Merry Christmas! Valparaiso came south and fell twice, Lawrence Central steamrolled Ben Davis and Bloomington South boosted their win streak to seven.

The Homeland

Bloomington South squeaks by Shelbyville 72-66, defeats Evansville Central 72-52

Against Shelbyville:

Getting Grayson Rolen back from injury was a huge boost, but Shelbyville’s senior guard (and Army commit) Zach Kuhn refused to let the bolstered Panthers run away with an easy win. Kuhn scored 33 points, including a 19-for-21 performance at the free throw line, to help the Golden Bears keep things close. All the while, Kuhn’s matchup, Anthony Leal, shot 11-for-18 from the field to score 31 points. With the defenses keying in on Kuhn and Leal, the game opened up to allow other scorers clean looks. For South, Noah Jager completed a double-double as he scored 17 points and dished out 10 assists. Grayson Rolen didn’t miss a shot, scoring 9 points, Joey Bomba clipped a couple three pointers to finish with 8 and Adam Graham added 7. The team shot well overall, but they struggled with foul trouble as they conceded 25 points at the free throw line. It was a back and forth game throughout; however, Jager came up with two pivotal steals in the final minute to propel the Panthers to victory.

Against Evansville Central:

The balanced scoring attack returned for South, as four starters scored in double digits to help send Evansville Central back down I-69. The starter who didn’t finish in double digits? Jager, who was busy swinging the ball to open teammates for an impressive 14 assists (and 7 points) on the night. Bomba green released every shot, going 4-for-4 from the three point line and scoring 16 (in addition to 10 rebounds), as Rolen and Leal joined him to form a trio of 16 point performers. Graham scored a season-high 13 points and hit 2-of-3 from long range. Despite missing their second leading scorer in Connor Hickman, South was able to put up good offensive numbers and shoot well over 50 percent on the day.

BRUCE WATCH: Senior forward Bruce Furr saw action near the end of the second half. Sources close to the team report that Furr suffered three torn ACL’s, the flu and a broken arm over the past week, which caused him to miss his first shot of the season. 

South (7-2) will play in the Richmond Tournament and starts against Illinois CRU, a homeschool team, on Thursday Dec. 27.

Across the State

New Albany pulls out road win at No. 9 Pike, 76-73

Led by junior forward Julien Hunter’s big night, where he shot 12-for-14 for 26 points, the Bulldogs were able to shoot past Pike in a high scoring game. The 26 points were a career high for the 6-foot-4 junior. Hunter and the offensive attack were aided by senior guard Landon Sprigler’s 18 points, junior guard Chris Johnson’s 13 and junior forward Trey Hourigan’s 11. New Albany’s shooting performance was extended thanks to an impressive effort on the glass, where the team out-rebounded Pike 38-24. For Pike, they were unable to rally back from a 14-4 opening deficit. Senior forward Ahmoni Jones paced the team with 23 points, senior guard/forward Chris Johnson scored 22 and junior guard Davion Bailey hit from deep three times to total 9 points. Pike did well to force 18 turnovers, but the rebounding deficit proved too large to overcome. New Albany (4-2) has the Noblesville Tournament up next, which they’ll start against Crown Point (5-1) on Thursday Dec. 27. Pike (5-4) will face off against Fishers (6-3) on Jan. 4.

Lawrence Central defeats No. 8 Ben Davis 72-57

Ben Davis shot an awful 4-of-21 in the first half and trailed 40-15 at the break, allowing LC to play keep-away to run out the clock. Senior forward Jake Laravia was excellent all night long as he led the Bears with 28 points, the team converted 9 three pointers and LC was able to run away with things early on. Ben Davis made just 2 three pointers in the game, and senior forward Dawand Jones was held to 2 points in the first half (12 overall). A late Ben Davis rally allowed the score to appear a bit more respectable, but the gap was still giant when the final buzzer sounded. Lawrence Central (5-2) starts the Noblesville Tournament Thursday Dec. 27 against Chesterton (7-0). Ben Davis (7-3) visits 3A Indianapolis Manual (5-3) on Saturday Dec. 29.

Zionsville tops No. 3 Valparaiso 64-54

A high scoring first quarter had Zionsville ahead 18-14, but a sloppy second stanza slowed the scoring and had the Eagles ahead by three. The margin stayed about the same for the next quarter, that is, until Zionsville senior guard Isaiah Thompson took charge and scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter alone. Thompson’s future teammate at Purdue had a forgetful night for Valparaiso as senior guard Brandon Newman shot just 7-for-25 for 22 points. Zionsville (6-2) has now won five straight and will start the Richmond Tournament against Indianapolis HomeSchool on Thursday Dec. 27. Valparaiso (7-2), who’s previously undefeated record now has two marks, will play in the Hall of Fame Tournament against Warren Central (5-0) on Saturday Dec. 29.

The Polls

4A Rankings

1. Warren Central (5-0) (-)
2. Carmel (7-0) (-)
3. Center Grove (7-2) (+1)
4. Floyd Central (7-1) (+1)
5. Cathedral (6-2) (+2)
6. HSE (7-1) (-1)
7. New Albany (4-2) (NEW)
8. Bloomington South (7-2) (+2)
9. Lawrence Central (5-2) (NEW)
10. Zionsville (6-2) (NEW)

Honorable Mention: Chesterton, Plainfield, B. North

3A Rankings

1. Mishawaka Marian (6-0) (-)
2. Edgewood (9-0) (+2)
3. Culver Academy (4-2) (-)
4. Crispus Attucks (6-2) (-2)
5. Greensburg (7-0) (-)
6. Silver Creek (7-1) (+1)
7. Brownstown Central (6-0) (-)
8. Northwestern (8-0) (-)
9. Brebeuf Jesuit (4-2) (-)
10. Delta (8-0) (-)

Honorable Mention: Heritage Hills

2A Rankings

1. Westview (7-1)
2. Linton-Stockton (6-1)
3. SW (Hanover) (9-1)
4. LaVille (8-0)
5. Park Tudor (6-1)
6. Crawford County (7-0)
7. North Daviess (8-0)
8. Indianapolis Howe (5-3)
9. Marquette Catholic (5-1)
10. Heritage Christian (8-2)

Honorable Mentions: Evansville Mater Dei, Shenandoah, Tipton

1A Rankings

1. Barr-Reeve (7-1)
2. FW Blackhawk (6-1)
3. University (9-1)
4. Oldenburg (6-2)
5. LCC (7-2)
6. Indy Metro (3-2)
7. Kouts (7-0)
8. Shoals (6-1)
9. Morristown (8-1)
10. Lanesville (6-1)

Honorable Mentions: Gary 21st Century, Springs Valley, Morgan Twp.