Preview – 2026 Sneakers for Santa Field Announced, Part One

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best annual events not just in Indiana but in the Midwest has announced its field for this year's event. On December 5th Brownsburg High School will host seven games featuring many of the top teams from Indiana as well as teams from Georgia, Ohio, and Tennessee. There will be dozens of Division I prospects, preseason #1 teams, reigning state champions, and much more. Let's give a "way too early" preview of the seven matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">10:00 a.m. - Gibson Southern vs. Cathedral</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class 3A State Champion Cathedral Fighting Irish will get a great day of basketball tipped off against a fellow Class 3A Top 10 team from the south. [player_tooltip player_id='2891750' first='Reece' last='Runyan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140411' first='Kolton' last='Schmitt'] lead a very talented Gibson Southern team. Meanwhile, Cathedral will lean on seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2140333' first='Braylon' last='Pippins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140441' first='Skylar' last='Rodgers'] along with junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2540063' first='Jaxson' last='Delaney'] and sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='3033224' first='Jayden' last='Kennedy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">11:30 a.m. - Houston (TN) vs. Fishers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everyone knows the story with Fishers at this point. As long as [player_tooltip player_id='2267046' first='Jason' last='Gardner Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140345' first='Cooper' last='Zachary'] are in the backcourt they are going to be very hard to beat. The dynamic duo is back for their respective senior seasons with sights set on another state championship. Fellow rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='2470635' first='Levi' last='Walker'] has emerged as a stock-rising prospect this summer while rising sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2860080' first='Tristan' last='Breland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3666055' first='Max' last='Hopkins'] should be ready to step into larger roles. As for Houston High School, they are led by four-star senior point guard Justin Frison and senior wing Jordan Myles who has several mid-major offers. This should be an excellent matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1:00 p.m. - South Bend Riley vs. Liberty Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you are a fan of up-tempo basketball this will be a game for you. South Bend Riley will be a borderline Top 10 team in Class 4A entering the 2026-2027 season led by Indiana Junior All-Star [player_tooltip player_id='2140346' first='Dakori' last='Parker'] and several other talented, returning pieces. Meanwhile, Liberty Christian will likely be the most talented Class 1A team on paper and will be fighting with defending state champion Barr-Reeve for the top spot. They are led by rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2140408' first='Kendrick' last='Martin'] and Tywaine Fuller along with the addition of senior [player_tooltip player_id='2194824' first='Antonio' last='Baymon']. That will be an incredible dynamic trio at the Class 1A level. You can definitely expect a lot of possessions and a lot of points in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2:30 p.m. - South Bend St. Joseph vs. Silver Creek</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams from opposite ends of the state will do battle on Saturday afternoon as South Bend St. Joseph, who won the Class 3A state title in 2025, faces preseason Class 3A #1 Silver Creek. South Bend St. Joseph is in their second season of playing up at the 4A level due to the IHSAA success factor. They are led by Division I prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2140359' first='Elijah' last='King'] in the backcourt alongside fellow rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2129321' first='Drew' last='Dixon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2991460' first='Peyton' last='Miamba']. As for Silver Creek, Belmont commit [player_tooltip player_id='2140328' first='Brandon' last='Hunter'] is still running the show from the point guard spot. Division I prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2831121' first='Lucas' last='Linderman'] and 6'7" junior [player_tooltip player_id='3038275' first='Aiden' last='Makun'] are ready to step into bigger roles in the front court as well. There will be a lot of talent on the floor in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->