Hoosier Hysteria has hit a fever pitch in our state in the month of March.  This has never been more true than what the state of Indiana is experiencing in 2021, with the entire NCAA Tournament (on the men’s side) taking place within Indiana’s borders, in addition to the 2021 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament.  

We are down to the final four schools in each class (1A – 4A), the Northern and Southern Semi-States.  Indiana Preps Hoops will make its way to Seymour High School and Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium for the 2021 Class 3A and Class 4A South Semi-State games.

The 3A game will pit the Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles (21-3) against the Silver Creek Dragons (23-4).  The Eagles feature a balanced offense that has three double-digit per game scorers in Kaleb Edwards (6’3”, Sr., Guard…15.4 PPG), Joseph Bobilya (5’11”, Sr., Guard…17.7 PPG…10 made threes in the Regional Championship Game), and Matthew Gillis (6’5”, Sr., Forward…11.1 PPG).  Will Grissom (6’3”, Jr., Guard) also chips in 9.9 PPG.

The star power of the Silver Creek Dragons is well-known.  Trey Kaufman-Renn (6’10”, Sr., F/C) (25.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG) is an Indiana Mr. Basketball candidate that is headed to Purdue University.  Kooper Jacobi (6’7”, Sr., F) (21.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG) is headed to the University of Toledo.  Brandon Northern (5’11, Jr., G) (15.5 PPG, 7 APG) serves as the point guard for the Dragons.

The 4A game will feature the Lawrence North Wildcats (27-2, # 3 National Ranking per MaxPreps) and the Bloomington South Panthers (25-4).  This will be a historic game, specifically, featuring the Head Coaches in this contest.  The Wildcats are helmed by long-time coach Jack Keefer (847 victories), while the Panthers are led by J.R. Holmes (861 victories, most in Indiana High School Basketball history).  These two coaches have combined for a staggering 1,708 victories heading into this one.  Truly an amazing statistic.  

The powerhouse Wildcats feature D.J. Hughes (6’7”, Sr., Forward) (signed with Butler University) and CJ Gunn (6’5”, Jr., G) (committed to Indiana University).  

The Panthers have remained a smooth-operating machine in spite of some adversity that struck prior to the season.  Connor Hickman (6’3”, Sr., G) (signed with Bradley University) has been unable to play his Senior season due to a shoulder injury.  Among the standouts for the Panthers are Joey Bomba and Jalen Peck (Peck providing the game-winning basket in the Regional Semifinal victory over Jeffersonville).

This Semi-State features so much to watch for: legendary coaches; state championship-winning coaches; Division-I players; an incredible setting in Seymour. 

Berths in the State Championship game are on the line.  Which two of these four outstanding teams will advance to Bankers Life Fieldhouse?  Indiana Preps Hoops will be live in attendance to find out.