Sectional Preview: 34
The coming high school season is almost upon us. With that, we are taking a look at each Sectional in the state. Starting with 64 and ending with 1. Today, we are previewing Sectional 34.
Boone Grove (0-22) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectionals
Looking at the results, last year was one that Boone Grove would like to forget. As optimists go, they can’t do any worse than last year. Part of the reason they were so bad was just the lack of offense, only scoring 33.0 points per game as a unit. However, the bright spot is that they basically bring back everyone. In recent history, Boone Grove is a program that has to build up their youth coming off a bad year. If past results are any indication, they should be able to get to the six or more win plateau.
Hebron (16-8) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectionals
Hebron is looking to start off their new head with a big season. They are coming off a 16-win season but they lose their top scorer from last year in Kodi Cruise. They will be a very senior-dependant team as they didn’t get hardly anything from their underclassmen. They will rely a ton of Carson Roeske and Logan Ryan, their pair of 6’5 forwards. Getting back to 16 wins could be within reason but it will depend a lot on if their younger players can contribute quickly enough.
Marquette Catholic (19-10) – Lost State Semifinals
This team was close to making it the State Finals last year with a really deep group of talent. Now, they are under a new head coach but they probably have just as much talent as last year. Junior guard Colin Kenney is one of the best scorers in the state and they have other big contributors like Buddy Jaffee, Joe Andershock, and Chandler Goodwin. For 2A, that is a great group of talent and should be expected to get well beyond this Sectional. Another run at State is definitely in the cards for this team.
North Judson (4-19) – Lost Sectional Semifinals
North Judson will be looking for a new direction with a new head coach in Kyle Evans. They were only able to win four games last year and haven’t had more than four wins since the 2013-14 season. They bring back their top scorer in Kaden Benson as a junior along with key pieces in Chris Contreras, Ethan Bishop, and Chuck Wilcox. This Sectional has gotten easier so there is a chance they could be in the mix for a few more wins than last year. Early part of the season could tell the tale as they have a fairly easy first month of games.
North Newton (4-19) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectional
For North Newton, they will be looking to surpass the 5-win barrier in a season for the first time since 2005-06. That might be difficult as they will lose their top two scorers in a season where they already didn’t have a ton of offense. They do bring in a new head coach but their schedule has quite a few pitfalls to watch out for. If they can take care of business against the bad teams on their schedule, they have a chance of breaking five wins but wouldn’t expect them to be a Sectional contender.
Winamac (15-8) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectional
Last year, Winamac got upset by a strong Knox team that was able to put a big season together. Now, they return a little bit of a depleted roster as Jack DeGroot, Caleb Smith, and Luke Pugh are all gone. Only Calvin Larkin is back as a guy that contributed much to the Varsity roster. This will be a bit of a rebuilding year and if they can make some developments, they could look to take advantage after Marquette loses a ton of their roster next offseason.
Contenders For 2017-18: Marquette Catholic, Hebron, Winamac
Prediction: Marquette Catholic
Player to Watch: Colin Kenney (Marquette Catholic)