Marquette Catholic claims 1A regional title; Bethany sidelined
A fast start paved the way to a regional championship Saturday for the red-hot Michigan City Marquette Catholic boys basketball team.
The Blazers blazed to a lead from the start to down Tri-County 60-48 in Class 1A play at the Triton Regional.
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Marquette, now 20-7 thanks to a 15-game winning streak, advances to the North Semistate next Saturday. Its opponent and site for the contest will be determined by the IHSAA Sunday afternoon. Hosts for North Semistates, which include four teams and three games, include Michigan City, Elkhart (North Side Gym), Logansport and Lafayette Jefferson.
The senior trio of Lukas Balling, Jason Kobe and Adam Tarnow led the way for the champions. Balling had 16 points and nine rebounds. Kobe netted 15 points and nabbed six steals and Tarnow finished with 10 points.
Coach Ray Tarnow's Blazers, who started their season at 5-7, led 18-11 after the opening period and 35-21 at halftime. Marquette shot 15-of-29 from the field in the first 16 minutes.
Marquette used defense to continue its long winning streak and claim the program's fourth regional title and first since winning a Class 2A crown in 2017. The Blazers forced the Cavaliers into 26 turnovers and had a whopping 26-4 edge in points off turnovers.
Nate Corbin scored 12 points and Will Getz 11 to lead Tri-County, which finished at 12-13.
Bruins sidelined
The best season in over two decades ended for Bethany Christian Saturday.
The Bruins saw a cold shooting effort result in a 44-40 loss to Kouts in the Class 1A Triton Regional.
Kouts, winners of six in a row, improved to 17-9 in winning the program's fourth regional crown. The Mustangs advance to the Class 1A North Semistate next Saturday at a site and versus an opponent to be determined Sunday afternoon by the IHSAA.
Bethany, making its first regional appearance since 2009, finishes at 16-11. The 16 wins are the most since Bethany won a regional title back in 2002.
The Bruins led 12-4 after the opening period and 14-12 at halftime. Bethany shot just 7-of-21 in the opening half, including 0-of-6 from distance. Kouts was 5-of-19 from the field, including 0-of-8 from deep in the first half.
Bethany led 26-25 after the third period, but was outscored 19-14 in the final frame.
Bethany finished 18-of-46 from the field overall, including 0-of-12 from distance. The Bruins had just one turnover in the game.
Junior Tyson Chupp led Bethany with 14 points and six rebounds. Junior Justin Hochstedler had 12 points and seven rebounds and junior Jacoby Reinhardt eight points and six caroms for the Bruins.
Spencer Andrews led Kouts with 18 points.
Kouts finished 15-of-38 from the field, including 2-of-13 from 3-point land. The Mustangs had five turnovers. Kouts outscored Bethany 12-4 from the free throw line as they hit 12-of-19, while the Bruins were just 4-of-6.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA boys basketball regional roundup
