The coaches poll #1 2A team in the state (at Courtside Indiana we still have Brownstown #1 in 2A) visited #9 ranked, the Adams Central Jets. Early on it looked like the Blue Devils were going to run away with it jumping out to a 18- 7 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 30- 14 by halftime. Tipton was on fire all night from beyond the arc. The Devils hit 13 three's in total tonight which proved to be the difference compared to Adams Central only making one 3. 6'7 senior Isaac Shultz and the Jets fought their way back in the 2nd half on his way to a game-high 27 pts. In the end the deficit was too much to overcome despite AC cutting the lead to 4 with around a minute left, the Blue Devils come away with a 60-51 road victory. Going forward my concern with Tipton is their lack of an interior presence. There is some height at the 2A level that the Devils will have to figure out within the next 5 weeks.
● 6'5 junior Grady Carpenter fresh off his offer in the last week from Huntington looked the part tonight for the Devils. He didn't do it so much offensively but he controls the game for his size very well. He hit a few from behind the arc but that will have to become more consistent at the next level. I personally see him as Tipton's primary ball handler and doing so at the next level as well. Defensively for Tipton he has to play completely out of position defensively, but defended the inside as well as he could. His passing, as mentioned on our weekly podcast is second to none because of good instincts combined with his height. Grady is a kid that looks like he would be happy dishing out double figure assists and rebounds while scoring comes secondary. Carpenter finished with 11 pts, 10 rebounds 7 assists, and 5 blocks
● 6'1 senior Nolan Swan led the Devils in scoring tonight as he does most nights. Swan has volleyball range and handles the ball well. I see him as an offensive- minded guard at the next level. Swan can get hot in a hurry and did tonight at one point hitting three 3's on his way to a team-high 19 pts.
● 6'7 AC senior Isaac Schultz is a tough kid that battled inside all night. He handles it well in the paint and has nice moves for his size. Not too many kids at the high school level are going to out muscle him going up. Every time the Jets needed a basket Schultz was without question their go-to guy. Isaac is a Olivet Nazareen University- commit that will eventually see plenty of playing time. Tonight he finished with a game- high 27 pts and at least 10 rbs.
Tipton visits Shenendoah next Saturday afternoon at 1:30 while Adams Central ie back home against Fremont on Thursday.
An important HHC game took place on Friday night as the Jeffersonville Red Devils hosted the Bedford North Lawrence Stars. BNL came in with the better record while both teams received votes in the latest polls. Jeff has had the tougher schedule overall though and it showed tonight. The Devils were relentless on defense picking up full court and throwing waves of players at the Stars. BNL has capable ball handlers but Jeff's athletes just sped up the Stars all game. Combine that with Jr. All star candidate Tre Singleton scoring 10 right out of the gate in the 1st quarter and it was an uphill climb for BNL all night. The Stars kept it within single digits throughout the first half but slowly increased their lead in the 2nd. Jeff eventually pushed the lead up to 15, then that 15 became 20, and it was all over. Jeff showed fellow sectional 15 opponent BNL who the favorites in 5 weeks should be and sent a message to the rest of the sectional opponents that the Jeff Red Devils are just now hitting their stride.
● A big reason for the early lead was 6'8 Jeffersonville junior Tre Singleton. I have been waiting for Jeff to play through Singleton each time down the floor and the 1st half, Jeff did just that. If you do not double him, he is a very willing passer and finds the open man or cutters. BNL played him one on one and Tre spun and up and under'd his way to 10 first quarter points. Singleton even showed some range hitting an open 3. Something I noticed and was impressed with was his perimeter defense. He routinely stepped outside and did not allow smaller or quicker guys by him from up top. Tre is a legit Jr. All star candidate and I would expect him to be on one of the teams this coming June. Tre finsished with 22.
● 6'4 Red Devil guard Michael Cooper may just be the X factor for this team. The last month or so Mikey has really been on a tear hitting 3's, mid range jumpers, and getting to the rim. He has taken it to another gear since the summer and beginning of the season. He has great height for a 2 guard and can shoot with anyone in the area. Defensively he was anticipating passes and causing havoc (like the rest of the Jeff team tonight). Tre got it going in the first half but Coop got hot during the 2nd on his way to a 25 pt. game. Coop is making a real run for junior all star himself with his play lately.
● 6'4 forward PJ Douglas started out slow but once he saw a couple go in, he started to get himself going too. PJ is a strong 6'4 with a soft touch and light feet. He can spin and finish on either side. Douglas loves pulling up for that 5 ft. jumper but most of the time and bully his way down further for a lay in. BNL simple fid not have anyone for him and Tre tonight down low. Douglas finished with 12. When Jeff's Big 3 get going, they are very hard to stop for anyone south of Indy.
● 6'4 Bedford junior Patric Maston got in some early foul trouble and didn't have his usual stats in the first half but got it going in the 2nd. Matson is long and can tell is just now growing into his frame. With his length and size combined with shooting ability Matson will jump in some college coaches radar this summer while playing with EG10. His best ability right now is his 3 pt shot and I'd like to see him tighten up his handles during the off-season. Matson finished with 16.
Next up for the Devils is a trip to Center Grove on February 9th while BNL plays at home against Terre Haute North on Saturday night
Two of the top teams in the Region met up on Thursday night at Westside High School as the Cardinals of East Chicafo Central took on the Gary West Cougars. Both teams coming in hot as the Cards are 13-4 while Westside is 11-2. The Cougars started the game out hot jumping out to a big leaf that left EC looking shook and all out of whack. Soph. pg Trey Hinton especially looked unstoppable early on the for the Cougars. Despite being completely outplayed at half, EC found themselves only down by 8. The Cards kept chipping away slowly but surely and hanging around. The score was 56- 46 when EC exploded with a 9-0 run that brought them right back into the game. From that point forward with was GW who was shook and all out of sorts. The Big 3 of Dominique Murphy, Yamauree Wallace, and Jemeil Rich proved to be too much in the end as EC escaped Westside eith a 65-61 victory.
● What can be said about 6'5 Cardinal junior Dominique Murphy has already been said or written? When he gets it cooking on offense and his confidence starts to rise, it's bad news for opposing teams. One could argue that Murphy forces shots sometimes but they go in so much its hard to argue with his shot not being their best option. Murphy impacted the game on the defensive end with multiple fast break blocks. With his abilities and athleticism he could become a lock down defender if a coach at the next level really worked with him on that end. To become a High Major D1 kid he is going to have to shit down and guard. His midrange, handles, outside shot size, strength are there; it just all needs to be fined tuned. Dominique is certainly on his way to play D1 ball at some capacity while becoming a junior all star this summer. Murphy finished the game with 25 pts and 10+ boards.
● The X factor on this East Chicago team is 6'6 junior Yamauree Wallace. The potential is there and you get flashes of it at times throughout the game. He needs to tighten up his handles as he had a couple turnovers but he's got the length and athleticism to impact the game in numerous ways for EC. Wallace could find himself on many college coaches radar sooner rather than later. He has a high motor on both offense and defense. With another summer of AAU ball, Wallace could be one of the breakout players next season in all of Indiana. Wallace finished with 15
● 6'1 senior guard Jemeil Rich got it going later for the Cardinals tonight. His quickness and defense picked it up at just the right time of the game. Rich is a quick guard that can breakdown a defense in a hurry and get to the basket. He didn't get his outside shot going tonight but I've seen he has it in his bag. Rich got some key steals and deflections on his way to a 9 pt game.
● 6'1 Gary West sophomore Trey Hinton certainly caught everyone's attention in this game early on. Hinton came out on fire his mid range jumpers and looking like a young Marcus Burton out there. He showed he could hit the outside shot and get to the basket as well. Trey was the only Indiana kid on Indiana Elite's top '26 team last summer and I can see why. He's certainly looking like a D1 prospect for his age and working his way up to a high major. He recently was offered by Northern Illionois. Hinton finished with 15 pts.
● 6'3 junior Westside guard Derek Collins may have improved his stock as anyone in this game. Collins has good size for the guard position with a nice shot and athletic ability to go along with his length. He finished at the rim multiple times tonight getting past the EC defense. By this time next year expect Collins to have an offer to play ball somewhere at the next level. There are multiple schools in that area that would be smart to start looking at Collins more seriously. Collins finished with a Cougar high, 21 pts.
East Chicago next faces top 10 Lake Central at home on February 6th while Westide travels to Indy on Saturday to take on Tindley.
The Raiders made the half hour trip south tonight for a ORVC macthup against Shawe Memorial. South Ripley came in as favorites and jumped out as such early, 17-0. From that point on the Hilltoppera actually played them even outscoring them by 1. SR is without two of their top 7 kids, junior Drew Volz and freshman Chancie Volz (brothers). 3 sport Hilltopper senior star, Philip Kahn came into the game leading the conference in scoring and increased his average tonight. South Ripley's inside- outside junior duo of Cole Henry and Blaine Ward led the Raiders offensively as well. The Hilltoppers hung around and put up a good fight despite their slow start to bring the lead down to 11 at one point but could never quite get it into single digits. SR cruised their way to a 78-62 win putting Henry, Ward, and sophomore Bryson Sipples in double figures.
● 6'6 Raider junior Cole Henry led the Raiders in scoring tonight with 23 pts and recorded a double double with rebounds. Henry is a long and athletic kid that is just now scratching the surface of how good he can become. He can stretch the floor from the outside as well at this level go inside and finish over top of the defense. I would like to see him tighten up his handles and create for himself off the dribble going into next year. A summer with a very high level aau team should do wonders for his recruitment and development. Cole has recently heard from schools such as Wright State, Belmont, and Huntington. He is also within 100 pts of hitting 1000 for his career.
● 6'1 SR guard Blaine Ward can certainly light it up offensively when he gets going as well. Him and Cole should really appreciate each other's game because they compliment each other so well on the floor. If teams double down, Ward has volleyball range from the outside and well as the quickness to get to the basket where he is a crafty finisher. Ward's had multiple anticipation steals tonight and fast breaks. There's no reason these two shouldn't lead SR to being considered favorites come sectional time. Ward finished with 16 pts.
● The star of the night was wearing Shawe green and gold, 6'2 senior guard Philip Kahn seemed unstoppable on the offensive end. Kahn was getting baskets going to the rim, from the free throw line, and from deep. He obviously gets the attention from defenses every night and still averages 25+. Tonight Kahn made 25 look pedestrian. He went off for a Shawe single game high of 49 points. Kahn would start for every area school down this way but is playing for thr school where his dad is a top 5 all time leading scorer and current principal. I believe Kahn has a shot to make a HCAC roster next year if he chooses in basketball.
South Ripley has the tough part of their schedule coming up, starting at Lawrenceburg this Saturday. Shawe goes to Rising Sun on Friday for another conference showdown.
Two of Evansville's best faced off against each other on Tuesday night as Harrison visited Memorial. Memorial came in ranked in 3a while Harrison is a top 20 team in 4a. From the beginning the energy that Harrison brought was just simply more than what Memorial brought. Junior Jay Summitt got hot early for the Warriors and Malachi McNair controlled the inside and never looked back. Harrison went into the break up 33-22. Jr. Tiger Luke Ellsperman helped keep Memorial within striking distance in the 3rd before Warrior senior Eli Speer got hot from deep. The 4th quarter saw the game slip away for Memorial as Harrison junior Shane Sims caught fire and led the Warrios to a 70-45 win.
● 6'3 junior guard Shane Sims led the Warriors tonight in points with 25. Sims is a great catch and shoot kid that stretches the floor. At times he can also get to the basket and pop from 7-8 feet out. I would be surprised to see NAIA schools start to take a real look at him this summer going into his senior year. Sims is a junior all star candidate in a strong 2025 class that runs with Team Teague in the summer. When Sims gets hot he becomes very confident and with his shooting ability is bad news for the opposition. I would like to see him continue to improve his ball handling going into next year.
● 6'4 Warrior junior Jay Summitt is the definition of untapped potential. Jay is a great athlete that you can tell is just now becoming a basketball player. He needs to tighten up his handles and shot but at this level can guard bigs or perimeter players. It seems like HCAC schools would be all over him sooner rather than later. If he can develop a consistent shot, watch out for Summitt next year. Jay had a very strong first half. He just needs to stay consistent throughout the game. Summit finished with 12 pts, 7 assists, and 5 boards.
● 6'8 Harrison senior Malachi McNair is such a force for the Warriors. You can tell he has worked hard to get where he is and it's all coming together for him his senior year. McNair can protect the paint, rebound, and finish inside. Not a super athlete but being 6'8 makes up for alot. McNair even showed he could step out 10-12 ft. and knock down a jumper. I'm not sure he can put it on the floor at this stage of his development but he finishes very well around the rim opening up space for outside shooters. McNair finished with 17 pts and 11 rbs. tonight and a coach somewhere at the next level will be happy to have him.
● A bright spot for Memorial was 6'3 junior Luke Ellspermann. Luke did his work from the outside as well as getting to the basket. He is more than just a catch and shoot kid. He is not afraid to drive into traffic and draw contact. Him and Tornatta form a nice inside- outside duo for Memorial at the 3A level. Ellspermanm finished with 15.
● 6'7 Tiger senior Tucker Tornatta had his hands full tonight battling with the two Harrison bigs (Malachi McNair and Brook Thomas). Tucker is a big boy down low and doesn't mind contact. He understands where he is best used and forces his way inside. Tonight he had 14 pts against a clogged Harrison defense inside. Tornatta is a legitimate Indiana all star candidate and if Memorial makes a run in March, it will be because of him. Hitting the outside shot consistently is the next evolution of his game.
Harrison next is at home against Vinceness on Friday while Memorial hosts Princeton the same night.
In the battle of Rebels the host Southwestern Rebels left little doubt why they're ranked in the top 5 of the 2A poll. SW jumped out of the gate running and gunning their way to a 25-13 lead after 1. SW looked to push the tempo even more during the second quarter increasing their lead to 40-21 halftime lead. The lone bright spot for South Central was junior Cole Thomas who was the only double figure scorer for SC. Southwestern posted three in double figures and two above 20 on their way to an impressive 92- 56 win.
● SW was lead tonight by 6 ft. guard Peyton Cloud who brought energy on the offensive and defensive ends. Alot of kids will just get inflated numbers and not play as hard on the other side of the ball; Cloud is someone who will give you max effort on both sides of the ball. When he gets hot offensively watch out. On Saturday night he was taking the ball to thr basket driving by defenders and shooting thr outside shot. Like I've said before and I stand by it, Cloud can play somewhere at the next level. He would be a great fit for a HCAC school at the D3 level. He finished with game high 25 pts.
● His classmate, 6'4 SW senior Jamison Lewis also crossed the 20 pt mark scoring 21 in tonight's game. Lewis is a good ball handler for his size and is sneaky athletic. Lewis is a hard matchup for smaller guards and can get by taller defenders. He utilized his advantages on Saturday as nobody on South Central could stop him from getting to his spots. As previously mentioned Lewis is looking to play baseball in college but is a really nice high school basketball player.
● 6'5 SW big Landon Kidwell did what has become normal for him this season. Defend down on the block inside with multiple blocks and rebounds as well as posting up and scoring on offense. Against SC Kidwell was the tallest person on the floor which allowed him to get what he wanted inside but still impressed with his footwork and timing defensively. Landon is one of the better inside players down in this area of Indiana,n especially if he can add another inch or two by next season. Kidwell finished with 15 pts.
● 6'2 junior South Central guard Cole Thomas is truly an unknown gem throughout the state but has played big time ball for many years now. He has played mostly on Kentucky teams which has kept him a secret for most of Indiana. Thomas is a load on offense with the range on his shot and strong body getting to the basket. I have seen Thomas surrounded with talent on the floor and he produces. He is capable of going off on a given night offensively. Tonight he led his Rebel team with 24 pts.
Two really hot teams matched up in New Albany Saturday night at the Christian Academy as the host Warriors took on the Paoli Rams. Both teams came into this game with only 1 loss apiece and ranked in their classes. CAI took control early with junior Josh Chancey being the beneficiary of junior all star candidate Joshua Renfro being face-guarded by the Rams. Thr 6'4 junior, Chancey connected on numerous baskets inside as the Warriors jumped out to a 23-22 halftime lead. The 2nd half is when Renfro started to get it going and some of his baskets came at key moments down the stretch. The Rams made a nice comeback to stay within striking distance bullying their way inside and open 3 pt. looks. In the end it was too much CAI as they put 4 kids in double figures and took the home win, 62-59.
● 6'2 junior CAI guard Joshua Renfro started out happy to let others carry the load offensively but when it came down to the 4th quarter, Joshua started getting hot. He connected on two huge 3s despite being chased around and face-guarded all night. He has gotten alot better at being able to drive the ball when defenders play up on him and finishing with either hand. He is also doing alot more ball handling for the Warriors his improvement over the last couple years from just being a shooter is evident. That is a credit to his work ethic. Renfro finished with a game high 18 pts.
● 6'4 Warrior junior Josh Chancey may not get alot of love, but ever since he rattled in a game winning 3 pt shot against Silver Creek his confidence has sky rocketed. He is a very important piece for CAI if they want to advance in March because of guarding the other teams bigs and being able to finish down low. He is a kid that knows his role and will stay inside and battle. With this CAI team full of juniors look for them to only get better moving forward. Chancey ended with 16 pts.
● Speaking of bright futures, 6'5 Paoli sophomore big Chad Sullivan has the makings a really nice ball player going forward. Chad won't go out and shoot jumpers yet but he is a very strong kid and finishes well around the rim. By his senior year he will be very hard to stop inside. The next part of his game I'd like to see developed is a 7-8 ft. jump shot. Sullivan finished with 12 pts.
● 6'0 Ram junior point guard Fletcher Cole controlled the game for Paoli dishing out numerous passes and assists. Fletcher is a true point guard that can give you buckets in spurts. He is strong enough to drive inside and finish and can also get hot from the outside. Cole is another coach on the floor, which comes as no surprised since his dad is the actual Paoli head coach. What you may think he lacks in size he makes up for in basketball IQ and has played alot of big time ball for years. He is a kid come March that can get hot and lead Paoli to a regional/ semi state. Fletcher finished with 11 tonight.
CAI is back in action next weekend against Providence and Borden on back to back nights while Paoli may be looking to make up a postponed game against Springs Valley this week.
With most of Southern Indiana covered in snow there were very few game on the schedule for tonight. One of the better games down south fortunately was still good to go as the New Albany Bulldogs visited the Silver Creek Dragons. Both teams come in with solid records but are two of the younger teams down south with both of their futures looking promising. The Dogs started out hot taking a quick lead throughout the 1st half. Junior Dog Chris Lampkins threw down 3 breakaway dunks in the first half as his stock continues to rise. Speaking of rising stock fellow Dog classmate Rylan Schrink matched him in points early. Those two are 2 of the better duos in the '25 class down south. The Dragons finally fought back to take a small lead in the 4th quarter before NA sophomore Tremayne Washington broke lose on 1 breakaway layups. SC had one last shot to tie the game but sophomore Kasen Daeger's 3 was off as New Albany escaped Sellersburg with a 72- 67 win.
● 5'10 New Albany sophomore guard Tremayne Washington is becoming one of the quickest and most shiftiest point guards down south. Tre was getting the basket on SCs man to man defense and shooting them out of the zone. He came in averaging 8-9 ppg but this is the second game I've seen him go off on the offensive end. Being low enough to the ground, he really causes problems on the defensive side as well for NA. Tre is an unselfish true point guard that can score with anyone. Any 2026 AAU team looking for a point guard to lead their team would be wise to buy stock in Washington. Tre finished with 24 pts.
● Speaking of someone's stock going up, 6'4 junior Dog Rylan Schrink has been NA's most consistent player for the last few weeks. He is tall enough to get his shot off against small guards and can handle it well enough against taller defenders. His form on his jump shot is one of the best in southern Indiana I've seen this year. Schrink is a smooth left that reminds me some of Jack Smiley for Valpo. If given the opportunity this summer to play on a good and competitive aau team, Rylan will show alot of people just what he can do. He finished with 16 pts.
● 6'5 New Albany athlete Chris Lampkins had a stellar first half that was slowd by what looked to be a rolled ankle in the 2nd. Chris came back in the game after only 3 or 4 minutes but could tell he was still bothered. Even with the injury Chris was still the best athlete on the floor saying for rebounds and defending. In the first half Chris scored 13 pts and 3 breakaway dunks that energized the Bulldog crowd. Lampkins has a high motor and ceiling. With continued progression Chris will be playing college ball in a couple of years. He finished with 15 pts.
● Silver Creek sophomore Kasen Daeger almost stole a win for the Dragons with his quick release on his outside shot. Daeger showed a couple times he was not just a shooter driving to the basket with some tough finishes. When Daeger gets hot he's very hard to stop because he gets his shot off so quickly. With the resurgence of Silver Creek expect Daeger to be their go to guy offensively for the next 2 and a half years. Kasen finished with a game- high 27 pts.
● 6'6 SC big Walker Hoffman played like his size tonight, big. Almost every game Hoffman plays he's going to have an advantage down low. Walker is a football kid with soft hands and good feet that can maneuver his way around the basket. Once he gets you sealed down low teams have to foul him to stop the bucket. I wouldn't be mad if SC worked through him a little more than they do. Walker carves out alot of space down low. He finished with 9.
● Freshman point guard Brandon Hunter does what he always does for the Dragons; and that's be solid. I've seen him do some Wow things for a freshman but most of the times it's just the ability to not turn it over and take care of the ball is what Brandon does best right now. He's a very mature and smart player for his age with good size at the pg position. Him and Daeger will be a dangerous backcourt in the years to come. Hunter finished with 9 pts.
New Albany returns to action tomorrow at home against a talented Evansville Reitz team while Silver Creeks is back in action next Friday, at home against Madison.
What looked to be an easy Lake Central blowout turned into one of the best games of the season up north in the Region. LC came into this game 12-0 and ranked #8 overall in the state. Valpo came in with a respectable 11-3 record themselves. LC jumped out on fire from 3 and took a commanding 28-12 lead halfway through thr 2nd quarter. The Vikings zone defense gave Indian shooters wide open looks that they took advantage of often. The 3rd quarter saw a minor shift of momentum as Valpo played with LC evenly through the quarter going into the last frame down 44-29. The final quarter was really remarkable for the Vikings and saw them stage an unexpected comeback. It seemed like the Indians played more not to lose and drain the clock more than they should have in thr last frame. That on top of missing numerous important free throws brought Valpo right back to within one possession. Valpo finally tied the game with 15 seconds left but LC senior Xavier Thompson went down low for the strong And 1 to give thr Indians a 3 pt lead. Valpo could only muster up a turnover off an inbounds and the win was sealed for LC, 63-58
● 6'6 senior big Jake Smith led the Indians tonight offensively with 22 pts. When things seemed to be going south for LC they looked to Smith to hit a big shot. Jake is a nice stretch big that will step outside and hit 3s. He's not a "big" at the next level if that's what his future holds but he will be able to play the 4 easily at a D3, possible NAIA level. On a team full of good solid players, Smith was the man for LC tonight.
● Speaking of the man for LC, 5'11 senior Iowa running back football- commit Xavier Williams hit the biggest shot of the game. That And 1 in thr last few seconds proved to be the game winner for the Indians. The kid is obviously football-strong and can battle despite hit shorter stature on the court. Williams finished with 15 on the game. LC is just full of guys you would want on your team.
● 6'2 junior guard Jack Smiley led the Valpo comeback in the 4th. Held in check most of the game Smiley came to life in the last quarter hitting a four pt play, getting to the basket, and pull up jump shots. He has the ability to shoot over smaller defenders which is why I was surprised it took him so long to get going being guarded by LC's 5'11 Cam Thompson. He is obviously the leader of his team and as he goes, so do the Vikings. Smiley is a legit junior all star candidate and D1 prospect with an offer already on the table from his hometown Valpo University. Thr Vikings have had a long line of special players such as Roger Harden, Bryce Drew, Tim Bishop, Robbie Hummel, Scott Martin and Jack looks to be thr next in line. When he gets cooking, watch out. He finished with 23 pts, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.
A big time DAC matchup took place on Tuesday in Crown Point as the Bulldogs played host to the Merrillville Pirates. The Pirates came into this game 7-4 while the Dogs were at 8-3. Like I expected this game was fairly evenly matched and was close the entire game. No team really ever seemed to seize control fully. I'm the 2nd quarter Crown Point's zone defense seemed to give Merrillville fits and slow the game to a halt, which benefited the Bulldogs. The Pirates like to run and gun with their super senior Preston Saia who averages just under 14 ppg, but was held in check tonight on the offensive end by up and coming sophomore, Dikembe Shaw. The Pirates looked to have the game won, up 6 with under 15 seconds left but a CP 3 and Pirate turnover game the Dogs new life and a chance to tie. Sophomore Kingston Rhodes had a pretty good look but it was just out of his range as the ball clanked off the back of the rim. Merrillville escapes with a huge conference road win, 60-57.
● 6'6 senior Pirate big, Keonta McKinney was the man offensively tonight for Merrillville. He was a load to handle inside and hitting 7-8 foot jumpers. I imagine he's a football kid but he showed a soft touch around the basket and was aggressive attacking the glass. On a night where Preson Saia struggled to find his rhythm offensively, McKinney picked up the slack. He finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds.
● 6'6 Dikembe Shaw for Crown Point is an obvious star in the making up north. Easily considered a 2026 Indiana all star candidate Shaw showed a fluid game handling the ball, hitting the jump shot, and crashing the boards. Shaw is still developing his game like most every sophomore but the writing is on the wall. When things get tough for Crown Point he is already the guy they look to for a basket. At the moment I see mid majors such as MAC teams getting involved soon with thr possibility with progression of power 5s in his future. He's long enough to guard the 3, athletic enough, and is on his way to becoming a good shooter. Tonight Shaw finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Merrillville hosts Portage on Friday night while the Bulldogs stay at home and face Chesterton the same night.