Prep Hoops Indiana Regional Preview – Class 4A North

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 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 4A North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>***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.***</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/03/prep-hoops-indiana-regional-preview-class-1a-north/">Class 1A North</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/03/prep-hoops-indiana-regional-preview-class-1a-south/">Class 1A South</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/03/prep-hoops-indiana-regional-preview-class-2a-north/">Class 2A North</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/03/prep-hoops-indiana-regional-preview-class-2a-south/">Class 2A South</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/03/prep-hoops-indiana-regional-preview-class-3a-north/">Class 3A North</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/03/prep-hoops-indiana-regional-preview-class-3a-south/">Class 3A South</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">East Chicago Central vs. Mishawaka (Michigan City Regional)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There might not be a team remaining in the state tournament that is on a better run than East Chicago Central right now. The Cardinals have won 16 straight games which included a 56-52 win over Munster to cut down the Sectional 1 nets. Indiana Junior All-Star candidate [player_tooltip player_id='1297020' first='Dominique' last='Murphy Jr'] leads the way averaging 21.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, but Jemeil Rich Jr. and [player_tooltip player_id='2390095' first='Yamauree' last='Wallace'] are players to watch as well. As for the Cavemen of Mishawaka, they upset South Bend Riley 45-43 in overtime to win Sectional 3. It'll be hard to match the firepower of East Chicago Central in this one though. <strong>Prediction: East Chicago Central</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warsaw vs. Crown Point (Michigan City Regional)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crown Point earned their way to this point making it out of a very difficult Sectional 2 with wins over Kankakee Valley, Valparaiso, and Chesterton. They defeated the Trojans 68-36 in the championship game. [player_tooltip player_id='2079502' first='Jack' last='Svetich'] is the veteran in the backcourt, but look for sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1561617' first='Dikembe' last='Shaw'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561445' first='Mason' last='Darrell'] to make a different in this one. Warsaw is 19-5 and riding a seven game winning streak. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2050029' first='Luke' last='Bricker'] and senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1547537' first='Luke' last='Yeager'] create a good inside-outside punch for the Tigers along with a balanced supporting cast. <strong>Prediction: Crown Point</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kokomo vs. Fishers (New Castle Regional)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game of the day. Fishers just played arguably the best Indiana High School Basketball game of the season as they held on to defeat Noblesville 49-47 and win the Sectional 8 title. Now, as a reward for their efforts, they must go up against [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] and the Kokomo Wildkats. Just as the Fishers versus Noblesville game was a state final caliber matchup, this one will will be as well. Fishers won this matchup 77-55 back at the FORUM Tip-Off Classic, but it likely won't be as easy the second time around. Kokomo's [player_tooltip player_id='2282357' first='Karson' last='Rogers'] is playing like an Indiana All-Star alongside Bidunga while junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1381461' first='Zion' last='Bellamy'] and company provide support on the perimeter. For Fishers, unsigned senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2079500' first='Keenan' last='Garner'] continues to have an excellent season, which included a double-double in Saturday's win, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='1525664' first='JonAnthony' last='Hall'] and Huntington signee [player_tooltip player_id='1158191' first='Taden' last='Metzger'] provide backcourt firepower among a slew of other talented players. <strong>Prediction: Kokomo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fort Wayne North Side vs. Fort Wayne Wayne (Logansport Regional)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams are certainly no stranger to each other. Wayne dominated North Side 66-42 back on January 5th, but it is fair to assume it'll be a closer contest this time around at the Logansport Regional. [player_tooltip player_id='1578389' first='Eugene' last='Young Jr'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1547392' first='Jaxson' last='Fugate'] provide the firepower for the Legends as bigger guards who can make a difference on the perimeter. Fugate averages 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while Young Jr. adds 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. However, while those two can really score, it is hard to keep up with the Generals. [player_tooltip player_id='1158193' first='Jevon' last='Lewis'] is as dynamic of a guard as you'll find in the tournament. The Indiana All-Star candidate averages 19.6 points and 7.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1297032' first='Trey' last='Dillard'] averages a double-double of 13.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. [player_tooltip player_id='1297001' first='Chase' last='Barnes'], a junior guard, adds 12.8 points per game for a high-scoring Wayne squad. Prediction: <strong>Fort Wayne Wayne</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->