Prep Hoops Indiana Sectional Preview – Class 4A North
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We are just a week away from the beginning of the 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament. On Sunday evening we received brackets for the Sectional round as teams learned how their path to Gainbridge Fieldhouse would begin. We…
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Continue ReadingWe are just a week away from the beginning of the 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament. On Sunday evening we received brackets for the Sectional round as teams learned how their path to Gainbridge Fieldhouse would begin. We will spend the week here at Prep Hoops Indiana going in-depth across the state touching on all 64 Sectionals. Let’s take a look at the eight Sectionals that make up the Class 4A North.
The Brackets
Sectional 1 (East Chicago Central): Hammond Morton vs. Munster, East Chicago Central vs. Merrillville, Gary West Side vs. Hammond Central, Lake Central vs. Winner Game 1
Sectional 2 (Chesterton): Portage vs. Chesterton, Crown Point vs. Kankakee Valley, Valparaiso vs. Hobart, Lowell vs. Winner Game 1
Sectional 3 (Mishawaka): LaPorte vs. Mishawaka, Michigan City vs. Plymouth, South Bend Adams vs. Winner Game 1, South Bend Riley vs. Winner Game 2
Sectional 4 (Elkhart): Concord vs. Goshen, Penn vs. Northridge, Warsaw vs. Winner Game 1, Elkhart vs. Winner Game 2
Sectional 5 (East Noble): Fort Wayne Snider vs. East Noble, Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop vs. Winner Game 1, DeKalb vs. Winner Game 2
Sectional 6 (Homestead): Fort Wayne Wayne vs. Fort Wayne Southside, Huntington North vs. Homestead, New Haven vs. Winner Game 1, Columbia City vs. Winner Game 2
Sectional 7 (Lafayette Jefferson): Kokomo vs. Harrison (West Lafayette), McCutcheon vs. Marion, Lafayette Jefferson vs. Winner Game 1, Logansport vs. Winner Game 2
Sectional 8 (Noblesville): Zionsville vs. Noblesville, Carmel vs. Fishers, Westfield vs. Winner Game 1, Hamilton Southeastern vs. Winner Game 2
Toughest Sectional
This one is a no-brainer. Sectional 8 at Noblesville isn’t just the toughest Sectional in the 4A North, but it is also the toughest Sectional in the entire state at any level. The #2, #3, and #4 teams from the most recent Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A poll are in this Sectional and that doesn’t even include Carmel who has won seven of their last eight games against excellent competition, Zionsville that features an excellent wing duo of Maguire Mitchell Maguire Mitchell 6'5" | SG Zionsville | 2025 State IN and Drew Snively Drew Snively 6'4" | SG Zionsville | 2025 State IN , and a Hamilton Southeastern squad that won 15 games. There is no such thing as a good draw in this Sectional. It is going to be an absolute gauntlet no matter what path you take.
Under-the-Radar Sectional
You could go a couple of different ways with this selection and it ultimately came down to Sectional 2 at Chesterton versus Sectional 5 at East Noble. Overall, the top end talent is likely a little higher at Chesterton so we will highlight Sectional 2. First off, we are treated to one of the more intriguing first round matchups featuring Portage and Chesterton. Crown Point and Valparaiso are both legitimate contenders to cut down the nets as well. There is a ton of college level talent, several veteran head coaches, and a bunch of teams having great seasons to watch in this field. Five of the seven participants have won at least 13 games.
Players to Watch
Mason Bales Mason Bales 6'1" | SG Northridge | 2025 State IN (Northridge H.S. 2025), Payton Baird Payton Baird 6'5" | SF South Bend Riley | 2024 State IN (South Bend Riley H.S. 2024), Chase Barnes Chase Barnes 6'1" | PG Fort Wayne Wayne | 2025 State #355 Nation IN (Fort Wayne Wayne H.S. 2025), Flory Bidunga Flory Bidunga 6'9" | C Kokomo | 2024 State #7 Nation IN (Kokomo H.S. 2024), Nic Book Nic Book 6'8" | PF Westfield | 2024 State IN (Westfield H.S. 2024), Luke Bricker Luke Bricker 6'3" | SG Warsaw | 2025 State IN (Warsaw H.S. 2025), Trey Buchanan Trey Buchanan 6'0" | PG Westfield | 2024 State IN (Westfield H.S. 2024), David Cundiff David Cundiff 6'0" | PG Munster | 2024 State IN (Munster H.S. 2024), Aaron Fine Aaron Fine 6'3" | PG Noblesville | 2024 State IN (Noblesville H.S. 2024), Jaxson Fugate Jaxson Fugate 6'5" | SF Fort Wayne North Side | 2024 State IN (Fort Wayne North Side H.S. 2024), Keenan Garner Keenan Garner 6'6" | PF Fishers | 2024 State IN (Fishers H.S. 2024), Donovan Hamilton Donovan Hamilton 6'3" | SG Hamilton Southeastern | 2024 State IN (Hamilton Southeastern H.S. 2024), Cannen Houser Cannen Houser 6'5" | SG Fort Wayne Carroll | 2024 State IN (Fort Wayne Carroll H.S. 2024), Jevon Lewis Jevon Lewis 5'9" | PG Fort Wayne Wayne | 2024 State IN (Fort Wayne Wayne H.S. 2024), Maguire Mitchell Maguire Mitchell 6'5" | SG Zionsville | 2025 State IN (Zionsville H.S. 2025), Dominique Murphy Jr Dominique Murphy Jr 6'5" | SG East Chicago Central | 2025 State #242 Nation IN (East Chicago Central H.S. 2025), Jaxon Pardon Jaxon Pardon 6'4" | SG Fort Wayne Carroll | 2024 State IN (Fort Wayne Carroll H.S. 2024), Tyler Parrish Tyler Parrish 6'3" | SG Chesterton | 2024 State IN (Chesterton H.S. 2024), Karson Rogers Karson Rogers 6'6" | PF Kokomo | 2024 State IN (Kokomo H.S. 2024), Jack Smiley Jack Smiley 6'2" | PG Valparaiso | 2025 State IN (Valparaiso H.S. 2024), Jake Smith Jake Smith 6'6" | PF Lake Central | 2024 State IN (Lake Central H.S. 2024), Drew Snively Drew Snively 6'4" | SG Zionsville | 2025 State IN (Zionsville H.S. 2025), Justin Sims Justin Sims 6'6" | PF Chesterton | 2024 State IN (Chesterton H.S. 2024), Jaymen Townsend Jaymen Townsend 6'6" | SF Marion | 2025 State #248 Nation IN (Marion H.S. 2025), Michael Wellman Michael Wellman 6'6" | SF Portage | 2025 State IN (Portage H.S. 2025), Eugene Young Jr (Fort Wayne North Side H.S. 2024)
Predictions
Sectional 1 – East Chicago Central
Sectional 2 – Valparaiso
Sectional 3 – South Bend Riley
Sectional 4 – Warsaw
Sectional 5 – Fort Wayne North Side
Sectional 6 – Fort Wayne Wayne
Sectional 7 – Kokomo
Sectional 8 – Fishers