Regional 7 Preview: Breakdown

Alec Lasley

February 25, 2021 @ 07:34 AM

The high school season is almost over and we are getting locked in for the State Playoffs. It is that time of year where we start looking ahead and previewing each and every Sectional. We continue today in class 3A. Sectional 25: Frankfort The Teams: Crawfordsville, Danville, Frankfort, Greencastle, Monrovia, North Montgomery, Tri-West Our Contenders: Danville, Greencastle, Tri-West Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="1077017" first="Kobe" last="Ward"] (Danville; 2021) Prediction: The bottom half of the bracket is loaded with Danville meeting Crawfordsville in the first round and then a potential matchup against Greencastle in the semifinals. I would be shocked if one of those three didn’t come out of this sectional. [player_tooltip player_id="1077017" first="Kobe" last="Ward"] headlines a strong Danville squad that has good depth. One name to keep an eye on outside of Ward is Greencastle’s [player_tooltip player_id="874123" first="Brody" last="Whitaker"] who is the only double-digit scorer for his squad at nearly 24 points per game. He can either go on a huge run, or if he gets some consistent help from his teammates, that could be a fun team to follow throughout the sectional. Sectional 26: Owen Valley The Teams: Brownstown Central, Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion, West Vigo Our Contenders: Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="874184" first="Caleb" last="Swearingen"] (Northview; 2021) Prediction: Though Northview has the tougher of the two sides of the bracket compared to other favorite Edgewood, I would expect them to make it to the sectional finals for a matchup with Edgewood. It would set up a good matchup of [player_tooltip player_id="874184" first="Caleb" last="Swearingen"] and [player_tooltip player_id="963902" first="Coleman" last="Sater"]. Both average around 18 points per game, although Sater is more efficient. Both teams have multiple scorers and are well-rounded teams. I give the nod to Northview, however, due to its ability to hold onto the ball. Sectional 27: Lebanon The Teams: Brebeuf Jesuit, Guerin Catholic, Bishop Chatard, Manual, Shortridge, Lebanon Our Contenders: Guerin Catholic, Brebeuf Jesuit Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id="1077027" first="Kaleb" last="Edwards"] (Guerin Catholic; 2021) Prediction: This is clearly a two-team race between Catholic and Jesuit and it would be a matchup in the sectional finals. Catholic has a first-round bye, so that should give them even a bit more help. Both teams have multiple threats on the court, up front and at the guard position, and matchup very well with each other. Catholic took the only matchup they had this year, however, winning by 18, and I'll take them once again. Sectional 28: Beech Grove The Teams: Beech Grove, Herron, Indian Creek, Cardinal Ritter, Washington, Speedway Our Contenders: Beech Grove, Ritter Player To Watch: Jadyn Curry (Beech Grove; 2021) Prediction: Beech Grove should move through this sectional rather easily. Its toughest matchup should be a potential semifinal matchup with Ritter, assuming Grove doesn’t slip up in its first round game. If there were to be a sleeper, it could come from Speedway. They are led by Drew Valentine who can light it up offensively, with four games of at least 25 points. He isn’t super efficient, but he can score, and sometimes that's all you need to pull off a magical run.