12 Bloomington-area boys' basketball games to watch this year
The 2022-23 boys' basketball season is fast approaching and here are a few games you won't want to miss:
Nov. 22: Bloomington South at Edgewood
Right off the bat, a rebuilt Edgewood squad will be tested by a veteran group of Panthers, who come in with one of the state's better players in 6-foot-7 Gavin Wisley and a pair of returning guards in Aiden Schmitz and Andrew Baran, not to mention a former Mustang in Zach Sims.
Dec. 2: Center Grove at North or BNL at South
Take your pick. A pair of now sectional rivals meet at North, as the Trojans, led by seniors Marcus Ankney and Ethan McComb, look for a bounce-back season. Bedford North Lawrence is bringing back most of its lineup from last year so it'll be interesting to see what improvement was there in the opener vs. North.
Girls on the court:Bloomington South girls zap Edgewood in season opener
Dec. 9: Southport at South
We'll get our first look at a rebuilt Southport team that welcomed two transfers from Tindley (Jayden and Jeff Pinkston) to go with top returners A.J. Dancler, Nickens Lemba and Keyon Miller. Cards also travel to North on Dec. 16, so CI title chase gets off to a roaring start.
Dec. 10: North vs. Fishers
North returns to the Forum Tipoff Classic at Southport to take on a Fishers squad that went 21-3 last year, losing only to Carmel, Pike and a semistate-bound Westfield team in the sectional opener. Tigers are led by junior Taden Metzger (15.3 ppg, made 60 3-pointers at a 44% clip), a transfer from Marian and considered one of the top shooting guards in the state, and promising sophomores JonAnthony Hall and 6-7 Jalen Haralson (16 ppg, 5 rpg), an IU recruiting target.
Dec. 16: Lighthouse Christian at White River Valley
First big test of the season for the Lions in the form of a potential sectional foe in the Wolverines, who bring back several pieces from last year's squad. The Lions graduated their two big men from last year.
Dec. 17: Edgewood at Sullivan or North at Franklin
Another big WIC test for Edgewood with the Arrows coming off a semistate run. And it'll be game No. 7 for Sullivan, with head coach Jeff Moore at 493 career wins. The Cougars and Griz will have a rematch of last year's regional final, but with slightly different lineups. Franklin's top player, Micah Davis (15 ppg, 6 rpg) returns for his junior season.
Dec. 27: South vs. Eastern Hancock
Opener of the Richmond Tournament could be interesting for the Panthers. Royals were 22-6 last year and made a run to the 2A semistate. They return four of their top five scorers including the Spaulding boys, 6-foot guards Jacob (13.9 ppg, 3 apg) and Silas (11 ppg, 3 apg).
Dec. 30: North vs. Zionsville
Another showcase event for the Cougars (the girls play Northview just prior to this one), this time at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Zionsville features two big time seniors in Penn State commit Logan Imes, and center Nick Richart. North knows both of them well as Imes had 25 points and Richart 12 in the Cougars' 60-55 win at Zionsville in December of 2020.
Jan. 6: North at South or Eastern Greene at North Daviess
City rivalry game, 81st in the series, is always a good choice. The Cougars started the season with three new starters and the Panthers four. North won their regular season for the first time since 2014 and beat them in a sectional for the first time since 2013. North's last three-game win streak against the Panthers came in 2001-03. Meanwhile, Eastern will travel to take on last year's Class 1A state champs who voluntarily moved up to 3A.
Jan. 13: Owen Valley at Edgewood
WIC rivalry matchup saw OV breakthrough much like North did against South last year, beating the Mustangs (69-68) for just the second time since the 2013-14 season. Both teams are going through major rebuilds as the season gets under way. The OV game will be part of a run of four straight WIC games for Edgewood to start off 2023.
Feb. 2: South at Mitchell or Edgewood at North
South head coach JR Holmes returns to his old stomping grounds as the Panthers will make their first appearance in The Hive since 2002. County rivals face off closer to home. North has won four straight in the series and 13 of the last 14.
Feb. 24: North at New Albany
Cougars will get the honor of playing the last home game for New Albany veteran coach Jim Shannon, who announced before the season this will be his last after 39 seasons, the last 25 with the Bulldogs.
Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com or 812-331-4381 and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IHSAA boys basketball: Bloomington area games to watch 2022-23 season
