A frontrunner for SIAC Player of the Year? Takeaways from 4th-annual Warrior Showcase

EVANSVILLE — The Banterra Bank Warrior Showcase at Harrison High School once again delivered.

The fourth-annual event has become a midseason staple on the boys basketball calendar. Not only does it feature some of the best from Evansville – our area went 8-1 this year – against quality competition but it also features talented players. The later was the highlight of the event.

From big-time performances from Josiah Dunham and Malachi McNair to important teams efforts, there is plenty to dissect. A few thoughts from the Warrior Showcase before we get into the heart of conference play:

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Josiah Dunham is a complete player this year

The Evansville Christian guard has scored nearly 2,000 points in his career. What he put on the scoreboard on Saturday was ridiculous. What he showed in total also painted a different story.

Josiah Dunham was the star of the Warrior Showcase. The senior dropped a career-high 42 points in a 76-54 win against Christian County. He hit six of the Eagles' 11 3-pointers but did so very efficiently. Every attempt appeared destined for the bottom of the net.

"I'm going through the same process," said Dunham. "It's what I do in practice, thinking every shot is going in. Today, they were going in. We got the win, and that's the most important thing."

Weird to hear out loud but his scoring is actually down compared to previous years at 22.0 points. His overall game this winter is to the benefit of the No. 1 Eagles (11-1), though. Dunham, who had shoulder surgery in the offseason, grabbed nine rebounds against Christian County and was close in assists. His defense is also an undervalued positive.

The rest of the roster is why Dunham isn't required to score 30-plus every night. Andrew Lynn and Kaden Naab were in double figures on Saturday. Luke Davis added five points and 14 rebounds inside. Evansville Christian knows it needs balance and multiple options to win tough tournament games.

"Our team is better off this way," said Dunham. "The overall betterment of the team has increased. Other guys are stepping up. If we're going to make a state run, it's going to take five guys. You can't argue with our record right now."

ECS continues to prove its worth against a tough schedule that already includes wins over Terre Haute North, Scottsburg, Brownstown Central and Linton-Stockton. One major difference this winter is a defense allowing under 50 points. The Eagles limited an athletic Christian County team to only 15 in the first half.

"We would've folded last year defensively," said ECS coach David Kruse. "We couldn't really match up (against Christian County) athletically so tried to take stuff away. With Naab being able to guard the best wing, it puts (Dunham) on the help side. He gets a lot of steals and causes havoc."

Malachi McNair making his case for SIAC Player of the Year

Would you believe this performance could have been better? A wild thought considering Malachi McNair dropped a 30-bomb.

The senior posted a career-high 32 points plus 13 rebounds for the Warriors in an 81-70 victory against Springfield Southeast. Its his seventh double-double in the past eight games. McNair was already a potential contender for the conference's top honor at the midseason point. He might be the frontrunner now.

"He works hard," said Harrison coach Nathan Fleenor. "That's how good he can be. He'll admit it wasn't his sharpest game catching (the ball) and things like that. But he just works at it. We did a good job continuing to get the ball in there."

How the 6-foot-6 forward is doing it might be the more impressive aspect. McNair fits the bill of a traditional post in a modern style. Sure, he can step back and hit jump shots. His strength comes near the rim, and teammates are doing a good job finding him. The senior is averaging 19.0 points and 10.8 rebounds for the Warriors (11-2).

His latest effort was needed in a game that felt closer than the score indicates. A lackluster start was followed by a lot of points in transition with Jay Summitt netting 16. Harrison also had 20 turnovers. The best team in the city thus far didn't have their best but won by double digits. There's room to grow.

"The season is a grind," said Fleenor. "What we want is consistency in all phases of the game. I didn't think it was our best defensive game, and at times we didn't shoot the ball well. We want to play our best at the end of the season. We want to keep grinding, working and getting better."

Bosse answered the challenge in second half

There's a litany of reasons why the Bulldogs have yet to reach .500: multiple injuries, illness and having to play freshmen. They might be turning the corner soon based on the second half against Cardinal Ritter.

Bosse won 81-68 in a game that really wasn't that close. A 23-0 spurt to start the third quarter eliminated any chance for the Raiders. It was a version of the Bulldogs yet to be seen.

"I really think it's the first time all year long we've answered," Bosse coach Shane Burkhart said. "For longer than a four- or five-minute period. You get to a point where you understand what teams are trying to do because of your scout."

Taray Howell scored 28 but received help with three others in double figures: Tizhaun Tomlinson (16), Elijah Wagner (14) and Royal Elliott (13). The third quarter was close to perfect. Good ball movement and even better defense. More often than not, the Bulldogs had to fight until the final minute this year. Not this weekend.

The progress shown lately – Bosse (6-7) has won three straight – will only matter if the team gets healthy. Multiple starters have already missed time with Chris Glover II (foot) added to the list. Howell had a wrap on fingers of his shooting hand.

"Kids that were injured ran away with it," said Burkhart. "I think (Ritter) turned it over six to eight times to start the third quarter and burned two timeouts. I feel like we're trending in the right direction. We need to get healthy or it's not going to matter."

Central had a much-needed weekend

If anybody needed a strong showing on Saturday, it was the Bears.

Central posted two victories against Springfield Southeast (65-61) and Hopkinsville (72-53). They were somewhat surprising results based on what came prior. The Bears had lost six straight and gave up 91 points at Castle on Tuesday. This group was much more confident and sharper against the out-of-state competition.

"We needed this to help turn us around more than anything," Central coach Rodney Walker said. "We knew if we were going to compete long term it would be on the defensive end. We switched some defenses around and tried to throw teams off guard."

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Zaryen Moore had 17 points and eight rebounds in the morning victory. He was overshadowed, though, by classmate Daveon Smith. The junior forward had 16 and 20 in two games for the Bears (6-8). Smith, who was averaging 11.1 points and 6.0 rebounds going into the weekend, has emerged this winter with his length and ability to play multiple positions.

"He does all the little things," said Walker. "Daveon is that type of kid. He wants the toughest guy to defend. He can score at anytime. He's a special player."

Other thoughts from the Showcase

• A young Reitz team is likely out a key starter for the immediate future. Ke' Pace left the game in the first half of a 48-43 win over Christian County with a dislocated knee. Reitz coach Austin Brooks didn't have a further update after the game: "He's a big, big key to our success. We'll see what's going on with him and make sure he's OK." The senior forward gives the Panthers toughness and rebounding at 5.1 per game. Jaylan Mitchell (14) and Jayce Swanson (13) reached double figures in the victory.

• It was a mixed bag for Castle. The Knights (6-6) took care of business against Springfield on Friday but struggled to do anything in a 44-39 loss to Brownsburg. It was their lowest scoring output since Dec. 2021.

• Other top performers: Dominick Hobbs (Springfield Southeast; 24 points vs Central, 26 points vs Harrison); Darrell Batemen (Christian County; 27 points 14 rebounds vs Evansville Christian), Cheick Wade (Cardinal Ritter; 22 points vs Bosse), Antonio Williams (26 points vs Central).

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA boys basketball Evansville Harrison Warrior Showcase takeaways