HIGH SCHOOL
IHSAA basketball sectional draw storylines: Can anyone beat Fishers? 3A is loaded, more
Indianapolis Star
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- IHSAA boys basketball sectional pairings show begins at 6 p.m., Sunday and can be streamed via IHSAAtv.org.
- IndyStar Insider Kyle Neddenriep will provide instant analysis of the live draw on indystar.com and YouTube.
It starts getting real at 6 p.m., Sunday.
The Indiana high school boys basketball sectional draw will set the path for more than 400 teams around the state. There are some big differences this year, due to the new way the schools are classified. Here are several storylines to watch going into the sectional draw:
Reclassification impact on Class 3A
One of the biggest discussions through the season has been the loaded Class 3A field, which would have been extremely competitive even if the Indiana High School Athletic Association had not changed its classification format in the four-class sports from dividing each class equally (roughly 100 schools in each class) to putting the top 20% in 4A, the next 25% in 3A, the next 25% in 2A and remaining 30% in Class A.
Without the classification change, 3A looked tough. Third-ranked South Bend St. Joseph (17-3), last year’s state runner-up, returned with a loaded team. No. 1 Brownstown Central (18-0) moved up via the tournament success factor returning the bulk of its team outside of Mr. Basketball runner-up Jack Benter. No. 8 Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (17-3) also moved up from 2A via the success factor. Teams like No. 5 Guerin Catholic (18-4), No. 6 Silver Creek (18-3), No. 9 NorthWood (17-3) and No. 10 Princeton (19-2) among others were also expected to be contenders going into the season — and are.Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
But the big change here, with only 81 teams now in 4A, is the programs that dropped to 3A. That group, most notably, includes No. 2 Cathedral (16-4), No. 4 New Palestine (20-2) and No. 6 Crispus Attucks (14-6). All three would have been contenders in 4A, too. Others of note to drop from 4A to 3A: Shelbyville (16-5), Evansville Central (16-3), Roncalli (13-6), East Chicago Central (14-8), Greenwood (11-9), Marion (9-9) and Jennings County (9-11).’Welcome to Indiana basketball.’ A night with state’s top-ranked small schoolIHSAA basketball Super 25: Top teams going into second-to-last weekend
A condensed Class 4A
The feel of sectional week will be different in Class 4A with fewer weekday games (there will be 17 games in 4A on Tuesday/Wednesday).
Of the 16 sectionals in 4A, four will be four-team fields with no weekday games and seven are five-team fields with just one weekday game. The remaining five will have a more traditional look with six teams.
The format of fewer 4A games during the week will take a little while to get used to.
Most interesting Class 4A sectional draws
The sectional draw will have a bigger impact than others. Here are five sectional draws to keep an eye on Sunday:
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∎ Sectional 8 at Carmel: The top dog is defending champion and top-ranked Fishers (22-0). Last year, the Tigers had to win three games on the way to the sectional title, defeating Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern and Noblesville — the latter in an instant classic 49-47 nail-biter. This sectional, which is one of the few unchanged by the reclassification, is not quite as balanced as last year, though that has a lot to do with the Fishers’ dominance.
The placement of the Tigers and third-ranked Westfield (16-3) will be interesting. The Shamrocks led Fishers until the fourth quarter of an eventual 67-64 loss on Feb. 6. No. 10 Noblesville (15-5) is also a team to watch here, though the Millers lost by 34 points to Fishers back on Dec. 6.
Zionsville (12-10), Hamilton Southeastern (12-10) and Carmel (9-10) could all be favorites in a different sectional and could play spoiler, though the Greyhounds certainly less so after a season-ending injury to senior guard Alex Couto.
∎ Sectional 9 at Muncie Central: Can fourth-ranked Greenfield-Central (18-3) win its first sectional title in 27 years? The Cougars have the state’s best player in senior UConn commit Braylon Mullins (33.0 ppg, 7.3 rebounds, 47% 3-pointers) and a good supporting cast.
But there are two other teams in this six-team field capable of winning it, too. Fifth-ranked Anderson (19-2) has faced Greenfield-Central in the sectional each of the past three seasons, winning two and losing last year. Mt. Vernon (15-4) played Greenfield-Central to a five-point loss in January and will be a contender led by junior guard Luke Ertel (21.8 ppg).
∎ Sectional 10 at Lawrence Central
This sectional will seem a lot different with Cathedral and Attucks moving to 3A.
Still tough, though. No. 9 Lawrence North (14-6) has a team that looks like it could be a contender led by Butler commit Azavier Robinson (who is seven points from breaking the school’s scoring record held by Greg Oden) and juniors Kai McGrew and Brennan Miller. But Warren Central (12-6) split two hotly contested games with Lawrence North and North Central (13-9) has a high ceiling when it is playing well (Marion County tournament championship).
Also, keep an eye on Lawrence Central (11-9), which is coming off weekend victories over Greenfield-Central and Ben Davis. Tech (5-13) is young. Two of the five teams will have to play into Friday’s semifinal round.
∎ Sectional 11 at Avon: This might be the most interesting draw because there is no real weak link in this five-team field.
Second-ranked Avon (18-2) is the favorite and defending sectional champ, but did not have Ben Davis (15-6) or Pike (11-8) in the sectional last year. The Orioles are balanced and experienced, led by juniors Keriawn Berry (15.1 ppg, 5.6 rebounds) and Jedidiah Minnett (14.5 ppg) and senior DeAndre Lott-Hancock (11.4 ppg, 7.7 rebounds).
The interesting part to the draw will be which teams have to play the extra game. Plainfield (14-7) is the only team other than Fishers to beat Avon, though the Orioles later avenged that loss in the Hendricks County tournament. Brownsburg (9-11) is 0-4 against the sectional field but has been playing its best basketball since Jan. 31.
Also, the possibility of Mark Zackery IV returning to the Ben Davis’ lineup is still out there.
∎ Sectional 15 at Seymour: Seventh-ranked Jeffersonville (14-5) is a legit state title contender with 6-8 Northwestern commit Tre Singleton (17.3 ppg, 6.8 rebounds) back and playing well. The Red Devils have won eight consecutive games. New Albany (15-3) and Seymour (13-6) could play spoiler in this six-team sectional. There are high expectations for Jeffersonville, which came within one point of a state finals appearance last year.
Showdown sectional matchups in 3A, 2A and A
Here are the most intriguing sectional draws in Class 3A, 2A and A:
∎ Class 3A Sectional 19 at Plymouth: Third-ranked South Bend St. Joseph (17-3) has high expectations after making the state finals a year ago. This seven-team field also has Mishawaka Marian (12-9), which played St. Joseph to a three-point loss last week, South Bend Washington (15-5) and Culver Academy (11-8). Not the easiest route here for St. Joseph and standout senior Chase Konieczny (22.2 ppg, 8.4 rebounds).
∎ Class 3A Sectional 25 at Frankfort: The top teams in this seven-team field are No. 5 Guerin Catholic (18-4) and Brebeuf Jesuit (11-7). The Golden Eagles beat Brebeuf by 13 points in January and were one game away from the state finals a year ago. The draw will be interesting because Tri-West (14-6), Lebanon (14-6) and Danville (10-10) are also solid teams. Tri-West is 4-0 against the field but has not played Guerin or Brebeuf.
∎ Class 3A Sectional 26 at Shortridge: This six-team field looks like a two-team race with second-ranked Cathedral (16-4) and No. 6 Attucks (14-6) likely on a collision course. The Irish knocked off Attucks by eight points in the City championship last month. This one could decide who reaches the 3A state final from the south side of the bracket.
∎ Class 3A Sectional 28 at Shelbyville: Fourth-ranked New Palestine (20-2) won back-to-back 4A sectional titles and is loaded for a run in 3A. The Dragons will certainly be the favorite here with a 4-0 record against the sectional field. But New Palestine had close games against Greenwood (11-9) and Roncalli (13-6). Shelbyville (16-5) has also been a breakout team this season. This is a seven-team field.
∎ Class 3A Sectional 30 at Charlestown: Top-ranked Brownstown Central (18-0) is loaded for another run after winning the 2A state title a year ago. Sixth-ranked Silver Creek (18-3) will also be a strong contender, though Brownstown won the regular-season meeting by 18 points. Corydon Central (14-5) and Charlestown (15-5) will also be in the mix.
∎ Class 3A Sectional 31 at Southridge: Another loaded 3A field with six teams. No. 10 Princeton (19-2) is 6-0 against the field and 11-0 against other 3A teams. But Gibson Southern (15-5) took Princeton to three overtimes and Southridge (17-2) played the Tigers to a three-point loss. Those teams and Washington (14-5), Vincennes Lincoln (13-7) and Jasper (6-13) round out the field. Guaranteed close games.
∎ Class 2A Sectional 33 at Hebron: No. 8 Gary 21st Century (14-6) is clearly the team to beat here but Andrean (15-6) will also be a contender in this eight team field. Gary 21st Century beat Andrean last year for the sectional title.
∎ Class 2A Sectional 39 at Frankton: No. 10 Lapel (16-5) has won 10 consecutive games and is 3-0 against the sectional field. But this looks like a balanced six-team field with Tipton (14-5), Sheridan (14-5), Frankton (12-8) and Taylor (15-6) all having strong seasons. Sheridan has not won a sectional title since 1983.
∎ Class 2A Sectional 42 at Park Tudor: Cardinal Ritter (14-5) might be the team to beat in this six-team sectional as the Raiders look to end a 16-year sectional title drought. But Ritter did lose to Park Tudor (6-11) in late January. The Panthers play a schedule full of 3A and 4A teams. Covenant Christian (13-7), University (12-8) and Riverside (15-4) are also good teams with a chance to win.
∎ Class 2A Sectional 43 at Christel House: This might be the most balanced field in the state. Host Christel House (13-8) is 4-1 against the field with an overtime loss to Eastern Hancock (12-7). Those two, along with Triton Central (12-8) and Heritage Christian (7-12), will all have a chance to bring home the title.
∎ Class 2A Sectional 45 at Southwestern (Hanover): I had a chance to watch the two top contenders here. Top-ranked South Ripley (19-0) beat Southwestern 55-54 on two free throws with 0.9 seconds left. This is a five-team field with Austin (8-12) and Switzerland County (10-9) as potential sleepers.
∎ Class 2A Sectional 46 at Paoli: The showdown lurking here in this seven-team field is No. 8 Providence (14-3) and Paoli (16-2). Mitchell (14-6), which has not won a sectional title since 1997, could also be a sleeper. Providence was knocked out in the sectional by Brownstown Central the past two seasons.
∎ Class A Sectional 54 at Clinton Central: Fifth-ranked Clinton Prairie (17-2) looks like the team to beat in this seven-team field. The Gophers, 5-0 against the field, are looking for their first sectional title since 1982. The toughest challengers will be Carroll (Flora) (14-4), Rossville (14-7) and Frontier (12-7).
∎ Class A Sectional 58 at Lutheran: No. 7 Metropolitan (17-7) won a sectional title three years ago and might be the team to beat here. The Pumas have several good wins and played Class A No. 1 Clay City to a two-point loss. Greenwood Christian (9-12) and Lutheran (4-14) are better than their records show.
∎ Class A Sectional 62 at Loogootee: Fourth-ranked Orleans (15-3) is looking for its first sectional title in a decade. The Bulldogs lost in the sectional title last year to Barr-Reeve in five overtimes. No. 6 Barr-Reeve (15-4), Loogootee (11-9) and North Daviess (9-10) will be a factor in this eight-team field.
∎ Class A Sectional 63 at West Washington: Several strong teams here but Christian Academy (14-7), led by standout Joshua Renfro, will be the team to beat. But Rock Creek Academy (11-7) did hand Christian Academy a one-point loss in December and South Central (Elizabeth) (12-7) could also contend in this eight-team field.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.