(Bloomington North sophomore JQ Roberts)

We've made it to the final week of the regular season. For some it was a straight path, for others it was a roller coaster of pauses, postponed games, crazy scheduling, and relief. But with the sectional draw complete, we get ready for the start of the postseason. Before that, however, we have one last week of regular season contests. We take a look at ten of the best from around the state in our final Week In Preview of the 2020-2021 boys basketball campaign.

Tuesday, February 23rd
Bloomington North at Covenant Christian 7:30pm
The Cougars of Bloomington North have been one of the programs hit by quarantine, as they've only played 13 games this season. Their record of 11-2 is due to a balanced lineup led by senior wing Isaac Vencel and his 15 points a game. Sophomore wing JQ Roberts is having a breakout sophomore campaign averaging 12 points and 6 boards a night. Covenant Christian has constantly challenged themselves against quality large school competition and has beaten some quality teams like Guerin, Roncalli, and Brebeuf. Senior guard Trey Flatt stuffs the stat sheet, and can explode like he did when he hung 52 on Lawrenceburg earlier this year.

Carmel at Crispus Attucks 7:30pm
Both teams face tough tests in their respective sectionals, but first, a mammoth regular season clash. Carmel is two one point losses from being undefeated this season, and they are hitting stride heading into the postseason after getting star senior Brian Waddell back from an ankle injury. Junior Pete Suder has carried more of the scoring load for Carmel and the Greyhounds are their normal selves defensively, holding their last eight opponents under 50 points. Attucks, who comes in averaging 80 a game, looks to stop that trend behind senior guard Isaiah Stafford, who recently committed to Southern Indiana. He's averaging 23.2 points in five games against MIC competition this season.

Carroll (Flora) at Western 7:30pm
Two of the state's top defenses meet in Russiaville when the 19-1 Cougars of Carroll met the Western Panthers. Senior guard Kyle Sanders headlines the offensive attack for Western coach Mike Lewis, whose team is looking to rebound following a loss against Beech Grove on a buzzer beating three pointer Saturday. Sanders is averaging 16 points a game on the strength of 47% shooting behind the arc. Carroll is holding opponents to just over 44 points a game this season, and hasn't lost since the 2nd game of the season. The 18 game winning streak has only seen three teams hit the 50 point mark.

Blackhawk Christian at Leo 7:30pm
The Braves are coming off a big road win at Attucks on Saturday, and the inside-outside duo of Caleb Furst and Zane Burke continue to lay waste to opposing defenses. Both are averaging over 20 points a game on the season and peaking at the right time heading into the state tournament. Leo's frontline of DJ Allen and Zack Troyer will hope to slow down Furst, while Blake Davison is coming off a 24 point performance against Bishop Dwenger last Wednesday for the NE8 champions.

Friday February 26th
Chesterton at Gary West Side 8:00pm
Chesterton looks to rebound following a disappoint loss to rival Valpo that saw the Vikings claim the Duneland Athletic Conference crown, followed by a loss to Hammond on Saturday in which Chesterton led at halftime. The road doesn't get any easier for the Trojans, who head west to Gary to face off against Quimari Peterson, Jalen Washington, and crew. Travis Grayson led the Trojans with 24 in the loss to Hammond. West Side looks to wrap up their best regular season record since their state-title winning season of 2001-2002.

Bosse at Reitz 8:00
Shane Burkhart's squad looks to ruin the perfect SIAC record of Reitz when these conference rivals meet on Friday. Junior guard Julian Norris leads the way with 17 points a night, one of four Bulldogs in double figures. A change in direction is needed for Bosse, who have lost four of their last five after starting the year 14-0. Reitz is trying to clinch the SIAC title, but would need wins against fellow conference unbeaten Castle of Tuesday followed by Bosse on Friday to wrap up sole ownership of the crown. Senior wing Owen Dease hopes to pull the Panthers out of their own slide, as they've lost three of their last five after an 11-0 start to the season.

Hammond at Valpo 8:00pm
Both these teams got the better of Chesterton last week, and they meet up in a non-conference showdown. Look for a fierce battle underneath as Darrell Reed and Cooper Jones lock horns. Valpo will have to contend with a potent perimeter duo of the Wildcats that averages nearly 32 points per game in seniors Harold Woods and Reggie Abrams. Breece Walls and Colton Jones will be tasked with slowing down the Hammond guards, while providing playmaking for Barak Coolman's side.

Mishawaka at St. Joseph 7:30
A couple of high scoring seniors go head to head as Notre Dame bound JR Konieczny and the St. Joe Indians face off against Trent Johnson and the Cavemen of Mishawaka. The 6'6 Konieczny is averaging north of 30 a night and recently went for 40 against Mishawaka Marian. That was their only loss in the previous seven games. Johnson has routinely made highlights with massive dunks from the 6'1 guard, and he's led his team to a 14-5 record this year under veteran coach Ron Hecklinski and a share of the Northern Lakes Conference title.

North Daviess at Sullivan 7:30pm
Juniors Randy Kelly and Jackson Hills lead the way for the Golden Arrows, who sit just inside the 3A rankings and atop the Western Indiana Conference standings. They're looking to gain momentum towards claiming their first sectional crown in ten seasons. The secret can be found from way downtown, as the Golden Arrows shoot a remarkable 46% from three as a unit. North Daviess has their own sectional title aspirations this season, and have built an outstanding 18-3 record on the season. Those three losses have come by a grand total of four points, proving that Brent Dalrymple's squad will be a tough out come tournament time.

Wapahani at Shenandoah 7:30pm
The Mid-Eastern Conference title is on the line in Middletown as its Raiders vs. Raiders in this matchup. Shenandoah has been the team to beat for the past few seasons, and their five senior starters are looking to wrap up their careers in style. Point guard Andrew Bennett is rounding into form following an injury late in football season that has kept him less than 100% for most of the year. The 6' senior is averaging 17.4 points over his last five games. Wapahani is used to big time scorers, and the next in line is freshman Isaac Andrews. The 6'1 guard is averaging over 17 points a game and leading his team in assists while also shooting 40% from behind the arc. Sophomore Aidan Franks is just behind Andrews in scoring at 16 a night.