IHSAA boys basketball semistate: How Southwestern Indiana's remaining teams can advance
EVANSVILLE — The Pocket Athletic Conference has an opportunity to make a statement on Saturday – in addition to what is already a milestone season.
Only Princeton and Forest Park remain in the boys basketball state tournament from Southwestern Indiana. Both call the PAC home. It's the first time the 13-member league has multiple teams at the semistate round since 1999; Washington was a member of the Big Eight when it joined Forest Park here in 2011, for example.
The PAC has the eighth-best non-conference record in the state with a .617 win percentage. There were other additional candidates for a lengthy postseason run beyond the Tigers and Rangers.
"I've seen it over and over coaches commenting from other leagues about how good our league is," said Forest Park coach Drew Messmer.
"We're in the semistate and we finished sixth. You think the Big Ten and SEC has their brand? The PAC has its own brand. It's gritty, physical, and defensive-oriented. There's a lot of shotmakers. It's a league that gets you ready for tournament play."
A look at each team going into the semistate. All times are in CDT.
Class 3A at Southport
No. 3 New Palestine (25-3) vs. No. 4 Brownstown Central (24-2), 9 a.m.
No. 8 Princeton (24-2) vs. No. 6 Crispus Attucks (20-6), 11 a.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
Players to Watch: Dezmon Briscoe, Attucks (15.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg); Chace Coomer, Brownstown (17.2 ppg); Julius Gizzi, New Palestine (26.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg); Colby Hall, Brownstown (15.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Moses Haynes, New Palestine (12.1 ppg, 7.2 apg); Edwin Holmes, Princeton (17.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.7 apg); Chris Hurt, Attucks (14.2 ppg, 5.2 apg); Jace Jenkins, Princeton (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Lane Pendleton, Brownstown (15.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg); Jaylin Price, Princeton (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg).
Outlook: There's an argument this is the strongest field around. All four are ranked in the top 32 on Sagarin. Any of the four could see a viable, although tough, path to Gaindbridge. Is New Palestine the favorite with its all-time leading scorer in Julius Gizzi?
Or perhaps Attucks, led by Iowa commit Dezmon Briscoe, after beating No. 1 Cathedral in the sectional? Brownstown has also impressed after winning the Class 2A state championship a year ago – the Braves beat Memorial by seven last weekend. Princeton will have its hands full starting with Attucks.
The Tigers' only losses were to similar-style teams in Lawrence Central and North Central. But they're playing sharp defense and have a strong duo in Holmes and Jenkins.
Princeton coach LaMar Brown: "I'd stack this up against any class as being one of the best fields left. We have to handle the basketball. The other thing we have to do is rebound the basketball at a very high level. (Briscoe) is going to be able to rebound, but they have athletic guards who fly around. We need to match their athleticism and do the fundamental things to come up with the basketball."
Senior guard Jace Jenkins: "(Attucks) has really good size. We have to handle the ball and be able to take the pressure they're going to bring. The speed is really different when you play those Indy schools. We have to be able to get stops and take advantage of the ones we get."
Tigers' X-factor: Jaylin Price or DeMarcus Newson. Brown anticipated a big game from one before the regional – it turned out to be Price. Princeton will need one or both to play well on Saturday. Their athleticism and speed could go a long way to matching Attucks.
Class 2A at Washington
No. 3 Parke Heritage (24-4) vs. Forest Park (19-6), 9:30 a.m.
University (18-9) vs. No. 11 Linton-Stockton, 11:15 a.m.
Championship, 6:30 p.m.
Players to Watch: Carter Crum, Parke Heritage (12.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg); Kamdon Partenheimer, Forest Park (11.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Isaac Pickel, Parker Heritage (10.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg); Treigh Schelsky, Parke Heritage (13.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg); Brock Schuler, Forest Park (11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg); Reece Wolf, Forest Park (11.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg).
Outlook: This field has a lot of familiarity. Parke Heritage is making its third straight trip to the semistate. The Wolves beat Forest Park a year ago and have five double-digit scorers. Then you add traditional 2A power Linton-Stockton, led by former South Spencer coach Matt Britton.
That's not to discredit University, who navigated a difficult schedule. It's certainly a tough path for Forest Park, starting with a state championship contender. But the Rangers already answered that challenge last week with a strong second half to beat No. 2 South Ripley. Forest Park has a balanced lineup and solid defense. There's a recipe for an additional surprise or two.
Forest Park coach Drew Messmer: "I thought we came out with a lot of energy (against South Ripley). That 23-6 third quarter was obviously massive. Learning from past experiences, we closed the game out by hitting a couple of free throws late. When it comes to Parke Heritage, everything starts with the coach's son, Treigh Schelsky.
He's a really good point guard. Last year, they were more guard-oriented and now play through their two bigs quite a bit. We have to finish off possessions with a rebound for 32 minutes, not for 26 this game."
Junior guard Jared Burger: "I think we turned up the energy defensively (last week). We ran through our plays more fluently and got more open looks. We've come together. We're all really close. I think that all helps. It's a pretty good semistate (field), but with all these guys that we've got I think we have a good chance."
Rangers' X-factor: Kamdon Partenheimer. Is it fair to put one of the Rangers' top scorers? The 6-7 sophomore needs to have a strong day against a big and physical frontline of Parke Heritage. He proved capable of rising to the moment with 28 points against Mater Dei in the sectional championship.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA boys basketball semistate: What to know for Southwestern Indiana
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