In Indiana, basketball isn’t just a game. It's a religion.
People here treat a Tuesday night conference matchup with the same intensity most states reserve for a professional championship. If you’ve ever sat in a packed gym in New Castle or Fishers, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The air is thick with the smell of popcorn and the deafening roar of bleachers rattling.
Keeping track of indiana hs bb scores is a full-time job for some of us.
Right now, we are deep into the 2025-26 season, and the landscape is shifting daily. You look at the scoreboard and see one thing, but the story behind those numbers is usually way more complicated. Take a look at Jan. 15, 2026. Hauser just put up 80 points against Madison Shawe. That’s a statement. Then you have a double-overtime thriller where Indiana Deaf edged out New Mexico School for the Deaf 45-42.
Those are the games that define a season.
The Chaos of the Mid-January Rankings
January is basically the "prove it" month in the IHSAA. By now, the holiday tournament hangovers have faded. Teams are either locking in or falling apart under the pressure of conference play.
The current hierarchy is top-heavy with some familiar names, but there’s a lot of movement underneath. Fishers has been a juggernaut, sitting at 12-0 or 13-0 depending on which poll you trust more. They are chasing that Class 4A ghost from last year, trying to finish what they started.
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- Fishers Tigers: Undefeated and looking like a machine.
- Crown Point: Also unbeaten (11-0) and playing some of the nastiest defense in the state.
- Carmel: They had a weird "football score" game early on—35-28 against Zionsville—but they’ve since found their rhythm.
- Lawrence North: Sitting at 10-1 and always a threat to ruin someone's Friday night.
But honestly? Rankings can be a trap.
You’ve got a team like Plainfield at 11-1. They have Noah Smith, a 6'8" power forward who is already signed with DePaul. When you have a kid like that on the floor, the computer rankings don't really matter. He can change a game in a three-minute span just by being bigger and more athletic than anyone else on the court.
Recent Scoreboard Highlights (Jan. 15, 2026)
If you missed the scores from the latest slate of games, here is a quick look at what happened across the state:
Liberty Christian took down Indpls Tindley 65-57 in a game that felt much closer than the final margin suggests. Northeastern absolutely handled Union City, winning 68-32. Up north, West Noble beat Eastside 55-39, and Westview took care of business against Fairfield with a 60-50 victory.
The Marion County Tournament is also heating up. We just saw Lawrence Central squeeze past Ben Davis 71-69. That’s a classic Indy rivalry game. It doesn't get much better than that. Lawrence North also took care of Roncalli 59-49, keeping their momentum alive as we head toward the business end of the season.
The Stars Carrying the Load
While the indiana hs bb scores tell us who won, they don't always tell us how.
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There are some ridiculous individual performances happening this year. Blake Neill out of Bloomfield is averaging roughly 30 points per game. Think about that for a second. In a high school game with 8-minute quarters, that is pure efficiency.
Then you have Luke Ertel at Mt. Vernon (Fortville). He’s not just a scorer; he’s a floor general. He’s averaging nearly 25 points while basically coaching the team from the point guard position.
Players to Watch Right Now:
- Elijah Wilson (Indpls Shortridge): A scoring machine averaging around 28 points.
- Braxton Bowman (Crawford County): Only a sophomore and already putting up nearly 28 points a night.
- Noah Smith (Plainfield): The DePaul commit who is the physical anchor for the Quakers.
Why Some Scores Are Deceiving
One thing people get wrong about Indiana basketball is obsessing over the final margin. You might see a 20-point blowout and think one team is "bad." In this state, that’s rarely the case.
Strength of schedule is everything.
A team like Ben Davis might have a few losses on their record, but they are playing a gauntlet. They're playing the likes of Cathedral, Lawrence North, and Pike. I'd take a three-loss Ben Davis team over an undefeated school playing a soft schedule any day of the week.
We also have the "Sectional of Death" phenomenon. It’s that unique Indiana quirk where some of the best teams in the state are all grouped in the same sectional. It means a Top-10 team might not even make it to the regional round. It’s brutal. It’s unfair. And it’s exactly why we love it.
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What’s Coming Next
The Delaware County Tournament just saw Delta crush Cowan 59-26, and Yorktown put up a massive 88 points against Daleville. These mid-season tournaments are the best litmus test for who is actually ready for the state tournament in March.
If you're trying to keep up, don't just look at the wins and losses. Look at the "points against" category. Teams like Crown Point are winning because they make it impossible for you to breathe in the half-court. They aren't going to out-score you 90-85; they’re going to beat you 48-30 and make you hate every minute of it.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Recruits
If you want to truly stay on top of the Indiana high school basketball scene, stop just checking the Sunday paper.
First, follow the computer rankings but cross-reference them with the "Strength of Schedule" (SOS) metrics. A team with a high SOS and a .700 winning percentage is often more dangerous than a .900 team with a low SOS.
Second, pay attention to the freshman and sophomore classes. Players like Braxton Bowman are proof that the next wave of Indiana talent is already here.
Lastly, keep an eye on the injury reports and eligibility updates for the big Indianapolis schools. One transfer or one rolled ankle in January can completely flip a sectional bracket upside down by the time February rolls around.
To get the most out of the rest of the season, start tracking the conference standings for the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) and the Hoosier Crossroads Conference (HCC). These are widely considered the toughest conferences in the state, and whoever comes out on top there is usually the favorite to at least reach the semi-state round. Keep your eyes on the box scores for "bench points"—depth is what wins titles in Indiana, not just a single star player.