Indiana Basketball Source’s Week In Preview segment looks at ten important games from around the state for December 8-13th. All times are eastern.
Tuesday December 8th
Chesterton at Bowman Academy 8:30pm
Chris Palombizio takes his 3-0 Chesterton squad into Bowman to take on the defending 3A state runner up Eagles. Gone are several key components from that team, including Davon Dillard and Justin King. But Coach Marvin Rea still has athletes galore for his up tempo style. Chesterton is looking to build off a win over Lowell last week.
Wednesday December 9th
Lawrence Central at Lawrence North 7:30pm
An argument could be made that LC is the best 0-3 team in the state following losses to three of the top eight in class 4A.
Kyle Guy has struggled shooting early in the season, and the
Pat Bacon-led Wildcats look to keep the Bears winless on the year. Freshmen
Kevin Easley and
Antwaan Cushingberry of Lawrence North are already making an impact in their first year of varsity play.
Thursday December 10th
Warren Central at Fishers 7:30pm
Warren Central travels to 3-1 Fishers, who are coming off wins last weekend over Noblesville and Kokomo. Shooting guard
Djimon Henson, a 2016 prospect, has improved from last year and carries the torch for Warren Central. Fishers is led by the trio of Cam Wolter, Keegan Kollmeyer, and Lance Dollison.
Friday December 11th
Carmel at North Central 7:30pm
A pair of 3-0 teams clash on 86th St. in a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference battle. RyanCline poured in 34 points last Friday for Carmel against Lawrence Central, while 2017 wing
Kris Wilkes has started off the year strong for North Central. Both these teams have been guard heavy in the past but boast formidable frontcourts this year.
Center Grove at Pike 7:30pm
Pike was tripped up last weekend by a tough Ben Davis squad, and looks to bounce back against Michael Benkert and the Trojans. Last year Pike won by 24 in Coach Bill Zych’s first game at Pike against Center Grove, a school he coached at for over a decade. If Pike has any thoughts of winning the MIC, this is a must-win game for them.
Tech at Cathedral 7:30pm
In a rematch of last year’s city title contest, both teams look dramatically different from the sides that met at Tech last January. CJ Walker leads a Tech squad coming off a big win over
Memphis White Station in the Marshall County Hoopfest. Cathedral is led by juniors
Jordan Walker, Tiernan Cook, and
Matt Paligraf. Cathedral is coming off a close loss to
Taylor County of Kentucky, who features 2016 point guard prospect Quentin Goodin.
Munster at East Chicago Central 7:30pm
Two of the best 4A teams in Northwest
Indiana match up in a possible sectional preview. Munster has coaches’ son and future UIC Flame Drew Hackett at point guard, while ECC has 2016 wing
Damien Jefferson, who poured in 30 points and snagged 10 rebounds in their game against Brownsburg Saturday. Should be an interesting matchup of styles with the halfcourt game of Munster against the pressure and up tempo style of East Chicago Central.
Pendelton Heights at Mt. Vernon 7:30pm
Butler-bound Sean McDermott and his Pendelton Heights Arabians take on the young but talented Mt. Vernon Marauders. Both teams are 4-1 and last year’s game was a 59-56 win by Pendelton Heights, so this one could go down to the wire.
Mark Albers and Caleb Hardy are important factors for Heights, while Mt. Vernon is led by sophomores Mike Ertel and
Erick Shepherd and junior Miles Wayer.
Saturday December 13th
Junior Malik Laffoon and freshman
Musa Jallow are the two leading scorers for Bloomington North, who have two others in double figures, while Reitz has Toledo signee and future
Southern Indiana teammates
Alex Stein and Jacob Norman. These two teams have not met since the 1995-1996 season, and both should figure prominently in how Class 4A in southern
Indiana shakes out.
Corydon Central at New Albany 7:30pm
New Albany has dominated this matchup in the past, but Corydon Central took last year’s game by a score of 64-60. It’s a battle of youth versus experience, as New Albany is led by freshman wing
Romeo Langford and sophomore guard Isaac Hubbard, who scored 33 and 22, respectively, against
Evansville Harrison last weekend. Corydon Central is led by senior and
Indiana State signee Bronson Kessinger, a 6’7 athletic forward.