Braden Smith and his classmates are running out of chances. Carmel is their proverbial hump, and this group hasn't been able to get over it. March matters more, but beating Carmel would almost means as much to this group as winning the Hall of Fame. (Any team beating their nemesis would.) Carmel's last outing was the dissection of Anderson, which was done without Peter Suder and mostly done with Charlie Williams in foul trouble. The juniors stepped up, and there are four of them who part of the core rotation.

New Castle is having a sneaky good year, and they are looking as the team to beat in Sectional 24. Their two losses are to 4A teams, Andersona and Mt. Vernon. Connersville has lost three of their last four, after starting out 8-0, but two of those losses came to Westfield and Homestead in the Hall of Fame. An outstanding defensive team, they have a great deal of balane on offense. They'll have to contain the scoring of Gavin Welch and Trey Miller.

Valpo is facing a stout weekend of games. Penn is undefeated and hasn't had many close ones. Their two one possession games were against Michigan City and Crown Point, two future Valpo opponents. Markus Burton is an unselfish point guard who can also score in bursts. He will gamble on defense. They do have bodies to throw at Mason Jones, but the skilled Jones will be biggest player on the floor. Joe Smith could draw Breece Walls, allowing Burton to roam some defensively.