On March 9 at 11:45 a.m., the varsity men’s basketball team will travel to Marion for the IHSAA Regional Semifinal against Kokomo. When the teams met earlier this year on Jan. 12, Carmel defeated Kokomo 64-56.

Junior Zach McRoberts said the team is looking forward to playing in the Regional.

“The best part about being in the Regional is that we’re getting one step closer to the ultimate goal,” he said. “It gets a little tougher because every team is really good and no one wants to go so far to end up losing.”

According to Athletics Director Jim Inskeep, the school will offer a fan bus to the game in the morning. If the team wins their first game, they will play in the Regional Final at 7:30 p.m., and a fan bus will also be offered for that game.

Carmel (21-2) averages scoring 59 points per game and gives up an average of 46 points per game, while Kokomo (22-2) averages scoring 61 points per game and gives up an average of 46 points per game.

Last year, on the way to winning the IHSAA State Title, Carmel defeated Kokomo in the Regional Semifinal 52-48. The winner of this year’s game will face the winner of the 10 a.m. game between Fort Wayne Northrop (19-7) and New Haven (17-5) at 7:30 p.m. for the Regional Championship.