The second annual Sneakers 4 Santa Shootout is taking place at Brownsburg High School today.

Homestead 48, Carmel 37

Indiana Basketball Source’s 4A No. 3 Carmel played 4A No. 4 Homestead at the Sneakers 4 Santa Shootout. A rematch of last season’s regional game that saw Carmel snap Homestead’s undefeated streak and end the Spartans’ season. Fletcher Loyer and company had a chip on their shoulder in this one.

To begin the game, both teams worked the ball and ate clock. Loyer attacked when he had the ball, but Homestead still worked to get him the ball. On the other end, Pete Suder was aggressive, but Carmel is always going to be patient against a defense like Homstead’s.

Loyer scored 10 points in the first half to give Homestead a 19-16 lead at the half. Suder scored six, mostly on mid-range jumpers, to keep Carmel within striking distance.

Homestead senior forward Andrew Leeper had a couple tough drives – one to end the first half and another early in the third – to give Homestead momentum. He finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Loyer started getting to the rim consistently and Carmel had no chance to slow him down. His ability to get to the basket and finish was the difference in the game. Loyer finished with 25 points and sealed the game by going eight of eight from the foul line.

Homestead’s defense clamped down on Carmel. The Greyhounds shot 38 percent from the field and only 28 percent from three. Uncharacteristically, Carmel also shot 8-16 from the foul line. The Spartans did not allow any easy looks, and Carmel could not make shots over the Homestead defenders.

Kyron Kaopuiki and Leeper each scored eight points in the win. Grant Leeper added five.

Suder led Carmel with 13 points, and Josh Whack added nine. Sam Orme, Charlie Williams, and Burke Weldy each tallied five points.

Brush (Ohio) 60, Cathedral 53

The nightcap of the 2021 Sneakers 4 Santa Shootout featured Ohio’s Brush High School against 4A No. 1 Cathedral. The game featured many talented frontcourt players, but it was decided by the guards as Brush senior Elmore James IV scored 25 points.

Early in the game, junior forward Xavier Booker rebounded well, and he was ready for the challenge of Antwone Woolfolk and Tyler Williams. He grabbed eight rebounds, some of his missed shots, in the opening quarter and also scored five points.

James IV asserted himself early and often for Brush as he took and hit tough, long two-pointers. Cathedral’s defense was forcing James into contested shots, but he kept making them. Junior wing Marlon Barnes nailed two three-pointers, and Woolfolk controlled the glass for Brush.

In the first half, Brush looked the best pushing the ball and attacking the basket. That did not happen a ton, but when it did, the Arcs were successful. They turned steals and missed shots into points on the other end in a hurry.

Cathedral’s star point guard Tayshawn Comer picked up his second foul in the first quarter and sat the rest of the half. It was a similar storyline to Friday night against Brebeuf. Despite that, Cathedral led 29-28 at the half.

It did not take long for James to flip the game upside down in the second half. Brush went on a 9-0 run to start the half with James scoring seven of the points. When Brush took the lead early in the second half, the Arcs did not give it up.

Jake Davis and Jaron Tibbs made plays to keep Cathedral in it. Tibbs and Davis each had important putbacks, but the Fighting Irish could never get over the hump. Tibbs scored and added a free throw with under a minute to play making it a one-possession game, but James scored on the other end and was fouled while doing so. That sealed the game for the Arcs.

James always had an answer on the other end. If it wasn’t James, Trace Bishko and Elias Johnson each made slashing hoops in the second half during crucial moments.

Brush added free throws to win 60-53.

Barnes aided James’ 25 with 11 of his own. Woolfolk scored eight and pulled down nine rebounds. Johnson and Bishko each scored six for Brush.

Tibbs led Cathedral with 16 points. Comer added ten, and Booker finished with nine points. Davis tallied eight points and seven rebounds before fouling out.

Linton-Stockton 58, Crispus Attucks 46.

Linton’s Joey Hart made a three on the opening possession of the game, and Attucks had trouble slowing him the rest of the game. The junior guard scored eight of the Linton-Stockton’s ten first-quarter points. In the first half, Hart went four of four from deep for 14 points. Attucks used a triangle and two as well as face guarding Hart, but he was able to get free away from the ball.

In the first half, Attucks shot well against Linton’s zone – 6-16 from three. It was a balanced effort from the Tigers with BJ Smith, Latrell Williams, Ron Rutland III, and Christian Nunn all having multiple buckets. Behind the solid shooting, Attucks led 25-21 at the halftime break.

After an uncharacteristically slow first half, Linton-Stockton junior Logan Webb stepped up for the Miners to start the second half. His shooting gave the Miners a huge boost. Webb scored nine points in the third quarter. Linton finding a second scorer to Hart was key as they grabbed the lead early in the third quarter. Then, the Miners outscored the Tigers 18-8 in the period.

Although Attucks shot well in the opening half, the Tigers could not get a shot to fall in the second. Attucks went 2 of 13 from three-point range in the second half. Attucks grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, but it was not enough to make up for the poor second-half shooting. Nunn worked the middle of the Linton-Stockton zone but could not get easy buckets going to the basket like he normally does. He finished with 15 points, but it took a lot of effort to get those points.

Linton’s lead held steady in the six-to-eight-point range for most of the third and fourth quarters. Attucks had opportunities, but Braden Walters converted seven of seven free throws down the stretch to keep Attucks at bay. He did not look to score at all in the first half, but Walters still finished with 11 points, ten rebounds, and six assists.

Wrigley Franklin and Nathan Frady each made big plays – rebounds, assists, buckets – in the second half.

Hart led Linton-Stockton with 22 points while going four of five from three-point range. Webb finished with 16.

Rutland, Williams, and Smith each scored eight points.

Lawrence North 73, Heritage Christian 64

With Indiana signee CJ Gunn sidelined with an injury, Jack Keefer is relying on youngster to lead the way, and they are stepping up. Freshman Azavier Robinson led a balanced attack early. He hit the glass hard and pushed the ball. The young group did a great job of moving the ball and finding open teammates. Sophomore Kobi Bowles used his quickness to live in the lane as he scored eight first-half points.

2023 Purdue commitment Myles Colvin started slowly – 0-6 from the field – as Indiana football commitment Omar Cooper Jr. forced him into contested shots. He only had three-points at halftime, but the quickly changed that in the second half.

Andrew Wiggins came off the Heritage Christian bench to score six points. The power forward gave HC the size to battle around the basket. He was a consistent producer for the Eagles on Saturday and even stepped away from the basket for multiple jumpers.

Senior guard AJ Branigan knocked down two threes off the bench to help Lawrence North take a 31-16 lead into the locker room.

Out of the locker room, Colvin turned his assertiveness up. He knocked down a three then drove to the hoop for a dunk in the half court. Moments later, he stole the ball from LN before dunking it while getting fouled on the other end. Unfortunately for Colvin, he was called for a technical foul as he hung on the rim. That was only a speed bump for his third-quarter scoring. Colvin scored 13 points in the period.

Despite Colvin’s increased production, Lawrence North’s lead held steady. Robinson made a huge impact in every phase for the Wildcats. The six-foot freshman guard grabbed 11 rebounds, forced turnovers, and created shots for others while scoring a game-high 22 points.

Even after Colvin fouled out, Dylan Doss and John McLimore gave Heritage Christian a chance down the stretch. HC cut a 20-point deficit down to seven. In the end, Mac Brown, Bowles, Robinson, and Cooper were too much for the Eagles, and LN walked away with the 73-64 win.

Colvin finished with 21 points.

Hammond Central 64, North Side 48

North Side started strong behind junior forward Jordan Green. His athleticism gave Hammond problems on the back end of the zone. He was not always finishing the first shot but got the putback. His bounce around the rim was a problem.

Hammond Central point guard Jordan Woods slashed to the basket throughout the first half. His biggest impact came as a playmaker for others. The junior guard had four assists in the first half on his way to ten for the game. He also grabbed nine rebounds in the game.

The Legends led 24-23 at the half with Green’s 11 points and ten rebounds leading the way.

Turnovers were a problem for both teams – the teams combined for 20 first-half turnovers. Hammond Central cut back on the errors in the second half to get more quality looks.

North Side’s sophomore star Tae Johnson had five turnovers in the first half. The Hammond Central zone slowed him down by clogging the lane. He stepped up his scoring in the second half as his teammates could not get a shot to fall. His quickness is off the charts, and Hammond had trouble keeping him out of the paint one on one.

The game swung in Central’s direction as Wolves guard Matthew King broke lose in the third quarter. The sophomore guard spotted up for three-pointer after three-pointer. Most of the time, it was Woods finding him open in the corner. He finished with 18 points, and a majority of them came in the decisive third quarter.

North Side had a chance to get back into the game thanks to Johnson and Ryan Collins, but Hammond Central always had an answer. The balance of Pharrell White, Kenneth Grant, King, and Woods was too much. White scored a game-high 19 points with a mix of threes and scores at the basket.

Tae Johnson finished with 15 points to lead North Side.

Gary 21^st Century 80, Tuscola (Ill.) 59

Tuscola jumped out to an early lead on the back of Loyola signee Jalen Quinn. Early on, Gary 21^st Century had no answer for the athletic guard. Finally toward the end of the first half, junior point guard Ashton Williamson created open looks for his teammates like Quintin Floyd. Williamson and Floyd produced most of the first-half points for the Cougars.

Freshman forward Lemetrius Williams gave 21^st Century a boost in the second quarter. He used his length to score in the paint and make plays on the glass.

After taking a 30-27 lead into the break, 21^st Century rode DJ Moss in the third quarter. The junior forward seemingly scored on every touch in the period. Behind Moss’ scoring, the Cougars opened a 56-39 lead going to the fourth.

It looked like Quinn could lead Tuscola back in the fourth, but Moss stayed hot for the Cougars and kept Tuscola at bay. Quinn finished with 30 points in the loss.

Moss finished with 20 points for 21st Century. Floyd added 16.

Brownsburg 44, Plainfield 43.