Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A State Finals Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were 404 teams across four classes that started in the 116th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament. That field has now been whittled down to just eight teams. Four state championship games will be played on Saturday, March 28th at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. As always, Prep Hoops Indiana will have boots on the ground coverage throughout the day of all four games. We will be spending this week previewing each of the four games, highlighting players to watch, and much more. Here is our official Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A State Finals Preview.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (27-3) vs. Crown Point (25-1)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We here at Prep Hoops Indiana had Crown Point ranked #1 in our Class 4A poll in the preseason and they remained in that spot until January 31st. That preseason ranking is looking pretty good right now as they will represent the Class 4A North at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Coach Clint Swan and the Bulldogs have been knocking on the door each of the last two years when they advanced to the Semi-State before falling to Fishers both times. This year they have cruised to the State Finals winning their two Semi-State games by 29 and 26 points respectively after defeating Chesterton by 19 points in the Regional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>University of Illinois Chicago signee [player_tooltip player_id='1561617' first='Dikembe' last='Shaw'] is the star for Crown Point. The do-it-all 6'6" wing averages 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while also playing excellent multi-positional defense. Bellarmine University signee [player_tooltip player_id='1561445' first='Mason' last='Darrell'] provides a pop in the backcourt averaging 13.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for the Bulldogs. Three additional senior guards, all unsigned, help to provide depth and playmaking in Crown Point's backcourt. Bryce Peterson, [player_tooltip player_id='1561064' first='Kaiden' last='Rhodes'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1561063' first='Kingston' last='Rhodes'] are all veterans that contribute to winning. 6'4" sophomore wing MJ Wilson is an X-Factor to watch that averages 8.5 points per game while 6'7" junior [player_tooltip player_id='2882512' first='Cooper' last='Malaski'] will start in the front court averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As for Mt. Vernon (Fortville), they have spent the entire season inside of the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A Top 5. A consistent force throughout the season, the Marauders already played the Bulldogs in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game losing 60-56. They also have losses to Fishers and Pike this season. Indiana Mr. Basketball front-runner [player_tooltip player_id='1728587' first='Luke' last='Ertel'] is obviously the engine of everything that Mt. Vernon does. The Purdue signee averages an incredible 24.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game. 6'8" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2140419' first='Max' last='Vise'] has had a breakout season and has played his best basketball during the Marauders' run to the state finals. Vise averages 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2892552' first='Jack' last='Guerre'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2402390' first='Owen' last='Daugherty'] provide very valuable perimeter shooting as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Prediction</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We obviously have already seen these two teams play each other this season with Crown Point coming out on top 60-56 in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game. In that matchup [player_tooltip player_id='1561617' first='Dikembe' last='Shaw'] went for 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists to lead the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='2140419' first='Max' last='Vise'] had 20 points and [player_tooltip player_id='1728587' first='Luke' last='Ertel'] posted a triple-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. This game could end up playing out very similarly. The depth of Crown Point will ultimately make the difference as they cut down the nets to win the Class 4A State Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crown Point 63 Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 55</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->