Indiana Basketball Source takes a look at the top games and best match-ups of the Regional semifinals.

Best Games

Bloomington South vs. Jeffersonville – Noon at Seymour

This has the makings of a great game. Both teams have turned the corner in the second half of the season. Both teams feature fantastic juniors – South’s Anthony Leal and Jeffersonville’s Tre Coleman. Both teams have a steady, play making point guard – South’s Noah Jager and Jeff’s Jacob Jones. Each team has a rising underclassman – South’s Connor Hickman and Jeff’s Will Lovings-Watts. These teams are tough and well coached. It will be surprising if the game isn’t decided on the final possession.

Wabash vs. Frankton – 10:30 AM at Lapel

Wabash is on a nine-game winning streak, while Frankton has won 17 in a row. It should be a great match-up as Trenton Daughtry faces Kayden Key in the backcourt. Daughtry does it all for Wabash as he leads them in scoring, assists, and steals, and is second in rebounding. Frankton will have to slow him down to win. Frankton has Rylan Detling, Jon Hatzell, and Brayton Cain to fall back on. Overall, there are a lot of similarities between the teams, so it should be a close game.

Penn vs. Chesterton – 10 AM Central at Michigan City

The Trojans are in a Regional for the first time since 1987, and they get a senior-laden Penn squad. Noah Applegate against Jake Wadding should be a good match-up as they are similar in size, athleticism, and skill set. Penn also has Indiana All-Star candidate Drew Lutz. The senior guard creates much of the offense for the Kingsmen off the dribble. Senior Jack Eaton will likely get the assignment of containing Lutz. Chesterton will need a boost from Tyler Nelson or Travis Grayson to beat 22-3 Penn.

Southwestern (Hanover) vs. Tell City – Noon at Paoli

Southwestern has had a great season behind Tyler Kramer, Foster Mefford, and Matt Williams. The Rebels like to push the tempo but showed they can win a low-scoring game against South Ripley in the sectional. Braeden Beard leads the way for Tell City along with Trenton Arnold. Beard is Tell City’s leading scorer and rebounder. He’ll need to have a big game to pull the upset over 25-1 Southwestern. Tell City will try to limit the pace against the running Rebels. This one should go down to the wire.

Blackhawk vs. Gary 21^st Century – Noon Eastern at Triton

Blackhawk is a Class A machine. They dismantled each sectional opponent by more than 55 points. Frankie Davidson and Caleb Furst are big, athletic, and skilled. They have a good supporting cast as well. 21^st has junior Johnell Davis and an overall athletic team. The three massive blowouts could hurt Blackhawk, especially in the first half against Gary 21^st. It’s hard to remain sharp after huge blowouts. Although Blackhawk is clearly the top team in Class A, this could be a game that goes to the wire.

Best Player Match-ups

John Michael Mulloy vs. Sydney Curry

D1-bound centers face off as Carmel and Northrop meet. Curry is the power post player that likes to use his strength to dominate. Mulloy likes to face-up and use his finesse to produce. Carmel has more size around Mulloy to help against Curry than Northrop does. If Curry turns in a dominant performance, Carmel could be in trouble. Otherwise, this game will likely be more interesting for the individual battle than the outcome.

Andrew Williams vs. Andrew Bennett

On balanced teams, these two are the straws that stir the drink. Bennett is Shenandoah’s leading scoring by a hair, but he also does a great job of finding his teammates for easy opportunities. Williams is the heart of Heritage Christian. He leaves everything on the floor each game. These are evenly matched teams, and it will be fun to see these two go head to head.

Lincoln Hale vs. Brett Bosley

Two good sophomores will go at it as Lincoln Hale and Linton-Stockton face Brett Bosley and Paoli on the Rams’ home court. I’m not sure these two will be going head to head much, but they are talented players in the 2021 class. Hale is more of a shooter, while Bosley has the advantage in physical strength and athleticism. Hopefully, they are able to duel for large segments of the game.

Noah Huppmann vs. Keegan O’Neill

This will be a fun match-up. Noah Huppmann is a seven-footer that can play. He’ll face the rugged Keegan O’Neill, and I expect O’Neill to take the action right at Huppmann. Barr-Reeve has a much better team than Evansville Day, so I don’t think the outcome will be exciting, but it will be fun to see these two players compete against each other.