Bloomington North boys basketball coach Jason Spear received an early Christmas gift.
It was a long drive back home along Interstate 65 on Tuesday, Dec. 23, but it was a joyful ride filled with thoughts of sugar plums and candy canes — and not a scratch, coming off two outstanding wins over the 5-1 Cougars on Monday at East Chicago Central and another victory over undefeated Class 4A No. 8 Chesterton on Tuesday.
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Speer led his team to the Fisherman Championships the past two seasons but decided to take a different tack this year and instead planned a team road trip to the area before the holidays.
More: Vote for the IU Health Herald Athlete of the Week for Dec. 15-20
The results couldn’t have gone better, as North defeated ECC 68-41 and then defeated Chesterton 63-55 in the historic 8,000-seat Coliseum, leading the way in both games before huge crowds.
“It was a wonderful experience for us,” Speer said. “We wanted to have a little bit of a holiday tournament experience and we did that, playing four games in five days against two teams we’d never seen.
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“I think East Chicago Central has a lot and what a great opportunity Chesterton is. I’m grateful for those two wins. We’re certainly getting better.”
North’s Derrick Cross Jr. (13) shoots during the Bloomington North vs. Bloomington South boys IHSAA sectional basketball game on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Bloomington South High School.
For Speer, coaching at ECC was “a bucket list kind of thing.” East Chicago basketball was a hotbed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with Roosevelt and Washington winning consecutive games in 1970-71. Northside linebacker Nate Walker’s father went to high school there.
As for the game, North got off to a slow start after a long, hard journey and a tough loss at Southport on Friday before a hard-fought one-point win over Franklin the next night.
“Our goal is to hit a wall,” Speer said. “How do you react when you’re physically and mentally exhausted? I got an A+.”
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More: Northern girls basketball’s Ashley Stegemoller only plays net all year
Against Chesterton, the Trojans used a 12-2 foul advantage in the first half to claw back an 8-19 deficit to tie it 25-21 at halftime. But this Cougars team, both starters and reserves, played at their best and pulled away in the second half.
A report from the X listed Levi Lindeman with 22 points and six rebounds and Derrick Cross with 11 points, although both were held off the court for much of the first half. Walker had 13 points and five assists, and it turned into a great experience that can be used in the future. Camaron Washington, John Bargen and Tevin Bridgewaters all had strong performances, as did freshman Tal Schulberg.
“The guys that came off the bench did a great job,” Speer said. “Chesterton is a top-10 team, we’re four hours away from home and a lot of people are in attendance. There was a women’s game afterward. Everyone was involved and we led from start to finish.
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“We were a different team. We were the wrong team today. Our heart, our determination, our connection offensively and defensively, we left it all there. It was really a program win. Four games in five days, we challenged them and lived up to our expectations.”
Now if only they could bottle it and open it before every report. Someone must have had an eye-opening experience with mountain lions. They’ll take a break and play a road game at Mooresville on Jan. 6 before a rivalry game against South on Jan. 9 (maybe. Sources say the game could change if the Indiana football team plays in the Peach Bowl that night).
“It’s a four-hour drive and things can get bad,” Speer said. “Snow. We didn’t play well. But if we’re going to be a competitive championship team, this is the challenge we have to go through and I’m very happy.”
North Bloomington High School South head coach Jason Speer watches the South Bloomington High School boys’ IHSAA sectional basketball game on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
east green reunion
East Green (5-2) will also avoid the tournament over the next two weeks and instead play Monrovia on Dec. 27, North Knox on Dec. 30 and 1A No. 1 Barr-Reeve (7-0) on Jan. 2, all at home.
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The showdown with the Vikings will include a celebration of the reunion of the 2001 district champion boys basketball team that finished with a 23-2 record. All players, coaches, managers and cheerleaders are invited back to be recognized between JV and varsity games.
Bloomington South’s Max Surdam scores a layup after a steal against Bedford North Lawrence during a men’s basketball game on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at BNL Arena.
Holiday Travel Guide
After the traditional Christmas feast, Indiana high school basketball fans are treated to a basketball feast.
Here’s a look at how the other boys teams in our area played during North’s break this year.
Edgewood at Wabash Valley Classic: The Mustangs (4-1) ended their pre-holiday schedule on a high note with weekend sweeps of Indian River and Sullivan. They need to continue to be at their best heading into South Terre Haute, where there are a number of teams that could potentially capture the title.
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Edgewood will start at 2A No. 6 Linton (4-1), which opened the season with a win over 4A Terre Haute South but was stumbled by South Knox. Shakamak (2-3) and Martinsville (2-3) meet in the opener and could face a rematch with the Artis on Saturday. The rest of the upper bracket is absolutely loaded. Illinois’ Casey Westfield (8-1) faces Blake Neal and 1A No. 4 Bloomfield (5-1), then Cloverdale (4-2) takes on Terre Haute North (2-3), which is still smarting from an overtime loss at South.
2A No. 1 Parke Heritage (6-0) and defending champion 3A No. 3 Northview (5-2), who lost to 4A No. 7 Mt. Vernon and 3A No. 2 Silver Creek, respectively, will be the two teams most likely to meet in the bottom semifinals. The competition ends on Tuesday, December 30th.
Bloomington South Community Car Holiday Championship: South will play two games again this year, starting with a four-team contest at home on Saturday, Dec. 27.
The Panthers (3-2) will face highly regarded 6-4 sophomore Jackson Johnson (15 points) and Muncie Central (3-1) starting at 10 a.m., followed by Perry Meridian (2-5) against Evan (2-3) at 11:30. The Falcons are led by 6-3 senior Ezra Caesar (10 points, 5 rebounds per game) and the Orioles are led by 6-2 senior Jedidiah Minnette (19 points per game).
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The third place game is at 5:30 p.m. and the championship game is at 7:15. The JV Championship will be held concurrently at the Auxiliary Gym. Same-day tickets are $7 or $12.
More: See who dropped Bloomington Area to all-conference teams
South Bloomington Lawrenceburg Championship: The 12-team tournament Jan. 2-3 will be divided into four groups and played at two locations: Lawrenceburg High School and Junior High School. South will take on 2A No. 3 Centerville (6-0) in the secondary at 3 p.m., followed by the host Tigers (2-2) at 7 p.m. Group B was a tough group that included 3A No. 2 Silver Creek (8-1), West Lafayette Harrison (5-1) and Indianapolis Shortridge (3-2), which played 4A No. 1 Fisher and lost 64-62. New Palestine (4-2) and Ft. Wayne Blackhawk (5-2) focuses on Pool C, while 4A No. 4 Plainfield (7-0) and 3A No. 8 Guerin Catholic (4-3) are in Pool D.
The Jan. 3 crossover will give the Panthers two more games, with Group A facing Group B in the opener.
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Christian Beacon, Sevenoaks compete in Championship of Excellence: The LCA Lions (2-3) will play two pool games on Opening Day Saturday. Dec. 27 begins at 10 a.m. against Riverton Parke (2-3), then at 2 p.m. against Mooresville Christian (2-1), with Seven Oaks (0-4) taking on the host Eels (3-2) at noon and in another pool against Attica (0-4) at 4 p.m.
On Monday, December 29, the third and fourth placed teams will play one more game at 10am, while the first place team from each group will play the second place team at 2pm, with the winner competing for the title at 6pm.
Clay City Championship Owen Valley: JB Neill’s rebuilding effort at Owen Valley sends the Patriots (1-4) to a seemingly balanced field in Clay City, where group games against North Vermillion (2-3) and Scottsburg (2-3) await on Monday, Dec. 29 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Eels will face North Putnam and North Central in the other group.
Crossover finals will be held on December 30 at 4pm, 5:30pm and 7pm
This article originally appeared in The Herald-Times: 2025 Bloomington Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament Schedule
