(Linton-Stockton's Lincoln Hale is having a great senior season)

 

There's plenty on tap this weekend in the regular season, not to mention some great tournaments taking place this week with the Marion County Tournament, NECC Tournament, ACAC Tournament, and the Johnson County Tournament all happening during the next six days. Indiana Basketball Source will set those aside for the moment and look at the best regular-season games happening this week around Indiana.

 

Tuesday, January 12th

Blackhawk Christian at Homestead 7:30 pm

The matchup everyone in northeast Indiana has been waiting for tips off Tuesday night as 2A #1 Blackhawk Christian heads across town to face 4A #3 Homestead. Both teams are undefeated heading into the game, as the Braves are led by 6'9 Purdue-bound forward Caleb Furst, who is averaging 23 points and 14 rebounds per game. Blackhawk is coming off two blowouts of SAC opponents, as they dispatched Wayne and Concordia by a combined 79 points last week. Homestead features Furst's future Purdue teammate, 2022 guard Fletcher Loyer. The 6'4 transfer from Michigan is acclimating well to his new team, leading them in scoring at just under 25 points per game. He's joined by 6'6 wing Luke Goode, who is putting up 20 points a game and is signed to play at Illinois next season.

 

Southwestern at New Albany 7:30 pm

Southwestern is poised for a run in 2A south this spring, and they get a big test when New Albany welcomes them on Tuesday. A trio of seniors heads the Southwestern attack, starting with 6'4 forward Matt Williams, who averages 18 a game. Bethel-bound Foster Medford and Austin Kramer are both playmaking guards who each average five assists while scoring in double figures. New Albany is fresh off a win over rival Jeffersonville that looks to propel them to a January winning streak. The standout backcourt of Tucker Biven and Kaden Stanton scored 36 of their 49 points in that win.

 

Wednesday, January 13th

Cathedral at Carmel 7:30 pm

The Irish are a double-overtime loss to Homestead away from being undefeated at this juncture and can thank the play of junior guard Tayshawn Comer, who is leading Cathedral in points and assists this season. Comer's only game in single digits this year was that loss to Homestead. Following a win over Westfield last weekend, Carmel is still undefeated on the year and looks for revenge from last year's loss to the Irish. It's been pick your poison lately for the Greyhounds as Brian Waddell, Pete Suder, Connor Gioia, and Wil Leary have all taken turns with big nights for Carmel. Something has to give in this game, as Cathedral comes in scoring 77 points per game while Carmel allows just over 40 a contest.

 

Friday, January 15th

Bloomfield at Linton-Stockton 7:30 pm

These two teams meet for the second time in just under a week, as Linton defeated Bloomfield 67-58 on Saturday to claim the Greene County Invitational. Indiana State signee Lincoln Hale scored 19 of his game-high 30 points in the final quarter of that game to lead the Miners to victory. He's flanked by sophomore standout Joey Hart, who is quickly making a name for himself after a solid freshman campaign last season. The Cardinals will hope to shoot better from behind the arc, where they made just 4/25 three-point attempts. Baylin Graf and Austin Schrute paced Bloomfield with 18 and 13 points, respectively, in that game.

 

Reitz at Evansville North 8:00 pm

You don't have to go far down the SIAC standings to find Reitz or North. They sit in the top two places with unblemished records. North hasn't defeated Reitz since a sectional win in the 2017-2018 season. They are led by bouncy 6'4 senior Chandler Moore, who can put up points, and highlights, in many different ways. Reitz is undefeated but has only played four games so far after having just a single game before January 5th. Owen Dease, a 6'6 wing, headlines Michael Adams' squad, who won last year's sectional before the cancellation of the state tournament.

 

Valparaiso at Michigan City 8:00 pm

We go from the banks of the Ohio River to the beaches of Lake Michigan for our next game, as the Vikings of Valparaiso travel east to face the Michigan City Wolves. The Duneland is just getting started, and this game could prove pivotal in the conference standings at the beginning of March. The key to stopping Valpo is keeping up with the Joneses - literally. Mason, Colton, and Cooper Jones are factor heavily into the success of Barak Coolman's side. Add in Breece Walls, Clayton MacLagan, Grant Comstock, and the Vikings pose plenty of problems for opposing defenses. Michigan City guards Jamie Hodges Jr. and Tahari Watson make up the best backcourt in the DAC, and wing Evan Bush provides scoring inside and out at 6'4. The Wolves high-scoring attack hasn't lost since a two-point defeat to Gary West Side on December 5th.

 

Saturday, January 16th

Barr-Reeve at North Daviess 7:30 pm

North Daviess is a two-point overtime loss to Loogootee from being undefeated, and they get another shot at a top 1A team when they face the top-ranked Vikings of Barr-Reeve. The Cougars are 5th in the state in scoring defense, as Brent Dalrymple's team gives up just 38.8 points per contest. Barr-Reeve isn't far behind in that category, ranking 7th by allowing 39.2 points per night. Bellarmine signee Curt Hopf leads the Vikings from both inside and outside, as the versatile 6'8 forward can score from anywhere on the court. Hopf recently went over the 1000 point mark for his career.

 

Bloomington North at Silver Creek 7:30 pm

Last year's Bloomington South-Silver Creek game was a classic, this year North takes their turn to get a signature win over one of the state's best 3A teams - Silver Creek. The Dragons won a 3A title two seasons ago and looked poised to repeat before Covid hit last season. They've shown once again they will be a force to be reckoned with as three players are averaging 20 points a game. Trey Kaufman is back after missing five games due to an ankle injury. The Mr. Basketball candidate is putting up 26 points and 15 rebounds a game since his return. Kooper Jacobi - a Toledo signee - put up huge numbers in Kaufman's absence and still averages 28 points and 13 boards a night, while junior point guard Branden Northern averages 20 points and seven assists a game. The Cougars do it with a bit more balance, with five players averaging in double figures, led by junior point guard Nick Klaiber and his 14.8 a game average. IU football commitment Aaron Steinfeldt averages 10 points and seven rebounds and will be tasked with slowing down the frontcourt tandem of Kaufman and Jacobi.

 

North Harrison at Floyd Central 7:30 pm

North Harrison is riding a five-game winning streak, but there have been some close calls, like a two-point win over Brownstown Central and a Logan McIntire game-winner against Perry Central, but the Cougars seem to have found a groove lately. William and Mary signee LT Hatton is a difficult matchup. At 6'10, Hatton can stretch defenses to the arc and is tough enough a score on the block. McIntire and Ethan Oakley give North Harrison plenty of firepower on the perimeter. Floyd Central star Jake Heidbreder recently went over the 1000 point mark for his career, and the future Air Force Falcon has no plans of slowing down any time soon. Caleb Washington and Brady Moore give the Highlanders plenty of interchangeable parts and can present defenses with lots of questions to answer. Floyd Central has a difficult conference game against Jeffersonville Friday evening, so they could be fatigued coming into this matchup.

 

Plainfield at Westfield 7:30 pm

Two of the best under-the-radar teams in central Indiana face off in a non-conference contest as the Quakers of Plainfield travel to the north side to face Westfield. Plainfield is on a five-game win streak with victories over North Central and Perry Meridian in that span. The Quakers are led by the frontcourt tandem of Ian Scott and Cael Vanderbush. Scott is averaging over 21 points and 11 rebounds per game and threw up a 43/16 line in the win over North Central. Aidan Booher is back for his 3rd year as the starting point guard and hopes his 17 point effort in their last game against Southport breaks him out of a slump that saw him score in single digits in his previous four games. Westfield dropped their first game of the year to Carmel last weekend and looks to rebound, both figuratively and literally, against a larger Plainfield team. Braden Smith and Cam Haffner lead a talented junior class for the Shamrocks. Smith tallied just seven points on 3/9 shooting against Carmel, his first single-digit scoring effort of the season.