Hamilton Southeastern Athletics
February is right around the corner, and that means postseason time for girls’ high school basketball.
The IHSAA finalized the brackets for the 2020 Girls Basketball State Tournament on Sunday night. There’s a lot to take in for all of the central Indiana teams competing in the tournament, especially in Class 4A.
These are the five biggest takeaways from the IHSAA Girls Basketball sectional draw.
CLASS A
Greenwood Christian Academy and Tindley set to match up in Sectional 59 semifinals
Greenwood Christian Academy (16-5), the only central Indiana team ranked in the current ICGSA poll, won their first sectional title in program history last year before bowing out in the regional round. The Lady Cougars boast the best record in Sectional 59 and begin postseason play against Providence Cristo Rey (7-12).
The other team to watch for is Tindley (12-7), who has won seven sectional titles in the last decade. They begin sectional play against Victory College Prep (3-13). Assuming both Tindley and Greenwood Christian win their first-round games, the winner of this sectional semifinal matchup is a solid pick to come out of Sectional 59.
CLASS 2A
Mixed results for top-ranked Triton Central and University
Second-ranked University (20-0) got the short end of the stick by drawing the only first-round matchup in Sectional 43. To clinch their third straight sectional title, University will need to knock out Cascade (11-9), Covenant Christian (13-8) and the winner of the Park Tudor (11-7) -Western Boone (8-13) semifinal game.
Fortune favored top-ranked Triton Central (20-0). The other undefeated team in Class 2A not only got a first-round bye, but they also drew Scecina (2-18), who currently has the worst record in Sectional 42. As long as Triton Central takes care of business, they could be on a collision course to meet up with University in the regional round.
CLASS 3A
Heritage Christian and Lebanon miss on a first-round bye in Sectional 27
Sectional 27 is one of two sectionals to feature central Indiana teams in Class 3A. The early favorite to come out of this sectional is Heritage Christian (14-6), who has not won a sectional title since 2017. The Lady Eagles have a manageable path to the sectional championship game, starting with a first-round game against Manual (6-12). If Heritage were to win, they would take on either Shortridge or Guerin Catholic – two schools that have combined for only 13 wins this season.
Another local team to watch for in this sectional bracket is Lebanon (12-8). The Lady Tigers take on Brebeuf Jesuit (6-14). Assuming Lebanon wins this first-round game, they would face hosting Chatard (11-10) who drew the only first-round bye in this tournament.
CLASS 4A
Fishers gets favorable draw over defending champion Hamilton Southeastern
Sectional 8 is the most grueling sectional in the northern half of the Class 4A bracket. Along with defending champion HSE (19-2), Fishers (19-1) and Carmel (13-7) have the talent to put together a deep tournament run.
The team that’s probably breathing a huge sigh of relief after tonight’s sectional draw is Fishers. Not only do they avoid an early-round matchup against HSE or Carmel, but they also picked up a first-round bye. The Lady Tigers take on the winner of the first-round game between Westfield (13-9) and Zionsville (6-15).
HSE and Carmel, meanwhile, square off against each other in the first round. HSE won the regular season contest, 52-36, but Carmel has improved since their first meeting in November. The winner of this game would take on Noblesville (9-12) in the sectional semifinal round.
Lawrence North also gets a favorable draw in Sectional 10
Lawrence North (20-2) is the favorite to come out of the southern half of the Class 4A bracket. The Lady Wildcats picked up the only first-round bye in this sectional and will take on the winner of the first-round game between Warren Central (13-6) and hosting Arsenal Tech (6-17).
The slight favorite to come out of the bottom half of the Sectional 10 is North Central (15-8). The Lady Panthers had won five in a row before running into state-champion contender Northwestern, but they are still playing their best basketball at the most crucial point in the season. Fans could be treated to a third-round of Lawrence North-North Central in the sectional championship game.
