(Linton-Stockton's Joey Hart)

 

The season heads into its second half with many intriguing matchups this week. Indiana Basketball Source details the top games of the week around the state.

 

Tuesday, January 11th

Homestead at Blackhawk Christian 7:30 pm

Homestead has been chugging along all year behind the spectacular guard play of Fletcher Loyer. Finally, they'll get a peek at the two-time reigning 2A state champion Braves. But it's a new look Blackhawk Christian following the graduation of 2021 Mr. Basketball Caleb Furst, Zane Burke, and Marcus Davidson, among others. Bruising forward Jake Boyer is the only returning starter from a year ago, but Gage Sefton has moved up from his 6th man role to help lead the Braves to an 11-0 start.

 

Warsaw at Penn 7:45 pm

Penn fell by a single point Saturday night to a stellar Valpo team, and the Kingsmen will look to rebound following their first loss of the season on Tuesday. High-scoring junior guard Markus Burton leads the way as veteran coach Al Rhodes looks for his 650th career win. Warsaw got back into the win column with a road conference win over Northridge last Friday, and a junior guard also leads the Tigers - 6'2 Jaxson Gould. Gould is a threat to score from anywhere on the floor.

 

Wednesday, January 12th

Carmel at Cathedral 7:30 pm

If Cathedral wants to stake a claim as one of the 4A favorites this year, knocking off the two-time reigning 4A champs would be an excellent way to make that proclamation. The Irish have responded following their loss in the Hall of Fame title contest by winning their last four games by an average of 37.5 points per game, including a 94-45 thrashing of New Albany on Saturday. Carmel fell for the third time this season by a single point to Westfield on Saturday but did so without the services of 6'9 senior Charlie Williams and classmate Josh Whack. A key matchup here will be Cathedral's Jaxon Edwards going up against Bellarmine-commitment Pete Suder at a wing spot.

 

Friday, January 14th

Barr-Reeve at Loogootee 7:30pm

Maybe the best 1A rivalry in the state fires up once again as the top spot in the Blue Chip Conference is up for grabs Friday night. These two teams have already met this season; a one-point Loogootee victory on December 30th. Hagen Knepp and his 20 points a night will try to snap Barr-Reeve out of a four-game losing streak. Loogootee junior Peyton Bledsoe is a promising talent for the Lions.

 

Brownsburg at Fishers 7:30 pm

The Bulldogs are fresh off a Hendricks County Tournament crown last week, defeating Avon 61-52 in the championship. Look out for sophomore Kanon Catchings, who averages ten a game and went for 15 against Avon on Saturday. Elhadj Diallo leads the Bulldogs at 15 points a night. Last weekend, fishers lost for just the second time, upended by Ryan Conwell and Pike in overtime. The Tigers will look to keep their perfect HCC record intact. They'll need a big performance from Jeff Simmons inside in his matchup against Shon Tupuola.

 

Clinton Prairie at Carroll (Flora) 7:30 pm

The Peckinpaugh name is very familiar to Lafayette area hoops fans, and Chad Peckinpaugh is carrying on the family name by leading the Clinton Prairie Gophers to a 12-1 mark on the year. The Gophers' only loss this year came to Covenant Christian. They've won their three Hoosier Heartland Conference games this year by an average of 27 points a contest. They'll run into 9-0 Carroll, and the Cougars are a buzzsaw cutting through the opposition. Only Lewis Cass has been able to stay within a dozen points, but that was back in the season opener on November 23rd.

 

Snider at Homestead 7:45 pm

Homestead's second appearance of the week sees them face the high-scoring Panthers of Snider. This will test Homestead's defense, as the frontline of the 6'6 Leeper brothers will be forced to guard away from the basket against Snider's five-out attack. Look for Fletcher Loyer to have a big game as usual and for the Leepers to dominate on the backboards. It's hard to find a more potent scoring duo than Snider's 1-2 punch of Karson Jenkins and Aidan Lambert. The senior guards are both averaging over 25 points a night. Jenkins went for 41 in a victory over Wayne last week and is shooting 44% from behind the arc. Lambert has a 51-point game to his credit this season against Merrillville, and he's always good for a highlight-caliber dunk per game.

 

Lafayette Jeff at Anderson 7:30 pm

Two of the most storied and tradition-rich programs in our state's history meet up Friday night. Javan Buchanan and his 19 points and seven boards a night lead the Bronchos, who have won six of their last seven. Jeff needs a win to stay within striking distance in the NCC race. Anderson is off to their best start since the 2012-2013 season, as the 8-2 Indians led by coach Donnie Bowling are energizing the faithful in Anderson. Junior guard Ahmere Carson has been scorching the nets to the tune of 19 points a night. This could be a springboard came for the Indians, as five of the next six after Friday come on the road.

 

Linton Stockton at Bloomfield 7:30 pm

Another rematch of a game earlier this season sees Bloomfield host Linton-Stockton. These two are reacquainting themselves after a December 28th game that saw the Miners emerge victorious by a 46-42 score. Junior wing Joey Hart is putting up remarkable numbers again this year, and Logan Webb gives an excellent presence as a second option. THe Miners' only loss this year came in the title game of the First Financial Wabash Valley Classic to 4A Terre Haute North by two points. Bloomfield will want revenge for their only defeat of the season, as the Cardinals have run off four straight following that loss. Seniors Baylin Graf and Chris Royal lead the way for Coach Neill.

 

Peru at Maconaquah 8:00 pm

The Tigers are 11-0 for a second straight year but are hoping to avoid repeating last season, where they went 5-8 down the stretch and failed to win a sectional title. Senior forward Matt Ross is flirting with a double-double at 20 points and nine rebounds a night, while the young backcourt of sophomore Matt Roettget and freshman Gavin Eldridge are each around ten points a game. Conference implications abound in this one, as Peru sits at 4-0 in Three Rivers Conference play while Maconaquah comes in at 2-0. A pair of high-scoring seniors lead the Braves in Hayden Maiben and Brayden Betzner. However, Maiben was held to his lowest output of the season - nine points - when these two met on December 29th in the championship of the Miami County Invitational, a 58-47 Peru victory.