5 Questions: Northwestern vs. Lafayette Central Catholic
On a freezing cold night, the gym inside Lafayette Central Catholic was hot. Two players set career highs in points and another was close to a triple-double. Northwestern came in to the game 7-1 but a late LCC flurry gave the hosts a win, 83-73. Two of the best sophomores in the state met up in this one and it didn’t disappoint.
Is Tayson Parker the best basketball player in the state that no one knows?
I watched Parker in a game last year and while he was a bit more reigned in, he still played really well. Now, he is able to do basically whatever he wants, which is good and bad. Starting with the bad, Parker really needs to know when to stop shooting the ball. He needs to learn to pick his spots and attack the basket more often later in games rather than shoot. Parker also needs to work on his handles as he turned the ball over a couple times late leading to a loss. Even though, Parker is an elite athlete. He is able to play above the rim and even on his jumper he is at the rim. His outside shot does look better but it’s still a work in progress. Wasn’t sure what level coming in that I could peg him at but after tonight I think he’s a surefire D1 player. A must watch player. He finished with a career high 44 points along with six rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
Will Jonah Switzer’s scoring output this year land him on a college roster?
Most of Switzer’s baskets come on back cuts as he is fed from the high pot. LCC is such a fundamental team and they have a knack for finding the open man as they did tonight. Switzer did more than just back cut tonight though. He fired up a few three-pointers and hit two of them. Switzer was able to drive baseline and finish through contact at the rim. If he wanted too he could play for a D3 school but with this being his first varsity year and him being a system player, it has yet to be seen if he will gain any interest, even with averaging 25.1 points a game to date in the season.
Is Carson Barrett going to be able to break through and garner some D1 offers?
Barrett is averaging almost a triple double this year and is getting better and better every time I see him. He’s a great passer and tries to make plays every trip down the court. Barrett does have his fair share of turnovers but those are due to his aggressiveness, something that at this stage coaches like to see. Barrett is a really good driver of the ball and that is pretty much his game right now. He shoots the long ball a little bit but not enough to be able to consistently stretch it out there. Also, he needs to gain a bit of athleticism as he isn’t quick enough quite yet to defend the three in college. I think he eventually could get there, as his dad played at Purdue, but at this point he isn’t ready to make that leap.
Will Lafayette Central Catholic be able to make another run to state?
Lafayette Central Catholic probably isn’t as strong as previous year but they are still a very solid team and have the potential to make another deep run. Their competition in sectionals will come in the way of Southwood, a program that was 21-5 last year and has started out this year just as solid. No other team will be able to win, so the winner of this game will move onto regionals. If LCC gets past sectionals then they should easily cruise through regionals as there is only one team that is over .500 that are in the other three sectionals. If they get past Southwood, barring a collapse then they will make it to semi-state where a couple tough teams could meet them there headlined by a potential meeting with Fort Wayne Blackhawk, a huge favorite to win state.
How will Northwestern fare in the state tournament as an inexperienced team?
A year after losing 12 seniors with none coming back with varsity experience, Northwestern was in for a long year. Then Tayson Parker transferred in and the outlook changed for them. Northwestern will have an uphill battle to win their sectional with a few very tough teams they have to go through. Maconaquah is a team that has given Northwestern trouble this year and West Lafayette is no slouch. There are a group of tough teams in that sectional headed by West Lafayette.