(Luke Brown is carrying Blackford to a great season)

 

Many conference and county tournaments wrapped up this past weekend, so Indiana Basketball Source turns its attention to the developing conference races and exciting non-league matchups. Here's a look at ten of the best games from around the state this week.

Tuesday, January 19th

Blackford at Winchester 7:30 pm

A couple of small schools with big stars face off Tuesday night as state scoring leader Luke Brown and Blackford travel to face Winchester and Payton Sparks. Blackford hasn't played since January 2nd, and this starts a stretch of seven games in 14 days for the Bruins. Brown and company will need to find a solution for Sparks, a 6'8 Ball State signee who is averaging over 18 points and 12 rebounds a night. Sparks and senior classmate Wayde Sickels are the only two in double-figure scoring for the Falcons, who had a nine-game winning streak snapped last week to Mississinewa.

 

Lowell at Lake Central 8:00 pm (POSTPONED)

We head to the region for this non-conference matchups, as Chris Mantis and the Red Devils face off against Kyle Ross and the Indians. Mantis is having a fantastic senior season for Lowell, as the future App State Mountaineer is putting up 29 points and ten rebounds a night. Finding a reliable second option has been a struggle at times, as no other Red Devil scores in double figures. Lake Central has won eight of their last nine contests behind a strong frontcourt of Kyle Ross and Nate Oakley. The victories in that streak have come by an average of over ten points a game.

 

Thursday, January 21st

Hammond at Munster 8:00 pm

Staying in the region, The Munster Mustangs have won eight straight following a modest two-game slide to start the season. Luka Balac and Clayton Bubash man the wing for Mike Hackett's squad, who only lost two games all of last season, one of which was to Hammond. The Wildcats make the short four-mile trek down Calumet Ave to face the Mustangs, led by senior guard Harold Woods. The 6'3 guard averages just shy of 20 points per game and has come up big in big games, like scoring 32 against North Central and 27 against Gary West Side. Fellow senior Reggie Abrams adds 15 a night on 45% three-point shooting for Indiana Basketball Source's top-ranked 3A team.

 

Friday, January 22nd

Carmel at Pike 7:30

While Pike's record stands at just 8-5, those five losses have come by a combined 17 points to some of the state's best teams. Ryan Conwell, Eddie Jones, and JJ Louden make up a formidable perimeter trio, and sophomore Devon Woods has stepped into the starting point guard role admirably as a sophomore. Conwell had 30 in the Red Devil's last game, a two-point overtime loss to top ranked Lawrence North. Carmel lost their first game of the season last week, falling by a single point to Cathedral. The Greyhounds look to bounce back and keep the top spot in the MIC standings. Brian Waddell and Pete Suder have carried Carmel all year and will need quality performances from both to hold off Pike.

 

Eastside at Central Noble 7:30 pm

The 13-1 Cougars are coming off a NECC Tournament title last week, winning four games, including a blowout in the title game against Angola. In a quarterfinal matchup against Churubusco, 2022 shooting guard Connor Essegian set a school record with 44 points, as the 6'3 sniper continues his fantastic junior campaign. Eastside is looking for revenge following a sectional loss to Central Noble last season. The Blazers sit at 3-0 in conference play, while Central Noble's only defeat this season was a league contest against Westview. Hugh Henderson and Gabe Trevino lead the Blazer backcourt.

 

Saturday, January 23rd

Barr-Reeve vs Heritage Hills 8:00 pm (Southridge)

Two of southern Indiana's best 2021 bigs go head to head at Southridge as Curt Hopf and Blake Sisley lead their teams into battle. Barr-Reeve had a couple of difficult games this past week, defeating rival 1A schools Loogootee and North Daviess by a combined four points. The Vikings have plenty of shooting to surround Hopf in the post. Future Evansville Purple Ace Blake Sisley is averaging 23 points and six boards a night for the undefeated Patriots, who have won all but one of their games by double figures. Point guard Jake Johnson is among the state's leaders in assists with nearly seven and a half per game.

 

Chesterton at Adams 8:00 pm

Northern Indiana gets treated to a wonderful non-conference matchup when the 11-1 Trojans of Chesterton head east to face the 12-0 Eagles of South Bend Adams. Travis Grayson, a junior point guard, is the main cog for coach Marc Urban's offense, and defense taking care of the rest. The Trojans have only allowed one team to score more than 53 a game. Travis Vanderwoude scored 12 in their weekend victory over Penn. Adams features a balanced attack led by a handful of seniors. Brayden Saxton and Lynn King are both undersized forwards who create matchup problems for the opposition, and Quentez Columbus is a dynamic athlete in the backcourt.

 

Eastern Hancock at Shenandoah 7:30 pm

The undefeated Royals of Eastern Hancock make the short trek north to Middletown when they take on the 2A #2 Raiders of Shenandoah. Shenandoah is incredibly balanced, as all five starters score in double figures. Jakeb Kinsey leads them with 16 points a game and Kam Graddy has come on strong his senior year in the post. Eastern Hancock is paced by junior guard Landon O'Neal and his 17 points a night. He's joined in the backcourt by the Spauldings - Silas and Jacob. Both average around 11 a night and shoot better than 40% from behind the arc. The Royals haven't played since January 2nd.

 

West Side at Valpo 2:30 pm

Another out of conference matchup in the Region should be determined in the frontcourt. Mason and Cooper Jones of Valpo have the size and strength to match up with Jalen Washington and Mason Nicholson who has missed time due to an injury and may not be available, and whatever tandem gets the best of the other could propel their team to victory. Valpo is riding a four-game winning streak in which three of the four opponents have failed to top 35 points. Breece Walls runs the show from the point guard spot. His counterpart - Quimari Peterson, is having a great senior season for the Cougars, who come in on a four-game winning streak of their own. West Side's only defeats have come to top-ranked teams - 3A #1 Hammond and 4A #1 Lawrence North.

 

Homestead at Lawrence North 5:30 pm

Two undefeated 4A Titans square off as #1 Lawrence North welcomes #2 Homestead down I-69. Both teams had big weeks, as Homestead knocked off 2A #1 Blackhawk Christian before taking out Snider last Friday. Lawrence North used some timely efforts and a little luck to come away with the Marion County Tournament crown, defeating Warren Central in the title contest. The Spartans are led by a pair of Big Ten recruits in senior Luke Goode (Illinois, and Fletcher Loyer (Purdue). Loyer averages 25 a night and scored 13 in the fourth quarter in their win against Blackhawk. The Wildcats certainly have talent of their own, in senior point guard Shamar Avance, post DJ Hughes (Butler), and talented junior guard CJ Gunn.