The IHSAA State Tournament field has been dwindled down to just 64 teams. 16 teams per class will compete in Saturday’s Regional round that will look and feel a little different this year than in the past. Each site will…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThe IHSAA State Tournament field has been dwindled down to just 64 teams. 16 teams per class will compete in Saturday’s Regional round that will look and feel a little different this year than in the past. Each site will have four teams from the same class and will play two separate regional championship games. This is in contrast to what used to be the Regional semifinals in the morning following by the Regional final in the evening. Now, we will play a one game Regional followed by a two game Semi-State the following weekend. Also, pairings will be made by random draw and announced via IHSAAtv.org on Sunday, March 12th at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (the day after the regional championship games). Now, let’s dive on in to previewing our two “southern” Class 4A Regionals at Southport and Seymour.
Southport
The Matchups: New Palestine (23-2) vs. Brownsburg (20-4) @ 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time followed by Cathedral (19-5) vs. Ben Davis (29-0)
Players to Watch:
Ian Stephens
Ian
Stephens
6'6" | PF
New Palestine | 2023
State
IN
(New Palestine H.S. 2023),
Kanon Catchings
Kanon
Catchings
6'6" | SF
Brownsburg | 2024
State
#134
Nation
IN
(Brownsburg H.S. 2024 – Purdue),
Xavier Booker
Xavier
Booker
6'11" | PF
Cathedral | 2023
State
#4
Nation
IN
(Cathedral H.S. 2023 – Cathedral),
Jaron Tibbs
Jaron
Tibbs
6'4" | SF
Cathedral | 2023
State
IN
(Cathedral H.S. 2023 – Purdue Football),
Jake Davis
Jake
Davis
6'6" | SF
Cathedral | 2023
State
IN
(Cathedral H.S. 2023 – Mercer), Zane Doughy (Ben Davis H.S. 2023 – Valparaiso),
Sheridan Sharp
Sheridan
Sharp
6'2" | PG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
(Ben Davis H.S. 2023 – Nicholls State),
Clay Butler
Clay
Butler
5'11" | PG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
(Ben Davis H.S. 2023 – Lincoln),
K.J. Windham
K.J.
Windham
6'2" | PG
Ben Davis | 2024
State
#136
Nation
IN
(Ben Davis H.S. 2024)
Game 1 Analysis: In the first game at the historic Southport Fieldhouse fans will be treated to a matchup featuring two 20-win teams featuring #9 ranked Brownsburg and New Palestine. The Bulldogs had spent most of the season in the state’s Top 5 before dropping back-to-back games in late February. However, they got back on track rolling through Sectional 12 led by highly touted junior wing
Kanon Catchings
Kanon
Catchings
6'6" | SF
Brownsburg | 2024
State
#134
Nation
IN
. Unsigned senior guard
Elhadj Diallo
Elhadj
Diallo
6'2" | SG
Brownsburg | 2023
State
IN
has been fantastic as well earning himself a couple of recent NAIA offers. The one-two punch of Catchings and Diallo makes the Bulldogs as dangerous as anyone in the state. As for New Palestine, they have a talented one-two punch of their own with 6’6″ senior forward
Ian Stephens
Ian
Stephens
6'6" | PF
New Palestine | 2023
State
IN
and 5’10” senior point guard
Blaine Nunnally
Blaine
Nunnally
5'10" | PG
New Palestine | 2023
State
IN
. Nunnally is the leading scorer averaging 17.5 points and dishing out 5.2 assists per game while Stephens contributes 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. A talented sophomore class featuring
Ben Slagley
Ben
Slagley
6'3" | PF
New Palestine | 2025
IN
,
Julius Gizzi
Julius
Gizzi
6'3" | SG
New Palestine | 2025
IN
, and
Moses Haynes
Moses
Haynes
5'9" | PG
New Palestine | 2025
IN
provides some additional depth for the Dragons. This should be a pretty evenly matched contest, but the top end talent of Catchings and Diallo will be tough for New Pal to handle.
Game 2 Analysis: It is unfortunate that these two teams have to face-off this early in the state tournament. However, that is how things go in the state of Indiana. Ben Davis enters as one of the most dominate teams we have seen in the state in several years. They are a perfect 29-0 having already defeated #2 Penn, #4 Kokomo, and #5 Cathedral by 12, 7, and 12 points respectively. 6’9″ center
Zane Doughty
Zane
Doughty
6'9" | C
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
is the anchor to everything the Giants do averaging an impressive 13.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. However, the backcourt depth and talent is what really separates the Giants from everyone else. The three-headed monster of
Clay Butler
Clay
Butler
5'11" | PG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
,
Sheridan Sharp
Sheridan
Sharp
6'2" | PG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
e, and
K.J. Windham
K.J.
Windham
6'2" | PG
Ben Davis | 2024
State
#136
Nation
IN
have so much firepower and any one of them can beat you on a given night. Then, you mix in X-Factor guys like
Shaun Arnold
Shaun
Arnold
6'5" | PF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
,
Mark Zackery
Mark
Zackery
6'0" | PG
Ben Davis | 2025
State
IN
, and
Mark White
Mark
White
6'2"
Ben Davis | 2024
IN
and you create one of the best teams we have seen in recent Indiana High School Basketball history. For Ben Davis to continue their perfect season though they will have to go through defending Class 4A state champion Cathedral. The Irish feature 5-star forward
Xavier Booker
Xavier
Booker
6'11" | PF
Cathedral | 2023
State
#4
Nation
IN
alongside
Jaron Tibbs
Jaron
Tibbs
6'4" | SF
Cathedral | 2023
State
IN
and
Jake Davis
Jake
Davis
6'6" | SF
Cathedral | 2023
State
IN
forming an incredibly talented trio of Division I talent. This will be a heavyweight prizefight between two teams more than capable of cutting down the nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Predictions: Brownsburg over New Palestine, Ben Davis over Cathedral
Seymour
The Matchups: Evansville Reitz (19-6) vs. Jennings County (23-2) @ 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time followed by Bloomington North (18-5) vs. Columbus North (17-8)
Players to Watch:
Isaac Higgs
Isaac
Higgs
6'2" | PG
Evansville Reitz | 2023
State
IN
(Evansville Reitz H.S. 2023 – Carnegie Mellon),
Keegan Manowitz
Keegan
Manowitz
5'10" | PG
Jennings County | 2023
State
IN
(Jennings County H.S. 2023),
JaQualon Roberts
JaQualon
Roberts
6'8" | PF
Bloomington North | 2023
State
IN
(Bloomington H.S. North 2023 – Vanderbilt),
Cooper Horn
Cooper
Horn
6'2" | SG
Columbus North | 2023
State
IN
(Columbus North H.S. 2023)
Game 1 Analysis: Two of the best will face-off in the first game of the Seymour Regional on Saturday evening. Evansville Reitz navigated their way through Sectional 16 defeating Castle, Evansville Central, and Jasper on their way to the title. This Panthers team has faced some hiccups throughout the season, but senior guard
Isaac Higgs
Isaac
Higgs
6'2" | PG
Evansville Reitz | 2023
State
IN
is playing at a very high level entering the Regional round while fellow seniors Jayden Sanders and Will Kirkland provide additional scoring depth. Super talented 6’6″ freshman
Braylen Langley
Braylen
Langley
6'6" | SG
Evansville Reitz | 2026
State
IN
is an X-Factor to watch as well. On the Jennings County sideline, they feature a talented trio in the backcourt that can really fill it up from beyond the arc. Unsigned senior point guard
Keegan Manowitz
Keegan
Manowitz
5'10" | PG
Jennings County | 2023
State
IN
leads the way averaging 14.8 points and 6.3 assists per game while connecting on 53 three-pointers at a 41% clip. Sophomore guard
Carter Kent
Carter
Kent
5'11" | CG
Jennings County | 2025
IN
is the best shooter of the bunch having knocked in 71 three-pointers on 38% shooting while averaging 14.2 points. Finally, Owen Law adds 11.7 points per game and has connected on 41 three-pointers. You have to be ready to guard these guys from deep. Additionally, Jennings County has their own talented freshman in
Parker Elmore
Parker
Elmore
6'4" | PF
Jennings County | 2026
IN
who has had a great season. These are two very evenly matched ball clubs.
Game 2 Analysis: It has been a season of runs for Bloomington North. The Cougars began the year losing three of their first six games before rattling off nine straight wins. Then, they lost back-to-back games by a combined eight points including an overtime loss before starting their current six game winning streak with a victory over Saturday’s opponent Columbus North. Bloomington North won that February 17th matchup 49-45. 6’7″ forward
JaQualon Roberts
JaQualon
Roberts
6'8" | PF
Bloomington North | 2023
State
IN
is the obvious player to watch for the Cougars. The future Vanderbilt Commodore averages 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game to lead the way. Talented sophomore
Luke Lindeman
Luke
Lindeman
6'4" | SF
Bloomington North | 2025
State
IN
and senior Dawan Daniels round out the double-figures scorers averaging 11.4 and 10.0 points per game respectively. As for the Bull Dogs of Columbus North,
Cooper Horn
Cooper
Horn
6'2" | SG
Columbus North | 2023
State
IN
averages a team-best 17.4 points per game. Fellow seniors Luke Harmon and
Ty Ferguson
Ty
Ferguson
6'0" | PG
Columbus North | 2023
IN
provide some depth, but for the most part Columbus North is going to go as Horn goes.
Predictions: Jennings County over Evansville Reitz, Bloomington North over Columbus North