3 For 3: Week 6 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022-23 high school boys' basketball season is underway and we at Prep Hoops 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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["868227"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63a9d15fa8ae1"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As it stands right now, Slaughter is one of the best 2023s still on the board. Transferring from Portage this season, Slaughter has come right in and filled in quite nicely as the lead guard for this talented Cathedral team. At 6'2, Slaughter is one of the tougher guards in the state and has an elite ability to get through contact and finish at the rim. Defensively, he can be pretty lockdown at times. He will need to be at the top of his game as Cathedral travels to Warren Central on 12/27. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1275780"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63a9d15fa8b71"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since day 1, Davis has been one of the stock-risers in the in-state 2024 class. Although his team has not had the best of year thus far, the talented guard has been a loan bright spot for them. He is a dynamic playmaker that stuffs the stat sheet for any team and his motor is at an elite level. He holds offers from schools such as IUPUI, Purdue-Fort Wayne, and Ball State with interest from many others. He and the Grizzly Cubs host Shelbyville on 12/28. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1297002"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63a9d15fa8be9"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you want to talk about pure bucket getters in the state, look no further up north than South Bend St. Joseph's [player_tooltip player_id='1297002' first='Chase' last='Konieczny']. At 6'4, this wing can make a lot of plays and does it with a soft and smooth touch. He is a great shooter around the arc and is versatile at finishing around the rim. Top-5 player in the 2025 in-state class no doubt. He and the Indiana will take part in the Homestead Tournament this week and will start it off vs. Hamilton Southeastern (12/28). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kokomo</strong>&nbsp;<strong>(4A):</strong>&nbsp;At 5-3, the Wildcats have had an up-and-down year thus far. While Kokomo has beaten the teams they are supposed to beat, they have struggled to get that elite win when facing teams such Carmel, Westfield, and Zionsville. Of course one can't talk about Kokomo without mentioning the best player in the 2024 class, [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'], who has had a dominant season like expected. But it is not just Bidunga. however, as he has had help with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1557080' first='Patrick' last='Hardimon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1381461' first='Zion' last='Bellamy']. The Wildcats will be hosting the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament this Friday and Saturday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wapahani</strong>&nbsp;<strong>(2A):</strong>&nbsp;After losing their first game, the Raiders have rallied off 7 straight wins entering this week with a overall 7-1 record. At the 2A level, and maybe even the state, they could make case of having one of the best backcourts with senior [player_tooltip player_id='1150871' first='Aidan' last='Franks'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1158181' first='Isaac' last='Andrews'], both who can score in a multitude of ways. Look out for Wapahani come Sectional Time. This week, they play Blue River inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on 12/30. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edinburgh</strong>&nbsp;<strong>(1A):</strong>&nbsp;As it has been for the past few years, Edinburgh remains as one of the top 1A teams in southern Indiana. A big reason for the success they have had is because 2023 SF [player_tooltip player_id='935747' first='Caleb' last='Dewey'], who is one of the best scorers in the state. Right now, Lancers sit at a 5-2 record with a chance to extend that to a few more wins as they host the Edinburgh tournament on 12/27-12/28. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Matchups&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Wayne Blackhawk (2A) at North Daviess (3A) -</strong> <strong>North Daviess Tournament Championship – Dec. 27th, 8:00 pm:</strong> After a big delay due to the weather, we finally get to wrap up the Bobcat of Daviess County Classic this week with the headliner being 2A Fort Wayne Blackhawk vs. 3A North Daviess, both who are undefeated on the season and have a bunch of talent on both rosters. When honestly looking at both squads, they matchup pretty evenly. [player_tooltip player_id='935727' first='Jaylen' last='Mullen'] (ND) and [player_tooltip player_id='1042499' first='Josh' last='Furst'] (FWB) should be the best guys on the floor here but the surrounding cast [player_tooltip player_id='1042496' first='Gage' last='Sefton'] (FWB), [player_tooltip player_id='1364589' first='Kellen' last='Pickett'] (FWB), [player_tooltip player_id='1556399' first='Lance' last='Wilson'] (ND), [player_tooltip player_id='1556400' first='Logan' last='Wilson'] (ND), and <strong>Brendan Stickles</strong> (ND) will be the deciding factor here. I think I give the slight edge to North Daviess here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Noblesville Tournament – Dec. 27th-28th: </strong>When looking at all the holiday tournaments, the Noblesville Tournament should be a sneaky good one. Great amount of talent displayed in this one with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='868230' first='Preston' last='Roberts'], [player_tooltip player_id='1042494' first='Luke' last='Almodovar'], [player_tooltip player_id='1272185' first='Cooper' last='Bean'], [player_tooltip player_id='1158231' first='Justin' last='Sims'], [player_tooltip player_id='868237' first='A.J.' last='Lux'], [player_tooltip player_id='1273741' first='DaJohn' last='Craig'], [player_tooltip player_id='935735' first='Cooper' last='Horn'], [player_tooltip player_id='935728' first='Dylan' last='Watson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1556660' first='Nolan' last='Bales'], and many others. While this one could be a toss up, I like the host Noblesville to win it all here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Full Schedule of First Round: </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawrence Central vs. Chesterton -11:00 am<br>Columbus North vs. Norwell - 12:45 pm<br>Crown Point vs. Castle - 2:30 pm <br>Northridge at Noblesville - 4:15 pm </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hall of Fame Tournament – Dec. 30th:</strong> As it is every year, the Hall of Fame Tournament in New Castle is usually the best holiday tournament we have in the state each season. This year, we continue the trend of great matchups with two games featuring [player_tooltip player_id='1226596' first='Cade' last='Brenner'] and NorthWood facing [player_tooltip player_id='935727' first='Jaylen' last='Mullen'] and North Daviess followed the huge showdown of [player_tooltip player_id='1042497' first='Zane' last='Doughty'] and Ben Davis vs. [player_tooltip player_id='1049169' first='Markus' last='Burton'] and Penn. Both of these games are so tough to call but I am going to with Ben Davis meeting North Daviess in the finals with Ben Davis winning it all. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Full Schedule of First Round: </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NorthWood vs North Daviess - 11 am</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben Davis vs. Penn - 12: pm</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->