(Pictured over the summer: Brian Waddell had a big day for Carmel)

Until Saturday, the 2021 IHSAA boys basketball tournament was light on major upsets and near misses. Indiana Basketball Source details the upsets, the near upsets, and close games from a wild Saturday around Indiana high school basketball.

Upsets

St. Joe 79, Hammond 71

Hammond led by 13 points and looked to be rolling, but JR Konieczny, Will Terry, and Jack Futa had other ideas. St. Joe pulled off a smaller upset in the sectional by beating Mishawaka Marian. Full game recap by Jeff Schoenle HERE.

Carmel 60, Homestead 49

It is hard to call this an upset as it was No.1 Homestead against No. 2 Carmel plus myself and Jeff picked Carmel to win the game. Carmel played the game at its pace and executed well. Charlie Williams, Brian Waddell, and Pete Suder were fantastic in Carmel’s victory.

Parke Heritage 52, Shenandoah 33

Shenandoah blew out Covenant Christian in the morning game before having the favor returned to them. Parke Heritage moved to 26-3 on the year but few people gave them a chance to beat Shenandoah, especially after Shenandoah’s morning performance. Shenandoah made it a two-possession game late, but Christian Johnson helped Parke Heritage pull away late.

Riley 44, Valpo 36

Riley upset Adams in the sectional and added to the list with a win against Valparaiso. In the second half of the season, Riley looked like a different team. Blake Wesley’s 14 points and eight rebounds led the Wildcats. Phillip Robles III was big with 12 points as well. Full game recap HERE.

Near upsets

Carmel 50, Lafayette Jeff 49

Much like Shenandoah, Carmel won the marquee game of the day but had a surprise test at night. Carmel was heavily favored against Lafayette Jeff, but the Bronchos had a chance to win the game late. Brooks Barnhizer turned in a big game to end his high school career. Waddell led Carmel with 23 points. The senior is having a fantastic postseason.

Lawrence North 43, Plainfield 39

Plainfield wanted to play a low-possession game, and that is exactly what happened. In the end, Lawrence North found DJ Hughes for dunk after dunk, and the Wildcats pulled off a narrow victory. Ian Scott found some space behind Lawrence North at the rim as well but not as often as Hughes. The Butler signee had a field day punishing the Southport rim.

Silver Creek 52, Heritage Hills 48; Silver Creek 31, Connersville 30

Silver Creek is taking the survive and advance motto to heart. After close games with North Harrison and Madison in sectional play, the Dragons had two close games at the Washington regional. Trey Kaufman-Renn powered Silver Creek over Heritage Hills in the morning. Then Connersville controlled the ball as Kerry Brown likes to do. That led to a grinding game, and Silver Creek prefers an uptempo pace. The Spartans nearly pulled off a crazy upset.

Blackhawk 68, Churubusco 55

The widest margin on the list, but Churubusco held a lead in the third quarter. In the end, Caleb Furst was too much. He finished with 32 points and 19 rebounds. The Purdue signee put Blackhawk on his back in this one. A late run made the final wider than the game’s competitiveness.

Tindley 50, Southwestern (Shelbyville) 48

Tindley was a heavy favorite, but Southwestern nearly came back for an upset. Joe Glenn saved Tindley from a defeat and helped the Tigers advance. Tindley advances to play No. 1 Barr-Reeve next weekend.

Down to the wire

Bloomington South 51, Jeffersonville 50

With 12 seconds left, Jalen Peck made a three-pointer for South to give the Panthers a one-point advantage. Jeffersonville’s runner in the lane was off the mark at the buzzer. Jaylen Fairman led Jeffersonville with 19 points. Trevor Taylor scored 14 for South in the win.

Evansville Reitz 63, Center Grove 61 in overtime

Reitz rallied late to force overtime then pulled it out in the extra frame. Reitz senior Owen Dease fueled the victory with 30 points. Center Grove senior guard Landin Hacker scored 18 to power the Trojans.

Leo 47, NorthWood 46

With under five seconds left, NorthWood thought it had taken the lead on a Cade Brenner bucket, but it was waved off. After the foul was called on the floor, he had another game-winning chance, but the second one missed. DJ Allen led Leo with 15 points.

Connersville 46, Sullivan 43

Midway through the third, Sullivan led 31-19. In a low-scoring game, a comeback seemed nearly impossible, but Connersville was able to do it. Jonah Graham and Tobey Billups led the fourth-quarter comeback. More from Drew Davis HERE.

Bowman Academy 52, Boone Grove 50

Boone Grove led most of the way, but Bowman Academy found a way to win. Koron Davis scored 25 points to help Bowman complete the comeback win. Judah Tollbert added 13 in the victory. Boone Grove was led by junior guard Trey Steinhilber’s 19 points.

Southwestern 59, Linton-Stockton 58

Matthew Williams scored the game-winner before the Miners did not score on its final possession. In his final high school game, Lincoln Hale tallied 29 points.

Kouts 66, Fremont 62

Kouts built a big lead before Fremont found a second-half rhythm. Cole Wireman scored 23 of his 27 points in the first half. Cale Wireman also scored 21 points. In the second half, Fremont went 12 out of 15 from the field. In the loss, Gabel Pentecost recorded 20 points and nine rebounds.

Southwood 54, Lafayette Central Catholic 53

In the tight game, Southwood turned to its best player, Carson Rich, for a game-winning shot. He delivered to help Southwood move on. Southwood was down 14 points after one quarter, and it took Southwood a long time to climb out of that hole. Rich scored 32 points in the morning game and 40 twice in the sectional round.

Triton 64, Caston 52 in double overtime

In the win, Ashton Oviedo scored 33 points. He was especially clutch in the second overtime. In the loss, Sam Smith led Caston with 17 points.