By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Triton Central Tigers (16-9) vs. University Trailblazers (17-9)
Lebanon High School will host two separate regional championships on Saturday. The first game at 1 p.m. will feature Triton Central and University. At 4 p.m., Class 3A’s Indianapolis Crispus Attucks Tigers (19-6) face off against the Northview Knights (24-2).
This will be the second meeting ever between the Tigers and Trailblazers. University won the 2A regional matchup in 2022, 56-49.
University won its sixth sectional championship last Saturday night against Cardinal Ritter at Park Tudor, 58-43. The Trailblazers are in just their 20th season as a program.
Heading into this Saturday’s regional at Lebanon, they’re in search of their second regional title in school history. That first regional crown was in 2013 when it was a two-game format. Wins over Central Christian and Jac-Cen-Del in the Class 1A regional 12 years ago advanced them to semi-state before being edged in the semi-state championship by Borden, 47-44.
Head coach Justin Blanding is in his second season as the University boys coach. He was the University girls coach from 2015-23, leading the team to five sectional and three regional championships.
Last year, the ‘Blazers boys finished 12-13. Their first five sectional titles were in 2006, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2022.
University’s 2024 portion of the season started off kind of shaky. They began 3-6, including a five-game losing streak. Then, rattled off eight wins in a row over with big wins over Scecina, Covenant Christian, Anderson Prep, Lutheran and Bishop Chatard.
The ‘Blazers ended the regular season 3-3 but are now on a four-game winning streak. Breezing through the Park Tudor sectional with double-digit wins over Covenant Christian (56-46), Monrovia (62-49) and Cardinal Ritter (58-43), University looks to make its second semi-state appearance.
Senior Max McComb leads in scoring at 15.7 points per game, along with 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 steals. Junior Blake Gray joins him in double-figures at 11.1, 3.1 boards and 2.5 assists. Fellow junior Faisal Mohamud is at 9.4 per outing and 2.6 assists, while sophomore Joshua Henderson (5.3), junior Cooper Cammack (4.9), sophomore Peter Morales (4.9) and senior Zien Bland (4.7) are all key contributors.
Triton Central head coach Mark James is 32-16 in his second year with the Tigers. James is currently ranked 4th amongst active coaches in victories with an overall record of 631-368 in 42 seasons with previous coaching stints at Franklin Central, Ben Davis and Perry Meridian. He spent 26 seasons coaching the Flashes, seven at Ben Davis (won the 2017 4A state title) and seven at Perry Meridian prior to TC.
The Tigers had an up-and-down regular season and sandwiched a five-game winning streak right in the middle to get to 10-5. TC lost four of six heading into sectional play. Triton Central escaped through the Christel House sectional by a total of 11 points with wins over Heritage Christian (58-55), Christel House (48-47 in overtime) and Scecina (37-30).
Junior Eli Sego is one of two Tigers in double-figures with 16.5 per game. Sego also grabs 4.2 rebounds and has 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals. Senior Silas Blair is at 11.6 points and 5.1 boards. Junior Max Crouse (9.0), sophomore Cael Butler (7.5) and senior Sam Collier (4.0) all help make the Tigers go on offense.
Triton Central has won nine sectionals in program history, including last Saturday. The Tigers’ lone regional crown was in 1989. That year, they lost in the semi-state semifinals to the late Eric Montross, Todd Leary and eventual state champion Lawrence North, 82-56.