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BOYS BB: Kokomo, Peru, Tipton play in 1-game regionals on Saturday

Bryan Gaskins, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·5 min read

Mar. 7—Kokomo, Peru and Tipton all celebrated boys basketball sectional three-peats on Saturday night.

Kokomo whipped rival Marion 79-54 to win Class 4A Sectional 7, which was at Lafayette Jeff this year. Peru edged Mississinewa 48-44 to win Class 3A Sectional 23 on Ole Miss' floor. And Tipton turned back Taylor 50-38 to win Class 2A Sectional 39, which Tipton hosted this year.

Now, the teams are preparing for one-game regionals. Kokomo is a two-time defending regional champion while Tipton is looking for its first regional title since 2013 and Peru is shooting for its first since 1998, which was the first year of the class era.

The following are looks at the three area teams' regional matchups.

KOKOMO VS. FISHERS

In what has the makings of the best regional game in the state, No. 4-ranked Kokomo (25-3) takes on No. 1 Fishers (25-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday at the legendary New Castle Fieldhouse.

Fishers beat defending state champion Ben Davis to open the season, beat Kokomo in early December, and raced to a 16-0 start before Carmel beat the Tigers 54-46 in late January. Fishers bounced back to win its final six games in the regular season — highlighted by victories over top-five teams Westfield and Lawrence North.

In the loaded Sectional 8, Fishers beat Carmel 54-41 in the opening round to avenge its lone loss, then beat Hamilton Southeastern 54-44 in the semifinal round. The final was a classic — the top-ranked Tigers beat No. 2 Noblesville 49-47 for their first sectional title. (The school began tournament play in 2007.)

Fishers has a deep lineup. Senior Keenan Garner, a 6-foot-6 forward, scores a team-high 16.2 points per game, 6-2 junior guard JonAnthony Hall scores 11.2 points, 6-2 senior guard Taden Metzger offers 8.2, and 5-9 freshman guard Cooper Zachary and 6-0 freshman guard Jason Gardner Jr. score 7.5 apiece.

Fishers and Kokomo met Dec. 9 in the Forum Tipoff Classic at Southport. Following a 24-24 tie deep in the second quarter, Fishers closed the half on a 10-4 run and then outscored Kokomo 26-15 in the third quarter to build a commanding 60-43 lead. The Tigers' lead peaked at 27 (72-45) midway through the fourth quarter.

The Kats committed 12 turnovers in the second half and Fishers made them pay as the Tigers had a 16-0 edge in points off turnovers in the half. For the game, the Tigers had a 24-4 edge in points off turnovers. The Tigers also outrebounded the Kats by a 35-26 margin (15-7 in offensive boards).

Garner led Fishers with 19 points. Karson Rogers led Kokomo with 17 points. Fishers' defense and Kokomo's turnovers kept the Kats from getting the ball into star center Flory Bidunga. He had just three field goal attempts and four points.

John Harrell's regional prediction at johnharrell.net: Fishers 63-56.

—The other Class 4A regional games in the North are: East Chicago Central (22-4) vs. Mishawaka (19-7) at Michigan City; Warsaw (19-5) vs. Crown Point (19-5), also at Michigan City; and Fort Wayne North (19-8) vs. Fort Wayne Wayne (21-3) at Logansport.

Kokomo beat North and Wayne during its tournament run last season. Warsaw is coached by former Kokomo and Fishers coach Matt Moore. Mishawaka is coached by former Carroll coach Bodie Bender.

PERU VS. WEST LAF.

Peru (15-10) faces West Lafayette (19-6) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Logansport.

West Lafayette survived a pair of nail-biters in winning Sectional 22 at Frankfort. In the opening round, the Red Devils edged Benton Central 41-40. And in the final, the Red Devils beat Twin Lakes 45-43.

The victory in the final avenged a 20-point loss to the Indians in Hoosier Conference play on Jan. 20. Since that loss, West Lafayette has won 10 straight games.

Likewise, Peru had a pair of tight wins in winning Sectional 23 at Mississinewa. Peru beat Norwell 45-42 in the opening round and beat Ole Miss 48-44 in the final.

Peru won three games in the sectional for its first three-game winning streak since December.

The teams are meeting for the first time since a 2018 sectional game at Frankfort.

John Harrell's prediction: West Lafayette 59-58.

—The other Class 3A regional games in the North are: No. 11 Hammond Bishop Noll (20-7) vs. No. 12 Fairfield (19-6) at Triton; John Glenn (13-13) vs. No. 13 South Bend St. Joseph (17-9) at South Bend Washington; and No. 7 Delta (21-6) vs. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (14-12) at Lapel.

TIPTON VS. WAPAHANI

In a clash of Class 2A heavyweights, No. 3 Tipton (24-2) faces No. 2 Wapahani (23-2) at 1 p.m. at Lapel.

Wapahani's only losses this season came against Class 3A teams Yorktown and Delta. Tipton's losses came against Class 4A No. 3 Kokomo and Lapel.

Delta and Lapel are two of three common opponents between the teams. Tipton beat Delta during the season. Wapahani beat Lapel twice, the second time coming in a Sectional 40 opening-round game.

The game pits a pair of veteran coaches. Tipton's Cliff Hawkins ranks No. 6 among active coaches with 585 career wins. Wapahani's Matt Luce is 28th with 356.

Wapahani is led by 6-1 senior guard Isaac Andrews, who is a 2,000-point career scorer. He is averaging 24.9 points per game this season.

The teams are meeting for the first time since a 2013 regional final, which Tipton won 60-58.

John Harrell's prediction: Wapahani 57-54.

—The other Class 2A regional games in the North are: Wabash (20-5) vs. Westview (20-5) at Triton; North Judson (15-9) vs. No. 12 Gary 21st Century (20-6) at North Judson; and No. 6 Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (20-6) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic (17-8) at Frankfort.

Bryan Gaskins is the Tribune's sports editor. He may be reached at bryan.gaskins@kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8567.