Indiana Preps | Legacy Series / Next In Line

Saturday night in Charlestown, the Indiana Junior All-Stars needed someone to take over. Jason Gardner Jr. obliged.

The Fishers guard finished with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in Indiana’s 109-99 victory over the Kentucky Junior All-Stars — the kind of performance that doesn’t just win a game, it reframes a conversation. For a player who has been one of the most watched prospects in Indiana’s 2027 class since his sophomore year, Saturday was the stage that validated everything scouts and coaches have been saying about him in closed rooms for two years.

Thirty points against Kentucky-level competition, in a setting where every coach in the building has a clipboard and an opinion, is a different kind of résumé line than a regular season stat sheet. Gardner Jr. earned it.

He wasn’t alone.

The Box Score That Matters

Indiana won by ten, and the production was spread across a roster built around some of the state’s most interesting Class of 2027 names.

Isaiah Hill, the 5-star Purdue commit from Pike, finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks — a line that tells the story of his value better than any single number. Hill doesn’t need to score 30 to change a game. He changes it by protecting the rim, altering shots, and occupying space that makes everyone around him easier to play. His 3-block night in an All-Star setting — where individual scoring tends to dominate the conversation — was exactly the kind of performance that reinforces what evaluators already know. Pike’s center is going to be very good in the Big Ten.

Cooper Zachary, Gardner Jr.’s Fishers backcourt partner, added 11 points and 5 assists — numbers that reflect exactly how he operates. Zachary doesn’t force anything. He creates for others, applies pressure with the ball in his hands, and makes the right play when the right play is the difficult one. Pairing him with Gardner Jr. in the same backcourt at Fishers next season gives the Tigers one of the most intriguing guard combinations in the state.

Harper Baker-Lands of Plainfield added 19 points. Max Vise of Mt. Vernon chipped in 17. Indiana’s depth showed throughout.

Five Names To Watch In 2026-27

Saturday’s performance gave Indiana Preps five clear storylines heading into next season.

Jason Gardner Jr. | Fishers | Guard — 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists against a Kentucky roster in a competitive All-Star setting is the cleanest stock-rising performance of the week. Gardner Jr. averaged 20.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game for Fishers this past season. He entered Saturday as a top-tier prospect in Indiana’s 2027 class. He left as the player who took over when the moment required it. The question heading into his senior year is whether he becomes Indiana’s next Mr. Basketball conversation — and Saturday night opened that door.

Devin Bolden | Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter | Forward — Bolden didn’t play in Saturday’s game but his season profile demands attention. At 20.9 points and 12.6 rebounds per game as a junior at Cardinal Ritter, he is one of the most statistically dominant frontcourt players in the state. A 6-foot-8 big who produces double-double numbers consistently isn’t a niche prospect — he’s a college program’s answer to a problem. His senior season will determine how high his recruitment climbs.

Isaiah Hill | Pike | Center — 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks on Saturday reinforced exactly what Purdue is getting. Hill’s season averages of 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a junior, combined with 3.3 blocks, make him the most impactful defensive presence in Indiana’s 2027 class. He is not a player whose value is measured in scoring. He is a player whose value is measured in what doesn’t happen when he’s on the floor. aol

Jake Grissom | Guerin Catholic | Guard — Grissom averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals per game as a junior at Guerin Catholic — numbers that put him firmly in the senior-year breakout conversation. Guerin Catholic’s program and schedule have shaped him into a scorer who can create off the dribble and make difficult shots. He enters his senior year as one of Indiana’s most underexposed 20-point scorers.

Cooper Zachary | Fishers | Guard — 14.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.8 steals per game as a junior tells the story of a player whose impact exceeds his scoring line. Zachary is Indiana’s best two-way table-setter in the 2027 class — a creation guard who makes the game easier for everyone around him and harder for everyone across from him. His 5-assist night on Saturday in an All-Star setting, operating alongside Gardner Jr., was exactly the kind of performance that college coaches file away.

Just Missed

Harper Baker-Lands of Plainfield and Max Vise of Mt. Vernon both deserve mention. Baker-Lands averaged 17.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game and dropped 19 points Saturday. Vise — a 6-foot-8 frontcourt piece averaging 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks — added 17. Both players are part of a 2027 class that showed Saturday night it is more than capable of competing at the highest level Indiana All-Star Week has to offer.

Indiana won 109-99. The 2027 class made its statement. The senior season starts in November.

Indiana Preps covers high school athletics, recruiting, and athlete development across the state of Indiana.