Prep Hoops Indiana Semi-State Preview – Class 1A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament is moving right along. This past weekend we went from 64 Sectional champions to 32 Regional champions. Now, the four teams remaining in the north and south brackets of each respective class will meet for a two-game Semi-State held on Saturday, March 16th. The winners at each site will then advance to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the 2024 IHSAA State Finals held on Saturday, March 30th. At the Class 1A level, Michigan City High School is the host of the northern bracket while Washington High Schools hosts the southern teams. Let's dive on in to our Prep Hoops Indiana Class 1A Semi-State preview.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Liberty Christian vs. Marquette Catholic</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It will be a youth movement in the first game of the Class 1A North Semi-State at Michigan City High School. Liberty Christian, who enters the game with a 17-9 record, is led by a trio of freshman. TJ Fuller and [player_tooltip player_id='2140408' first='Kendrick' last='Martin'] are the Lions' two leading scorers at 12.7 and 11.4 points per game respectively while [player_tooltip player_id='2267054' first='Tywaine' last='Fuller'] is fourth on the team averaging 8.2 points per game. Similarly, for 12-15 Marquette Catholic, freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2414957' first='Josiah' last='Mays'] averages a team-leading 11.1 points per game. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1561100' first='Colson' last='Dobre'] and Aleks Pecoski add 10.3 and 10.0 points per game respectively to round out the Blazers' double-figure scorers. The 12-15 record might seem odd for a Semi-State team, but Marquette Catholic has only lost two games at the Class 1A level this season. One of those losses was to Elkhart Christian who is also playing in the Semi-State while the other was to Demotte Christian who the Blazers beat in the Regional. <strong>Prediction: Liberty Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elkhart Christian vs. Fort Wayne Canterbury</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Wayne Canterbury, despite being 16-9, hasn't lost to a Class 1A team all season. In fact, during their stretch of winning 14 of their last 16, the Cavaliers' only losses came to Class 4A Fort Wayne Wayne and Class 4A New Haven. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1761696' first='Devon' last='Lewis'] and senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1158215' first='Tucker' last='Day'] gives Canterbury an excellent inside-outside punch that most teams at this level can't handle. Elkhart Christian, at 17-9, has just one loss at the Class 1A level this season so they will be equally tested for Saturday's Semi-State matchup. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2379851' first='Aiden' last='Hibbard'] leads the Eagles averaging 22.9 points per game. <strong>Prediction: Fort Wayne Canterbury</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Greenwood Christian vs. Bethesda Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rematch is set in the Class 1A South Semi-State at Washington as Bethesda Christian will take on Greenwood Christian at the Hatchet House. I watched this game back on February 8th when Bethesda Christian won 40-26. They looked like the vastly better team on that night, but you can expect a better performance from the Cougars on Saturday. Quincy commit [player_tooltip player_id='1386511' first='Max' last='Booher']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/max-booher/"></a> scored 26 points in their Regional win over Oldenburg Academy while [player_tooltip player_id='1529293' first='Evan' last='McIntire']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/evan-mcintire/"></a> came up big with 17 points alongside Booher in their Sectional final win over defending state champion Indianapolis Lutheran. [player_tooltip player_id='1761698' first='Sam' last='Mlagan']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/sam-mlagan/"></a> and Luke Douglas are the names to know for the Patriots. These two teams certainly know each other well and will battle it out for a chance to be one game away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. <strong>Prediction: Bethesda Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Barr-Reeve vs. Evansville Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of these teams are 24-2 on the season and could make a strong case for being #1 and #2 in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1158176' first='Josiah' last='Dunham'] leads Evansville Christian along with [player_tooltip player_id='2282412' first='Andrew' last='Lynn'], [player_tooltip player_id='2245727' first='Kaden' last='Naab'], Luke Davis, and [player_tooltip player_id='2368885' first='Jackson' last='Chesser']. Dunham is an Indiana All-Star candidate averaging 23.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. As for Barr-Reeve, Donnie Miller, [player_tooltip player_id='2391242' first='Seth' last='Wagler'], and Braydon Knepp average 11.5, 11.4, and 11.2 points per game respectively. The Vikings are a well-balanced team that survived a five overtime thriller to defeat Orleans in the Sectional 63 championship game before taking down Christian Academy in the Regional. Prediction: <strong>Evansville Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Finals Predictions</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Wayne Canterbury over Liberty Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evansville Christian over Bethesda Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->