Ranking the Regional Finals

<p>It is officially the most exciting time of the year in the IHSAA basketball season with the Sectional tournaments commencing tomorrow! 399 teams across the state have had their chance to compete for a state championship, and this allows the best players in the state to have a chance to compete on the biggest stage. After this morning's games, we are down to just 32 teams with 8 in each class. Let's take a look at all of the Regional championship games across the state!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h5><strong>1.   #8 Indianapolis Cathedral vs #5 Ben Davis - Southport Regional at 8:00 (4A)</strong></h5> <p>Cathedral snuck past a pesky Terre Haute North team in the morning session, 52-47. Ben Davis completed a come-from-behind victory over Mt. Vernon (Fortville), 52-50. Ben Davis won in a three-point thriller earlier in the season, and this one should come down to the wire as well. So much star power. Ben Davis looking for their third Regional title in 6 years. Cathedral looking for just their second since 1998. This is a must-watch game! </p> <h5><strong>2.   #4 Fort Wayne Blackhawk vs #3 Central Noble - North Judson Regional at 8:00 (2A)</strong></h5> <p>Two of the best remaining teams in 2A collide here in the Regional finals. Blackhawk cruised past the hosts, North Judson, 55-27, in the early morning game. Central Noble had a tougher fight against Hammond Bishop Noll but pulled away late for an 80-61 win. The big matchup here is going to be [player_tooltip player_id="1042496" first="Gage" last="Sefton"] and [player_tooltip player_id="769682" first="Connor" last="Essegian"], the Wisconsin commit. Fort Wayne Blackhawk looking for their fourth straight Regional title. Central Noble looking for just their second ever and first since 2001.</p> <h5><strong>3.   #11 Lafayette Central Catholic vs Liberty Christian - Frankfort Regional at 8:00 </strong><strong>(1A)</strong></h5> <p>Both of these teams are evenly matched, and I struggled to even pick one when previewing this Regional. LCC cruised past Southwood 75-56 in the morning, while Liberty Christian cruised to a 70-56 win over Blue River. This is going to be a battle with [player_tooltip player_id="870267" first="Clark" last="Barrett"] and Clark Obermiller against [player_tooltip player_id="1063979" first="Zack" last="Jeffers"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1267644" first="Adonis" last="House"]. LCC looking for its third Regional title in five years. Liberty Christian looking for their first since they won three in a row from 2014 to 2016.</p> <h5><strong>4.   #8 Leo vs #3 NorthWood - New Castle Regional at 8:00 (3A)</strong></h5> <p>Leo got past Norwell in a tough matchup early in the day, and NorthWood survived against a pesky Jay County team on free throws with just 5 seconds remaining. Leo is led by a pair of big men with DJ Allen and [player_tooltip player_id="870232" first="Caedmon" last="Bontrager"] who will look to dominate the paint. Meanwhile, NorthWood is led by a stellar junior guard in [player_tooltip player_id="1226596" first="Cade" last="Brenner"]. Both teams are looking for their second-ever Regional title as Leo is looking for back-to-back and NorthWood looking for its first since 2007.</p> <h5><strong>5.   #1 Chesterton vs #6 Penn - Michigan City Regional at 8:00 (4A)</strong></h5> <p>Chesterton survived a scare against South Bend Adams while Penn also seemingly survived against Munster. Now, these teams will meet with a combined 51-2 record on the year. Chesterton is led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="870243" first="Travis" last="Grayson"] who was putting together a Mr. Basketball campaign this season. Penn is led by breakout star, [player_tooltip player_id="1049169" first="Markus" last="Burton"], who has been phenomenal all year. This guard matchup will be top-notch. Penn looking for its second Regional title since 2006, and Chesterton looking for its first-ever.</p> <h5><strong>6.   #1 Monroe Central vs #6 Carroll (Flora) - Lapel Regional at 8:00 (2A)</strong></h5> <p>Monroe Central comes in as one of two remaining unbeaten, and they had to survive against Tipton with a big fourth quarter. Carroll (Flora) has just one loss on the year and took down Rensselaer Central earlier in the day. The big matchup to watch will be between the duos of [player_tooltip player_id="870304" first="Jackson" last="Ullom"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1160717" first="Josiah" last="Ullom"] for Monroe Central and [player_tooltip player_id="1391325" first="Owen" last="Duff"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1391465" first="Jake" last="Skinner"] for Carroll (Flora). Monroe Central seeking just their second Regional title in school history, the last in 2010, and Carroll (Flora) is looking for their first-ever.</p> <h5><strong>7.   #9 Indianapolis Lutheran vs #10 Jac-Cen-Del - Martinsville Regional at 8:00 (1A)</strong></h5> <p>Indianapolis Lutheran took down Indianapolis Metropolitan in a dogfight this morning while Jac-Cen-Del shot lights out to take down the favorite, Bloomfield. Montasi Clay led the way for Lutheran this morning with 21 points in the win, while the duo of Caleb Simon and [player_tooltip player_id="870287" first="Wyatt" last="Day"] is tough to stop for Jac-Cen-Del. Indianapolis Lutheran looking for their first title since 2008 and Jac-Cen-Del for their first since 2009.</p> <h5><strong>8.   #2 Mishawaka Marian vs Culver Academy - South Bend Washington Regional at 8:00 (3A)</strong></h5> <p>Mishawaka Marian cruised to a 25 point win over Lighthouse CPA this morning while Culver Academy won a battle over Peru. Marian led by the duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1049162" first="Deaglan" last="Sullivan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="769703" first="Richard" last="Brooks"] while CMA is led by [player_tooltip player_id="868239" first="Cooper" last="Farrall"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1272472" first="Thomas" last="Collins"]. Mishawaka Marian seeks its second-ever Regional title, the last in 2012, and Culver Academy looking for its third title in four years.</p> <h5><strong>9.   #9 Eastern Hancock vs University - Greencastle Regional at 8:00 (2A)</strong></h5> <p>Eastern Hancock cruised by Southmont this morning, while University won a nailbiter over Triton Central this morning. Eastern Hancock led by their guard trio of [player_tooltip player_id="1393269" first="Silas" last="Spaulding"], [player_tooltip player_id="1393268" first="Jacob" last="Spaulding"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1269995" first="Landon" last="O'Neal"]. University is led by [player_tooltip player_id="1293439" first="Sabien" last="Cain"] and [player_tooltip player_id="643481" first="Larry" last="Pierce"]. Both teams come in seeking their second-ever Regional titles, Eastern Hancock's first since 2003 and University's first since 2013.</p> <h5><strong>10. #4 Sullivan vs Evansville Bosse - Washington Regional at 8:00 (3A)</strong></h5> <p>Sullivan has survived three straight games with buzzer-beating shots from [player_tooltip player_id="870312" first="Randy" last="Kelley"], and they did it again this morning. Evansville Bosse pulled away late from Lawrenceburg to get here. Sullivan is led by their duo of Kelley and [player_tooltip player_id="1168250" first="Jackson" last="Hills"] while Bosse is led by [player_tooltip player_id="870221" first="Matt" last="Wagner"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1401154" first="Jameer" last="Ajibade"]. Sullivan looking for its first Regional since 2001, and Evansville Bosse looking to win their first since winning three in a row from 2016 to 2018.</p> <h5><strong>11. #1 Gary 21st Century at Triton - Triton Regional at 8:00 (1A)</strong></h5> <p>Gary 21st cruised over North White in the morning session, and Triton survived in a three-point thriller over Fremont. [player_tooltip player_id="868220" first="Ashton" last="Williamson"] leads the way for Gary 21st along with [player_tooltip player_id="1160677" first="Quintin" last="Floyd"] and DJ Moss. For Trion, [player_tooltip player_id="1269960" first="Ashton" last="Oviedo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1275744" first="Cole" last="Shively"] lead the way. Gary 21st looking for its first title since 2017, and Triton is looking to win its first since 2013.</p> <h5><strong>12. Westfield vs Kokomo - Logansport Regional at 8:00 (4A)</strong></h5> <p>Westfield capped off their comeback over Homestead with a 25-6 run to end the game as they went from down 8 to an 11 point win. Kokomo also finished off a comeback win over Fort Wayne Snider. Westfield is led by a pair of D1 commits with [player_tooltip player_id="1158186" first="Braden" last="Smith"] (Purdue) and [player_tooltip player_id="870245" first="Cameron" last="Haffner"] (Eastern Illinois), and Kokomo is led by the #1 player in the 2024 class, [player_tooltip player_id="1363488" first="Flory" last="Bidunga"], and a pair of brothers with [player_tooltip player_id="1202993" first="Zavion" last="Bellamy"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1381461" first="Zion" last="Bellamy"]. Westfield is playing in their first-ever Regional, and Kokomo is looking for their 35th Regional title but just their second since 1997.</p> <h5><strong>13. Beech Grove vs Danville - Greenfield-Central Regional at 8:00 (3A)</strong></h5> <p>In a surprising matchup for the Regional title, Beech Grove got here by upsetting Brownstown Central, and Danville got here by upsetting Brebeuf Jesuit. Beech Grove is led by their big man inside, [player_tooltip player_id="868242" first="Anthony" last="Ball"], and Danville is led by Air Force commit, [player_tooltip player_id="1048732" first="Brady" last="Ruggles"]. Beech Grove looking for their first Regional title ever, and Danville is looking for their fourth ever.</p> <h5><strong>14. Providence vs Forest Park - Southridge Regional at 7:30 (2A)</strong></h5> <p>Providence upset the clear favorites, Linton-Stockton, this morning while Forest Park cruised past Paoli. Providence is led by their junior guard, [player_tooltip player_id="1273735" first="Casey" last="Thomas Kaelin"], while Forest Park is led by their senior guard, [player_tooltip player_id="1402429" first="Drew" last="Howard"]. Providence comes in looking for their second Regional title since 2012, while Forest Park is going for their second since 2011.</p> <h5><strong>15. #2 North Daviess vs #16 Borden - </strong><strong>Loogootee </strong><strong>Regional at 8:00 (1A)</strong></h5> <p>North Daviess survived against Edinburgh this morning in a game that they trailed for almost all of. Borden also took down Springs Valley in a game that came down to the wire. Each of these teams are led by a young guard, [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"] for North Daviess and [player_tooltip player_id="1275907" first="Kasym" last="Nash"] for Borden. North Daviess is looking for the first Regional title since 2011, and Borden looking for their first since 2013.</p> <h5><strong>16. #12 Bloomington North vs Franklin - Seymour Regional at 8:00 (4A)</strong></h5> <p>Bloomington North pulled away earlier and then withstood a late comeback attempt by Evansville North in the morning. Meanwhile, Frankllin continued their improbable run with a win over the Regional favorite, Floyd Central. Bloomington North is led by one of the top players in the 2023 class, [player_tooltip player_id="868224" first="JaQualon" last="Roberts"], as well as guards, [player_tooltip player_id="870215" first="Nick" last="Klaiber"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1152148" first="Marco" last="Fitch"]. Franklin is led by one of the top 2024 players, [player_tooltip player_id="1275780" first="Micah" last="Davis"]. At 12-14, Franklin is the only team remaining in the state with fewer than 15 wins on the year. Bloomington North is looking for just its second Regional title since 2004, and Franklin is looking for their first since 1997 and second in nearly 50 years.</p>