(Fletcher Loyer from the spring of 2021)

At Huntington North, Homestead and South Side won opening round games on Tuesday night.

Homestead rode the hot hand of Mr. Basketball contender Fletcher Loyer to a win in their opening round sectional game Tuesday night. The 6'4 Purdue signee shot a sizzling 10-14 from the field, including four three pointers on the way to a game-high 26 points. Andrew Leeper chipped in 13 points for the Spartans, who advance to face New Haven in the semifinals on Friday.

Will Hotchkiss led Huntington North with 16 points while fellow senior Zach Hubartt added 12.

Both teams came out with a physical mindset as the fouls piled up in the first quarter. Huntington North reached the bonus with over a minute left in the first, but it was a Loyer step back three that would give the Sratans a 13-10 lead heading into the second.

Huntington North continually went inside to 6'3 senior Will Hotchkiss, and he was able to find angles against the larger Homestead frontline to score in the post. A Zach Hubartt three would give the Vikings a short-lived lead at 21-20, but Loyer would respond with his second triple of the game, and that would kickstart a 9-0 run to end the first half, which was capped by Kyron Kaopuiki's three free throws with no time left on the clock after he was fouled on a three pointer.

Homestead jumped on the gas to start the third with back to back three pointers from Kaopuiki and Loyer, but Zach Hubartt would score the first seven of the half for Huntington North to keep them within striking distance. Again, however, it was Loyer who would come through, scoring eight points in the quarter and hitting a three at the buzzer to increase the Spartan lead to 11.

The lead would hover around that mark for the entire fourth quarter, as the Vikings simply couldn't muster any effective offense to cut into their deficit.


Huntington North  10  11  13   9  -  43
Homestead         13  16  16  11  -  56

Huntington North: Will Hotchkiss 16 points (6/11 FGs, 4/4 FTs), 2 rebs, 2 asts; Zach Hubartt 12 points (3/5 FGs, 2/3 3Ps, 4/6 FTs), 4 rebs, 2 stls; Cam McCarver 9 points (3/3 FGs, 1/1 3Ps, 2/2 FTs); Wyatt Dohrman 4 points (4/4 FTs), 2 rebs; Austin Oswalt 2 points (2/2 FTs), 3 asts

Homestead: Fletcher Loyer 26 points (10/14 FGs, 4/7 3Ps, 2/2 FTs), 4 rebs; Andrew Leeper 13 points (4/7 FGs, 1/3 3Ps, 4/5 FTs), 2 stls; Kyron Kaopuiki 8 points (1/2 3Ps, 5/5 FTs), 2 asts; Ifeanyi Ezeakudo 5 points (2/4 FGs, 1/1 3Ps); Grant Leeper 4 points (2/3 FGs), 3 rebs


South Side raced out to a 20 point halftime advantage on their way to an opening round sectional win over Columbia City Tuesday night at Huntington North.

South Side came out of the gates in a frenzy, using a 2-1-2 press and trapping halfcourt defense to generate turnovers and get out in the open floor against Columbia City, wasting no time offensively in opening up a lead. O'marion Washington had seven quick points for the Archers as they opened up a six point lead after the first quarter.

That margin would erupt in the second, as the Archers routinely got out in transition after Eagle turnovers. The result was usually a highlight, as Derek Ruch threw down a couple of huge dunks in the period, and the Archers would be up 20 at the break.

Jerry Thomas was a tough cover all night inside for the undersized Columbia City frontline, as the 6'6 senior forward just overpowered his defender to finish in the paint. Mason Baker scored eight of his 19 points in the third, but it was too little for Columbia City, as they failed to generate any sort of comeback attempt.

South Side outscored Columbia City 16-1 in the fourth quarter, as the Archers forced 17 turnovers on the night and shot a blistering 60.7% from the field. Conversely, they held the Eagles to just 12-37 from the floor in the wire to wire victory.

Ashton Johnson and Derek Ruch led the Archers with 18 a piece, while Jerry Thomas and Lamontrelle Manning each added 10. Mason Baker was the game's high scorer with 19 points, while junior guard Andrew Hedrick posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards for Columbia City.


South Side     20  23  19  16  -  78
Columbia City  14   9  15   1  -  39

South Side: Derek Ruch 18 points (8/12 FGs, 2/4 3Ps), 9 rebs, 2 asts, 4 stls; Ashton Johnson 18 points (7/11 FGs, 4/6 3Ps), 4 rebs, 5 asts, 4 stls; Lamontrelle Manning 10 points (5/6 FGs), 8 rebs, 3 asts; Jerry Thomas 10 points (5/8 FGs), 2 rebs, 2 stls; O'marion Washington 9 points (4/10 FGs, 1/6 3Ps), 2 rebs, 4 asts; Zemaree Phillips 8 points (2/4 FGs, 2/3 3Ps, 2/2 FTs), 2 rebs; Jayden Morris 4 points (2/4 FGs), Jaylen Lattimore 2 points (1/2 FGs), 3 rebs, 2 asts

Columbia City: Mason Baker 19 points (7/14 FGs, 3/7 3Ps, 2/4 FTs), 3 rebs; Andrew Hedrick 13 points (3/7 FGs, 7/9 FTs), 10 rebs, 4 asts; Seth Mills 3 points (1/4 3Ps), 3 rebs; Alex Hedrick 3 points (1/5 FGs, 1/2 FTs), 3 rebs; Kam Hoag 1 point (1/2 FTs)