(Jalen Washington had a magnificent game in the regional final)

 

The 2021 4A semi-state games feature three top-seven teams. Perennial power Bloomington South was not ranked by Indiana Basketball Source to end the regular season. Here is a deep dive into the two games set for Saturday.

Lafayette Jeff

No. 2 Carmel (24-2) vs. No. 7 Gary West Side (22-4)

Carmel nearly stumbled in the Logansport regional, but it was not the game that most expected to trip the Greyhounds. After beating previously unbeaten No. 1 Homestead, Carmel needed Brian Waddell to make two late free throws to beat Lafayette Jeff, 50-49. Most did not expect that to be close, but it should have been. There will always be a letdown after beating a top-ranked team in the morning before playing a lower-ranked team on the same day. It was natural for Carmel to be emotionally fatigued after the big win. Against the Bronchos, Waddell continued his stellar postseason with 23 points. He was fantastic throughout sectional and regional play.

 

In the Homestead game, Carmel received another big game from junior center Charlie Williams. After scoring 19 points in the sectional final against Westfield, Williams backed it up with 20 points in the win over Homestead. Throughout the year, Williams did not score that much, but he is stepping up at the right time.

 

As always, Carmel also relies on junior guard Pete Suder to do a bit of everything. Like any good high school player, Suder scores and gets buckets when Carmel needs him. For a perimeter player, he is a great rebounder. He will handle the ball and create for his teammates as well. Over the last few years, Suder has been the backbone of Carmel’s success.

 

On the season, Carmel has two losses by a total of two points. The first came against Cathedral in mid-January and the other came against Fishers in early February. The Fishers' loss came a night after beating Lawrence North. There is no doubt Carmel is a fantastic high school team. In typical Carmel form, the Greyhounds do not beat themselves, control the ball, make shots at a high rate, and play stifling defense.

 

West Side was a top-10 4A for most of the year, but due to injuries, limped across the regular-season finish line. Senior point guard Quimari Peterson rolled his ankle. Down the stretch, Mason Nicholson missed six weeks. That led the Cougars to a loss against Andrean, and it took them overtime to beat Chesterton.

 

By sectional time, West Side healed and is playing great. In the sectional, West Side dismantled two solid teams – Lake Central and Munster. That roll continued against Elkhart in the morning regional game. In the Michigan City title game, South Bend Riley gave West Side everything they could handle for three quarters. In the end, Peterson and Jalen Washington were too much. Both started splashing threes after halftime, and the Wildcats could not slow them down. Washington is a top-20 2022 player in the nation. Against Riley, he displayed that. He is six-foot-eight with a silky-smooth shot, but he can play with his back to the basket, handle the ball, and finish above the rim in traffic.

 

From November 2019 to November 2020, Washington did not play basketball. Right before the start of his sophomore year, he tore his ACL. During his freshman year, a one-off shoulder injury made him miss most of the season. Early in the year, West Side coach Chris Buggs limited Washington’s minutes, but the governor is off the high-powered forward now. That is making a huge difference for West Side.

 

Chrishawn Christmas is also fully healthy and making a big impact. Last week, he nearly ripped the rim of the Michigan City baskets a few times. He makes an impact with defensive activity and anticipation.

 

Since Lafayette Jeff took Carmel to the wire, does that mean the Greyhounds are vulnerable? That is likely drawing too much from the regional championship game. West Side can beat Carmel, but it will high-level performance. Undoubtedly, Peterson and Washington will need to shoot well from three-point distance. For Carmel, Waddell will need his postseason success to put the Greyhounds in a good position. The biggest thing for Carmel will be the play of Williams. He is playing well in the postseason, but Washington will be a major challenge. The coaching moves and individual match-ups will be fascinating to track.

 

 

Seymour

No. 4 Lawrence North (27-2) vs. Bloomington South (25-4)

Coming out of Sectional 10, Lawrence North, like Carmel after the win over Homestead, could have been emotionally spent. The Wildcats took care of Ben Davis and Plainfield. The Quakers controlled the tempo and kept it close, but Lawrence North’s firepower was too much. Butler signee DJ Hughes tallied 21 points, mostly off dunks, in the win. With the way Ben Davis was playing, it was surprising that Lawrence North dispatched them so easily. The Giants were a different and better team with Jayden Brewer. In the victory over BD, Hughes tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds. CJ Gunn added 16 in the morning game.

 

Lawrence North is riding an 11-game winning streak. Despite digging multiple large deficits early in the season, the Wildcats’ two losses came against Homestead and Carmel. To end the regular season, those were Indiana Basketball Source’s top two 4A teams. Senior guard Shamar Avance was a big reason why LN is 27-2. Avance was recently named the MIC player of the year and the Marion County player of the year. Those are hefty honors.

 

Early in the season, no one would have picked Bloomington South to be in this position. In the season-opener, New Albany blasted the Panthers, 61-36. After losing to Barr-Reeve, South scored 22 points in a loss to Terre Haute North. With senior guard Connor Hickman sidelined for the year, things did not look promising for South.

 

To begin the season, Edgewood transfer Trevor Taylor was not playing. Then, Joey Bomba missed the Wabash Valley Tournament. The Panthers had a solid showing in the tourney before losing to Greencastle. Once the calendar flipped to 2021, Bloomington South started to play better. The wins over Castle and Silver Creek signaled how much the Panthers had improved.

 

For the year, Bomba averaged 18.5 points per game. He is a big wing that is a fantastic spot-up shooter. Taylor is South’s second option at 13.4 points in each contest. For a team that averages 53, Bomba and Taylor provide most of the South offense.

 

Getting to Seymour sets up the match-up that everyone wanted to see last year. When the season was shut down, Bloomington South was undefeated, and Lawrence North was Indiana Basketball Source’s top-ranked team. It would have matched Mr. Basketball Anthony Leal against Indiana All-Star Tony Perkins. This does not have the hype last year’s game would have had but do not overlook this one.

 

Lawrence North has a talent advantage. There is no denying that. But South is going to duplicate Plainfield’s game plan of controlling the ball and making it a low-possession game. South just held Evansville Reitz to 31 points. Reitz usually scored double that. Lawrence North also likes to score about 63 a game. Will the South guards be able to keep Avance and Gunn out of the paint? Will Hughes have a field day as he did against Plainfield? Those are the biggest roadblocks for South pulling off the upset.