The boys basketball Regional Championship is set for tomorrow. Clinton Prairie will face Lafayette Central Catholic at 4:00 tomorrow at Case Arena in Frankfort.
The Gophers were champions of Sectional 54, their first Sectional Championship since 1982. They defeated a string of tough opponents to do it, defeating Carroll, Rossville and Frontier all by 20 or more points.
Jake McGraw leads Clinton Prairie scoring attack. The senior averages 23.4 points per game while also sharing the basketball, leading the team with 4.5 assists a night.
Alex Farley and Ryan Harshbarger have also been key offensive weapons for the Gophers. Farley can score inside and out, he knocked down a Clinton Prairie record 12 threes in a game against Eastern this season. Farley is also no stranger to playing at Case Arena, he transferred from Frankfort to Clinton Prairie at the beginning of this year.
Chad Peckingpaugh is in his sixth season as head coach of the Gophers with a coaching record of 107-33.
The Knights of Lafayette Central Catholic enter as champions of Sectional 53, winning games against Fountain Central, Riverton Parke and Covington to claim their fourth sectional in the last five years.
Ray Clayton and Mikey Stapleton lead the scoring for Central Catholic, averaging 11 points each. Clayton finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game against Covington.
Central Catholic is under the direction of third-year head coach Drake Barrett. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Drake is the son of long-time Knights head coach David Barrett who led Central Catholic to two Semistate Championships and seven Regional Championships.
Clinton Prairie and Lafayette Central Catholic are no strangers to each other. The Knights were members of the Hoosier Heartland Conference from 1993-2011. In the last 40 years, the teams have faced off 32 times with Central Catholic winning 31 of those matchups. The first win for Clinton Prairie in the last 40 years came in 2023, as the two met in sectional play and the Gophers came out on top 42-37.
The Knights got revenge in 2024, defeating Clinton Prairie in the first round of Sectionals 49-32.
Clinton Prairie is seeking their first ever Regional Championship, while Central Catholic is playing for their tenth since 2000.
The game will be available to listen to on AM 1570, 96.9 WILO and Boone 102.7. The game is also available online by clicking here.
The broadcast is brought to you by:
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