Homestead Tops Harrison to Claim Class 4A Regional Championship in Logansport

Junior forward Mack Welker shook off early foul trouble to overwhelm Harrison, finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds and two steals as Homestead captured its second-straight Class 4A regional championship Saturday at Logansport High School, defeating the Raiders 55-38.

The 6-foot-5 Welker was efficient nearly to the point of flawless once he settled in, converting 10 of 12 field goal attempts. He contributed seven of Homestead's 13 first-quarter points as the Spartans surged ahead 13-4, with Harrison committing five turnovers in that opening period alone. By halftime, Homestead led 30-15 after Harrison went five minutes and 24 seconds without scoring between the first and second quarters. The Raiders finished the first 16 minutes with nine turnovers, many generated by ball pressure that Welker helped initiate.

"Just let the game come to me," Welker said. "I started a little slow, got in a bit of foul trouble. Just trusting my guys, trusting that on defense I can talk and they've got my back."

Homestead coach Chris Johnson designed his game plan around neutralizing Harrison guards Brody Baker and Quinn Clary, who had combined for 53 of Harrison's 59 points in their sectional championship win over Kokomo the previous Saturday. The strategy worked: Baker and Clary combined for just 16 points Saturday, going 4-for-16 from the field and 1-for-9 from three-point range.

"We wanted to make it difficult on those two guys," Johnson said. "I was going to make somebody else want to shoot the basketball more than those two."

The offensive balance Homestead showed was equally telling. Seven different Spartans scored before halftime, a breadth of contributors that kept Harrison's defense scrambling. Junior guard Jake Coolman added seven points and six steals, including three steals in the first quarter alone, amplifying the early pressure that buried the Raiders before they could mount any response.

Harrison coach Mark Rinehart acknowledged that Welker's presence made it nearly impossible to hedge defensively without leaving gaps elsewhere. "Welker is very skilled, and you can't let him get ahead," Rinehart said. "We had to have a guy ready to attack just because of his size advantage on us and we knew. We worked all week, and when you do that, you're susceptible on the back side. We turned the ball over too many times and let them play ahead of us."

The loss ended a strong season for Harrison, which finished 18-9 and had captured its second straight IHSAA sectional title after going 26 years without one before last season. The Raiders tested themselves against elite competition all year, facing Mount Vernon of Fortville and Purdue commit Luke Urtel, 3A state favorite Silver Creek, and Terre Haute North and 6-foot-6 senior Brady Klopfenstein. Rinehart credited the program's growth even in defeat.

"Ten years ago, you would've said we would've (struggled) in the sectional and you have kids with standards, and those standards have changed with all the years the kids have put in," he said. "The ball didn't go in the basket. That's a credit to Homestead and how quality and how well of a coached team they are."

Homestead, now 20-6 on the season, celebrated with the traditional net-cutting ceremony. Welker, wielding the scissors, found the postgame ritual almost as challenging as the game itself.

"Only my second time (cutting down the net) after sectionals, and I struggled a bit with the dull scissors," he said.

The Spartans advance as back-to-back Class 4A regional champions, with their sights set on a deep semistate run.