Postseason Paths Drawn For Girls’ Hoops Tourney
INDIANAPOLIS – The road to a sectional championship is going to be a long and challenging one for the Warsaw girls basketball team.
For other area teams, the path to a title will be easier.
Pairings for the 42nd annual state tournament series, which begins with sectional play the week of Jan. 30, were drawn Sunday night by the IHSAA. Sectional championship games are Feb. 4 with four-team regionals on Feb. 11, semi states Feb. 18 and the State Finals Feb. 25.
The Tigers face a daunting task in the loaded seven-team field at the Class 4-A Goshen Sectional, Warsaw, sporting an outstanding 16-3 record, faces league foe Elkhart Memorial in a first-round game on Feb. 2. The Tigers then would likely have to beat No. 8 Northridge (21-1) in a semifinal contest and then defending state champion and No. 9 Penn (17-3) in the finale to earn the hardware.
Warsaw, which boasts a veteran team, knows the field all too well at Goshen. The Tigers, who have lost two of their last three games, dropped a 35-31 final at Memorial last Wednesday. Warsaw, which claimed the sectional title at Goshen two years ago, lost at Northridge 47-43 on Jan. 7 and won 40-33 at Penn back on Nov. 22.
The trio of No. 7 Tippecanoe Valley, Wawasee and NorthWood will all take part in the Class 3-A field at West Noble. Valley, which has won the last two sectional titles, drew a bye and will play either NorthWood (13-7) or Wawasee (7-10) in a semifinal game. The Vikings, who are 15-4, lost in the regional final last season.
NorthWood will face Wawasee in a rematch game in the first round at West Noble. The Warriors beat the Panthers 52-46 on Jan. 7 in Syracuse. NorthWood did beat Valley 50-44 on Jan. 10 in Nappanee. Wawasee is scheduled to play Valley on Jan. 24 in Syracuse.
Top-ranked Whitko, in search of the program’s first-ever sectional crown, got a nice draw in the Class 2-A Central Noble Sectional. The Wildcats, who are 16-2, face Fremont (7-12) in the opener. A win there and the Wildcats face LaVille (8-10) in a semifinal matchup. Host Central Noble, which plays Prairie Heights, is 18-2 and defending champion Westview is 9-8. Whitko beat Central Noble 62-54 way back on Nov. 8.
Triton faces a huge challenge in postseason play at the Class 1-A Culver Sectional. The Trojans, who are 6-12, face No. 1 Argos (16-1) in a first-round game. Argos, which was state runner-up last year, beat the Trojans 47-24 on Nov. 8. The two are scheduled to meet again this Tuesday night in a first-round matchup of the Bi-County Tournament.
Lakeland Christian Academy will face a familiar foe in the Class 1-A Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Sectional. The Cougars, who are having a strong year at 9-9, play Bethany Christian in the sectional opener. Bethany Christian, which is 11-6, beat LCA 47-31 on Dec. 6. The Bruins are the defending sectional champions.
The regional matchups will have the Goshen Sectional winner versus the Lowell Sectional winner at LaPorte in Class 4-A. The Class 3-A regional at Columbia City will pit the West Noble winner versus the Fort Wayne Concordia champion. The Class 2-A regional at Winamac will have the Central Noble winner versus the Churubusco champion. The Class 1-A Caston Regional pairings will have the Fort Wayne Blackhawk champion versus the North White winner and the Culver winner versus the Michigan City Marquette winner.
The semistate pairings will be determined on Sunday, Feb. 12 by the IHSAA. The hosts for the North Semistates will be Crown Point and Logansport.
Sectional Pairings
Class 4-A
At Goshen
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Game 1: 7 p.m.: Goshen (7-11) vs. Penn (17-3)
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Game 2: 6 p.m.: Concord (3-16) vs. Northridge (21-1); Game 3: 7:30 p.m.: Warsaw (16-3) vs. Elkhart Memorial (11-7)
Friday, Feb. 3
Game 4: 6 p.m.: Elkhart Central (11-9) vs. Game 1 winner; Game 5: 7:30 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Saturday, Feb. 4
Game 6: 7:30 p.m.: Championship
Class 3-A
At West Noble
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Game 1: 6 p.m.: West Noble (14-6) vs. Lakeland (4-15); Game 2: 7:30 p.m.: NorthWood (13-7) vs. Wawasee (7-10)
Friday, Feb. 3
Game 3: 6 p.m.: Fairfield (11-6) vs. Game 1 winner; Game 4: 7:30 p.m.: Tippecanoe Valley (15-4) vs. Game 2 winner
Saturday, Feb. 4
Game 5: 7:30 p.m.: Championship
Class 2-A
At Central Noble
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Game 1: 7 p.m.: Fremont (7-12) vs. Whitko (16-2)
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Game 2: 6 p.m.: Prairie Heights (4-14) vs. Central Noble (18-2); Game 3: 7:30 p.m.: Westview (9-8) vs, Bremen (11-7)
Friday, Feb. 3
Game 4: 6 p.m.: LaVille (8-10) vs. Game 1 winner; Game 5: 7:30 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Saturday, Feb. 4
Game 6: 7 p.m.: Championship
Class 1-A
At Culver
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Game 1: 6:30 p.m.: South Central (9-10) vs. South Bend Career Academy (1-11)
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Game 2: 6:30 p.m.: North Miami (11-8) vs. Culver (1-15); Game 3: 8 p.m.: Argos (16-1) vs. Triton (6-12)
Friday, Feb. 3
Game 4: 6:30 p.m.:LaCrosse (10-8) vs. Game 1 winner; Game 5: 8 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Saturday, Feb. 4
Game 6: 7:30 p.m.: Championship
Class 1-A
At Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Game 1: 6 p.m.: Lakeland Christian Academy (9-9) vs. Bethany Christian (11-6); Game 2: 7:30 p.m.: Elkhart Christian Academy (4-10) vs. Hamilton (6-12)
Friday, Feb. 3
Game 3: 6 p.m.: Lakewood Park Christian (4-11) vs. Game 1 winner; Game 4: 7:30 p.m.: Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (8-9) vs. Game 2 winner
Saturday, Feb. 4
Game 5: 7:30 p.m.: Championship