Summers the hero in Lawrence Central's Marion County win. Results, matchups.

Snow? Cold? Forget it. Mid-January is Summers’ weather.

Specifically, D.J. Summers. The Lawrence Central senior guard returned on Wednesday night after missing four games with a groin injury to spark the Bears to a 71-69 win over Ben Davis in the quarterfinals of the Marion County Tournament.

“D.J. has been out for a minute, so him coming back and bringing energy like that was big,” Harris said. “He does it all the time. He brings energy off the bench. He’s a big part of our team.”

Postgame with Doron Harris pic.twitter.com/rQnSOii1OY— Kyle Neddenriep (@KyleNeddenriep) January 15, 2026

Summers finished with a team-high 15 points off the bench, including seven during a pivotal third quarter that saw the Bears outscore Ben Davis 22-6. Lawrence Central, after trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, led the Giants by 13 points early in the fourth quarter.

Ben Davis (10-3), which brought a 10-game winning streak into the game, rallied to tie the score, 69-69, on a 3-pointer by Sherman Moss-Wright with 33.2 seconds remaining. Lawrence Central (6-7) worked the clock down before Summers was fouled on a drive to the basket with 9.5 seconds remaining.

His first free throw rolled around and down. The second was nothing but net.

“We were 59% percent (from the free-throw line) in the first half of the year,” Lawrence Central coach Phil Washington said. “We’re trying to get it back to 85% as a team. We shot some crucial ones tonight. We’ve been charting our free throws in practice. That’s something I got from (former LC coach Al Gooden).”

The Bears had to survive one more opportunity for Ben Davis. Moss, who led the Giants with 21 points, missed a tough, contested 19-footer from the top of the key. Sophomore Jasir Rogers rebounded and was fouled just before the buzzer, sending him to the line for two free throws.

With no time on the clock, Rogers’ first free throw bounced off the back of the rim. Lawrence Central celebrated the victory, which clinched the Bears’ first semifinal county appearance since the 2019-20 team reached the championship game.

“It means a lot,” Summers said. “We haven’t made it past the first round in so long. It means a lot to make to the semifinals.”

Lawrence Central will play in the second semifinal on Friday night (roughly 7:45 p.m.) against Class 4A No. 5 Pike (11-2). The first semifinal at Southport, at 6 p.m., will be Park Tudor (8-4) against 4A sixth-ranked Lawernce North (12-1).

“It was a similar game to (Tuesday night),” Ben Davis coach Don Carlisle said of the Giants emerging from a 16-point deficit for a 55-46 win over Warren Central. “As good of a team as we could be, that’s where we really have to get better. It’s small things. We are a defensive-minded team. But we keep giving up plays from the space where our defense isn’t showing up. (Opponents) are touching the paint and kicking out to wide open shooters. It’s probably been the last five games.”

JaShawn Ladd scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half for Ben Davis.

Other Marion County results from Wednesday:

Park Tudor 51, Franklin Central 39: Park Tudor clinched its first county semifinal appearance since winning the county title 12 years ago, the second of back-to-back titles. Keylan Smith and Carlos Lopez each scored 14 points to lead the Panthers.

Lawrence North 59, Roncalli 49: Cam Webster led a balanced attack with 16 points and Brennan Miller and Duke Karnes added 15 each to lead the Wildcats to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. The Wildcats won the title two years ago and have won three of the last six championships.

Pike 66, Decatur Central 54: Jahari Miller had 25 points and four rebounds and Isaiah Hill added 10 points and 13 rebounds as Pike advanced.

Other notes from Wednesday

*Washington said the injury to Summers, which happened in the first round of the Fishers Tournament – a 64-61 loss to New Albany – was a key turning point for the Bears.

“D.J. is huge for us,” Washington said. “That’s why we sat him out last week the two games against Hamilton Southeastern and Park Tudor. We said, ‘The only way we win and advance this week is if you are healthy.’ He bought into it and you can see he’s doing better.”

*Senior Caleb Wells added 13 points and 6-5 senior Dayton Stephans added 10 points for the Bears, providing a spark in the second quarter.

“This is our second day with everybody on the roster,” Washington said. “And we’re 2-0. I feel good about it.”

*Lawrence Central has not won a Marion County Tournament title since 1996.

“It’s huge for this senior class (to make the semifinals),” Washington said. “It’s great for the school and for the basketball program. We started off taking haymakers from everybody. Losing by two, losing by three. It’s good to have a positive light. Now that they see the goal now, it’s achievable.”

*Washington on Pike: “I think it’s going to be a great MIC showdown game. I think it’s going to be a game (like the Ben Davis game). It’s going to be tough, physical. They bring that length to the court. But we have a lot of talent and depth. Whichever team keeps the other one from making big runs that’s going to be the winner of that game on Friday.”

Other scores of note

There were not a lot of other games on Wednesday, though Crispus Attucks did defeat Guerin Catholic 71-69. DeZhon Hall led Attucks with 33 points and Corde Hill added 13. Jake Grissom led Guerin Catholic with 24 points. I will have a story on this in the morning, but notable that Attucks’ coach Chris Hawkins posted his 180^th win as Attucks coach to break the school record set by legendary coach Ray Crowe.

Triton Central (10-2) knocked off Scecina 48-44 in a matchup of sectional rivals in Class 2A Sectional 43.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: High school basketball: Marion County Tournament semifinal matchups set