Many expected Homestead and Evansville Reitz to be at this stage in the preseason. Not as many people predicted that Richmond would be here and nearly no one expected South Bend Riley to reach semi-state. Here is a preview of the two 4A semi-state games set for Saturday.
North Semi-State (Huntington North)
South Bend Riley vs. Homestead 6:00 p.m.
While the winner of this game will be happy to be playing next weekend in Indianapolis, the happiness will surely carry on all the way to Christmas, as a state finals trip as well as family bragging rights are on the line as brothers Mark and Chris Johnson face off with their respective squads.
Homestead, coached by Chris Johnson, has been one of the favorites all year to make the trip down I-69 to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. McDonald's All-American Caleb Swanigan anchors the post, and Jordan Geist mans the point for a senior laden team who lost in the semi-state a year ago to Lake Central. The Spartans had to beat Fort Wayne Carroll for a third time this year in the morning game, and did so thanks to a Jordan Geist pullup jumper with just seconds remaining. Carmel stood in their way in the regional championship, and Homestead responded to every challenge, coming from behind with five minutes remaining to end the game on a 10-0 run and win by four points. Caleb Swanigan led the way with a double double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Geist added 13 points. The Spartans are looking to make it at least one step further than last year, and earn the opportunity to try and win the first state title in any sport in school history.
Mark Johnson's South Bend Riley team was not expected to be in this position, even more so after entering sectionals with a 7-14 record. Riley mixes youth with experience, starting two freshmen, and one sophomore, junior, and senior. That starting lineup accounts for 92.5% of their scoring, so depth is almost nonexistent. Junior Reontre Lawrence leads the way with an 18.6 average, but others have stepped up lately. Freshman Damezi Anderson and senior Jadon Grundy each scored 18 in a regional semifinal win over Northridge. Lawrence scored a team high 19 in the finals against Crown Point, while Anderson and Grundy each added 17 points. The Wildcats shot 60% from the field including hitting 14 3-pointers against Crown Point. While inexperienced, their youthful exuberance could benefit Riley as they look for their first trip to the state finals since 1945.
Reitz's high powered offense was certainly test this last weekend, falling behind New Albany 17-0 before clawing back and winning by a very un-Reitz like 64-59 score. They finally took the lead on a Nate Hansen bucket late in the fourth quarter, narrowly avoiding a loss to a team they beat by 30 in the regular season. Toledo signee Jaelan Sanford scored 27 points in that game. At night, they played Franklin Central, who upset Bloomington South in the other semifinal. There was no such drama in this game, as the Panthers four senior starters combined for 71 points, led by 21 from guard Alex Stein. Reitz averages over 92 points per game on the season, but in their last three games, that number is 'just' 72.3 points per game.
Richmond emerged from the Southport regional, defeating Pike in the semifinals then taking out Brownsburg for the title. The Red Devils do not possess great size, but have a tremendous pair of senior guards in Green Bay signee Joel Okafor and Davious Webster. Okafor shot a perfect 8-8 from the field against Brownsburg, and hit 11-15 free throws for a game high 27 points. Webster buried five three pointers on eight attempts as he went for 21 points in that game. Two of Richmond's three losses have been by a single point, and they have not lost against a team that is located outside of Marion County. They will gladly play at Reitz's tempo, so it should be a high scoring affair on Saturday afternoon.
Many expected Homestead and Evansville Reitz to be at this stage in the preseason. Not as many people predicted that Richmond would be here and nearly no one expected South Bend Riley to reach semi-state. Here is a preview of the two 4A semi-state games set for Saturday.