Game Previews: Monday, Nov 25-Wednesday, Nov 27

Andrean 59'ers at Lake Central Indians

Andrean, opens the year as they have done the last six seasons, vs. Lake Central.  Kyle Ross, 6'6" junior forward, who will be a load inside and out, and Nick Flesher, 6'0" junior guard, lead a group of juniors back to defend to their 2A state championship run.  Deshone Burnett, 6'3" junior guard, and Ben Jones, 6'1" junior guard, both played big roles last year and should get much more involved this year.

Lake Central has lost its last three openers to Andrean, and stopping that run will be tough.  Seniors Nick Anderson, 6'2" guard, and Kyle Blum, 6'4" forward, should get bolstered by the return from injury of Ami Khatra, 6'6" forward.  They could boosts from sophomores Jack Mahoney, 6'9" center, and the 6'3" sharpshooter Ethan Knopf.

Other top games:

• Indiana Home School at Culver Academy (Trey Galloway--Indiana commit, Jake Hittle--Indiana State)

Carmel Greyhounds at Zionsville Eagles

It will be a new look Carmel this year, as the defending 4A champ graduated five of their top seven, including four starters and about 85% of their scoring.  Peter Suder, the only returning starter, goes from freshman with an endless motor to one two main "goto guys" As a sophomore.

Conner Gioia, 5'10" junior, will run the offense, and Brian Waddell, 6'4" junior, moves up from JV to carry a major offensive load.   Jackson Jannsen, 6'0" senior, and Will Leary, 6'2" junior, will get plenty of looks from outside.  6'8" sophomore Charlie Williams drops into the footsteps of the John Michael Mulloy (now at Butler).  Look for junior forward Bryce Beery and sophomore guard Josh Whack to play roles for the young Hounds.

Zionsville also quite a bit from last year, but they return more, starting with Anthony Scales, 6'4" senior forward, and 6'2" senior guard, Ben Weidner.  The Eagles also received a talented transfer from Rensselaer Central, 6'5" senior, Jackson Hughes.  Hughes averaged close to the 20 ppg mark.

Interested to see how much two freshmen get to play in this game.  Carmel's Spencer White, 6'4" forward, and Zionsville 6'1", point guard, Logan Imes should both get varsity action throughout the year...just not sure how much this early. - Jim Reamer

Fishers Tigers at Ben Davis Giants

Ben Davis will have plenty of varsity experience from last year's runners-up team and one from their opponent in the championship game, Carmel.  Kai Steinman was new to Ben Davis last year, and his role grew as the season wore on.  Mostly a spark off the bench, he should share the scoring load with its new starting point guard, Bobby Fry, senior transfer from Carmel.

Jamari London and Josh Shannon, both 6'3" seniors, as well as Trevor Nibbs, 6'4" junior, will have bigger roles this season, and Jackson Gowdy, 6'8" senior, is an intriguing transfer from North Central.

Size is usually a premium at Fishers.  Last year they relied heavily on 6'6" sophomore Larry Simmons as a freshman, and as he looks to expand his game, they received a transfer from Cathedral, 6'8" senior, Isaac Farah. Alex Szilagyi, 6'2" senior, is an excellent shooter, and Justin Long, 6'4" senior, is kind of a Jack-of-all-trades. - Will Majrea

Other top games:

• Jasper at Evansville Harrison
• Muncie Central (Victor Young, Dylan Stafford) at Hamilton Southeastern (Majok Mabor)

Brownsburg at North Central

If Brownsburg gets any consistency from behind the 3pt line they will likely go a long way toward erasing their upset loss in last year's sectional, and maybe adding another state title to their trophy case.  Led by Pierce Thomas, 6'5" junior guard, Malek Edmonds, 6'6" senior forward, and Luke Lacey, 6'1" junior guard, it's a physically gifted trio that excels on both ends of the floor.

Thomas' shot has improved.  It's just a matter of it showing consistency during games.  Connor Lucas, 6'1" guard, will provide a lot of the outside cover, and Quentin Bragg and Tyray Lackey are another pair of juniors who will get chances for bigger varsity roles.

The second season under Coach Brian Hahn should produce a much more polished North Central squad.  Leland Walker, 6'0" sophomore point guard, is the head liner of this bunch. He's on track to be one of the top point guards in his class and among the best in the Indianapolis area as a sophomore.

The development of Charlie Peterson, 6'8" senior forward, has been impressive.  His motor landed him on the varsity as a freshman, but the Army commit has continued to add to his game each year.  Mike Elliott, 6'3" junior forward, brings a lot of versatility to the court.  Those three will carry them offensively.  After that, it will be a slew of kids who really get after it on defense. - Will Majrea

Other top games:

• Avon (Jayden Brewer) at Plainfield
• Homestead (Luke Goode, Zak Krueger, Andrew Leeper) at Huntington North
• Columbus East at Silver Creek (Trey Kaufman, Kooper Jacobi)