For the second year in a row, Ben Davis boys basketball will be playing at the New Castle Fieldhouse with a chance to advance to the state championship.
The Giants advanced to the semistate by beating New Palestine 70-59 in this past weekends Southport regional. Ben Davis will face old conference foe Center Grove in this Saturday’s semistate opener followed by Lawrence North against Jeffersonville. The winners will return for the 8 p.m. championship game with a berth in the Class 4A state championship on the line.
Ben Davis won the Class 4A state championship last year with a 33-0 record — the most wins ever recorded by a Class 4A state champion. Gone are seven seniors from that squad and coach Don Carlisle, who is on administrative leave this year. Interim coach Corey Taylor took over at the start of the season and has guided the Giants to a 21-5 record and a return visit to New Castle.
Junior Mark Zackery was the sparkplug in the regional with a team-high 20 points. He is the lone returning starter from last years team. Seniors KJ Windham (a parttime starter last season) and Mark White have played key roles this season.