Prep Hoops Indiana Regional Preview – Class 3A North
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The 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament began on Tuesday, February 27th with 399 participating teams across four classes. Now, we are doing to 64 Sectional champions still remaining. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage through…
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Continue ReadingThe 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament began on Tuesday, February 27th with 399 participating teams across four classes. Now, we are doing to 64 Sectional champions still remaining. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage through Sectional week and will be in several gyms across the state on Regional Saturday. As we did prior Sectional week, we will spend this week previewing the 32 Regional games that will be played on Saturday, March 9th. Here is our preview of the four Regionals that make up the Class 3A North.
***Remember that the Semi-State will get redrawn from the eight remaining teams as opposed to maintaining “north” and “south” designation. Still for preview purposes here in the Regional, we will continue to refer to the left side of the bracket as the north and the right side of the bracket as the south.***
Bishop Noll vs. Fairfield (Triton Regional)
The Fairfield Flacons had to go through the defending Class 3A state champions NorthWood in Sectional 20 to get here so that is already an impressive accomplishment no matter what else happens the rest of the was through in the state tournament. The Bishop Noll also had somewhat of a tough path to get here just hardly getting past Hanover Central in the Sectional 17 championship. While both teams are battletested heading into this Regional contest at Triton, Bishop Noll looks to be the better team here on paper with their fast, athletic lineup of Caleb Parks Caleb Parks 6'2" | SG Bishop Noll | 2024 State IN , Jaedin Reyna Jaedin Reyna 6'0" | PG Bishop Noll | 2024 State IN , and Amauri Moore Amauri Moore 6'5" | PF Bishop Noll | 2024 State IN . Fairfield does have a solid group which is spearheaded by senior power forward Noah Mast Noah Mast 6'6" | PF Fairfield | 2024 IN . Another factor to throw in here is that both teams have plenty of experience within their roster which are both full of upperclassman that know what it takes to win games, as both teams have done all season long. This is one of the closer Class 3A Regional games to call up north. The Prediction: Bishop Noll
John Glenn vs. South Bend St. Joseph (South Bend Washington Regional)
For that last few seasons, it seemed like South Bend St. Joseph had trouble getting over the Sectional hump, but that has changed this season because they absolutely steamrolled both Mishawaka Marian and South Bend Clay to get here. They also have the small advantage of playing in the same location that they won Sectional 19 at, South Bend Washington. John Glenn comes into this game with a .500 record of 13-13 winning three games in Sectional 18 to get here with an impressive yet gritty win over Tippecanoe Valley in the championship game. This game will come down to John Glenn’s game planning against one of the top junior wings in the state, Chase Konieczny Chase Konieczny 6'4" | SG South Bend Saint Joseph | 2025 State #277 Nation IN . Can the Falcons find some way to muck up the flow that SBSJ usually plays with or will talent just be too much for them to overcome? Guys like Joe Chrapliwy and Chase Miller will have to have big games if they want to get the upset win here too. Senior wing Jayce Lee Jayce Lee 6'3" | SF South Bend St. Joseph | 2024 IN is also a x-factor for the SBSJ, as well. The Prediction: South Bend St. Joseph
Peru vs. West Lafayette (Logansport Regional)
On paper, these two teams feel pretty similar and both had to really grind their way through their respective Sectionals to get to this point. The Peru Tigers are a very experienced team that is led by senior shooing guard Matthew Roettger Matthew Roettger 6'2" | SG Peru | 2024 State IN averaged 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in three games while leading Peru to the Sectional 23 title. Roettger is joined by senior center Alex Ross and junior guard Gavin Eldridge Gavin Eldridge 5'9" | PG Peru | 2025 IN as the only guys to average double-figures this season. West Lafayette has a true mixture of experience and youth on their roster lead by senior guard Donovan Loudermill Donovan Loudermill 5'11" | PG West Lafayette | 2024 IN who has the ability to really push the pace and cause problems for the Peru defense. It is really hard to separate these two teams from one-another, which we should see a tough battle. The Prediction: Peru
Delta vs. Fort Wayne Concordia (Lapel Regional)
This game will feature the current favorite to come out of 3A North, the Delta Eagles who got here by beating Yorktown in the Sectional 24 Championship game. Fort Wayne Concorida made it out of Sectional 21 with a close win over Leo this past Saturday. This game comes down to the great matchup of 2024 wings, Cole Hayworth Cole Hayworth 6'5" | SF Concordia Lutheran | 2024 State IN and D’Amare Hood D’Amare Hood 6'4" | SF Delta | 2024 State IN , who are both easily the most talented players on the court in this one. This game could easily come down to who outperforms each other with both Hayworth and Hood, but I feel this one comes down to the surrounding pieces around both players. On paper, Delta has more around Hood with guys like Jackson Wors Jackson Wors 6'4" | PF Delta | 2024 State IN and Jayden Furney Jayden Furney 6'1" | SG Delta | 2024 IN but Hayoworth has a good running mate in junior guard Avery Cook Avery Cook 6'1" | PG Concordia Lutheran | 2025 IN . This is by far the best player matchup we have in Class 3A North, but it is going to be a tall task for Concordia to stop the entire unit of Delta. The Eagles are built for a state championship run. The Prediction: Delta