Silver Creek was led by the play of Purdue signee Trey Kaufman. Kaufman finished with nine two point field goals and three free throws. Kaufman also added 13 rebounds. Kaufman showed good touch in the 12-16 foot area as he finished a number of hook shots over defenders. Kaufman also added a runner and hammered home a dunk after beating his defender off the bounce. Kaufman used his length to disrupt Evansville signee Blake Sisley as he blocked several shots. Overall, it wasn’t his best performance, but was still a very solid showing for the Purdue signee. 

 

Silver Creek received 16 points from 5-foot-11 junior guard Branden Northern. Northern added 2 two point field goals, two three point field goals, and six free throws. Northern hit a few big shots and was able to get into the lane at times. However, he was out of control at times and made some very questionable decisions with the ball in his hands. Northern also tends to struggle with finishing through contact. Northern currently looks like a player that projects more towards the Division 2 level. 

 

Toledo signee Kooper Jacobi was held to just 9 points and 13 rebounds. Jacobi added four two point field goals and a free throw. Most of Jacobi’s points came off put backs and he was very quiet on the offensive end. Jacobi did make a few nice passes to set up his teammates, and also did a job of checking Blake Sisley on the defensive end for a good portion of the game. 

 

Heritage Hills was led by senior guard Jake Johnson. Johnson added seven two point field goals and five free throws. The 5-foot-11 guard did a good job as the primary handler and initiated the offense for most of the game. Johnson also hit a number of contested midrange jump shots and they were very timely as they helped Heritage Hills stay in the game. Johnson did a good job of putting pressure on the defense for much of the contest. Johnson also had one outstanding chase down block on Northern late in the game. In what was his final high school game, Johnson put together a very strong performance.

 

Evansville signee Blake Sisley put together a very solid game as well. Sisley finished with 18 points on six two point field goals and two three pointers. Sisley scored on a number of post touches and showed good touch, even finishing over Kaufman on several occasions. Sisley also hit a pair of tough step back mid range jump shots and a pair of big three pointers in the second half. Sisley did struggle at the start of third quarter as he tried to post up Kaufman three possessions in a row, and was denied each time. Sisley struggled finishing over the length of Kaufman for much of the game. However, he did do a solid job of battling Kaufman on the defensive end. Sisley was able to step into space and keep Kaufman in front of him several times during the second half. Overall, it was a very solid outing for Sisley as he will now turn his attention to preparing for the Division one level. 

 

The second semifinal featured a matchup between class 3A No. 8 Sullivan and class 3A No. 15 Connersville. Sullivan would lead for much of the game, but Connersville used an 18-9 advantage in the fourth quarter to win 46-43.

 

Connersville was led by senior guard Jonah Graham. The 5-foot-7 guard finished with 13 points on one two point field goal, three 3-point field goals, and two free throws. Graham was able to get his game going with a big three to beat the first quarter buzzer. He also hit two heavily contested threes. Graham also did a good job of getting into the teeth of the defense and setting up his teammates. Graham is undersized but he’s a player worth a look for Division 3 coaches. 

 

Connersville also received 13 points from junior guard Tobey Billups. The junior guard finished with 13 points on six two point field goals and one free throw. Billups was able to beat his defender off the bounce and finish at the rim throughout the second half. He also had a big steal and a layup during the fourth quarter push. Billups is a player worth a look for coaches at the Division 3 level.

 

Sullivan was led by the stellar play of junior guard Randy Kelley. The 5-foot-11 guard finished with a game-high 18 points on one two point field goal, five three point field goals, and a free throw. Kelley hit a number of contested threes and Connersville was unable to stop him for much of the game. Kelley also did a good job of handling the basketball. The junior made several nice reads, including a play in the open court where he got the defender on his back, drew the second defender forward, and capped the play with a pocket pass to his teammate. In the semifinal session, Kelley turned in the best performance of any guard in the gym. He currently projects as a player that would be a good watch for coaches at the NAIA level.

 

Kelley’s backcourt mate Braden Flanagan added 13 points on one two point field goal, three 3-point field goals, and two free throws. The 5-foot-10 senior hit a contested three from the top of the key and also drilled two three’s in catch and shoot situations. Flanagan is a good shooter, but didn’t show much of an ability to put the ball on the floor. Overall, it was a solid outing for the senior guard, but he definitely came back down to earth from his six three point performance in the opening round of the sectional.

 

Connersville will face-off against Silver Creek in the regional title game at 8 o’clock.