Class 4A State Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've made it, folks. The 113th annual IHSAA State Finals are set to tip-off on Saturday morning with the Class 1A championship all the way through to the Class 4A title game in the evening. As always our staff at Prep Hoops Indiana will be bringing you wall-to-wall content leading up to the event as well as boots on the ground coverage from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. We begin our preview series with an in-depth look at the Class 4A state championship matchup between Ben Davis and Kokomo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>The Matchup: #1 Ben Davis (32-0) vs. #4 Kokomo (24-4)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Players to Watch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben Davis: [player_tooltip player_id='1042497' first='Zane' last='Doughty'] (Senior - Valparaiso), [player_tooltip player_id='1273713' first='Sheridan' last='Sharp'] (Senior - Nicholls State), [player_tooltip player_id='1160716' first='Clay' last='Butler'] (Senior - Lincoln), [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'] (Junior)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kokomo: [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] (Junior)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Game Notes</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>This will be Kokomo's 20th state finals appearance, but a victory would bring the Wildkats their first championship since 1961.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ben Davis is making their third appearance in the last seven seasons including winning it all in 2017.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Junior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] was named the Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ben Davis won the regular season matchup 58-51 over Kokomo at the Sneakers For Santa Shootout.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ben Davis is looking to finish off the first undefeated state championship season since Warren Central accomplished the feat in 2018.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Game Analysis</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. That is what fans are going to witness to cap off the state finals festivities on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The state's best team, Ben Davis, brings their perfect 32-0 record to the table where they will face-off against the state's best player, [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga']. While the Giants undefeated season deservingly gets a lot of the attention, Kokomo comes in having won 17 straight games of their own. In the Semi-State, the Wildkats knocked off #2 Penn 58-57 to advance to the state finals. Meanwhile, Ben Davis was dominating Bloomington North and Brownsburg winning by 23 and 28 points respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this matchup all eyes will be on the interior battle between [player_tooltip player_id='1042497' first='Zane' last='Doughty'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga']. Bidunga put up 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots in their regular season matchup, but Ben Davis came away with the 58-51 win. Doughty certainly played his part as well finishing with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. While those two battle it out in the paint, the Giants will have the clear advantage in the backcourt. That is to take nothing away from the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1042500' first='Shayne' last='Spear'], [player_tooltip player_id='1202993' first='Zavion' last='Bellamy'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1381461' first='Zion' last='Bellamy'], but Ben Davis simply has the best backcourt in the state of Indiana. [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'] all average between 9.1 and 10.5 points per game while [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'] provides additional depth off of the bench. The Giants can just keep running more and more talented guys at you and it is a big reason why they have rolled through the season unblemished. For Kokomo to pull off the upset they will need a legendary game from Bidunga inside. However, if the 6'10" 5-star center has proven anything it is that we should never doubt what he is capable of doing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Prediction</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben Davis 74 Kokomo 64</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->