INDIANAPOLIS – The opening week’s pairings were announced last night for the 46th annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament presented by the Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers.
Sectional games are scheduled to begin Tuesday, Feb. 2, and run through Saturday, Feb. 6, with the regional round slated for Feb. 13 and semi-states on Feb. 20. The four state championship games that make up the state finals will be played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, Feb. 27.
Oregon-Davis will host the Class A sectional and four local teams are chasing a title there.
The key game happens right out of the gate at the Bobcats site with the hosts taking on Triton, a third meeting for the two schools this season, all in the last month. Oregon-Davis took round one, Triton avenged the loss with a TCU Bi-County semi-final win. This time Oregon-Davis will have the home floor.
“The sectional draw is a tough one for us,” said Triton head coach Adam Heckaman. “We split the season match-ups with OD so we know we can do it. They are a solid team and Coach Minnix will have them prepared to defend the sectional on their home court. We have to be able to limit their main players offensively and take care of the ball in order to give ourselves a chance.”
Culver will take on LaCrosse in game two Tuesday night with Argos waiting for the winner of that game on Friday after drawing a bye.
In Class 4A Plymouth’s Lady Pilgrims will head to Mishawaka where his team has beaten two of the six teams involved and took Michigan City to overtime in an early-season matchup.
Plymouth will take on LaPorte in the opening game on Tuesday, a team the Slicers home floor two weeks ago 40-31.
Plymouth’s Dave Duncan was philosophical about his team’s chances.
“It’s sectional time,” he said. “We’re going to take it one at a time.”
In class 3A both local teams drew a bye with Culver Academy waiting for the winner of Knox and River Forest at Kankakee Valley and Glenn drawing the winner of New Prairie and South Bend Washington at South Bend St. Joe.
Last year’s Class 3A state champion, the NorthWood Panthers will face home-standing-Wawasee in Sectional 20.
In Class 2A Bremen will have a big matchup with Westview in the second game on opening night at Fairfield, while LaVille will wait for the winner of South Bend Career Academy and Prairie Heights having picked up the first-round bye.
*IHSAA Girls Sectional Draw
Class 4A
At Mishawaka
Tuesday
G1: LaPorte vs. Plymouth.
G2: South Bend Riley vs. Mishawaka.
Friday
G3: Michigan City vs. Winner of G1.
G4: South Bend Adams vs. Winner of G2.
Saturday
Championship
Class 3A
At Kankakee Valley
Tuesday
G1: Knox vs. River Forest.
G2: Wheeler vs. Hanover Central.
Friday
G3: Culver Academies vs. Winner of G1.
G4: Kankakee Valley vs. Winner of G2.
Saturday
Championship
at South Bend St. Joseph
Tuesday
G1: New Prairie vs. South Bend Washington.
Wednesday
G2: South Bend St. Joseph vs. South Bend Clay.
G3: Mishawaka Marian vs. Jimtown.
Friday
G4: Glenn vs. Winner of G1.
G5: Winner of G2 vs. Winner of G3.
Saturday
Championship
Class 2A
At Fairfield
Tuesday
G1: South Bend Career Academy vs. Prairie Heights.
G2: Westview vs. Bremen.
Friday
G3: LaVille vs. Winner of G1.
G4: Fairfield vs. Winner of G2.
Saturday
Championship
Class A
at Oregon-Davis
Tuesday
G1: Oregon-Davis vs. Triton.
G2: Culver Community vs. West Central.
Friday
G3: LaCrosse vs. Winner of G1.
G4: Argos vs. Winner of G2.
Saturday
Championship
