Top Opening Round Sectional Games

Every year in Sectional, some games are better than others. Some Sectionals are stronger than others, and the random draw results in some very unbalanced Sectionals across the state. Now, let’s take a look at the top five opening-round games in each class across the state of Indiana.   4A <ul> <li>Lawrence North vs. Indianapolis Cathedral (Sectional 10 at Indianapolis) - Wednesday at 6:00</li> </ul> This game could be a state title game, and we are lucky enough to get this game in the first round. Both of these teams have just two losses this season, and one of each of their losses came to Homestead in overtime. This game is a straight-up coin toss and could easily be the best game of the entire state tournament. <ul> <li>Valparaiso at Chesterton (Sectional 2 at Chesterton) - Tuesday at 8:30</li> </ul> Just last week, Valparaiso dominated Chesterton 49-27, but with Chesterton having home court this time, they are not going to have this happen again. This was the only time that Chesterton has been held under 40 this season, so I don’t think there is any chance that the Trojans shoot as poorly on Tuesday. It should be a barn burner. <ul> <li>Lawrence Central vs. Warren Central (Sectional 10 at Indianapolis Tech) - Wednesday at 7:30</li> </ul> Warren Central beat Lawrence Central by 6 back in January, but the main storyline of this game will be the Warren Central head coach, [player_tooltip player_id="567849" first="D’Andre" last="Davis"] Sr., and his son, [player_tooltip player_id="769654" first="D’Ante" last="Davis"], who were both on Lawrence Central last year. These teams are very familiar with one another, and this game will cap off what should be the best Sectional opening night in Indiana. <ul> <li>Westfield vs. Zionsville (Sectional 8 at Carmel) - Tuesday at 6:00</li> </ul> Westfield beat Zionsville on their home court in the first game of the season, but it has been three long months since this game. Westfield is the favorite, but in Sectional 8, it seems like every single game is decided by single digits. <ul> <li>Fishers vs. Hamilton Southeastern (Sectional 8 at Carmel) - Tuesday at 7:30</li> </ul> Hamilton Southeastern beat Fishers at the beginning of the season, but both of these teams have been trending in different directions as of late. Fishers has won 10 of 12 since its 4-4 start to the season. Hamilton Southeastern comes in losing 3 of 4 and 4 of 6. It should come down to the wire with the winner getting the favorites, Carmel.   3A <ul> <li>Danville vs. Crawfordsville (Sectional 25 at Frankfort) - Wednesday at 6:00</li> </ul> At the end of February, Danville beat Crawfordsville by 11, and they have not been beaten by Crawfordsville since 2007. The Athenians have the talent to take down Danville, but no matter, this should be an excellent game. <ul> <li>South Dearborn vs. Lawrenceburg (Sectional 29 at Greensburg) - Tuesday at 7:00</li> </ul> The Knights and Tigers have split their two games this season with South Dearborn winning by 7 in December and Lawrenceburg winning by 3 in overtime just over a week ago. This third matchup is obviously the most important of all, and I would expect a similar outcome to the first two. <ul> <li>Hamilton Heights vs. Yorktown (Sectional 24 at New Castle) - Tuesday at 6:00</li> </ul> Hamilton Heights has not played anyone in their Sectional this season, so it makes it tough to make predictions. The Huskies come in as the favorites, but the winner of this game will have a good chance at the Sectional title. <ul> <li>Franklin County vs. Batesville (Sectional 29 at Greensburg) - Wednesday at 6:00</li> </ul> Both of these teams have struggled this season, but the Bulldogs were able to take down Franklin County by 5 at home. On a neutral court, I would expect another close game that should come down to the wire. <ul> <li>Tri-West at Frankfort (Sectional 25 at Frankfort) - Tuesday at 7:00</li> </ul> Tri-West started the season on fire with a 5-1 record, including a 25-point win over Frankfort. However, the Bruins have lost 8 of their last 10 games and are trending in the wrong direction. Frankfort has won 3 of 4, and they may be putting it all together at the right time.   2A <ul> <li>University at Heritage Christian (Sectional 42 at Heritage Christian) - Tuesday at 6:00</li> </ul> These two teams didn’t play this season, but they should have a barn burner to open the postseason. With Park Tudor and Covenant Christian both on the bottom of the draw, the winner of this game should make the Sectional finals and have a chance to pull the upset. <ul> <li>Central Noble at Westview (Sectional 35 at Westview) - Wednesday at 7:30</li> </ul> Central Noble and Westview split their season series with Westview winning at home and Central Noble winning on their home court. This one loss is the Cougars’ only loss of the season. They have won 20 games in a row, but with their only loss coming to Westview, it should come down to the wire. <ul> <li>Monroe Central vs. Frankton (Sectional 40 at Elwood) - Wednesday at 6:00</li> </ul> Monroe Central won by 7 on their home court a couple of weeks ago, but the neutral court could be the ultimate equalizer. Frankton has also won 5 in a row since the loss, so they have a good chance to avenge the regular-season loss. <ul> <li>Evansville Mater Dei at Southridge (Sectional 48 at Southridge) - Tuesday at 6:30</li> </ul> Mater Dei beat Southridge by 15 in the first game of the season, but [player_tooltip player_id="783142" first="Colson" last="Montgomery"] makes this a must-watch. Montgomery will be on his home-court and will look to avoid making this his last career game. He will be playing baseball at IU next season, or possibly, playing in the minor leagues after he is drafted in the MLB draft this June. <ul> <li>Madison-Grant at Blackford (Sectional 39 at Blackford) - Tuesday at 7:30</li> </ul> The Argylls pulled off the upset, 71-67, back in January, but [player_tooltip player_id="647199" first="Luke" last="Brown"] is going to avoid letting this happen again. If Brown keeps up his 32 points per game from this season, he will become a 3,000 point scorer by the semi-state round. However, the Bruins must get past Madison-Grant in order for this to be possible.   1A <ul> <li>Indianapolis Tindley vs. Greenwood Christian (Sectional 59 at Indianapolis Lutheran) - Tuesday at 7:00</li> </ul> Greenwood Christian and Indianapolis Tindley is a top 7 matchup in the first round of the tournament. With [player_tooltip player_id="774740" first="Isaiah" last="Davis"] having his season come to an end due to surgery, Tindley is the favorite, but the Cougars will fight to the end no matter what. <ul> <li>Indianapolis International vs. Bethesda Christian (Sectional 58 at Indianapolis Metropolitan) - Tuesday at 6:00</li> </ul> International beat Bethesda Christian by 5 at International, but Bethesda Christian has won 6 of 7 since this loss and seems to be getting hot at the right time. <ul> <li>Orleans vs. Shoals (Sectional 63 at North Daviess) - Tuesday at 6:00</li> </ul> Orleans and Shoals went to overtime just over a week ago, and this meeting should be absolutely no different. This is the second-best Sectional in the state with 4 top ten teams, and Shoals is just outside the top ten with a chance against Orleans in the first round. <ul> <li>Clinton Central vs. Faith Christian (Sectional 54 at Attica) - Tuesday at 6:00</li> </ul> Clinton Central comes in with just four wins on the season, but they beat Faith Christian back in March. I would expect this one to be much closer than their regular season meeting. <ul> <li>Waldron vs. Rising Sun (Sectional 60 at Southwestern-Shelbyville) - Wednesday at 5:30</li> </ul> Rising Sun won a home game against Waldron by 8 back in early February, so the neutral site should make this a tighter game with nearly no advantage. The Shiners have lost 6 of 7 since this win over Waldron, and I would expect this one to be a close one to the buzzer.