Breaking down semistate storylines

Going into last weekend’s IHSAA boys basketball regional games, the South Bend area had a chance to produce a maximum of five champions.

When the dust settled, five teams had won.

That leaves one Class 4A, two Class 3A and two Class 1A teams remaining from the area heading into this weekend’s four-team, three-game semistate round. The blind draw to determine matchups worked out to where there’s a possibility all five are playing for a semistate championship Saturday night as well.

In Class 4A, Elkhart’s North Side Gymnasium will host No. 1 Fishers (26-1) taking on Crown Point (20-5) at 10 a.m., followed by Mishawaka (20-7) facing Fort Wayne Wayne (22-3) at approximately 11:45 a.m. The championship game will be at 7:30 p.m.

Class 3A sees South Bend Saint Joseph (18-9) against Peru (16-10) at 10 a.m., Fairfield (20-6) battling Delta (22-6) at noon and the championship game happening at 8 p.m. All games will be played at Logansport High School.

Michigan City will host the 1A tournament. Marquette Catholic (12-15) faces Liberty Christian (17-9) at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT, Elkhart Christian (17-9) takes on Fort Wayne Canterbury (16-9) at noon ET/11 a.m. CT, and the championship game will be at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT.

With a lot of basketball set to be played Saturday, here’s one storyline for each area team heading into the weekend.

Mishawaka: Will “home court” advantage make a difference?

While Mishawaka isn’t playing in “The Cave,” it is the closest school of the four — 12 miles — to North Side Gym.

Fishers has to drive 146 miles, while Crown Point is 95 miles away and Fort Wayne Wayne is 74 miles from the gym.

The Cavemen start with Wayne, a team that is similar to the ones they’ve shut down the last two weeks in South Bend Riley and East Chicago Central. The Generals play a high-octane style, averaging 71 points per game. They played a difficult schedule too, with two of its three losses coming to teams competing in the 4A South semistate in Ben Davis and Lawrence North.

Mishawaka has thrived in the underdog role all season, leading them to semistate for the first time since 1955. Hopefully they won’t have to overcome a crowd disadvantage Saturday as well, which they did against ECC last weekend.

South Bend Saint Joseph: Can its defense keep playing at a high level?

While it’s easy to get caught up in Jayce Lee’s highlight-reel dunks or Chase Konieczny’s sharpshooting, the Huskies’ defense has been stellar the last two weeks.

They held Mishawaka Marian to 48 points in the sectional semifinal, South Bend Clay to 47 in the sectional final and John Glenn to 38 in the regional. The latter saw two players score 37 of those points for the Falcons, with Saint Joseph essentially making it a 5-on-2 game anytime Glenn had the ball.

The Huskies semifinal opponent, Peru, averages 63 points per game. The Tigers aren’t afraid to play low scoring games, though, winning 45-42 in the sectional opener against Norwell and 48-44 over Mississinewa in the sectional final.

With Saint Joseph averaging 68 points per game, it feels like whichever team executes the better defensive game plan will walk away with the victory.

John Glenn’s Joey Shoue (20) tries to pass over Saint Joseph’s Brashaun Woods (32) during the regional championship basketball game on March 9 at Washington High School.

Fairfield: How will it handle the semistate stage?

For the first time since 2007, Fairfield is playing on the third weekend of the state tournament. Its first opponent Saturday, Delta, reached the final four of 3A last year, losing to NorthWood in the semistate title game.

The Eagles will have the experience advantage, which is nothing new for the Falcons. They had to defeat defending state champ NorthWood in the sectional final before knocking off a Hammond Noll team in the regional that had more recent state tournament success than them.

There’s a different intensity at semistate, though, with the dream of playing for a state championship within reach. It’ll be intriguing to see how the younger Fairfield team handles the moment against a veteran Delta squad.

Elkhart Christian:

Will Aiden Hibbard keep pulling rabbits out of a hat?

It’s truly remarkable what the Eagles’ senior has done the last two weeks, hitting sectional- and- regional-winning shots at the buzzer to beat Lakewood Park Christian and Tri-County, respectively. This is the first time ECA is playing in the semistate round, and Hibbard is a huge part of it.

The standout senior will have to keep playing at this level if the Eagles want to advance to the Class 1A state finals. They’ll get its toughest test of the tournament so far in the semifinal against Canterbury. The Cavaliers have won 14 of its last 16 games, including all three postseason contests by 14 or more points.

Marquette Catholic:

Can it also capitalize on a “home court” advantage?

While Mishawaka has to leave city limits for its semistate, Marquette Catholic does not. The Blazers get to stay home, traveling four miles south to The Wolves Den at Michigan City High School.

It’s the shortest drive of any team playing in a semistate this weekend across the state. The team that Marquette opens with, Liberty Christian, has one of the farthest drives, as it’s a 167-mile trek from the school’s location in Anderson.

This feels like a wide-open semistate. Can Marquette capitalize on its proximity and likely fan support advantage to become the first team with a below-.500 record to play in a state championship game?