Friday Night (2/21) Games to Watch, Part Two

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Indiana will have boots on the ground from Franklin Central High School as the Flashes host Westfield. However, as always, we will have eyes and ears in gyms all across the state in order to provide the very best coverage possible. Let's dive on in and highlight five of the best games happening around the state on this penultimate Friday night of the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mount Vernon (Fortville) @ New Palestine</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mount Vernon (Fortville) will take their 15-4 record, led by Class of 2026 Purdue commit [player_tooltip player_id='1728587' first='Luke' last='Ertel'], on the road to New Palestine to take on the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 2A #2 Dragons and their 20-2 record. Indiana Wesleyan signee [player_tooltip player_id='1297068' first='Julius' last='Gizzi'] is one of the top scorers in the state averaging 26.0 points per game. The Ertel versus Gizzi battle will be fun to watch, but the Marauders will also be looking to snap New Palestine's 13-game winning streak.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Noblesville @ Avon</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Avon has risen to #2 in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A Top 10 with an 18-2 record. Meanwhile, Noblesville had been climbing rapidly during a 10-game winning streak, but that was snapped last weekend against Brownsburg. Two surefire Indiana Junior All-Stars will do battle in this one as Avon's [player_tooltip player_id='1565984' first='Keriawn' last='Berry'] and Noblesville's [player_tooltip player_id='1534261' first='Justin' last='Curry II'] go head-to-head. Then, you also have Indiana Junior All-Star candidates [player_tooltip player_id='1561685' first='Jedidiah' last='Minnett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561054' first='Baron' last='Walker'] competing in the backcourt. This will be a really fun game to watch between two great, well-coached teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Penn @ South Bend Riley</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up north, two of the South Bend area's best will face-off as South Bend Riley takes on Penn. The Wildcats are coming off of a shocking loss to Culver Academy, but had won six straight prior to that. They are 16-4 on the season led by [player_tooltip player_id='1297088' first='Marvin' last='Schindler'], [player_tooltip player_id='2398991' first='Tyrese' last='Jones'], and a full host of seniors. As for Penn, they are led by superstar freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2457404' first='Caleb' last='Coolman']. He leads the Kingsmen in points, rebounds, and assists averaging 16.0, 5.5, and 4.8 per game respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Terre Haute North @ Northview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For fans over in the western part of the state this will be the obvious choice for you on Friday night. Northview has quietly ripped off a 20-1 record led by do-it-all junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561022' first='Brayden' last='Goff'] who is averaging 17.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. The Knights only have one senior in their rotation so this is a group built for the future as well. Terre Haute North is putting together another strong season at 17-3 featuring a very balanced scoring attack. [player_tooltip player_id='1561104' first='Gavin' last='Woelfle'], [player_tooltip player_id='1561105' first='Brady' last='Klopfenstein'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1561113' first='Cameron' last='Fennell'], all juniors, average 11.6 points, 10.6 points, and 10.2 points per game respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Lafayette @ Western</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game makes the list as it is the de facto championship game of the Hoosier Conference. Western is 3-0 in the "East" Division while West Lafayette went 4-0 in the "West." [player_tooltip player_id='2403758' first='Carter' last='Biggs'] has emerged as the star for Western this season averaging 14.8 points per game. On the West Lafayette side, 6'10" Kevo St. Hilarie is a force inside while [player_tooltip player_id='2628598' first='Benny' last='Speaker'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2297505' first='Jaece' last='Vogt'] are pieces to watch out on the perimeter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->