Tuesday Night Games to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 49 states it is just basketball...but this is INDIANA!!! We have made it folks. Yes, technically, there were a few games played around the state last night. However, Tuesday evening serves as the de facto beginning of the 2023-2024 Indiana High School Basketball season. There are 87 games being played on this tip-off Tuesday and Prep Hoops Indiana will be your best source for following everything that is happening throughout the state. This evening, Kyler Staley will be "back home" in the Bedford area and will have boots on the ground for Bedford North Lawrence @ Bloomington North. Meanwhile, I'll be at the Carmel @ Zionsville game. Here are the five best games on the Tuesday evening slate from around the Hoosier state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brownsburg @ North Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams that begin the season knocking on the door of the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A Top 10, this matchup will serve as an early season barometer for both programs. North Central features a dynamic backcourt led by [player_tooltip player_id='1297108' first='Rogelio' last='Rivera'], [player_tooltip player_id='1547429' first='Jaxson' last='Bell'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1578447' first='Nijah' last='Jewell']. The Panthers should be a fun group to watch this season. Meanwhile, Brownsburg will have a different look this year but still have no shortage of talent. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1293376' first='Grant' last='Porath'] returns as a double-figure scorer while Avon transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1172872' first='Jordan' last='Lomax'] brings a dynamic scoring ability to Coach Lynch's offense. Look for 6'6" versatile junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1578416' first='Jesiah' last='Sloss'], an Evansville Harrison transfer, to make a big impact as well. These two teams have high expectations this season and will be looking to get things started off on the right foot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Carmel @ Zionsville</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the game that I'll be attending this evening. Both of these programs feature a plethora of young talent that has their respective coaches excited about the future. [player_tooltip player_id='1578342' first='Alex' last='Couto'], a junior guard, will be the Greyhounds top returner after averaging 8.1 points per game while shooting 38.5% from three-point range last season. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1761730' first='Ryan' last='Clevenger'] will provide a veteran presence, but the excitement about this Carmel team comes from the sophomore class. 6'7" wing [player_tooltip player_id='1560952' first='Evan' last='Harrell'], 6'2" sharp-shooter [player_tooltip player_id='1561129' first='Julian' last='Vogt'], and 5'10" point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561121' first='Jamichael' last='Fountain'] will all play major roles for Coach Osborne's squad. Zionsville will rely heavily on their junior class namely the duo of 6'5" wings [player_tooltip player_id='1525679' first='Drew' last='Snively'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1525678' first='Maguire' last='Mitchell']. Both are excellent three-point shooters and offer a lot of offensively versatility with their size. This is always a fun early season contest between two Sectional 8 rivals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fishers @ Ben Davis</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you stand in Indianapolis this evening and throw a rock you'd be likely to hit a high-level high school basketball game. For this one we head to the west side as the defending Class 4A state champion Ben Davis look to begin their path to a repeat against the Fishers Tigers. The Giants obviously went 33-0 last season while Fishers was the de facto preseason #1 team until their 5-star junior guard transferred to La Lumiere. Still, this is a Top 10 matchup as Ben Davis is ranked #3 and Fishers is #9 in the preseason Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A Top 10. [player_tooltip player_id='2079500' first='Keenan' last='Garner'] and Huntington commit [player_tooltip player_id='1578471' first='Taden' last='Metzger'] are the top returning producers for the Tigers while Ben Davis features Northwestern commit [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'], dynamic two-way guard [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'] (who won't play this evening due to football), and IU-South Bend commit [player_tooltip player_id='1295351' first='Mark' last='White'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mount Vernon (Fortville) @ Lawrence Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is going to be plenty of young talent on the floor in this game tonight. [player_tooltip player_id='1728587' first='Luke' last='Ertel'] is out for the Marauders due to an injury sustained in football, but fellow sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1561435' first='Julien' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561030' first='R'mani' last='Wells'] will carry the load while he recovers. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1539552' first='Tanner' last='Teschendorf'] will step into an expanded role, one he is certainly ready for, until Ertel returns as well. Look for senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1295362' first='Brady' last='Fitzgerald'] and junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1539556' first='Tyler' last='Davis'] to factor in heavily for Mount Vernon this season. As for Lawrence Central, they also are down a key player due to a football injury in 6'6" junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1539288' first='Nizyi' last='Davis']. However, look for sophomore guard duo [player_tooltip player_id='1981704' first='Albert' last='Gooden III'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561118' first='Doron' last='Harris'] to make a lot of noise this season alongside senior [player_tooltip player_id='1384410' first='Bryson' last='Luter'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pendleton Heights @ Anderson</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two Madison County and Sectional 9 rivals tip-off the season annual with each other. However, one team has dominated the series over the last few years. Anderson has won six consecutive matchups against the Arabians and will look to continue that streak this evening led by junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1297010' first='Damien' last='King']. The 6'4" athletic, skilled scorer has been one of the biggest stock-risers since the summer picking up a handful of Division I offers and cementing himself among the best in Indiana's Class of 2025. Meanwhile, the Arabians feature 6'7" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1275772' first='Josiah' last='Gustin'] who averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season and add 6'6" Westfield transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1457477' first='Seth' last='LaRavia'] to the mix this year. Those will be a formidable one-two punch in the front court. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2053679' first='Evan' last='Mozingo'] is one to watch as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->