(Curt Hopf leads No. 1 Barr-Reeve)

Three of Indiana Basketball Source’s top four 1A teams in the final regular-season rankings are still alive in the 2021 IHSAA boys basketball tournament. Here is a look at the two games that decide the state final match-up.

Lafayette Jeff 

No. 2 Kouts (28-2) vs. Southwood (17-10)

Kouts held a top spot in the 1A rankings all season behind Cole Wireman. He is averaging 26 points per game, but he was held to four points in the regional championship against Triton. Wireman battled foul trouble in the sectional title game as well to finish with nine points. Against Triton, Parker Kneifel, an athletic senior forward, led Kouts with 19 points. Cole’s twin, Cale, is the second-leading scorer. He scores 16.5 points per game for the high-scoring Mustangs.

Southwood also has a big-time scorer. In the postseason, Carson Rich put the Knights on his back and carried them this far. In the regional final, the lefty guard made the game-winner with a few seconds left. That is after he scored 32 points in the morning game. A scoring output like that is nothing new for Rich. He is averaging 31.6 per game in the postseason. Rich makes a defensive impact with 4.2 steals per game.

Kouts has more depth and was the better team all year, but Rich is talented enough to offset that. Given that Kouts is not known for its defense, it will be interesting to see if the Mustangs can stop Rich’s postseason rampage.

Washington

No. 4 Tindley (18-9) vs. No. 1 Barr-Reeve (27-2)

Throughout the regular season, Barr-Reeve proved to be the top 1A. Despite a few close calls, the Vikings are where many expected them to be. Barr-Reeve’s talent level is fantastic for a 1A program. Curt Hopf is committed to Bellarmine. Indiana’s all-time assist leader, Brycen Graber, is headed to Grace College. Junior Hagen Knepp is drawing college interest behind his size and athleticism as well. Hopf is averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Barr-Reeve is a team that shoots plenty of threes, and the Vikings shoot a ridiculous 44 percent as a team. Surrounded by shooters, Graber picks defenses apart with his passing.

Tindley played a competitive schedule to be ready for the postseason. That paid dividends as the Tigers escaped a tough sectional and a close call in the regional final against Southwestern (Shelbyville). Junior forward Aaron Humphrey led Tindley with 15 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season. He is a strongly built player that can score in the paint and off the dribble. Sophomore Jayden Pinkston gives Tindley an explosive athlete that thrives in transition and on the offensive glass. He posted 13.4 points per game. Joe Glenn (7.4 PPG) led the Tigers in the regional title game.

This is a match-up I have had circled all year. Barr-Reeve is a great team. The two losses came against Carmel and Blackhawk. The Vikings took both teams to overtime, and obviously, had a chance to win each game. Tindley does not quite have the size of Hopf inside, but the Tigers have strength with Humphrey and Glenn. Can Tindley pressure Barr-Reeve into turnovers? Most teams have not succeeded in that. The quality of this game is a state final level.