Class 3A Semi-State Draw Rapid Reactions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Indiana High School Basketball fans are typically not super receptive to change. There are many people throughout the state that still long for the days of a single class tournament as they relive the dreams of a “Hoosiers” sort of run to a championship. However, there was another wrinkle thrown into the state tournament this season which so far at least seems to have been successful. The traditional two-game Regional and one-game Semi-State has now been flipped. Additionally, teams are drawn randomly within their classes again for the semi-state round taking north and south locations out of the equation. Let's take a look at the Class 3A Semi-State draw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>North Semi-State @ Elkhart H.S.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Game one up north at Elkhart will feature Delta (18-9) versus John Glenn (17-10). Oddly enough neither team has spent time this season in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 3A Top 10, but one will be just a win away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse by lunch time on Saturday. The Eagles comfortably rolled through Sectional 24 and then knocked off a talented Peru team in the Regional round. It is a strong junior class that sets the tone for Coach Detweiler's squad led by [player_tooltip player_id='1295334' first='Jackson' last='Wors'] (14.3 points per game) and [player_tooltip player_id='1295310' first='D'Amare' last='Hood'] (13.3 points per game). [player_tooltip player_id='1275827' first='Jayden' last='Furney'], another junior, rounds out the Eagles in double-figures with 10.5 points per game. On the John Glenn sideline, it is all about 6'5" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1391323' first='Brycen' last='Hannah']. The coach's son averages 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The Falcons had a bit of an up and down season, but made it through Sectional 18 which included a win over a Top 10 Tippecanoe Valley team and a championship win against Culver Academy. Then, they knocked off Top 10 South Bend Washington 58-54 in another upset in the Regional round.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The second game at Elkhart High School will be between NorthWood (25-2) and Bishop Dwenger (13-13). This will be a matchup between two teams that had very different regular seasons. NorthWood, the #1 ranked team in Class 3A, spent most of their season at the top of the polls and have only lost to defending champion Beech Grove and undefeated Class 4A #1 Ben Davis. Huntington signee [player_tooltip player_id='1226596' first='Cade' last='Brenner'] and Grace signee [player_tooltip player_id='1391324' first='Ian' last='Raasch'] lead the way, but junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1225303' first='Ethan' last='Wolfe'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1297122' first='Tyler' last='Raasch'] provide some additional depth as well. As for Dwenger, they entered the state tournament at 9-13 but have made their way to Semi-State with four straight wins. The Saints upset Concordia Lutheran in the Sectional 21 title game and then beat Twin Lakes by 22 points in the Regional. 6'8" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1049161' first='Preston' last='Ross'] has been incredible in the tournament so far.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>South Semi-State @ Seymour</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Game one down at Seymour will feature Scottsburg (21-5) versus North Daviess (24-5). The Warriors suffered three straight losses in mid-February to fall out of the Class 3A Top 10, but have advanced to the Regional round after squeaking by Greensburg 48-46. This is a talented group led by junior trio [player_tooltip player_id='1401893' first='Kody' last='Clancy'], [player_tooltip player_id='1276470' first='Jack' last='Miller'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1578484' first='Wyatt' last='Zellers']. Their overall length and athleticism could matchup well against this North Daviess squad. Speaking of the Cougars, they have fared just fine after moving up from Class 1A all the way to 3A. The defending state champions made it through Sectional 31 and then edged out Gibson Southern 48-44 to advance to Semi-State. Oakland City signee [player_tooltip player_id='935727' first='Jaylen' last='Mullen'] has had a fantastic senior season averaging 17.8 points and 5.3 assists per game. Twins [player_tooltip player_id='1556399' first='Lance' last='Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1556400' first='Logan' last='Wilson'] contribute 12.1 and 11.3 points per game respectively as well. This is a team accustomed to winning in the month of March and will not be an easy out for anybody.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Game two at Seymour will pit Guerin Catholic (18-8) against Beech Grove (17-6). The Golden Eagles have won each post season game by double-figures knocking off Brebeuf Jesuit, Bishop Chatard, and Danville to earn the right to play against the defending Class 3A State champions. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1275817' first='Robert' last='Sorensen'] averages 14.2 points per game to lead Guerin Catholic while senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1162765' first='Kamea' last='Chandler'] chips in 11.0 points per game. This is a well-balanced group that has been battle tested throughout the season. For the Hornets, they return some familiar faces from last season's state championship team. A three-headed veteran backcourt featuring senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='1530699' first='Jeremiah' last='Alexander'] (12.7 points per game), [player_tooltip player_id='1556397' first='Jeremiah' last='Tate'] (12.6 points per game), and [player_tooltip player_id='1621341' first='Jaleel' last='Edwards'] (10.1 points per game) are all in double-figures while fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1784152' first='Cam' last='Brown'] adds 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->