Ramsey’s Notebook – 10 Takeaways From Regional Saturday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament was cut from 64 Sectional champions to 32 Regional champions on Saturday. As always, Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage throughout the day providing live updates from gyms throughout the state. Personally, I took in three different Regional games beginning with Wapahani versus Tipton at Lapel, then moving to Fishers versus Kokomo at New Castle, and finally finishing off the day with Lawrence North versus Avon at Greenfield-Central High School. Now it is time to empty out the notebook from what I saw in person along with some news and notes from other corners of the state. Here are 10 takeaways from Regional Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First and foremost, New Castle High School was an absolutely incredible place to be on Saturday afternoon. I've been lucky enough be in the gym for some of the best moments and games in the state over the last couple of decades. I can remember Zach Randolph battling Jared Jeffries for a state championship in 2000, Luke Zeller's half court game-winner as Washington defeated Plymouth in the 2005 state finals, Gary Harris' game-winning shot against North Central in Sectional 8 in 2012, Romeo Langford selling out the Tiernan Center in the 2016 Semi-State at Richmond High School, and many other classic games that will be remembered forever. There isn't much that I could see or experience that would truly "wow" me at this point, but I was stopped in my tracks walking into The Largest and Finest High School Fieldhouse in the World on Saturday moments before Fishers and Kokomo tipped off. Sitting next to long time Marion Athletic Director Steve Moritz, he said it was the best crowd he had seen there since Steve Alford went against James Blackmon in 1983. That is pretty high praise. I've had a life long love affair with Indiana High School Basketball and that crowd to watch [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] take on Fishers will be something I remember forever.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It obviously couldn't rival New Castle in terms of numbers, but the Lapel Regional was certainly packed to capacity for Class 2A action between Wapahani and Tipton. Both of these schools had aspirations of making it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season, but the Raiders took it to the Blue Devils winning 65-41. However, it was always going in that direction. Tipton led 12-9 after the first quarter and trailed by just one point, 18-17, at the halftime break. Wapahani completely took over though in the second half. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561131' first='Camden' last='Bell'] was excellent for the Raiders finishing with a game-high 22 points. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1158181' first='Isaac' last='Andrews'] got going late in the game to finish with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='1381463' first='Nate' last='Luce'] was a big part of Wapahani pulling away in the third quarter making three three-point shots in the period. Tipton senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1158205' first='Nolan' last='Swan'] finished with 17 points in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't look now, but the defending Class 4A state champions are two wins away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Admittedly, Ben Davis didn't face much resistance in Sectional 11 this season, but they needed their A-game to defeat New Palestine in the Southport Regional on Saturday. Junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'] finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Giants. They will take on Center Grove at New Castle this coming Saturday and would play the winner of Lawrence North and Jeffersonville if they were to advance. Northwestern signee [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'], IU-South Bend bound [player_tooltip player_id='1277591' first='Mark' last='White'], and Zackery are out to defend their crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rematch was 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'] scored 26 points in their Regional win over Oldenburg Academy while [player_tooltip player_id='1529293' first='Evan' last='McIntire'] 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'] and Luke Douglas are the names to know for the Patriots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class 3A North feels very wide open heading into their Semi-State at Logansport. Delta is probably the favorite on paper at 22-6 led by Saint Francis commit [player_tooltip player_id='1275729' first='D'Amare' last='Hood'] and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1158184' first='Jackson' last='Wors']. However, South Bend St. Joseph has rolled through the tournament so far and eight of their nine losses this season are to 4A programs. [player_tooltip player_id='1297002' first='Chase' last='Konieczny'] leads the Huskies averaging 20.5 points per game, but Notre Dame baseball signee [player_tooltip player_id='2379838' first='Jayce' last='Lee'] has been excellent this season as well. Also, don't Peru and Fairfield who have earned their way to the Semi-State. [player_tooltip player_id='1158198' first='Matthew' last='Roettger'] and Tyson Frey respectively lead those two programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fishers is unequivocally the favorite at this point to win the state championship. Making it through Sectional 8, and then beating Kokomo like that for the second time this season is incredibly impressive. They still haven't played Lawrence North, and won't until the State Final, Coach Winegar has his group playing at a level that most high school teams don't reach. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2079500' first='Keenan' last='Garner'] is the do-it-all piece that brings it all together, but the shooting prowess of Huntington commit [player_tooltip player_id='1158191' first='Taden' last='Metzger'], the athleticism of JonAnthony Hall, and the dynamic playmaking of freshmen guards [player_tooltip player_id='2140345' first='Cooper' last='Zachary'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2267046' first='Jason' last='Gardner Jr.'], the Tigers really have it all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Wayne Wayne deserves a lot of credit for making it back to the Class 4A Semi-State for the second straight year. The Generals are 22-3, but have inexplicably been left out of the AP Poll for the entire season. We at Prep Hoops Indiana have certainly given them their due credit though as they've spent almost the entire season inside of our Top 10. [player_tooltip player_id='1158193' first='Jevon' last='Lewis'] is as explosive of a playmaker as their is in the state, while junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297001' first='Chase' last='Barnes'] and junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1297032' first='Trey' last='Dillard'] provide quality talent around him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brownstown Central cutting down the Class 2A nets this season feels inevitable, but they will have to get by a very talented Park Tudor team on Saturday morning at the Southport Semi-State. [player_tooltip player_id='1297034' first='Hudson' last='Horvath'] and company have been playing their best basketball of the season to improve to 20-5. However, it won't be easy to overcome Purdue signee [player_tooltip player_id='1158245' first='Jack' last='Benter'] along with [player_tooltip player_id='1547584' first='Parker' last='Hehman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1297005' first='Colby' last='Hall'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1296999' first='Chace' last='Coomer'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you are looking for the most balanced Semi-State to watch as a casual fan on Saturday, heading to the Class 3A South Semi-State at Seymour. Guerin Catholic versus Danville and Evansville Bosse versus Scottsburg will be two excellent games and any of the four teams are more than capable of making it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Golden Eagles, led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1275817' first='Robert' last='Sorensen'], were the state runner-up last season and they could have a rematch against Scottsburg to get there just like last season. [player_tooltip player_id='1401893' first='Kody' last='Clancy'] is playing at a very high level right now for the Warriors alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1276470' first='Jack' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1547386' first='Wyatt' last='Zellers'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It'll be a youth movement in the first game of the Class 1A North Semi-State at Michigan City. Three of Liberty Christian's best players are freshmen as TJ English and [player_tooltip player_id='2140408' first='Kendrick' last='Martin'] are their top two scorers with [player_tooltip player_id='2267054' first='Tywaine' last='Fuller'] checking in at fourth. Meanwhile, Marquette Catholic is also led by a freshman in [player_tooltip player_id='2414957' first='Josiah' last='Mays'] while sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1561100' first='Colson' last='Dobre'] and Aleks Pecoski also average in double-figures.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->