Hammer and Rails - 2015 Indiana High School Basketball State TournamentPurdue's Okayest Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52787/Hammer_And_Rails_favicon..png2015-03-28T22:35:44-04:00http://www.hammerandrails.com/rss/stream/79294602015-03-28T22:35:44-04:002015-03-28T22:35:44-04:002015 IHSAA State Finals Scores
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<figcaption>C'mon, Caleb! You know you want to play in West Lafayette! | Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Caleb Swanigan and Jaren Jackson both win state championships. </p> <p>It was a busy day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse as all four class champions were crowned. It was also a good day for Jaren Jackson and Caleb Swanigan, both of whom have Purdue scholarship offers.</p>
<p><b>Class A</b></p>
<p><b>Barr-Reeve 65, Marquette Catholic 50</b></p>
<p>It is not surprising that Barr-Reeve reversed last year's overtime loss to Marquette in the Class A title game. What was a surprise was how easily they did it. Providence recruit Ryan Fazekas was held to 13 points after going for more than 30 last year. Duncan Roy had 17 for Barr-Reeve to lead them. The Vikings led 16-9 after one and 34-20 at halftime, so they were able to hang on to a big lead for their first state championship after four runner-up finishes. Ethan Duncheon of Barr-Reeve won the Trester Mental Attitude Award.</p>
<p><b>Class 2A</b></p>
<p><b>Park Tudor 73, Frankton 46</b></p>
<p>It was easy for Park Tudor to win a second straight Class 2A title. They also became the first program in the 105 year history of the tournament to win four championships in five years. Bryce Moore had 31 for Park Tudor as the Panthers led 34-25 at halftime and pulled away throughout the second half. Jackson, who has a 2017 Purdue offer, had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Austin Compton had 22 points for Frankton, while Cameron & Connor Bates, twins for Frankton, won the Trester Award.</p>
<p><b>Class 3A</b></p>
<p><b>Guerin Catholic 62, Frankton 56</b></p>
<p>The IHSAA dodged a bullet and won't have to strip a state championship from Griffith if the court ruling mentioned in the preview is overturned. Matt Holba had 29 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 assists to lead Guerin to its second state championship. Teammate Matt Labus won the Trester Award, too. Holba added the clinching free throws as Guerin closed the game on a 12-3 run in the last 3 minutes for the win.</p>
<p><b>Class 4A</b></p>
<p><b>Homestead 91, Evansville Reitz 90 OT</b></p>
<p>This was a hell of a ballgame. Reitz held a 10-point lead late in regulation and six point lead with less than 90 seconds to go, but consecutive steals after a basket led to scores and Homestead was able to send the game to overtime. Homestead hit a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left, giving them a four point lead. A long three-pointer cut it to one, but since the clock does not stop after a made basket in the high school game Homestead did not have to inbound the ball for the win since Reitz was out of timeouts.</p>
<p>Caleb Swanigan did not play well. He was held in check most of the night, but still had a monster game and took over in the overtime. He closed with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists.</p>
<p>This was an off game for him.</p>
<p>It was the first time ever that the Class 4A state title game had gone to overtime.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/28/8307015/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-state-finalsBoilerTMill2015-03-27T15:00:03-04:002015-03-27T15:00:03-04:002015 IHSAA State Finals Preview
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<figcaption>Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Caleb Swanigan, come on down. </p> <p>Tomorrow Indiana will crown state basketball champions for the 105<sup>th</sup> time. This year no current Purdue commitments are playing for a title, but two targets will be playing, Jaren Jackson of Park Tudor, a 2017 6'9" forward that is rated as a 4-star recruit and 34<sup>th</sup> nationally, is trying to help the Panthers to a fourth state championship in Class 2A. In Class 4A Caleb Swanigan of Homestead is playing for a championship before making his decision. Purdue has offered both players and we're waiting on a response, with Swanigan likely deciding first out of sheer necessity.</p>
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<p><b>Class A</b></p>
<p><b>Marquette Catholic (24-6) vs. Barr-Reeve (26-2) 10:30pm</b></p>
<p>This is a rematch of the 2014 Class A title game won by Marquette in overtime. Barr-Reeve is seeking its first state championship after serving as the Class A runner-up in 2002, 2007, 2010, and 2014. Because of the IHSAA success factor both schools will be moving up to class 2A next season.</p>
<p>Marquette is led by 6'8" senior Ryan Fazekas, who is committed to Providence. He averages 21 points per game as their lone double figures scorer. Braxton Miller (Not the Ohio State guy) is also a shift y point guard at 6' tall and 4.6 assists per game.</p>
<p>Barr-Reeve counters with Addison Wagler at 16.4 points per game. He is only a 6'5" center, so Fazekas has an advantage inside. Duncan Roy and Logan James also average in double figures. Both of these teams are senior-laden and played a tight game last season, so this should be a fun one.</p>
<p><b>Class 2A</b></p>
<p><b>Frankton (26-2) vs. Park Tudor (25-2) 12:45pm</b></p>
<p>Park Tudor is one of the best programs in the state and they are led by Bryce Moore, a Western Michigan commit that averages 18.9 points per game. They will move up to class 3A next season after winning the 2014 championship and getting back to the finals. In fact, they can become the first team in Indiana history to win four championships in five years. Jackson averages 9 points and 5.7 rebounds for them, but has a nice inside-out game and can shoot the three.</p>
<p>Frankton boasts a huge record, but Park Tudor has played (and beaten) many of the big powers in Indianapolis. Park Tudor only lost to North Central and Southport, two of the top five 4A schools. The Eagles are led by senior Austin Compton, who hits 44% of his threes and averages 15.4 points per game.</p>
<p>As good as Park Tudor is, this might be their weakest team of the last five years. Frankton is loaded with seniors too, so they can definitely give Park Tudor a game.</p>
<p><b>Class 3A</b></p>
<p><b>Griffith (19-10) vs. Guerin Catholic (21-8) 6pm</b></p>
<p>You may have heard the story about this one by now. On February 7 Griffith was involved in a nasty game with Hammond that erupted into a 45 second brawl after a hard foul. The IHSAA forced both teams to forfeit their remaining games and banned them from the state tournament. Both teams were also banned from the annual Region sportsmanship banquet, but held their own and made up for the fight. Just two days before the sectional a court order allowed both teams back into the tournament, and Griffith, who had not played in a month, ran off six straight wins to reach its first state finals.</p>
<p>The IHSAA may still win the appeal and it is possible Griffith could win the title only to have it stripped from them, so this makes for a very, very interesting subplot. Tremell Murphy and <span>Anthony Harris</span> both average more than 17 points per game. Tremell's twin Anthony also averages close to 15 per game, so this is a very good team.</p>
<p>Guerin won the 3A title in 2012 and they are led by 6'6" Matt Holba, who is headed to Lehigh after averaging 18.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Guerin has played a very tough schedule with games against Lawrence North, Indy Tech, Hamilton Heights, and such. They won't be phased by tough competition, but Griffith is definitely a team on a mission.</p>
<p><b>Class 4A</b></p>
<p><b>Homestead (28-2) vs. Evansville Reitz (29-1) 8:15pm</b></p>
<p>This should be fun. Evansville Reitz is the top scoring team in the state by a wide margin at over 92 points per game. They have topped 100 a whopping ten times and have a cast of players that doesn't have a D-I commitment (yet), but a couple of Southern Indiana signees. They love to play a full court trapping defense and have five players averaging in double figures led by Jaelan Sanford at 20.6 points per game.</p>
<p>In Homestead you have Swanigan, who went thermonuclear with 40 points in last week's semi-state. He averages 22.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game as the perfect 6'9" power forward to pair with <span>A.J. Hammons</span>. If you can watch this game on Fox Sports Indiana Saturday night try to have a drool cup ready if you imagine him in black & gold. His teammate, Dana Batt, is committed to Colgate.</p>
<p>If Swanigan has a big game against fast-paced Reitz it will be even more impressive.</p>
<p></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/27/8301641/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-state-finalsBoilerTMill2015-03-21T21:50:22-04:002015-03-21T21:50:22-04:002015 IHSAA State Tournament: Semi-State Scores
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<figcaption>Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Caleb Swanigan had a huge game to get Homestead to the state finals. </p> <p>The eight teams that will head to Indianapolis next week for the state finals are set. A pair of Purdue targets will be among them as well, as both had big days in the semi-state round:<b></b></p>
<p><b>Class 4A</b></p>
<p><b>Homestead 90, South Bend Riley 69</b></p>
<p>Caleb Swanigan just won Mr. Basketball. The Homestead senior and McDonald's All-American (that Purdue is still heavily recruiting) had 40 points and 17 rebounds as Homestead won its first ever semi-state. They will try to do what their girl's team could not, as the Homestead ladies were the class 4A state runner-up this season.</p>
<p><b>Evansville Reitz 92, Richmond 75</b></p>
<p>Alex Stein had 27 points and BlakeRuckman had 18 as Reitz, the state's highest scoring team, ran past Richmond and will head to the state finals for the first time since 1951. A total of five Reitz players reached double figures, as their trapping full-court style was too much for a very quick Richmond team.</p>
<p><b>Class 3A</b></p>
<p><b>Griffith 51, Fort Wayne Dwenger 45</b></p>
<p>How is this for a story: In February Griffith was involved in a fight with Hammond during a game, and the IHSAA forced them to forfeit their final seven regular season games and banned them from the tournament. Just three days before the tournament a judge overturned the suspension, saying that it was too stiff of a penalty based on other similar events and punishments. Griffith was allowed back into the tournament despite not having even practiced for three weeks, and now they are on the state finals.</p>
<p><b>Guerin Catholic 64, Vincennes Lincoln 42</b></p>
<p>Guerin returns to the state finals after winning it all in Class 3A in 2012. Matt Holba led Guerin with 19 points and nine rebounds in the victory, and he played big minutes as a freshman ont heir championship team three years ago.</p>
<p><b>Class 2A</b></p>
<p><b>Frankton 47, Hammond Noll 45</b></p>
<p>Frankton is off to its first ever state finals with a close win over one of the better teams in Class 2A in recent history. Frankton has been knocking on the door for some time with 18 and 21 wins the last two seasons. They entered this tournament at No. 3 in the state and the highest rated team in the north half of the bracket.</p>
<p><b>Park Tudor 59, Linton-Stockton 43</b></p>
<p>No Kevin Ferrell, no Trevon Blueitt, no problem. The No. 1 team in class 2A is now going for an unprecedented fourth state championship in five years. Jaren Jackson, a Purdue target, had only five points, but he also had 7 blocked shots.</p>
<p><b>Class A</b></p>
<p><b>Marquette Catholic 55, Liberty Christian 54</b></p>
<p>Nick Fazekas and Marquette Catholic will play for a second straight state title after a narrow win over Liberty Christian. Marquette trailed 21-6 after one quarter, but fought back to win when Fazekas hit two free throws with 17.4 seconds left.</p>
<p><b>Barr-Reeve 56, Clay City 54</b></p>
<p>Marquette will face Barr-Reeve for the second straight season as the Viking won their semi-state rematch with Clay City. Like the north semi-state, it was late free throws that were the difference as Logan James hit two with 17 seconds left to give Barr-Reeve the win.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/21/8271325/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-semi-state-scoresBoilerTMill2015-03-20T09:00:03-04:002015-03-20T09:00:03-04:002015 IHSAA State Tournament: Semi-State Preview
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<figcaption>Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Caleb Swanigan and Jaren Jackson, two Purdue targets, are a game away from the state finals. </p> <p>While all three of Purdue's official commitments are out of the state tournament, there are a handful of prospects taking part in this weekend's eight semi-state games at four different sites. Caleb Swanigan and Jaren Jackson are the two largest targets still playing, but there are definitely reasons to watch all eight games.</p>
<p><b>Class 4A</b></p>
<p><b>South Bend Riley (12-14) vs. Homestead (27-2) 6pm at Huntington North</b></p>
<p>On paper this looks like a major mismatch. Homestead's two losses were to Chicago Curie and Ft. Wayne Snider, while Riley has been a major surprise. Five of their 12 victories have come in the postseason, and when they had split two games with first round opponent South Bend Adams it was a bit of a surprise they even won a game. Swanigan and Co. are huge favorites hereto advance to their first state finals in school history. Homestead eliminated Carmel and Ryan Cline in the regional final last week at Marion.</p>
<p><b>Richmond (26-3) vs. Evansville Reitz (28-1) 3pm at Seymour</b></p>
<p>This game was originally supposed to be at Richmond, as the Red Devils were the scheduled host for two semi-state games, but for the first time in the history of the state tournament the IHSAA <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indystar.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2015%2F03%2F17%2Fihsaa-owes-apology-to-richmond-high-school-basketball%2F24896977%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hammerandrails.com%2F2015%2F3%2F20%2F8255101%2F2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-semi-state" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">pulled home court advantage away</a>. This makes it a more neutral site for what should be an excellent game. Richmond is coming off its first regional crown since 1992, when Chad Austin led them to a state title. Reitz won a regional for the first time since 1968 and is seeking its first semi-state since 1951. Their lone loss was 88-80 at Southport on the final day of the regular season. Southport was upset by Pike in the sectional, who was, in turn, eliminated by Richmond. Get ready for some points, too. Reitz leads the state at an impressive 92.24 points per game (more than eight points more than the second place team), and Richmond is not afraid to run, either, averaging 68.17 with several games in the 80s and 90s. Reitz has topped 100 points 10 times, including twice in the tournament.</p>
<p><b>Class 3A</b></p>
<p><b>Griffith (18-3) vs. Ft. Wayne DWenger (14-13) 4pm at Huntington North</b></p>
<p>This is uncharted territory for Griffith. They have never won a regional before last week. Dwenger once produced Purdue walk-on B.J. Caretta, who beat my No. 2 rated Kokomo Wildkats in the 1996 semi-state when I was a sophomore to reach the Elite 8 of the old one-class tournament. They also won a regional last year before losing to Bowman Academy. At one point this year Dwenger was 4-13 and had even lost to Grant Weatherford and Hamilton Heights. They avenged that loss last week before beating NorthWood to advance. Either team is a surprise state finalist after No. 1 Mishawaka Marian and No. 7 NorthWood were knocked out of the north.</p>
<p><b>Guerin Catholic (20-8) vs. Vincennes Lincoln (21-6) 6pm, Southport</b></p>
<p>Guerin has had a ton of success and they are led by Matt Holba, who is committed to Lehigh. They won the 2012 state championship and were a regional champ last season with IUPUI's Aaron Brennan. Facing Vincennes is a surprise. The Alices upset two-time defending state champ Greensburg last week for their first regional since 1997. They last won a semi-state in 1984 and have state titles in 1923 and 1981. Only Kokomo, with 74 sectional titles, has more sectional crowns than the 71 that Vincennes has.</p>
<p><b>Class 2A</b></p>
<p><b>Hammond Noll (13-13) vs. Frankton (25-2) 3pm at Lafayette Jeff</b></p>
<p>Hammond Noll is one of three teams that entered the tournament with a losing record, but is still alive. They were state runner-up in 2011 and reached the state finals in 1988 in the one-class system. Frankton has been solid all year long with one of their losses coming against Class A regional champ Liberty Christian. Hammond Noll's record is a tad misleading, as they got beat up by many of the Northwest Indiana powers.</p>
<p><b>Park Tudor (24-2) vs. Linton-Stockton (22-6) 4pm at Southport</b></p>
<p>Park Tudor has won three of the last four Class A state championships thanks to the now departed Trevon Blueitt. They are now led by Jaren Jackson and were virtually perfect in the regional lastweek. They have won every tournament game by double digits. Linton-Stockton came out of the south two years ago when Park Tudor was upset in the sectional, but they lost in the state title game to Bowman Academy. Purdue has offered Jackson, who is already a 2017 4-star prospect according to Rivals. Park Tudor is the HEAVY favorite to repeat in Class 2A</p>
<p><b>Class A</b></p>
<p><b>Marquette Catholic (23-6) vs. Liberty Christian (25-3) Noon at Lafayette Jeff</b></p>
<p>This is a rematch of last year's north semi-state won 72-61 by Marquette on their way to a state title. Like Park Tudor in Class 2A, Marquette has already advanced far enough to know it has to move up in class next season. They are led by Providence commit Ryan Fazekas. Liberty Christian is a high scoring team at almost 80 points per game and they own wins over 4A schools Ft. Wayne Northrop, Pendleton Heights, and Fort Wayne South.</p>
<p><b>Clay City (24-4) vs. Barr-Reeve (25-2) 1pm, Seymour</b></p>
<p>This is also a rematch of last year's south semi-state, as all four Class A regional winners repeated after last year. Barr-Reeve won last year's game 75-55. Barr-Reeve has been the perpetual bridesmaid in Class A. They have been to the state finals four times since 2002, but have lost all four times. A fifth trip means that they would be forced to move up to Class 2A for the next two seasons. Barr-Reeve's defense during the state tournament has been stifling, as they have given up only 27.4 points per game in five tournament games. They have also won all five by double digits.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/20/8255101/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-semi-stateBoilerTMill2015-03-14T22:47:51-04:002015-03-14T22:47:51-04:002015 IHSAA State Tourney: Regional Scores
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<figcaption>Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Both Grant Weatherford and Ryan Cline end their high school careers. </p> <p>The field in Indiana has now officially gone from 64 to 16 teams and the semi-state matchups are set for next week. It was a rough day for Purdue's commitments. Both Ryan Cline and Grant Weatherford saw their high school careers end with losses today, as you will see below:</p>
<p><b>CLASS 4A</b></p>
<p><b>Michigan City</b></p>
<p>South Bend Riley 71 Northridge 56</p>
<p>Crown Point 58 Munster 50</p>
<p>Championship: South Bend Riley 77 Crown Point 74</p>
<p>This was a big surprise, as Riley will go into the semi-state with a losing record of 12-14, which is rare. They even lost to Kokomo earlier in the year, and my Kats had a very rough season.</p>
<p><b>Marion</b></p>
<p>Homestead 59 Carroll (Fort Wayne) 57</p>
<p>Carmel 60 McCutcheon 44</p>
<p>Championship: Homestead 41 Carmel 37</p>
<p>Caleb Swanigan ends the HS career of Ryan Cline as Carmel is denied a shot at a third state title in four years. Swanigan had 18 points and 8 rebounds in the come-from-behind morning win over Carroll. Cline had 16 points and only hit two threes in the win over McCutcheon in the morning session. In the night game Swanigan again had 18 points with 11 rebounds, while Cline's career ended with 21 points and nine rebounds.</p>
<p><b>Southport</b></p>
<p>Richmond 78 Pike 66</p>
<p>Brownsburg 47 Lawrence North 44</p>
<p>Championship: Richmond 71 Brownsburg 65</p>
<p>KJ Walton, who once had Purdue interest, had 19 points in the win over Lawrence North, while 2018 prospect (with a Purdue offer) bows out. This one had highlights.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUlJkci06QE" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Richmond won its first regional since 1992 when they won their lone state title with some guy named Chad Austin.</p>
<p><b>Seymour</b></p>
<p>Franklin Central 52 Bloomington South 50</p>
<p>Evansville Reitz 64 New Albany 59</p>
<p>Championship: Evansville Reitz 83 Franklin Central 69</p>
<p>Reitz moves on as the state's No. 1 team and will play Richmond next week, likely at Richmond.</p>
<p><b>CLASS 3A</b></p>
<p><b>Kankakee Valley</b></p>
<p>South Bend St. Joseph 66 Andrean 54</p>
<p>Griffith 64 Twin Lakes 52</p>
<p>Championship: Griffith 62 South Bend St. Joseph 50</p>
<p><b>Blackford</b></p>
<p>Fort Wayne Dwenger 58 Hamilton Heights 53</p>
<p>NorthWood 39 Columbia City 33</p>
<p>Championship: Fort Wayne Dwenger 43 NorthWood 40</p>
<p>Grant Weatherford had 12 points in his final high school game to go with five rebounds and five assists. Heights led much of the game before falling late.</p>
<p><b>Greencastle</b></p>
<p>Guerin Catholic 59 Lebanon 45</p>
<p>Tri-West 62 West Vigo 53</p>
<p>Championship: Guerin Catholic 52 Tri-West 46</p>
<p><b>Washington</b></p>
<p>Evansville Memorial 56 Silver Creek 36</p>
<p>Vincennes Lincoln 64 Greensburg 57 OT</p>
<p>Championship: Vincennes Lincoln 45 Evansville Memorial 44</p>
<p>Two-time defending state champion Greensburg was upset in overtime.</p>
<p><b>CLASS 2A</b></p>
<p><b>North Judson</b></p>
<p>Hammond Noll 58 Fort Wayne Canterbury 44</p>
<p>LaVille 73 Winamac 59</p>
<p>Championship: Hammond Noll 43 LaVille 39</p>
<p><b>Tipton</b></p>
<p>Frankton 74 Fountain Central 58</p>
<p>Madison-Grant 51 Oak Hill 46 OT</p>
<p>Championship: Frankton 53 Madison-Grant 41</p>
<p><b>Greenfield Central</b></p>
<p>Park Tudor 74 Northeastern 44</p>
<p>Indianapolis Attucks 84 Cloverdale 77</p>
<p>Championship: Park Tudor 92 Indianapolis Attucks 77</p>
<p>Jaren Jackson, another player on Purdue's radar, leads Park Tudor back to the semi-state. Since they are the defending champion in Class 2A they will automatically move up to Class 3A now for the next two seasons.</p>
<p><b>Southridge</b></p>
<p>Linton-Stockton 47 Evansville Mater Dei 39</p>
<p>South Ripley 57 Eastern (Pekin) 56</p>
<p>Championship: Linton-Stockton 61 South Ripley 46</p>
<p><b>CLASS 1A</b></p>
<p><b>Triton</b></p>
<p>Marquette Catholic 70 Fort Wayne Blackhawk 64 OT</p>
<p>Tri-County 67 Oregon-Davis 48</p>
<p>Championship: Marquette Catholic 69 Tri-County 60</p>
<p><b>Frankfort</b></p>
<p>Liberty Christian 51 Seton Catholic 47</p>
<p>Lafayette Central Catholic 74 Rossville 65</p>
<p>Championship: Liberty Christian 75 Lafayette Central Catholic 62</p>
<p>Junior Jackson Anthrop, youngest brother of Dru Anthrop and Danny Anthrop, had 25 in the win over Rossville. Word is he is looking at Purdue... for baseball. He is an accomplished running back in football as well.</p>
<p><b>Martinsville</b></p>
<p>Clay City 46 Indianapolis Tindley 45</p>
<p>Jac-Cen-Del 53 Indianapolis Lutheran 36</p>
<p>Championship: Clay City 61 Jac-Cen-Del 43</p>
<p><b>Loogootee</b></p>
<p>Barr-Reeve 49 Christian Academy 33</p>
<p>Wood Memorial 48 Orleans 43</p>
<p>Championship: Barr-Reeve 58 Wood Memorial 38</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/14/8217301/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-regional-scoresBoilerTMill2015-03-13T09:00:03-04:002015-03-13T09:00:03-04:002015 IHSAA State Tournament: Regional Saturday
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<figcaption>Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Both of Purdue's 2015 commits will play Saturday for a regional title. </p> <p>I love regional Saturday in Indiana, where the 64 sectional winners all go to 16 different sites, four teams at each sites, and cut the field down to a final four in each class. It is a throwback to the days of the old tournament, where you had to win two games in one day three times to be a state champion. Now it is the only round where you have to wins twice in one day to move on. The grueling nature of the day means that there are no cheap regional winners. Everyone earns it.</p>
<p>Purdue has plenty of interest in this year's tournament, as do other schools that have recruited players from in state. Here is a very quick look at all 16 regionals:</p>
<p><b>CLASS 4A </b></p>
<p><b>MICHIGAN CITY</b></p>
<p>South Bend Riley [10-14] vs. Northridge [14-9]</p>
<p>Munster [18-9] vs. Crown Point [18-8]</p>
<p>This is a pretty weak regional for class 4A, but that is because the favorite, East Chicago Central, was upset by Munster. The Mustangs have won this regional twice in recent seasons and were undefeated in 2011 before losing in the semi-state. Most likely the winner will get stomped in the semi-state by the winner at Marion.</p>
<p><b>MARION</b></p>
<p>Carroll (Fort Wayne) [23-3] vs. Homestead [25-2]</p>
<p>McCutcheon [22-4] vs. Carmel [22-2]</p>
<p>Holy crap is this regional loaded! Ryan Cline for Carmel is a Purdue commit. His teammate Keegan Culp will go to Air Force. Homestead has Caleb Swanigan (a five star Purdue target) and Dana Batt, who is going to Colgate. Chandler White of Carroll is going to Toledo. McCutcheon is a solid, well-coached team that might be the worst of the four, but they could easily win any other regional in the state. Of Carroll's two losses, two have come to Homestead 48-39 and 46-34. All three games here should be excellent.</p>
<p><b>SOUTHPORT</b></p>
<p>Pike [18-8] vs. Richmond [24-3]</p>
<p>Brownsburg [20-6] vs. Lawrence North [19-5]</p>
<p>This is another excellent regional where some very, very good teams like Southport were knocked out early. Pike has Tahjai Teague who is headed to Ball State. Richmond has a single loss, by a point, since early December. Brownsburg is a team loaded with shooters led by K.J. Walton, an uncommitted four-star that could end up at Minnesota (and Purdue has shown some interest in). Lawrence North has Kevin Easley, who is a freshman that Purdue is already recruiting.</p>
<p><b>SEYMOUR</b></p>
<p>Franklin Central [8-15] vs. Bloomington South [21-2]</p>
<p>New Albany [23-2] vs. Evansville Reitz [26-1]</p>
<p>Reitz is the top-rated team in the state and their only loss came very late in the year when they went to Southport and lost. They are a team that doesn't have a lot of star power, but plays really well together. New Albany and Bloomington South are always factors in March, while Franklin Central, as its record shows, is a big surprise to be here.</p>
<p><b>CLASS 3A </b></p>
<p><b>KANKAKEE VALLEY</b></p>
<p>South Bend St. Joseph's [18-6] vs. Andrean [14-10]</p>
<p>Twin Lakes [18-8] vs. Griffith [16-3]</p>
<p>Andrean is always strong as they play a tough schedule of larger schools. The same is true for South Bend St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's managed to knock of No. 1 Mishawaka Marian in the sectional, so that likely makes them the favorite.</p>
<p><b>BLACKFORD</b></p>
<p>Fort Wayne Dwenger [12-13] vs. Hamilton Heights [19-7]</p>
<p>Columbia City [19-7] vs. NorthWood [22-2]</p>
<p>Purdue has an eye here as Grant Weatherford leads Hamilton Heights into this regional. The Huskies have never advanced beyond the regional, but they are a balanced team that plays uptempo, so they could win this. NorthWood is an excellent team in its own right, with one of its two losses coming by one to South Bend St. Joseph's.</p>
<p><b>GREENCASTLE</b></p>
<p>Guerin Catholic [18-8] vs. Lebanon [9-15]</p>
<p>West Vigo [14-12] vs. Tri-West [20-4]</p>
<p>I would be stunned if this final was not Guerin Catholic vs. Tri-West. Lebanon is a bad, bad team that got a favorable draw to get here. I saw them more than once this year and Guerin will roll them. Guerin's Matt Holba is a D-I player headed to Lehigh after this season.</p>
<p><b>WASHINGTON</b></p>
<p>Evansville Memorial [17-6] vs. Silver Creek [23-2]</p>
<p>Greensburg [21-3] vs. Vincennes Lincoln [19-6]</p>
<p>Can someone finally beat Greensburg, who is the two-time defending state champion in Class 3A and has Ryan Welage headed to San Jose State after losing <span>Bryant McIntosh</span> to Northwestern? Silver Creek looks solid, but Greensburg has barely lost anything in the last four years (six losses in the last four seasons total).</p>
<p><b>CLASS 2A</b></p>
<p><b>NORTH JUDSON</b></p>
<p>Fort Wayne Canterbury [14-10] vs. Hammond Noll [11-13]</p>
<p>LaVille [20-6] vs. Winamac [20-4]</p>
<p>This is a very wide open regional. In fact, the entire northern half of the bracket doesn't have a clear favorite. If Winamac wins it will be its first regional title since 1932.</p>
<p><b>TIPTON</b></p>
<p>Frankton [23-2] vs. Fountain Central [20-8]</p>
<p>Oak Hill [18-6] vs. Madison-Grant [14-9]</p>
<p>On paper it looks like No. 3 rated Frankton could walk to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but Regional Saturday is always tough. Oak Hill might give them a game, but Frankton beat them by 33 in December.</p>
<p><b>GREENFIELD CENTRAL</b></p>
<p>Park Tudor [22-2] vs. Northeastern [22-3]</p>
<p>Cloverdale [22-5] vs. Indianapolis Attucks [18-5]</p>
<p>Purdue is looking at Park Tudor's Jaren Jackson, and the Panthers are heavily favored to win a second straight state title and fourth in five years. The closest that Northwastern has come to playing a team of their caliber came in losses to Indianapolis Crispus Attucks and Richmond. Cloverdale coach Pat Rady is also of note, as he is the state's active leader in wins with 761 victories in 51 years of coaching.</p>
<p><b>SOUTHRIDGE</b></p>
<p>Evansville Mater Dei [19-6] vs. Linton-Stockton [20-6]</p>
<p>South Ripley [16-8] vs. Eastern (Pekin) [15-10]</p>
<p>Mater Dei has a 15-point regular season win over Linton-Stockton and is generally tougher than their record shows, so they will probably pull this one out.</p>
<p><b>CLASS 1A </b></p>
<p><b>TRITON</b></p>
<p>Marquette Catholic [21-6] vs. Fort Wayne Blackhawk [20-6]</p>
<p>Oregon-Davis [11-13] vs. Tri-County [20-5]</p>
<p>Marquette Catholic is the defending champion in Class A and has Ryan Fazekas, who is headed to Providence next season. They should roll through this.</p>
<p><b>FRANKFORT</b></p>
<p>Liberty Christian [23-3] vs. Seton Catholic [18-6]</p>
<p>Lafayette Central Catholic [15-9] vs. Rossville [11-15]</p>
<p>Three private schools and a tiny public school. Central Catholic already upset No. 1 ranked Covington on their way to a 14<sup>th</sup> straight sectional crown. It has been awhile (2003) since they have gone all the way to Indy, however. Jackson Anthrop, the little brother of <span>Dru Anthrop</span> and <span>Danny Anthrop</span>, is one of their top players.</p>
<p><b>MARTINSVILLE</b></p>
<p>Indianapolis Tindley [17-10] vs. Clay City [22-4]</p>
<p>Jac-Cen-Del [18-8] vs. Indianapolis Lutheran [9-15]</p>
<p>I don't know a lot about the teams here except that Clay City won this regional a year ago. That experience should benefit them.</p>
<p><b>LOOGOOTEE</b></p>
<p>Christian Academy [21-4] vs. Barr-Reeve [23-2]</p>
<p>Orleans [21-3] vs. Wood Memorial [17-9]</p>
<p>Look for a final of Barr-Reeve vs. Orleans, which will be excellent. Barr-Reeve is ranked third and Orleans is ranked second. The teams played twice during the season and split the meetings, so round three should be fun. Barr-Reeve is the perpetual Class A bridesmaid, with four trips to Indy but no championships yet. Their closest was last year's 4-point overtime loss to Marquette Catholic.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/13/8197461/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-regional-previewBoilerTMill2015-03-07T22:24:18-05:002015-03-07T22:24:18-05:00Indiana Sectional Final Scores
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<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Grant Weatherford and Ryan Cline move on to Regional Saturday. </p> <p>It is Sectional final night in Indiana. All week, 5-8 teams have been gathering at centralized sites (under the abomination of class basketball) for sectional tournaments. Everyone is in with a blind draw that treats everyone equally. There are 64 champions and winning one of those titles is justification for an entire season of work. Tonight was the championship round, where 128 teams went down to 64 (except for a handful of sites that had weather delays this week or a school where their girl's team was playing in today's state finals).</p>
<p>Honestly, there are few things in sports more beautiful than sectional week and regional Saturday, which moves nearly 400 teams down to 16 in roughly 10 days.</p>
<p>All three currently Purdue commitments were in action tonight, along with several taragets. Let's see how they did:</p>
<p><b>Ryan Cline - Carmel - </b>After last night's performance save Class 4A No.2 Carmel, Cline had another solid night. He had 19 points as Carmel won 51-44, avenging last season's sectional final loss to Hamilton Southeastern. The Greyhounds now move on to the regional and will face McCutcheon at Marion at noon this Saturday. The other regional semifinal will feature Carroll (Ft. Wayne) against Monday's Homestead-Jay County winner. The Homestead game (with Caleb Swanigan) is on Monday because Homestead's girl's team was in the Class 4A state final tonight.</p>
<p><b>Grant Weatherford - Hamilton Heights - </b>The Huskies had to go to double overtime to secure a 55-52 win over Yorktown in the Muncie Central sectional. I scoured Twitter for his stats, but couldn't find any. He did hit some key free throws down the stretch for the win. Hamilton Heights moves on to the Blackford Regional and will face Fort Wayne Dwenger, who also won in double overtime.</p>
<p><b>CJ Walker - Indianapolis Tech - </b>In one of the biggest surprises of the night Lawrence North beat Tech 67-46. I say biggest surprise because Lawrence North won the regular season game 98-86, so there was actual defense played tonight. Walker had a rough night with three offensive fouls and he fouled out with 5:39 left. He was held under 10 points after going for 34 last night.</p>
<p><b>Other Targets:</b></p>
<p><b>Kevin Easley - Lawrence North - </b>I confused Easley last night with Kris Wilkes of North Central, who is already out of the tourney and can't really be that highly rated of a recruit if his team was eliminated after one game. Easley had 12 tonight for Lawrence North, who will face KJ Walton and Brownsburg in the Southport regional next week.</p>
<p><b>Paul Scruggs and Joey Brunk - Southport - </b>What a rough way to end the season for Southport. They went 23-1 against everyone else, but lost to Pike in four overtimes in the Marion County Tournament and 49-48 in the sectional final. They lost when a final putback rolled off the <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indystar.com%2Fvideos%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2015%2F03%2F07%2F24589655%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hammerandrails.com%2F2015%2F3%2F7%2F8169261%2F2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-sectional-final" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">rim as time expired</a>. No stats, but it is surprising that this was so low scoring like Tech-Lawrence North.</p>
<p><b>Zach Gunn - Hamilton Southeastern - </b>Gunn had 15 for HSE in the loss to Carmel. He is definitely a player to watch next year.</p>
<p><b>Jaren Jackson - Park Tudor - </b>The defending Class 2A state champs move on to the regional with a 75-60 win over Indianapolis Scecina. I couldn't find any stats.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/7/8169261/2015-indiana-high-school-basketball-state-tournament-sectional-finalBoilerTMill2015-03-06T23:41:18-05:002015-03-06T23:41:18-05:00Friday Sectional Scores
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<figcaption>Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>All three Purdue commitments and every target is still alive. </p> <p>Friday night was a very good night in the Indiana High School Tournament for Purdue's three committed players:</p>
<ul class="unIndentedList">
<li> I was at the Carmel Sectional and saw the end of Ryan Cline's semifinal with Fishers. This was a classic. Carmel won 56-48 in double overtime behind 30 points from Cline. It was Cline who saved No. 2 rated Carmel (21-2) too. He connected on two free throws with 8 seconds left to send the game to overtime. He then twice hit tying three-pointers in the first overtime with his team trailing by three. With less than five seconds left and his team down one he lost control on a drive, but managed to get a pass to teammate Trenton Richardson in the post. Richardson was fouled with 2.3 seconds left and hit one of two shots to send it to the second OT. He is going to be a great fit for Purdue as a role player because he is an unselfish teammate and should thrive with teams not focusing on him. He has grown his game and made a huge play by forcing a five second call with his team down one and Fishers having the ball with 27.8 seconds left in OT. He can also score off the dribble too, making him more than a shooter. Carmel will play Hamilton Southeastern for the title Saturday night at home. Carmel beat HSE 48-31 during the season. </li>
<li> C.J. Walker had 34 points for defending State Champion Indianapolis Tech in a 74-72 double overtime win over Indianapolis Cathedral and Eron Gordon. The scoring gives the junior more than 1,000 points for his career, and he is closing the season very strong. Tech will play Lawrence North and 2017 target Kris Wilkes for the Sectional title Saturday night at Lawrence Central. Lawrence North beat Tech 98-86 in the regular season. </li>
<li> Grant Weatherford had 28 points, five rebounds, and three assists as Hamilton Heights beat Muncie Central 75-68. The Huskies will now play Yorktown at Muncie Central for the sectional title. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Purdue Targets:</b></p>
<ul class="unIndentedList">
<li> <b>Caleb Swanigan - </b>Homestead beat Fort Wayne South 76-57 behind 16 points and 14 rebounds from Swanigan. Homestead appears to be on a collision course with Carmel in next week's regional final at Marion. Homestead will play Jay County Saturday and is HEAVILY favored. <b></b> </li>
<li> <b>Joey Brunk & Paul Scruggs - </b>Southport beat Ben Davis 45-27 with 13 points coming from Scruggs. They now get Pike in the Perry Meridian Sectional final, and that is a rematch of the Marion County Tournament semifinal that Pike won 92-86 in quadruple overtime. <b></b> </li>
<li> <b>Kris Wilkes - </b>The top 25 2017 forward will face Walker Saturday night after Lawrence North beat Lawrence Central 53-48 Friday night, eliminating Kyle Guy. I can't find any stats for Wilkes, however. <b></b> </li>
<li> <b>Zach Gunn - </b>2017 prospect Zach Gunn of Hamilton Southeastern had a huge game as they beat Zionsville 42-38. The 6'8" forward has 22 points and 13 rebounds, including 8 points in a critical 66 second stretch in the second half that pushed HSE's lead from three to 11. Gunn is a solid player that is probably one of the better 2017 player in Indiana. <b></b> </li>
<li> <b>Jaren Jackson - </b>Park Tudor beat Heritage Christian 54-35 to advance to the Shortridge sectional final against No. 3 Indy Scecina. Park Tudor is No. 1 in Class 2A. Jackson had only five points for Park Tudor, who is the defending champion in Class 2A and has won three of the last four titles there.<b></b> </li>
</ul>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2015/3/6/8165497/2015-indiana-state-high-school-basketball-tournament-friday-sectionalBoilerTMill