Game Previews: Thursday, December 30

As good as Connersville has been, and as much of a threat as they will be come March in 3A, their schedule gets a ton harder starting today. The master of junking up the paint, they will have to contain Braden Smith's constant attacks along the baseline. No one makes the drift pass any better than Smith, and as you widen out to contest, he'll find the big circling to the front of the rim. It'll be a pick-your-poison affair, as Cam Haffner is rarely more than a +1 pass away and Alex Romack is an excellent finisher in the paint.

That's when Smith is as his best, making others better.

Connersville is balanced and willing to be methodical. They have plenty of shooting options as well. Tobey Billups, Lucas Barron, Josh Williams and Kaleb Sparks each have 3pt+ range, and they don't lose much when they go to the bench other than size.

While the season produced more 4A contenders, Cathedral and Homestead are still among the core favorites. Ultimately it was Zionsville's size (not just height) that gave Homestead trouble. Cathedral has a mix of pure height in Xavier Booker and size in Jake Davis. If Cathedral goes man, the juicy matchup would be Jaxson Edwards vs. Fletcher Loyer, but Cathedral has a couple of more options to throw at Loyer.

Loyer has developed into more of a playmaker this year, an evolution that makes him doubly hard to guard, as he has the brothers Leeper to help him. Andrew, who is developing more of a faceup game, is still a threat around the basket, and his younger brother Grant has proven to be very reliable.

Homestead has to solve the Tayshawn Comer puzzle too, as his abilities off ball screens is potent. He has a lot of options around him as he gets downhill, including being able to score at the rim or mid-range.

7th Place Game

5th Place Game

3rd Place Game

Championship Game