3 For 3: Week 4 Preview

<p>The high school boys’ basketball season is officially underway and we at PrepHoops Indiana want to give you the absolute best coverage in the whole state. Indiana is full of great teams and talented players thus giving the fans incredible matchups every week. Join me, Kyler Staley, every Monday during the season as I preview the 3 Players, 3 Teams, and 3 Matchups to watch for that coming week. Are you ready? Let’s get started! </p> <p><strong>3 Players</strong></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="870217" first="Kaleo" last="Kakalia"] – 6’6 2022 SF – Mishawaka Marian: </b>Kakalia is a ultra athletic small forward that has a tremendous motor and is always active on the floor. The high school season is still early but Kakalia has been having a great start averaging a double-double in pts and rbs and has his team standing at a 6-0 record. Overall he is a just a reliable player that you know is always going to bring the energy every play. He and Mishawaka Marian will host Elkhart (12/17) and travel to Westfield (12/8) this week. </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="868244" first="Nick" last="Richart"] – 6’8 2023 PF –</b><strong> Zionsville:</strong> Richart is a one of the most consistent big man in the entire state. Very smooth around the basket and with a soft touch and excellent footwork. His game has just been consistently developing and he has been a very important part of this undefeated Zionsville team. Still baffles me that this guy does not have more offers on the table. He and the Eagles will host Franklin Central (12/17) this week. </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1158245" first="Jack" last="Benter"] – 6’4 2024 SF – Brownstown Central: </b>Benter came into this season as our #1 ranked SF in the 2024 class and there is a big reason why that it because this guy can score the ball at high level. He comes into this week coming off a big weekend which included a 15 point performance vs Scottsburg this past Friday. Schools at the next level are already starting to take notice of this guy, as you should this week. Him and Brownstown will look to remain unbeaten this week as they host tough games vs North Harrison (12/17) and Mitchell (12/18).  </p> <p><strong>3 Teams</strong></p> <p><strong>Homestead (4A): </strong>For the majority of the season so far, Homestead has showed to be as dominant as they were last year. Only loss has been against Kettering Alter (Ohio) and they just escaped close one vs Westfield this past Saturday 58-55. They have the potential Mr. Basketball winner [player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"] as they main guy with excellent sidekicks with guys like [player_tooltip player_id="870214" first="Andrew" last="Leeper"], [player_tooltip player_id="868270" first="Kyron" last="Kaopuiki"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1158215" first="Tucker" last="Day"] by his side, just all the making of a championship level team. They host Fort Wayne Luers (12/17) and face Chesterton (12/18) this week.    </p> <p><b></b><strong>Tipton (2A): </strong>At the 2A level, this Tipton team is one of the most fun to watch. Solid core of guys on there team with 2023 Sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id="868266" first="Connor" last="Hussong"], stud 2024 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1158205" first="Nolan" last="Swan"], an electric 2025 G/F <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1297029" first="Grady" last="Carpenter"] </strong>and are being led by physical, athletic big man [player_tooltip player_id="1180867" first="Samuel" last="Ridgeway"]. They just came off a loss to rival Western and now stand at 3-1. The have a chance to really boost their resume with 3 big games this week vs Maconaquah (12/14), vs Lewis Cass (12/17), and at Cowan (12/18).  </p> <p><b>Loogootee (1A): </b>After losing a close one to a team they will likely meet again in week 1, North Daviess, the Lions have racked off 6 straight wins, most be double-digits. The obvious leader of this Lions squad is 2023 stud SF [player_tooltip player_id="868254" first="Peyton" last="Bledsoe"] who just came off a huge weekend where he dropped 32 pts vs Forrest Park and 17 pts vs Shoals. The Lions have a big chance to advance their winning streak 2 more games when they play South Knox (12/14) and Springs Valley (12/18) this week.   </p> <p><strong>3 Matchups </strong></p> <p><strong>Gary 21st Century (1A) at Valparaiso (4A) – Dec. 14th, 7:00 pm: </strong>In Northern Indiana, this Tuesday we will have a battle of one of the top 1A teams in Gary 21st Century going on the road to take on one of the top 4A teams Valparaiso. This game will feature 2 of the top 2023s we have in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="868220" first="Ashton" last="Williamson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="935722" first="Mason" last="Jones"] with others guy like Quinton Floyd, [player_tooltip player_id="1042493" first="D.J." last="Moss"], and [player_tooltip player_id="870239" first="Breece" last="Walls"] also in this. Both teams are undefeated heading into this as well. For a winner, I like Jones and the Vikings to barely get past the Cougars. This will be a close one. </p> <p><b></b><b>University (2A) at Brebeuf Jesuit (3A) – Dec. 17th, 7:30 pm: </b>One of the better 2A teams we have in the state will go on the road to take on a top 5 team in 3A in what should be a fun game. University will be led be 2022 SF [player_tooltip player_id="643481" first="Larry" last="Pierce"] who has been having a good season in his own right. However, this Brebeuf Jesuit team is stacked from top to bottom with guys like [player_tooltip player_id="870225" first="Billy" last="Smith"], [player_tooltip player_id="1210385" first="Marial" last="Puou"], and so much more. Both teams are 4-1 right now and I expect University to be 5-2 by the end of this week. </p> <p><strong>North Central (4A) at Carmel (4A) – Dec. 17th, 7:30 pm:</strong> This quiet possibly might be the best 4A game you will see on Friday night as the 5-1 North Central Panthers make the short trip to the 4-2 Carmel Greyhounds. North Central has rebounded well after their stud PG Leland Walker elected to transfer out of state and guys like [player_tooltip player_id="1173731" first="Davis" last="Olson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="868259" first="Joey" last="Brown"] and stepped up in a big way. Carmel is coming off a booster of a weekend as they beat local rivals Noblesville and Fishers. When it comes down to it, Carmel is the team I am going with to win because guys like [player_tooltip player_id="769662" first="Peter" last="Suder"], [player_tooltip player_id="769678" first="Charlie" last="Williams"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1042491" first="Sam" last="Orme"] are starting to find their groove. </p>