HS boys basketball starts tonight
INDIANAPOLIS - The 48th annual IHSAA football state finals presented by the Indianapolis Colts are set for Thanksgiving Weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium. The games for Class 2A, 4A and 6A are Friday, while Saturday will have Class 1A, 3A and 5A.
The games will be televised on Fox Sports Indiana and live streamed at Ihsaatv.org.
Here are some tidbits from each game and a prediction of the outcome:
Class 6A
#2 Westfield (12-1) vs. #1 Center Grove (13-0)
Center Grove has five shutouts in 13 games and no team has scored more than 14 points against them. The top-ranked Trojans average 42 ppg. They lost in last year’s state finals, 20-17, to finish 8-6.
Westfield’s only loss was to Class 5A No. 1 state finalist Indianapolis Cathedral by the score of 56-20 in Week 1. The Shamrocks won state in ’16, but were just 14-17 the next three years before this year’s 12-win season.
Prediction: Center Grove 30, Westfield 14
Class 5A
#11 Zionsville (7-5) vs. #1 Indianapolis
Cathedral (12-1)
Cathedral’s only loss was to 6A No. 1 Center Grove, 17-13. The Fighting Irish have wins over three Cincinnati city schools, Penn (52-7), and Class 3A No. 1 Chatard (39-20). They have one common opponent with Zionsville: 6A No. 2 Westfield - Cathedral won, 56-20, Zionsville lost, 49-16. Zionsville was only 4-5 heading into sectionals, with all losses coming to 6A schools. The last time the Eagles won more than seven games in a season was 2012.
Prediction: Cathedral 42, Zionsville 14
Class 4A
#7 Hobart (11-2) vs. #4 Roncalli (12-1) Hobart defeated Culver Academy, who defeated Plymouth, who defeated New Prairie, who defeated … Culver Academy. So much for comparative scores. The Brickies lost at semistate last year. Roncalli’s only loss this season was to Class 3A No. 1 Chatard, 28-7.
Prediction: Roncalli 28, Hobart 24
Class 3A
#1 Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (12-1) vs. #5 Danville (11-0)
Chatard is the defending state champ. The Trojans’ only loss this year was to Class 5A No. 1 Cathedral, 39-20. They have wins over Class 4A No. 4 state finalist Roncalli and Class 3A No. 2 Mishawaka Marian. Danville’s closest game
during an undefeated season was a win by 14. The Warriors lost at semi-state last year. Their defense allowed just 9.9 ppg and only one team scored 20 points.
Prediction: Chatard 28, Danville 21
Class 2A
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (8-6) vs. #16
Western Boone (10-4)
This is the unlikeliest final pairing according to records and rankings. Western Boone started 1-3, but the Stars won state the last two years. Unranked Luers was 3-6 at one time this season, but that was against a tough schedule including three 6A schools and another three from 5A. The Knights did not play a school smaller than 3A until sectionals. They defeated Pioneer, 42-34, in last week’s semi-state game and local schools Triton, Culver, Laville, Bremen, North Judson and Knox are all too familiar with how good Pioneer is.
Prediction: Luers 40, Western Boone 39
Class 1A
#1 South Adams (13-0) vs. #5 Covenant Christian (14-0)
This is the only final with two undefeated teams. Not only that, neither one has been tested at all. This has the makings of a wild shootout. South Adams averages 48 ppg and allows just nine. In nine of its 13 games the opponent has scored a touchdown or less. The Starfires have scored 40 or more points in 11 of those 13 games with a high of 61. They are 25-1 the last two seasons. Covenant averages 53 ppg and has given up just 10 per game. The Warriors scored 40 or more points in 13 of its 14 games. The least amount was 36 and the most was 75.
Prediction: South Adams 45, Covenant Christian 44