The 2018 IHSAA boys basketball state finals are set.
In 4A, it will be conference foes Carmel and Warren Central. Carmel ended South Bend Riley’s undefeated season in convincing fashion Saturday. John Michael Mulloy and Andrew Owens had big games as Carmel dominated. Carmel won 63-43 in a game that was never in doubt. Warren Central used last second heroics to end Romeo Langford and New Albany’s run. David Bell was the hero with his buzzer-beater from just outside the right block. Carmel was leading Warren Central by eight points, the same as New Albany, before Warren Central came back to win on an Antwaan Cushingberry jumper in the regular season.
3A will also be a rematch of the regular season. Culver Academies took down Mason Gillis, Luke Bumbalough and New Castle Saturday. Ethan Brittain-Watts delivered a huge offensive game for Culver in the win. Evansville Bosse battled a tough Danville team and came out on top. Bosse received a strong game from Mekhi Lairy. This should be a fun game with many intriguing match-ups.
The 2A game will have team with similar strengths. Oak Hill and Forest Park have more size than the average 2A team. Each team likes to play inside to outside as well. Sam Englert has had an excellent senior year for Forest Park. He’s extremely active around the rim. Caleb Middlesworth and Oak Hill will have to keep him away from the glass. Oak Hill has size at every position which could take away a lot of Forest Park’s strengths. Freshman Curt Hopf is a strong prospect for Forest Park.
In the 1A title game, it will be Southwood against Morristown. Southwood is one of the toughest teams that you find in high school. Carson Blair, Peyton Trexler and Dallas Holmes are going to put a lot of offensive pressure on Morristown’s defense. That trio has size, skill and athleticism. On the other end, Southwood will have to find a way to slow down Hayden Langkabel. The senior guard has scored 46 and 29 in the last two games. That’s not surprising since Langkabel is currently 24th on Indiana’s all-time scoring list. Trexler has the athleticism and strength to make Langkabel work for his points. That will be a fun individual match-up to watch.