Semi-State Preview: Class 3A

Following an exciting round of Regional games Saturday afternoon and evening, the Semi-State fields are now set. This season, the IHSAA decided to make the Regional a one-game affair to win a title, with two Regional championship games at the same host site, similar to past Semi-States. Therefore, there were two Regional winners at each site. The Semi-States are now four-team, three-game events this Saturday, where teams in each class must win twice to advance to the State Finals. Below is a look at the two Semi-State locations in Class 3A, one taking place in the North, and one taking place in the South.   .   LaPorte Semi-State: Game-1: Twin Lakes (27-0) vs. Hamilton Heights (20-5), 11:00 a.m. ET Game-2: Tippecanoe Valley (22-3) vs. Fairfield (25-2), 1:00 p.m. ET Game-3: Winner Game-1 vs. Winner Game-2, 8:30 p.m. ET   Game-1: As odd as this sounds, Twin Lakes and Hamilton Heights are in the same conference but did not play each other this year. The Hoosier Conference is split into an East and a West Division, with five teams in each. Teams play the other four teams in their division, then at the end of the year, the top team in each division plays each other, the "seconds", "thirds", "fourths", and "fifths" all play each other as well in a crossover game. Well, Hamilton Heights placed second during their conference season in the East, while Twin Lakes was first in the West. With that all said, they do know each other from past years and sharing film, so this should be an exciting game to watch. Twin Lakes uses the guard trio of Junior [player_tooltip player_id='177346' first='Olivia' last='Nickerson'], Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='295786' first='Addison' last='Bowsman'], and Senior [player_tooltip player_id='96094' first='Addison' last='Ward'] to control tempo, create offense, and bury shots from the outside. They are as tough of a trio to match up with as anyone, and when you overplay them, they find wide open teammates for easy shots. Hamilton Heights leans heavily on Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='177352' first='Camryn' last='Runner'] for production. She is a multilevel scorer who can create for herself or others. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='298256' first='Ella' last='Hickok'] and Senior [player_tooltip player_id='331787' first='Kaylee' last='Rhoton'] have also had nice years and add more weapons outside. I think this game comes down to the "others". Whose frontline will step up? Where will additional production come from? And who will knock down big free throws down the stretch? I still think Twin Lakes is the favorite, especially at 27-0, but this will take 32 minutes to decide. I like Twin Lakes, 46-40.   Game-2: Tippecanoe Valley had a really nice win last week against Mishawaka Marian, while Fairfield outlasted a gritty Highland squad. Both teams have had strong years, and both are somewhat familiar with each other. They haven't played for two seasons, but they often share a lot of common opponents. Valley has a tremendous Senior guard in [player_tooltip player_id='203668' first='Kaydence' last='Mellott']. She is a sharpshooter who can also handle the ball, create, and attack. The rest of their roster holds a lot of balance, some height, and solid all-around athletes. One "newcomer who could help is 6-1 Senior post Amelia Scorsone (6.5p, 3.5r, 4 games), who recently became eligible due to transfer restrictions. Valley tends to mix up defenses, occasionally faceguards opposing players, and tries to frustrate opponents and deter them from what they want to do. Fairfield also has a star Senior in 6-0 forward [player_tooltip player_id='59749' first='Brea' last='Garber']. She has length, athleticism, plus skill inside and out. Additionally, fellow Seniors Bailey Willard and Morgan Gawthrop have been very instrumental in the Lady Falcons' success these last couple of seasons. They are steady and calm, and I think they have the makeup to knock off the Lady Vikings. This game is going to come down to which team can outlast the other and get them to play their way. Both groups have nice upperclassmen, but I feel like Fairfield might have a couple more people who can step up and make shots when needed. I think this game could see a number of lead changes, but in the end, I feel like Fairfield will pull out a 48-41 victory.   Players to Watch: Fairfield - [player_tooltip player_id='59749' first='Brea' last='Garber'], 2023 Fairfield - Bailey Willard, 2023 Fairfield - Morgan Gawthrop, 2023 Fairfield - [player_tooltip player_id='567137' first='Eva' last='Herbert'], 2026 Hamilton Heights - [player_tooltip player_id='177352' first='Camryn' last='Runner'], 2024 - 18.9p, 7.1r, 2.7s Hamilton Heights - [player_tooltip player_id='298256' first='Ella' last='Hickok'], 2024 - 8.8p, 3.4r, 3.5a, 2.3s Hamilton Heights - [player_tooltip player_id='331787' first='Kaylee' last='Rhoton'], 2023 - 7.6p Hamilton Heights - Katie Brown, 2025 - 4.1p Tippecanoe Valley - [player_tooltip player_id='203668' first='Kaydence' last='Mellott'], 2023 - 19.5p, 5.4r, 2.4s Tippecanoe Valley - Lily Ault, 2023 - 7.4p Tippecanoe Valley - Amelia Scorsone, 2023 - 6.5p, 3.5r Tippecanoe Valley - Molly Moriarty, 2023 - 5.8p, 2.4r, 3.7a, 2.6s Tippecanoe Valley - Macy Petersen, 2024 - 5.3p, 4.9r Tippecanoe Valley - [player_tooltip player_id='574564' first='Corinna' last='Stiles'], 2023 - 4.9p, 5.6r, 2.5a, 2.1s Twin Lakes - [player_tooltip player_id='177346' first='Olivia' last='Nickerson'], 2024 - 18.7p, 4.2r, 2.2a, 2.6s Twin Lakes - [player_tooltip player_id='295786' first='Addison' last='Bowsman'], 2025 - 17.6p, 5.7r, 7.1a Twin Lakes - [player_tooltip player_id='96094' first='Addison' last='Ward'], 2023 - 11.0p, 3.4r, 2.3a Twin Lakes - [player_tooltip player_id='406158' first='Hannah' last='Hodgen'], 2023 - 5.9p, 6.4r, 2.8a Twin Lakes - Kora Pass, 2023 - 4.3p, 7.4r   .   Jasper Semi-State: Game-1: Gibson Southern (21-4) vs. Corydon Central (25-2), 10:30 a.m. ET Game-2: Bishop Chatard (12-13) vs. Indian Creek (26-1), 12:30 p.m. ET Game-3: Winner Game-1 vs. Winner Game-2, 8:00 p.m. ET   Game-1: This could be one of the better matchups few people will talk about. Both teams are balanced, they both have good depth, and they can attack you from different spots on the floor. Gibson Southern has three double-figure scorers in Junior [player_tooltip player_id='177324' first='Chloey' last='Graham'], Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='295774' first='Gabby' last='Spink'], and Senior [player_tooltip player_id='574558' first='Alexis' last='Tucker']. Those three are typically consistent and give them an edge, but Senior [player_tooltip player_id='127243' first='Ava' last='Weisheit'] stepped up at times this year and is capable of going for 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Lady Titans have always been a "sum of their parts" type of team, but with great parts and college prospects. Those tend to be some of the most dangerous. Corydon is built similarly, with Senior [player_tooltip player_id='178232' first='Ava' last='Weber'] being the driving force. She is averaging nearly 30 points per game this postseason. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='324096' first='Josie' last='Vaughn'] should be fun to watch in her matchup with Spink. From there, the Lady Panthers have a nice balance of other players who can each score 10 points when needed. This will be an absolute battle from beginning to end. Corydon might have the most impactful player on the floor, but Gibson Southern might be a little deeper and more talented all the way around. I am actually going to take Gibson Southern in what the polls would consider an "upset". Final score: GSHS 52, CCHS 49.   Game-2: At first glance, this might look like a significant mismatch, however, one year ago these two teams met with Indian Creek being the favorite, and Chatard won, 52-36. The Lady Trojans did graduate a lot of production, plus Indian Creek added Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='59746' first='Abby' last='Fleetwood'] to the mix, so there are some noticeable changes, but I think this will be closer than anticipated. Chatard looks to Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='410036' first='Caroline' last='Bell'] and Anna Thompson with what they do. They are going to play at their pace, try to take care of the ball, and take advantage of Indian Creek breakdowns. The Lady Braves, however, are very talented throughout their starting lineup, featuring Indiana University commit, 6-4 Junior [player_tooltip player_id='201885' first='Faith' last='Wiseman']. She is surrounded by three outstanding guards in Fleetwood, Junior [player_tooltip player_id='239346' first='Lauren' last='Foster'], plus Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='506021' first='Ayla' last='Lollar']. That combination has proven to be successful on all but one occasion this season, so I suspect it will be once again. If Chatard can frustrate Wiseman and limit the Braves to one shot per possession, it gives them their best shot to compete. I think this game will be frustrating for Indian Creek, at least early, but I think they stay the course and stretch the lead at the end. Look for the Braves to beat the Trojans, 55-44.   Players to Watch: Bishop Chatard - [player_tooltip player_id='410036' first='Caroline' last='Bell'], 2023 - 11.1p, 6.5r Bishop Chatard - Anna Thompson, 2023 - 9.2p, 3.4r, 2.4a Bishop Chatard - Quinn Johnson, 2024 - 6.7p, 2.7r Bishop Chatard - Addison Duncan, 2024 - 5.2p, 4.0r, 2.0a Corydon Central - [player_tooltip player_id='178232' first='Ava' last='Weber'], 2023 - 22.0p, 6.0r, 2.5a, 3.0s Corydon Central - [player_tooltip player_id='324096' first='Josie' last='Vaughn'], 2025 - 11.9p, 3.4r, 3.2a, 2.8s Corydon Central - Bailey Orme, 2023 - 7.1p, 2.7r, 6.0a, 3.3s Corydon Central - [player_tooltip player_id='404110' first='Alyssa' last='Groover'], 2025 - 6.2p, 5.4r Corydon Central - Morgan Adams, 2024 - 4.2p, 3.4r Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='177324' first='Chloey' last='Graham'], 2024 - 16.8p, 5.2r, 2.9s Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='295774' first='Gabby' last='Spink'], 2025 - 15.1p, 2.9r, 4.6a Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='574558' first='Alexis' last='Tucker'], 2023 - 12.9p, 6.9r Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='127243' first='Ava' last='Weisheit'], 2023 - 7.9p, 5.7r, 2.0a Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='506027' first='Nola' last='Ravellette'], 2025 - 4.8p, 2.9r Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='201885' first='Faith' last='Wiseman'], 2024 - 15.9p, 9.3r, 2.5a, 2.4b Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='239346' first='Lauren' last='Foster'], 2024 - 19.0p, 3.1r, 4.3a, 2.4s Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='59746' first='Abby' last='Fleetwood'], 2023 - 6.2p, 6.1r, 4.5a, 3.5s Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='506021' first='Ayla' last='Lollar'], 2025 - 7.3p, 2.0r, 2.1a, 2.4s Indian Creek - Savannah Hall, 2023 - 5.3p, 3.7r

Following an exciting round of Regional games Saturday afternoon and evening, the Semi-State fields are now set. This season, the IHSAA decided to make the Regional a one-game affair to win a title, with two Regional championship games at the same host site, similar to past Semi-States. Therefore, there were two Regional winners at each site. The Semi-States are now four-team, three-game events this Saturday, where teams in each class must win twice to advance to the State Finals. Below is a look at the two Semi-State locations in Class 3A, one taking place in the North, and one taking place in the South.