Thanks to a late run, 4A North Central is still in the hunt for the state title. The Panthers leaned on a hot Terone Johnson for a fourth-quarter comeback and got a pair of big plays from sophomore Patrick Ingram in overtime to seal a 54-53 win over Noblesville in the regional final.
Johnson put up 10 of his game-high 22 points in a minute-and-a-half spurt in the fourth quarter, sparking a North Central comeback before fouling out with 48 seconds left in regulation. Andrew Lively hit the game-tying 3-pointer for Noblesville. In overtime, Ingram had a pair of key steals. The first led to a layup, while the second led to the game-winning free throw. The Millers’ Leland Brown, who had a team-high 16 points, missed a last-second 3-pointer to end the game.
North Central (23-3) will take on Jeffersonville (22-4) in the semi-state on Saturday.
Defending 4A champion and top-ranked Bloomington South suffered a tough defeat at the hands of Jeffersonville, 58-56. The Panthers beat the Red Devils by 31 in mid-December, but committed too many turnovers and went stagnant on offense over the final quarter.
Bloomington South (23-1) led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, but allowed Jeffersonville to come back by missing shots and committing seven turnovers in the quarter. Red Devil Evan Maschmeyer, who led all scorers with 20 points, sparked the turnaround with 11 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying 3-pointer.
Kegan Clark had 17 points for Jeffersonville, while Drake Coleman posted 10, including the game-winning free-throw. Indiana-bound junior Matt Carlino paced the Panthers with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Butler-bound senior Erik Fromm had 17 points and seven boards.
In the other 4A semi-state match-up, Warsaw (22-2) will play Fort Wayne Carroll (20-3). Warsaw beat Munster 40-31, while Carroll knocked-off a surprise in Muncie Central, 50-44.
3A No. 1 Danville (25-1) faced its toughest test of the season against North Central on Feb. 3, a game which it lost by 13 points. Until Saturday, the closest a 3A team had come to knocking off the Warriors was six, followed by a pair of 14-point wins.
In the regional’s opening round, the same Brebeuf team that fell to Danville by six just over a month ago took the Warriors down to the wire in a 47-46 loss. In the second nail-biter, Danville used a pair of Travis Carroll free-throws to topple No. 3 Mount Vernon (22-3) 47-43.
The Purdue-bound Carroll posted 25 points in the win over Brebeuf and had 15 points and 17 rebounds against the Marauders. Daniel Turner paced Mount Vernon with 20 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Danville will play Washington (21-3) in the semi-state.
Gary’s Lew Wallace (18-4), featuring highly recruited junior Branden Dawson, won its 3A regional final by 19 and will play Fort Wayne Elmhurst (18-5) in the other 3A semi-state game.
In the 2A semi-state matchup, sophomore Kevin Ferrell leads Indianapolis Park Tudor (14-10) against Forest Park (19-7). Park Tudor trounced South Ripley by 15 in the opening game of regionals, then beat No. 6 Winchester 50-41 behind Ferrell's 18 points.
Southwood (18-6) takes on No. 2 Wheeler (25-1) in the other semi-state matchup, against the only ranked team left in the 2A tournament.
In single A action, No. 1 Bowman Academy (22-1) will take on No. 6 Monroe Central (20-5), while North Central (Farmersburg) (15-10) will play Barr-Reeve (23-2) in the other contest.
