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Semi-state: Fishers pulls away from Crown Point

Written by Trevor Andershock

(Cooper Zachary and Justin Kirby at the 2024 FORUM Tipoff Class. Picture by James Cocherell)

Undefeated Fishers pulled away from Crown Point in the second and third quarters to advance to the 2025 IHSAA boys basketball 4A state final by the score of 73-48. Jason Gardner Jr. slashed his way to 18 points, leading the Tigers. Fishers now has a 43-game winning streak, dating back to last season.

Crown Point entered Saturday night's semi-state final at Elkhart as heavy underdogs against No. 1 Fishers. After scoring 16 points in the first half of the morning game against Homestead, the Bulldogs came out swinging to score the first six points of the game. Fishers answered back, but Crown Point showed that it was not going to be a formality.

Junior guard Mason Darrell attacked from the tip to score four of the first six Crown Point points. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Darrell's aggressiveness led to first-half foul trouble. He had two fouls early in the opening quarter.

After recording 21 points and seven rebounds in the morning game, Miami of Ohio signee Justin Kirby came off the bench to give Fishers a boost in the night game. In both games, Kirby looked to get to the basket on every catch, succeeding at a high level.

Kirby scored ten first-half points.

The game was tied after the first quarter, but Fishers shut down Crown Point in the second. The Bulldogs managed just six points, as Darrell and Dikembe Shaw had two fouls.

Fishers had problems passing and handling the ball against Crown Point's size and length. However, when the Tigers took care of the ball, they found an open shot and converted them. Cooper Zachary and Millen McCartney's three-point shooting in the second period propelled Fishers to a nine-point halftime lead.

Fishers put its foot down in the third behind two more threes from McCartney, and Gardner finishing around the rim.

Fishers finished nine of 15 from three-point range to notch a 73.4 effective field goal percentage for the game. Any effective field goal percentage over 53 is an excellent mark.

Darrell continued to score well for Crown Point before fouling out. He scored 23 points in only 17 minutes of playing time. The Bulldogs could not get anyone else in an offensive rhythm.

Shaw scored ten points on eight shots but struggled with turnovers throughout the game.

Fishers tallied 12 steals, with Zachary grabbing five and McCartney three.

Kingston Rhodes started hot for Crown Point but could not find open looks as the game progressed.

Gardner led Fishers with 18 points, five assists, and three rebounds.

Kirby had 16 points and six rebounds in the win, and McCartney added 14.

Zachary finished with nine points, seven assists, five steals, and four rebounds.

JonAnthony Hall, limited by early fouls, had seven points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Fishers looks to complete its undefeated season against Jeffersonville on March 29 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Semi-state: Crown Point downs Homestead 41-29

Category: Recruiting News

Written by Trevor Andershock

(Dikembe Shaw pictured in July of 2024)

Crown Point used 15 points from Dikembe Shaw and 13 from Kingston Rhodes to defeat Homestead 41-29. The Bulldogs will face Fishers tonight at Elkhart North Side Gym to represent 4A North in the state finals at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse next week.

Homestead sprinted to a 7-2 lead to begin the game behind sophomore Mack Welker. The lanky forward scored five quick points to get the Spartans off to a strong start. Scoring slowed for both sides from there.

In the second quarter, foul trouble mounted for Crown Point as Shaw and classmate Mason Darrell picked up two fouls before halftime. With Shaw and Darrell limited, Kingston Rhodes stepped up for the Bulldogs. His late three-pointer gave Crown Point the 16-15 halftime lead.

Shaw took over the game out of the locker room. The junior scored ten points in the first four minutes of the second half. He combined driving to the basket and making outside shots. Shaw pulled up in transition to give Crown Point the 28-18 lead.

Rhodes stepped up again at the end of the third to bury a three, pushing Crown Point's lead back to ten heading to the final period.

Crown Point milked the clock in the fourth as Homestead played a zone defense.

The Spartans cut Crown Point's lead to eight with two minutes to play, but that is the closest Homestead came.

Rhodes iced the game at the free-throw line by making all four attempts.

Shaw led Crown Point with 15 points on five of eight shooting from the field. He also tallied three steals, two rebounds, and two assists in the victory.

Rhodes ended with 13 points on three of five shooting from the three-point line. Bryce Peters added six points and four rebounds.

Welker scored 17 points on seven of 13 shooting. The sophomore also recorded eight rebounds and three steals.

Chris Johnson's squad finishes the year 22-6.

Fishers and Homestead will play at 7:00 PM Eastern tonight.

2025 NCAA Tournament: Indiana natives

Category: Recruiting News

Written by Trevor Andershock

(Mason Gillis early in his high school career)

Here is a rundown of all the Indiana natives playing in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 Duke—Mason Gillis (New Castle 2019)

No. 2 Michigan State—Xavier Booker (Cathedral 2023)

No. 4 Purdue—Braden Smith (Westfield 2022), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Silver Creek 2021), Fletcher Loyer (Homestead 2022), Caleb Furst (Blackhawk Christian 2021), Myles Colvin (Heritage Christian 2023), Brian Waddell (Carmel 2021), Jack Benter (Redshirting, Brownstown 2024)

No. 5 Clemson—Jake Heidbreder (Floyd Central 2021)

No. 6 BYU—Kanon Catchings (Brownsburg/OTE 2024)

No. 6 Illinois—Ben Humrichous (Tipton 2020), Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (McCutcheon/OTE 2023), Jake Davis (Cathedral 2023)

No. 6 Missouri—Tony Perkins (Lawrence North 2020)

No. 6 Ole Miss—Dre Davis (Lawrence Central 2020)

No. 7 Kansas—Flory Bidunga (Kokomo 2024)

No. 10 Arkansas—Johnell Davis (Gary 21^st 2020)

No. 10 Vanderbilt—JQ Roberts (Bloomington North 2023), Alex Hemenway (Redshirting this year, Castle 2019)

No. 11 North Carolina—Jalen Washington (Gary West Side 2022)

No. 11 Xavier—Ryan Conwell (Pike 2022), Bob Nunge (Walkon, Castle)

No. 12 Liberty—Josh Smith (Redshirting this year, Monrovia 2020)

No. 14 Lipscomb—Charlie Williams (Carmel 2022)

No. 16 Norfolk State—Sin’cere McMahon (Attucks 2020)

Semi-State: Fishers runs through Riley 82-46

Category: Recruiting News

Written by Trevor Andershock

((Justin Kirby pictured at the 2024 FORUM Tipoff Classic by James Cocherell)

At Elkhart, Fishers moved to 29-0 on the season with a dominant 82-46 win over South Bend Riley. Miami of Ohio signee Justin Kirby showed his immense potential by recording 21 points and seven rebounds in under 20 minutes of playing time. The Tigers improved their winning streak to 42 games, dating back to last season. Fishers will play the winner of Crown Point/Homestead tonight.

Fishers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back. Riley played behind the eight-ball from the start as Tyrese Jones committed two early fouls. The junior guard returned to the game in the first quarter only to pick up his third foul.

Kirby made an impact from the start, and Logan Sigler came off the bench to score four points in the first quarter. Fishers had four players—Kirby, JonAnthony Hall, Sigler, and Cooper Zachary—score more points in the first period than Riley. Fishers held a commanding 20-3 lead after the first eight minutes.

Riley found some positivity to begin the second quarter. The Wildcats posted the first eight points of the stanza to make it a game. Isaiah Packer provided Riley with the boost with six points.

However, Kirby showed the potential I've been talking about for three years. His size, athleticism, and body control allowed him to score at will, going to the basket. By halftime, Kirby had 17 points and five rebounds.

Fishers pushed the lead to 30 in the third quarter after Kirby had a breakaway dunk, and Zachary quickly followed it with a transition three.

Sigler continued to play well for Fishers. He had 12 points and five rebounds through three quarters.

Jones scored 45 points for Riley against Warsaw last weekend. Today, the junior did not score until the 7:47 mark of the fourth quarter on a pull-up jumper. Those were his only two points of the game.

For IHSAA games, there is a running clock after a team achieves a 35-point advantage, and Fishers reached that late in the third quarter.

With the clock running, Torey Breland scored seven points while Fishers tried to get to the end of the game.

Sigler finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Jason Gardner Jr. and Hall each scored ten points. Zachary finished with nine.

Marvin Schindler led Riley with 13 points in his last high school game. Packer ended the game with ten points.

Riley finishes the year 22-5 with two losses coming at the hands of Fishers.

Sectional 2: Portage 69, Chesterton 55

Category: Recruiting News

Written by Trevor Andershock

(O'Mari Evans driving against Lake Central. Photo from the NWI Times)

The senior core of Portage proved to be too much Chesterton on Friday night. O'mari Evans, Michael Wellman, and Garrett Clark dominated from the tip, leading Portage to a 69-55 win.

Portage, entering the sectional 18-5, and Chesterton, entering 15-8 and on a seven-game winning streak, were the favorites to win the Sectional 2 at Valparaiso. The DAC rivals received byes to the semifinal but had to face each other on Friday night.

From the tip, Evans set the tone with his defense. He forced two steals for runouts in the first quarter. Wellman was initially aggressive, and Clark gave Portage extra possessions by hitting the glass.

Portage jumped out to a 17-6 lead after the first period. Junior guard Logan Pokorney hit two three-pointers for Chesterton's only points.

The Trojans made the game competitive in the second quarter by slowing down and scoring second-chance points. Rob Czarniecki and Cayden Schneider gave Chesterton a boost in the quarter.

An eight-point guard at halftime, Evans opened the second half with two three-pointers in quick secession and all but put the game out of reach. An unsigned senior, Evans had a tremendous second half to finish with 24 points, four steals, three rebounds, and three assists.

While trailing, Pokorney kept shooting well for Chesterton. He has progressed into an elite spot-up shooter who does an outstanding job of preparing before catching the ball. He finished with 22 points on six three-pointers.

Jaylon Watts also had success slashing to the basket, especially in the fourth quarter, for Chesterton. He scored 18 in the loss.

Portage used a half-court trap to keep Chesterton on its heels all game, and the turnovers Portage forced out of it were the difference in the game.

Michael Wellman scored 16 points, and Sam Wellman iced the game at the line to finish with 12 points and five assists. Clark tallied nine points and 12 rebounds.

Portage plays Merrillville for the Sectional 2 title at Valpo High School on Saturday night.

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Indiana Basketball Source is the ultimate authority on high school basketball in Indiana.

News

Recruiting News

Semi-state: Fishers pulls away from Crown Point

Semi-state: Crown Point downs Homestead 41-29

2025 NCAA Tournament: Indiana natives

Semi-State: Fishers runs through Riley 82-46

Sectional 2: Portage 69, Chesterton 55

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