Class 4A South Semi-State Preview

64 Sectionals became 16 Regionals which are now down to 8 Semi-States. Obviously, that last number is a little different than in years past because the IHSAA flipped the two-game Regional and single game Semi-State format this season. Also, a "re-draw" was held on Sunday as an added wrinkle prior to the Semi-State round. After beginning with approximately 100 teams per class we are now down to the final eight and that will be cut to just four by Saturday evening. Then, two teams from each class will survive and advance to the IHSAA State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. As we have prior to each round of the state tournament, our staff at Prep Hoops Indiana is here to give you all of the information that you need ahead of Saturday's games. Let's dive on in and take a look at the Class 4A South Semi-State being hosted by New Castle High School.   The Matchups: Brownsburg (21-4) vs. Jennings County (24-2) @ 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time followed by Ben Davis (30-0) vs. Bloomington North (19-5). Championship game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1275779' first='Kanon' last='Catchings'] (Brownsburg H.S. 2024 - Purdue), [player_tooltip player_id='1391626' first='Elhadj' last='Diallo'] (Brownsburg H.S. 2023), [player_tooltip player_id='1272966' first='Keegan' last='Manowitz'] (Jennings County H.S. 2023), [player_tooltip player_id='1042497' first='Zane' last='Doughty'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2023 - Valparaiso), [player_tooltip player_id='1273713' first='Sheridan' last='Sharp'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2023 - Nicholls State), [player_tooltip player_id='1160716' first='Clay' last='Butler'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2023 - Lincoln), [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2024), [player_tooltip player_id='868224' first='JaQualon' last='Roberts'] (Bloomington H.S. North 2023 - Vanderbilt)   Game 1 Analysis: The Bulldogs stumbled with back-to-back losses in February but otherwise had spent much of the season in the Class 4A Top 5. They have absolutely rolled to Semi-State defeating their three opponents by an average of over 21 points per game including Saturday's 27-point beatdown of New Palestine to win the Regional. Class of 2024 Purdue commit [player_tooltip player_id='1275779' first='Kanon' last='Catchings']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kanon-catchings/"></a> averages 17.9 points per game to lead the ‘Dawgs while senior [player_tooltip player_id='1391626' first='Elhadj' last='Diallo']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/elhadj-diallo/"></a> adds 15.7 points and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds per game and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1295337' first='Grant' last='Porath']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/1295337/"></a> chips in another 10.7 points per game. As for Jennings County, they needed double overtime to win in the first round of Sectional and then defeated Jeffersonville by just two points. However, they've gotten rolling since then including a 24-point Regional win over Evansville Reitz. There is a reason this team has just two losses this year by a combined eight points. The Panthers feature a talented backcourt of senior [player_tooltip player_id='1272966' first='Keegan' last='Manowitz']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/keegan-manowitz/"></a> (14.8 points, 6.3 assists per game) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1578362' first='Carter' last='Kent']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/carter-kent-2/"></a> (14.2 points per game). Senior Owen Law rounds a sharp-shooting trio with 11.7 points per game. If they are hot from three-point range they can beat anyone in the class. However, Brownsburg will likely have the two most talented players on the floor and that is really hard to overcome in tournament play. There just isn't a matchup here for the length, athleticism, and skill of Catchings and Diallo.   Game 2 Analysis: Ben Davis just keeps on rolling. After building a 30-0 record while playing against some of the best competition in Indiana it would seem foolish to pick against them at this point. There are still three tough games standing between them and a state championship, but it remains their tournament to lose. They dominated Sectional 11 winning by an average of 22.3 points per game and then defeating defending Class 4A state champion Cathedral for the second time 63-53 in the Regional. Valparaiso signee [player_tooltip player_id='1042497' first='Zane' last='Doughty']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/zane-doughty/"></a> is the averaging around 14 points and 10 rebounds per game along with about 3 blocks per game. However, this team's success is a story of balance and depth. [player_tooltip player_id='1160716' first='Clay' last='Butler'], [player_tooltip player_id='1273713' first='Sheridan' last='Sharp'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/k-j-windham/"></a> make up an incredibly potent backcourt trio while [player_tooltip player_id='1273740' first='Shaun' last='Arnold'], [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'], [player_tooltip player_id='1295351' first='Mark' last='White'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1049168' first='Jesse' last='Faires']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jesse-faires/"></a> provide additional depth. It is just so hard to beat this team, as their perfect record obviously shows. Bloomington North has had to squeak out back-to-back wins to reach Saturday's Semi-State. They defeated both Center Grove in the Sectional and Columbus North in the Regional in the final seconds to advance to this matchup with Ben Davis. Vanderbilt signee [player_tooltip player_id='868224' first='JaQualon' last='Roberts']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaqualon-roberts/"></a> is the obvious draw for the Cougars averaging 20.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. It'll take a huge effort from Roberts, along with talented sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1749527' first='Luke' last='Lindeman'] and company, for the Cougars to pull off the upset.   Predictions: Brownsburg over Jennings County, Ben Davis over Bloomington North, Ben Davis over Brownsburg

64 Sectionals became 16 Regionals which are now down to 8 Semi-States. Obviously, that last number is a little different than in years past because the IHSAA flipped the two-game Regional and single game Semi-State format this season. Also, a "re-draw" was held on Sunday as an added wrinkle prior to the Semi-State round. After beginning with approximately 100 teams per class we are now down to the final eight and that will be cut to just four by Saturday evening. Then, two teams from each class will survive and advance to the IHSAA State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. As we have prior to each round of the state tournament, our staff at Prep Hoops Indiana is here to give you all of the information that you need ahead of Saturday's games. Let's dive on in and take a look at the Class 4A South Semi-State being hosted by New Castle High School.