(Luke Brown leads Blackford against Northeastern this week)

The high school basketball season is in full swing as teams are getting into the meat of their schedules. Here are ten of the best matchups from around the state this week. All times listed are Eastern.

Tuesday, December 15

Bosse at Memorial 8:00 pm

Julian Norris and Matt Wagner headline a Bosse group that is out for a SIAC crown. Freshman guard Taray Howell has turned heads early in his high school career. Howell is the younger brother of former Bosse star Mekhi Lairy. They get a chance to work towards that goal when they face off against Memorial. This will be Bosse's first game since December 5th. The Tigers are a veteran group led by seniors Justin Waiz and Nico Bordfeld and junior Connor Agler. Memorial has held four of their five opponents under 50 points.

Northeastern at Blackford 7:30 pm

Both teams are eyeing a deep run in the 2A tournament this spring, but only one will remain undefeated after this matchup. Luke Brown is making his assault on the Indiana career scoring list. The Mr. Basketball candidate is averaging 32 points per game this season for the Bruins. Northeastern is led by seniors Carter Lumpkin and Kolden Vanlandingham in the backcourt and junior Raedhyn Foust in the post. The Knights are coming off a 12-point win over Bowman Academy.

Friday, December 18

Brebeuf at Tindley 7:30pm

Billy Smith and Evan Altman are both averaging 20 points a night for Todd Howard's Brebeuf squad. Austin Ezell provides a third scoring option, but the Braves will need to develop more depth if they hope to be a serious player in 3A. Tindley is coming off a three-point loss to Indy Met in the finals of the Greater Indianapolis Conference Tournament. The Tigers are led by the athletic frontcourt of Aaron Humphrey and Jayden Pinkston, who combine to average around 35 points per night.

Carmel at North Central 7:30 pm

A veteran Carmel squad is out to prove that the MIC title goes through Hamilton County. Brian Waddell is off to a fantastic start to his senior season, and juniors Pete Suder and Charlie Williams are capable of carrying the load offensively as well. North Central counters with dynamic junior point guard Leland Walker. Seniors Shilo Jackson, Mike Elliott, and BJ Williams have played well for the Panthers. This game should be a battle of contrasting styles, as the MIC's top offense (North Central) battles the stingiest defense (Carmel).

HSE at Fishers 7:30 pm

No love lost here in the Mudsock game, annually one of the fiercest rivalries in the entire state. a veteran HSE squad that features five players in double figures in scoring looks for revenge following last year's overtime loss to Fishers in the 2019 Mudsock game. HSE have received consistent production from Vinny Buccilla and Dalton Retzner to begin the season. Fishers is 2-0 and also has balance with five players averaging double figures in their first two games. Jeff Simmons and Charlie Smith form a standout junior class for the Tigers.

Homestead at Luers 7:30 pm

The SAC title went to Luers last season, but Homestead appears to be on a mission to regain ownership of that crown. Fletcher Loyer is having a great start to his junior season after moving in from Michigan, and Luke Goode continues to be a consistent scorer capable of exploding on any given night. Luers will need to find some additional scoring outside of the Thompsons, Naylon and Nick. Those two combine for two-thirds of the Knights points this year.

Jeffersonville at Silver Creek 7:30 pm

These teams played a classic last season, with Silver Creek coming away with a 53-52 win. Jeffersonville lost a lot from a year ago with the graduation of Jacob Jones and Tre Coleman. Will Lovings-Watts returns for his junior season after averaging 13 points per game a year ago. This will be the Red Devils' first game of the campaign. Silver Creek went 0-2 last weekend, falling to North Harrison by two on Friday before a double-overtime loss to Blackhawk Christian on Saturday. The Dragons are still without Mr. Basketball candidate Trey Kaufman, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Senior forward Kooper Jacobi and junior guard Branden Northern both scored over 30 in the loss to Blackhawk.

Riley at St. Joseph 7:30 pm

Future Notre Dame teammates Blake Wesley and JR Konieczny face off for the final time. Riley is sitting at 4-0 on the young season thanks to Wesley and his 32 points per game scoring average. He's doing plenty of damage at the foul line, where he is averaging over 10 attempts per game. Konieczny has his St. Joseph team on a modest two-game win streak following a season-opening defeat to South Bend Adams. A loss in this game likely takes St. Joe out of the NIC race.

Saturday, December 19

Hammond vs. Linton-Stockton (Bosse) 4:45pm

The Wildcats head south to battle one of 2A's best teams. Hammond has already shown they are to be taken seriously this year, falling by just a single point to Lawrence North before taking out Gary West Side. Harold Woods, Reggie Abrams, and Darrell Reed will have to contend with one of the best shooting backcourts in the state, with future Indiana State Sycamore Lincoln Hale and sophomore Joey Hart. The Miners are 4-0 but the last two wins have both come in overtime against Jasper and Owen Valley.

Shenandoah vs. Leo 3:30 pm (Grace)

Shenandoah features one of the best backcourts in 2A with Jakeb Kinsey, Kade McCullough, and Andrew Bennett. Bennett has yet to play this season following an injury sustained in football, but the Raiders are 3-0 regardless. Michael Howard, a 6'4" forward, is averaging nearly 20 points a game behind sizzling shooting from the three-point line for Shenandoah. He'll have his hands will with the large frontline of Leo. Senior Zach Troyer and junior DJ Allen both stand at 6'5" and are relentless on the offensive glass. Guards Ayden Ruble and Blake Davison have the Lions off to a 4-0 start with all those wins coming against SAC teams.