By RICHIE HALL
Logansport’s famous Berry Bowl will host the basketball version of the irresistible force paradox Saturday morning.
The top two teams in Class 4A will meet in the first game of the Logansport regional – No. 1 Homestead and No. 2 Carmel. The game tips off at 9:30 a.m., with the winner headed to the championship game, which starts at 8 p.m.
The second semi-final game, between No. 8 Lafayette Jefferson and Fort Wayne Carroll, is set for 12:15 p.m. The Berry Bowl will be cleared in between the two semi-final contests.
In the case of Homestead and Carmel, the Spartans would be the irresistible force with their high-powered offense, which is averaging 76.2 points per game. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds are the immovable object, having held their opponents to an average of 39.3 points per game this season.
Homestead has never scored fewer than 54 points in a contest this season and broke the century mark once, beating Fort Wayne North Side 107-61 on Jan. 22. The Spartans also scored in the 90s four times.
Homestead is 25-0 for the season and cruised through the Columbia City sectional without breaking a sweat. The Spartans took care of Huntington North 62-37, Fort Wayne South Side 74-44 and New Haven 75-56 in the championship.
“Homestead is, no question, the most high-powered offense we’ve seen all year,” said Carmel coach Ryan Osborn.
The Spartans are led by junior Fletcher Loyer, a Purdue recruit that is averaging 24.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Senior Luke Goode, who is also Big Ten bound with his commitment to Illinois, is pouring in 19.6 points per game, along with 8.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
“We’ll need to bring our best defensive effort of the year,” said Osborn. “They can really fill it up. We’ve certainly played against some talented players this season, but I don’t think we’ve had to defend two guys that can shoot it at such a high level.”
Loyer is shooting at 53 percent for the year, with Goode making 46 percent of his attempts. Both can shoot the three-ball as well: Loyer has made 78 triples and Goode has drained 70. Another junior, Andrew Leeper, has 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game.
The Greyhounds are 22-2 for the season. Carmel triumphed at its own sectional last week with two solid defensive performances, beating Hamilton Southeastern 46-33 in the semi-finals and Westfield 53-27 in the championship game.
The ‘Hounds have a solid 1-2 punch in senior Brian Waddell, who averages 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds, and junior Peter Suder, who puts in 12.2 points and collectes 6.4 rebounds per game. Carmel also distributes the ball well, with Greyhounds senior Connor Gioia dishing out 3.4 assists and Suder handing out 3.1 assists.
Carmel won its seventh consecutive sectional title last week, continuing its remarkable run. The Greyhounds were one of 64 sectional champion teams that saw their season come to a halt last year when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the IHSAA tournament to be canceled.
Osborn said the “journey” of every team he’s coached has been different.
“This one a little bit more so, given the circumstances and challenges of the year,” said Osborn. “I honestly wouldn’t say the abrupt end of last season has really impacted this team. Like other years, we enjoyed that run, and put it away when the season was over. We understood and totally accepted the situation at the time. It was unfortunate, but there really wasn’t anything we could do about it.
“This group has their own story – and one they should be proud of. This season is something these guys are going to remember and talk about for the rest of their lives. I’ve tried to be more intentional about celebrating the wins and recognizing the successes of this team. They deserve it. I’ve grown and learned just as much from these guys – in this situation – as I hope they’ve learned from us. We’re in it together. It’s not easy, but we’re going to be able to look back and say we’re better because of the challenges we’ve all faced. And because of that…I want to enjoy it…and even more so – I want them to celebrate it.”
GC PLAYS THE HOST
Guerin Catholic is back at the regional level for the first time in six years. The Class 3A No. 6 Golden Eagles will travel to Greencastle for the noon semi-final game, which tips off after the 10 a.m. first semi-final between Beech Grove and Northview. The championship game is at 8 p.m.
So, who is Guerin Catholic playing? The host itself, Greencastle. The Tiger Cubs won their second sectional title in the past three years last week, breezing past North Montgomery 54-30, Danville 66-51 and host Frankfort 58-31 in the championship.
Greencastle is 21-6 for the season. The Tigers are led by senior Brody Whitaker, who pours in 23.2 points per game and pulls 7.9 rebounds per contest. Whitaker has committed to Marian University and recently became the Tiger Cubs’ all-time leading scorer.
“We have seen a lot of film on Greencastle and have talked to some people that have seen them live,” said GC coach Bobby Allen. The coach noted that just like his team, the Tiger Cubs are led by experienced seniors.
“They are a team that does not get rattled in tough situations and they have one of the state’s best scorers in Brody Whitaker,” said Allen. “Their coach does a great job putting him in different positions to score and they have great players around him that can knock down perimeter shots if we commit to many guys to help stop him. We need to have great awareness on the defensive end and force their entire team to take difficult and contested shots.”
Allen said that his team’s defense “has been improving all season,” and said if his team does defend well, then he thinks it will have a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Eagles are 19-3, and triumphed at the Lebanon sectional by beating the host Tigers 49-30 and Brebeuf Jesuit 44-36 in the championship game.
Senior Joseph Bobilya is the top scorer for Guerin Catholic at 17.1 points per game, while senior Kaleb Edwards is averaging 15.7 points per game. Edwards also has 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Senior Matthew Gillis adds 10.9 points and is the leading rebounder at 7.0.
“The coaching staff could not be more proud of the team and our seniors,” said Allen. “They have sacrificed for each other and developed a trust in one another that is evident in the way they play. Winning the Sectional championship was an incredible accomplishment and a very emotional experience, but we immediately realized that this group wanted the opportunity to achieve more. They have been focused all week on Greencastle and learning their style of play and focusing on the keys to be successful this weekend. Our seniors have stepped up in tremendous fashion to keep everyone locked in. We are heading to Greencastle Friday night to have practice in their gym. It is going to be an incredible atmosphere in one of the state’s greatest high school gyms. We are looking forward to having a lot of our fans supporting us.”