The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Boys’ Basketball State Tournament is set to begin March 4. All eight Delaware County high school teams will compete for a state championship.
Before thinking about state, teams must win their sectional, regional, and semi-state titles. The first round comes at the sectional level, with games played March 4-5, and 7-8.
Here is a preview of each team’s sectional draw and the path they will need to conquer to win and advance to a regional berth.
Class 4a Sectional 9: Muncie Central
Sectional 9 will take place in the Muncie Central Fieldhouse, with first-round games taking place March 4, semi-finals March 7 and the championship game March 8.
Muncie Central (8-15, 1-4) comes out of the North Central Conference (NCC). Central finished fifth in the NCC and its lone win came over Richmond.
Central drew the bye into the semi-finals, playing the winner of Pendleton Heights (9-14, 2-5) and No. 5 Greenfield Central (21-3, 7-0). Both teams hail from the Hoosier Heritage Conference (HHC) and the Cougars won the conference. Greenfield Central is led by UConn commit, senior Braylon Mullins. Mullins is a McDonald’s All-American selection and is one of the top prep players in the nation, and is averaging 33.5 points per game.
Greenfield Central is the favorite in the sectional, but No. 13 Mt Vernon (17-5, 6-1 HHC) comes from the top half of the bracket along with No. 17 Anderson (20-2, 5-0 NCC). Mt Vernon’s lone conference loss came at the hands of Greenfield Central and Anderson was the NCC champion.
Mt Vernon vs Anderson will be the highlight of the semi-final round as long as the Marauders handle Richmond (7-14, 0-5 NCC). Mt Vernon is led by Purdue commit Luke Ertel, averaging 22.0 points per game.
Mt. Vernon vs Greenfield Central is the obvious pick for the championship game looking at regular season success and talent. Anderson has a legitimate chance to beat Mt. Vernon in the semi-finals though, and whoever may make it to Saturday night’s championship, Sectional 9 is one of the most talented sectionals.
Class 3a Sectional 24: New Castle
Sectional 24 in 3a is hosted at Indiana’s most recognizable and iconic gyms in high school basketball. New Castle fieldhouse is the largest high school gymnasium — by capacity — in the United States. At 8,424 seating capacity, the fieldhouse is monstrous.
The host New Castle Trojans (8-14, 1-6 HHC) drew the bye into the semi-finals along with Delta (14-7, 3-4 HHC). Delta and New Castle both played in the gauntlet that is the HCC with top-20 ranked Greenfield Central and Mt Vernon.
Yorktown (6-16, 0-7 HHC) will play Jay County (12-9, 3-3) out of the Allen County Conference. Yorktown had its struggles in conference play, but is one of the more depth-loaded teams in the sectional. Tigers head coach Matt Moulton has led his team strongly in the past, and this Yorktown team has athletes that can propel them to a potential run.
Connersville (9-14, 4-3) will play Hamilton Heights (14-8, 2-1) in the bottom half opening-round. The Spartans of Connersville finished fifth in the competitive Eastern Indiana Conference and the Huskies finished second in the Hoosier-East.
The regular season performances point to a Delta vs Hamilton Heights championship matchup. But in a sectional with no one team jumping off the page as dominant, the title could swing any way. Delta head coach Mark Detweiler is coming off back-to-back semi-state appearances with his Eagles and has the lineup to do so again. Hamilton Heights has played quality opponents and senior Gavin Saunders is averaging 19.0 points per game to lead the Huskies.
Class 2a Sectional 40: Blackford
2a Sectional 40 hosted at Blackford High School features the Delaware County tournament champion, Wapahani (22-1, 9-0). The Raiders capped off an undefeated Mid-Eastern Conference (MEC) season with a dominating 20-point win over Shenandoah.
Wapahani lost a single game this season, to 4a New Castle. They dominated every team they played, and are a clear favorite in this sectional. They open with a game against Eastbrook (14-8, 3-4) from the Central Indiana Conference (CIC). Eastbrook is 3-0 against Delaware County teams, beating Wes-Del, Daleville and Cowan.
The host Blackford Bruins (14-9) drew the bye into the semi-finals. Blackford won the CIC with a 6-1 record, its lone loss coming to Eastbrook.
The bottom half of the bracket bye went to Alexandria-Monroe. The Tigers went 2-5 in the CIC and finished 6-16 on the season. They will await the winner of Madison-Grant and Muncie Burris. The Argylls were 10-12 on the season and finished 3-4 in the CIC. Burris was 2-20 and 0-4 in the Pioneer Conference.
Wapahani jumps off the page as a favorite in the sectional. The Raiders’ toughest opponent comes in the opening round with Eastbrook. The Panthers have a pair of guards averaging above 11 points per game. But, Wapahani’s Camden Bell is averaging 17.8 points per game and two other Raiders are in double digits. Wapahani is looking to make it back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for another shot at the state title. Head coach Matt Luce has the squad to do it and the Raiders would not be a surprise team to make a run as they have been in the top three of 2a all season.
Class 1a Sectional 55: Southwood
The final three Delaware County teams will compete in Sectional 55 at Southwood High School in Wabash, Ind. There are four first-round games instead of two games with the other two teams drawing byes.
In game one, host Southwood (10-11, 5-4) from the Three Rivers Conference will play Northfield (9-13, 2-7) out of the same conference. Southwood beat Northfield 55-41 Feb. 21 during conference play.
Game two is between Cowan (7-14, 3-6 MEC) and North Miami (8-14, 4-4). North Miami and the Blackhawks have both lost to Tri-County and both beat Southern Wells. The contest between the two should be a competitive game of two similarly matched teams. Cowan’s leading scorer Brody Clifford is averaging 12.4 points per game and could be the difference maker in Cowan’s success.
Game three is between Daleville (6-14, 3-6 MEC) and Tri-Central (9-13, 1-7) from the Hoosier Heartland Conference. Daleville has struggled at points in the season, but it is coming off a win in overtime against Madison-Grant Feb. 28.
The final game is between Wes-Del (9-12, 4-5 MEC) and Southern Wells (1-20, 0-6 Allen County). Wes-Del beat Southern Wells 65-43 Feb. 25. The Warriors are led by leading scorer Josiah Love. Love is averaging 23.6 points per game and is shooting a whopping 50 percent from the field.
If the Warriors can find consistent support for Love, they have a serious chance to win the sectional. Love has had support from Julian Carpenter in the scoring category, as he is averaging 13.2 points per game. But Wes-Del cannot beat teams with just two players. When the entire team contributes, this Warriors team has been a tough squad. Head coach Josh Burkett is sure to have his team ready to go come March 5.
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
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