Regional Preview: 3A
The high school season is wearing down here but Regionals are coming in hot and heavy. We are ready to take a look at all the matchup, breaking each of them down and getting ready for one of the best…
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Continue ReadingThe high school season is wearing down here but Regionals are coming in hot and heavy. We are ready to take a look at all the matchup, breaking each of them down and getting ready for one of the best days of the year.
Regional #5 – South Bend Washington
Matchups:
Hanover Central vs. Culver Academies
Hammond vs. West Lafayette
Players To Watch:
Ethan Brittain-Watts – 6’1 PG 2019 – Culver Academies
Their star senior has been much improved this season and while they have a handful of other talented players, Ethan might be the most important as consistency matters on a state run and he’s been that this season for them. They need his production and leadership in a Regional that isn’t terribly difficult but just tricky enough.
Yanni Karlaftis – 6’5 PF 2021 – West Lafayette
West Lafayette has been really solid this year and they really came together after their football players were able to get back involved fully. The best of which has been Yanni Karlaftis. The high-end football prospect really does a lot for this team. They have a tough road ahead but physicality could be important and his toughness could be something that gives them an edge in games that are more grind-it-out than run-it-out.
Prediction:
Culver Academies over West Lafayette
The reality here is that Culver Acadmies is a team that is setup for another run at a State Championship and the defending 3A Champs are not going down easily. Picking against them doesn’t seem smart and there isn’t really a team here that is too terribly difficult. They could slip up and a team like Hammond or West Lafayette could get it done but that doesn’t seem like the most likely of scenarios.
Regional #6 – Marion
Matchups:
Angola vs. Marion
Delta vs. Tippecanoe Valley
Players To Watch:
Jalen Blackmon – 6’1 PG 2021 – Marion
Here, Blackmon is talented enough that he could wins game by himself as he’s proven this year he can go off and score in the upper 30’s and beyond. But the other fact here is that Marion isn’t very deep and they will need him to be the main producer. If not, they don’t have the next-man-up type team to beat everyone in this Regional.
Josh Bryan – 6’5 SF 2019 – Delta
Delta has been the surprise of the season and most of that is due to Josh. He’s turned himself into a legit college prospect that could be an instant impact guy. He’s bigger, shooting better, and the leader of this group. This team is really balanced but his scoring and effort levels come off as the catalyst of this team.
Prediction:
Delta over Marion
Not sure it would shock to see Marion pull this off and get through but Delta has the makings of a team that can win a State Title. They just play so tough and have a ton of guys that can make shots. Their team depth is really good and well, they haven’t lost a game all year. Tough to pick against that until it happens.
Regional #7 – Greencastle
Matchups:
Beech Grove vs. Greencastle
Crispus Attucks vs. Owen Valley
Players To Watch:
Harold Bennett – 5’10 PG 2019 – Crispus Attucks
This team is just different with Harold Bennett in the game and without him, they lose against Brebeuf Jesuit in the semifinal round of Sectionals. He’s a guy that can go get 40+ but also plenty capable of leading the offense in other ways. They need him to be assertive. When he is, this team runs smoothly and their offense flows. If he gets in foul trouble or isn’t fully on, this team grinds things out a lot more.
Brody Whitaker – 6’2 SG 2021 – Greencastle
Greencastle has been really good this year and Whitaker is their best playmaker. He’s the guy that can make game-winning plays, hit big shots, and really take the focus of an opposing defense. Matching up against him on paper is easy but not sure it is when the games actually play out. He’s the guy teams have to focus on.
Prediction:
Crispus Attucks over Greencastle
When they are on, Attucks is the best team in 3A. But that has shown to be a little more up and down this year than they would probably like. Owen Valley is going to struggle in this one when Attucks wants to run. Beech Grove winning this Regional would be a great storyline but Greencastle is the better team right now. In the end, it would be really surprising seeing any team beat Attucks here, not shocking, just unexpected.
Regional #8 – Southridge
Matchups:
Batesville vs. Princeton
Evansville Memorial vs. Silver Creek
Players To Watch:
Zane Gross – 6’2 SG 2019 – Silver Creek
Zane is Silver Creek’s leading scorer but he’s also the senior that has the ability to bust a game wide open with his shooting ability. He’s at 43% from three this year and 56% from the field. Ball handling and perimeter shooting are the things that seem to make or break Silver Creek. Gross is a guy that can effect both of those things.
Zach Dove – 6’6 C 2019 – Princeton
The one area where Princeton can really take advantage is on the offensive boards. They are one of the best teams in the state at this with Matt and Zach Dove leading the charge. Zach, however, is averaging 3.3 offensive boards each game. With his size and physicality, he should be able to get some key second chance points and in these games that are more of a grind, those could loom huge.
Prediction:
Silver Creek over Princeton
Silver Creek has shown all season that their upside is massive and they could walk through to the next round. They have size, shooting ability, a high-powered offense, and have been tested pretty well this year. Princeton has continued to make their run, something they haven’t been able to do since 2008-09. They finally made it through this year to Regionals and it just seems like they could keep it going. This matchup would be intriguing because Princeton has the size to match up very well with Silver Creek but again, Silver Creek’s upside is something not many other teams have.