Class 4A Regional Preview: Breakdown

Photo: twitter via @lnwildcats

Kyler Staley March 9, 2021 @ 05:56 AM

Sectional play is over but we are still locked in for the State Playoffs. It is that time of year where we start looking ahead and previewing each and every Regional. Time to take a look at the pairings that make up the Class 4A Regionals.   Regional 1: Michigan City The Teams: Valparaiso, South Bend Riley, Gary West, Elkhart Our Contenders: Valparaiso, Gary West Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="769653" first="Jalen" last="Washington"] (2022) Prediction: This is really two horse race that will likely be decided in the Regional Finals. Gary West is too loaded to really have any trouble with Elkhart so expecting them to get past them fairly easy like they did with all of their Sectional opponents. On the other side, Valpo will have a slightly tougher time getting past a really good South Bend Riley team that is led by Notre Dame commit [player_tooltip player_id="569313" first="Blake" last="Wesley"]. Riley is more than capable of knocking off Valpo but I think Valpo just has the slight edge on what should be a "grind it out" win. That will lead to what should be a great finals matchup between Valpo and Gary West. Valpo has proved that they can beat Gary West as they did earlier this year, but I think Gary West is the one that will come out of this one. So far, Gary West has been plying like they are on a mission and even though Valpo will be their toughest game yet this postseason, I think they find a way to get it done and move onto next weekend.   Regional 2: Logansport The Teams: Homestead, Carmel, Fort Wayne Carroll, Lafayette Jeff Our Contenders: Homestead, Carmel, Lafayette Jeff Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="769662" first="Peter" last="Suder"] (2022) Prediction: Logansport is the place to be this Saturday. 3 of the 4 teams are ranked in the top 8 and the winner of this one has a legit chance to make it to state. Let’s start off with the game everybody is most excited for, Homestead vs Carmel. These are the 2 best teams remaining in the tournament and Carmel will be Homestead’s toughest challenge this season. I mean just the amount of talent in this one with D1 players like [player_tooltip player_id="769662" first="Peter" last="Suder"], [player_tooltip player_id="769678" first="Charlie" last="Williams"], [player_tooltip player_id="529568" first="Luke" last="Goode"], [player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"], and so many other is enough to get you excited about this game. Homestead has been the most dominate team and even though Carmel is great in their own right, going to go with Homestead to win this one. On the other side, this should be another great game as well but I am going to go with Lafayette Jeff solely based on the [player_tooltip player_id="783143" first="Brooks" last="Barnhizer"] factor. That will lead to what should be the best game on Saturday night with Homestead and Lafayette Jeff duking it out. Again, going to go with Homestead to win because you just cannot bet against them right now. 3 out of the 4 teams have a legit chance to win this one, but Homestead is the slight favorite.   Regional 3: Southport The Teams: Lawrence North, Ben Davis, Mount Vernon (Fortville), Plainfield Our Contenders: Lawrence North, Plainfield Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] (2022) Prediction: Out of all the 4, this Regional is the easier one to predict. Lawrence North should beat Ben Davis as should Plainfield do the same with Mt. Vernon. That will lead to what should be a really good final game. Lawrence North and Plainfield are easily top 6 teams in 4A and both have the talent to make a run in this game. The dynamic duo of [player_tooltip player_id="830575" first="DJ" last="Hughes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] are a tough force to stop, as they showed in Sectional, but Plainfield has the talent and experience like [player_tooltip player_id="874172" first="Ian" last="Scott"] and [player_tooltip player_id="874130" first="Aidan" last="Booher"] to cause some disruptions on the Wildcats. But when it comes down to it, Lawrence North is a team that you just cannot bet against as well. Until further notice, Lawrence North is the favorite to make it to the 4A State Championship on their side of the bracket.   Regional 4: Seymour The Teams: Bloomington South, Jeffersonville, Center Grove, Evansville Reitz Our Contenders: Bloomington South, Jeffersonville, Center Grove, Evansville Reitz Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="783201" first="Joseph" last="Bomba"] (2021) Prediction: Honestly, this Regional is my favorite because it is so wide open. Both opening games should be really fun, which will lead to a great final game Saturday night. Starting off with the first game, Bloomington South vs Jeffersonville will be a battle of an extremely well coached team vs an extremely talented team. When it looked like Bloomington South was going to have a down year, they completely tricked us and are playing some of the best basketball in the state now. Jeffersonville, on the other hand, is a very talented team led by [player_tooltip player_id="769655" first="Will" last="Lovings-Watts"] and [player_tooltip player_id="926885" first="Brandon" last="Rayzer-Moore"]. Going to go with Bloomington South in what should be a blast of a game. On the other side, Center Grove and Evansville Reitz is a legit toss-up. There are just some really good ball players in this one like [player_tooltip player_id="874190" first="Landin" last="Hacker"], [player_tooltip player_id="783155" first="Owen" last="Dease"], [player_tooltip player_id="874175" first="Ethan" last="Higgs"], [player_tooltip player_id="769658" first="Tayven" last="Jackson"], and so many others. Reitz looked really good in their Sectional so expecting them to continue that and beat Center Grove and then, in kind of an upset, figure out a way to knock off Bloomington South. Reitz is my pick to come out of Regional 4.