothing short of exciting. [player_tooltip player_id="874110" first="Jalen" last="Blackmon"] for Marion did not go down without a fight, to say the least. The senior guard scored a career-high 55 points in his final high school game. Blackmon was hitting from all over the court, but especially from three-point land where he went 7-14 in the game. While Marion was more of a one-man-show, Jeff was more well-rounded as a team. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brooks-barnhizer/">[player_tooltip player_id="783143" first="Brooks" last="Barnhizer"]</a> finished with 27 points which happens to be lower than his season average. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ashton-beaver/">[player_tooltip player_id="874137" first="Ashton" last="Beaver"]</a> had 18 points, Jacob Collicott, who is known for his defense and was guarding Blackmon most of the night, finished with 19 points in only 17 minutes of play. As Jeff moves on to the next round, they have to be feeling good with their all-around performance. </p> <p>Kokomo 53, Logansport 48</p> <p>This game had a much different feel compared to the first. After the first quarter, the score was 4 - 2 in favor of Kokomo and both teams combined to shoot 0-15. As the game went on, the scoring picked up and the game began to flow much better. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/malachi-pearson/">[player_tooltip player_id="963903" first="Malachi" last="Pearson"]</a> led the way for the Berries with 19 points. RJ Oglesby scored 19 points for the Wildkats, and Torian Smith chipped in 13. Kokomo will need to play a different game if they want to upset the McCutcheon Mavericks. </p> <p>Lafayette Jeff vs. Harrison Raiders</p> <p>This is a rematch of the same game from the year before where Jeff and Harrison matched up in the second round on a Friday night. Last season, Harrison pulled off the upset. However, this year both teams look different due to seniors moving on. The two teams played earlier this season in December where Jeff came away with the victory 64-53. In that game, Barnhizer scored 34 of the team's 64, and the next highest scorer had 8. Look for the raiders to key in on stopping Barnhizer and force the rest of Jeff’s players to carry the load. The Raiders had strong performances from <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jonah-lucas/">[player_tooltip player_id="870258" first="Jonah" last="Lucas"]</a>, who scored 17, and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-henderson/">[player_tooltip player_id="1049173" first="Ben" last="Henderson"]</a> who scored 16. Harrison battled injuries in the middle of the year and they are just starting to get healthy. They will need to play a great team game with a balanced effort as well as being focused defensively to pull off the upset. </p> <p>Kokomo Wildkats vs. McCutcheon Mavericks</p> <p>McCutcheon finished the season going 9-0 in conference play, winning the regular-season title. These two teams faced off very early in the season in December. McCutcheon walked away with the win 69-65 after going into overtime. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joseph-phinisee/">Joe Phinisee</a> exploded for 36 points that night. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-richards/">Jack Richards</a> scored 17 and RJ Oglesby scored 14. Worth noting, Maverick star <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/leyton-mcgovern/">Leyton McGovern</a> did not play that game. Obviously, with McCutcheon being the best team in the conference based on the standings, they are the favorite in this game. Kokomo will need productive games from their key players to pull off the upset. Also, look for the Wildkats to focus on shutting down the two Maverick stars in Phinisee and McGovern. </p>