Editor’s Note: This preview has been changed from its original form due to the absence of Trey Kaufman (ankle) from this game.
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS
MR. BASKETBALL
Two future Purdue teammates were going to face off in this one and they just may be the top two candidates for 2021’s Mr. Basketball award. Blackhawk Christian’s Caleb Furst and Silver Creek’s Trey Kaufman however will now not play each other as Kaufman will be absent from this game due to an ankle injury, according to multiple reports. Mr. Basketball decision makers are still going to be paying close attention to this one, even if it is so early in the season.
REMATCH
Last December 14, Silver Creek got the edge on Blackhawk Christian and took a 78-74 win. The Braves only lost three games last season, so beating them is quite the claim. Blackhawk Christian jumped out to an early lead and then Silver Creek evened things out with a monster second quarter. The second half was close but Silver Creek kept getting the edge. While Furst dominated inside, Kaufman hung out on the edges a little bit more, knocking down key shots late. For the second ever meeting, who will take the edge?
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BRANDEN NORTHERN, SILVER CREEK
Northern has been electric as a lead guard for the Dragons thus far in 2020. Averaging 21 points and 7.5 assists, he is going to be a pretty solid equivalent matchup to Blackhawk Christian’s own lead guard game. Defensively, he is a threat on or off ball that is really going to make any matchup work. If he does match up off Zane Burke, which is unlikely, expect him to take more risks defensively.
JACOB BOYER, BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
Boyer has been a workhorse for the Braves so far in their 3-0 start. He has done a little bit of everything and scored to boot. His hustle has really been a noticeable change in his game this season. Not so say that Boyer couldn’t hustle before, but he certainly looks like he has changed gears heavily. His athleticism has been upped and Boyer is going to try to be impactful every time he is near the ball.
KOOPER JACOBI, SILVER CREEK
In Kaufman’s three game absence, Jacobi has just gone on to average 38 points and 15.5 rebounds through the first two of Silver Creek’s three games before a 36 point output in December 4’s win over Clarksville. Through the Dragons’ first two games, he is shooting 77 percent from the field, 69 percent from three point range and 88 percent from the free throw line. Every way that the 6-foot-6 senior wants to score right now, he is having his way at it.
ZANE BURKE, BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
It was Burke, not Furst, who came out leading the Braves in scoring through their first two blowout wins to start the season. He has really become arguably the calmest tempo setting guard in the area. Everything flows through Burke and his offensive game has been become seamless at this point. Burke dictates so much about Blackhawk Christian’s offense right now.
KEYS TO VICTORY – SILVER CREEK
TAKE SMART SHOTS
Outside of Jacobi’s ridiculous early season shooting, Silver Creek stands strong. They are shooting 76 percent inside the arc as a team and just under 45 percent from three point range. Asserting their will shooting the ball is a big deal for this group and they do so with well planned execution.
START QUICK
Last season, the Braves raced out to an 11 point lead after the first quarter against Silver Creek. While the Dragons got back into that game before halftime and ultimately got the win, they do not want to have to do that again. The Braves have gotten out to monster leads immediately this season and it really breaks teams. The Dragons aren’t just any team and they aren’t as prone to breaking, but still they want to take the lead early. In their last game, against Clarksville, Silver Creek started strong with an 8-3 lead that ballooned to 28-8. Senior Branden Northern was clutch early there with 13 first quarter points.
KEYS TO VICTORY – BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
ATTACK THE BASKET
Silver Creek controls the inside well and Kaufman’s range on both ends of the floor extends that control. So Blackhawk Christian is going to want to break that as early and as often as they can. The last thing the Braves want is for the Dragons to get comfortable so they have to keep taking it to Silver Creek. The Braves have hoards of capable shooters but they have to have the drive to attack the rim too.
MAKE THE EXTRA PLAYS
As mentioned above with Boyer, the little things are going to make the Braves shine. How much more do they want the ball than Silver Creek does? We will learn a lot quickly on Saturday but getting on the floor after a loose balls, getting into passing lanes and generally being disruptive has to be a calling card. This is where you really look for the likes of Boyer, Callan Wood and Andrew McIntosh to make their presence felt.
BOUNCE’S PREDICTION
This has all the makings of being one of the best games in the state this entire season. These two teams have to be high favorites to take home state titles and getting to see them face off two years in a row is a real treat. They’ve both put up big points and ran through opponents thus far for them to be facing off, both possibly unbeaten. Two things jump out: it is possible that Blackhawk Christian is deeper with trusted entities off the bench and the Braves are well rested versus Silver Creek, who faces North Harrison on Friday night. And if you want another think to think about, we don’t know much about Trey Kaufman’s status. All of those thoughts favor one direction. Bounce picks Blackhawk Christian
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