Friday Night Preview: 5 Games to Watch Tonight

<p>Friday nights in Indiana mean a full slate of high school basketball. Our Prep Hoops Indiana staff will be spread out in a handful of different gyms bringing you wall-to-wall coverage of some of the best games on tonight’s schedule. Here are the top five games to follow around the state this evening.</p> <h3>Ben Davis @ Pike</h3> <p>The Giants are still looking for their first win of the season after back-to-back losses to Fishers and Zionsville. Both were close games against two of the best teams in the state, so Ben Davis has been battle tested already. Things won’t get any easier this evening traveling to Pike. South Florida signee [player_tooltip player_id="870226" first="Ryan" last="Conwell"] scored 29 points in the Red Devils win at Hamilton Southeastern. Conwell should be one of the top scorers in the state all season long. [player_tooltip player_id="1273713" first="Sheridan" last="Sharp"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1158204" first="K.J." last="Windham"] pace the Giants averaging 12 and 11 points per game respectively so far. </p> <h3>Brebeuf Jesuit @ Cathedral</h3> <p>Our Class 3A #1 team will travel to our Class 4A #1 team this evening in a battle of 2-0 teams. Brebeuf Jesuit has survived two overtime games with wins over Cardinal Ritter and Hamilton Southeastern. 6’7" Miami (OH) signee [player_tooltip player_id="870225" first="Billy" last="Smith"] leads the Braves with 19 points per game while [player_tooltip player_id="1210385" first="Marial" last="Puou"] has back-to-back double-doubles to begin the season. On Cathedral’s side, they feature a balanced attack with five players averaging double-figures so far this year. 6’10" center [player_tooltip player_id="868219" first="Xavier" last="Booker"] leads the way with 17 points and 7.5 rebounds followed by [player_tooltip player_id="868251" first="Jake" last="Davis"] with 15 points per game and [player_tooltip player_id="1063971" first="Jaxon" last="Edwards"] at 14.5. Eastern Kentucky signee [player_tooltip player_id="870212" first="Tayshawn" last="Comer"] is averaging 12.5 points and 8.5 assists per game while [player_tooltip player_id="868260" first="Sincere" last="Germany"] rounds things out with 11 points per game. The Braves have depth and a big-time player in Smith, but can they keep up with the firepower of Cathedral? We will find out tonight.</p> <h3>Homestead @ Warsaw</h3> <p>For those venturing outside of the Indianapolis area, this game up north will be the most intriguing matchup. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1168179" first="Judah" last="Simfukwe"] scored a game-high 27 in the Tigers season-opening win over Columbia City while juniors Drew Heckaman and [player_tooltip player_id="868247" first="Jaxson" last="Gould"] added 14 and 12 points respectively. Warsaw certainly has good players, especially in their backcourt, but keeping up with Mr. Basketball candidate [player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"] will be a major test. Homestead is 1-1 this season after a close 68-65 loss to Alter (OH) in the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic. The future Boilermaker has scored 31 and 28 points in his two games so far this season which will likely be right around his average. This will be an interesting early season matchup between two of the best teams in northern Indiana. </p> <h3>North Central @ Arsenal Tech</h3> <p>After just two games, we’ve solidified that Arsenal Tech is a must-watch every night they take the court. They’ve put up 50 points in a half in both of their contests so far and will look to keep that streak alive tonight as they host North Central. The Panthers are off to a 2-0 start led by [player_tooltip player_id="868259" first="Joey" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1158227" first="Mason" last="Lewis"]. The dynamic guards should give the Titans their best test yet in terms of being able to match their length and athleticism in the backcourt. Don’t be surprised to see this one turn into a track meet.</p> <h3>Zionsville @ Westfield</h3> <p>After wins over Carmel and Ben Davis to begin the season, Zionsville moved up to #2 in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A rankings. In this one, this matchup of Purdue recruit [player_tooltip player_id="870222" first="Braden" last="Smith"] and junior [player_tooltip player_id="868255" first="Logan" last="Imes"] will be the one to watch. Smith and backcourt mate Cam Haffner each scored 17 points in Westfield’s big win over Pendleton Heights. For the Eagles, [player_tooltip player_id="868255" first="Logan" last="Imes"] is leading the way with 16.5 points per game while senior big man [player_tooltip player_id="774740" first="Isaiah" last="Davis"] adds 10.5 points per game. This will be a big Hoosier Crossroads Conference matchup that could go a long way to eventually crowning a champion.</p>