Sectional Draw Reactions – Class 2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is officially almost time for Indiana High School Basketball to enter into the most exciting time of year. We have made it through over three months of regular season action and now culminate with a win-or-go-home state tournament. Here at Prep Hoops Indiana our staff will be previewing all 64 sectionals around the state over the next several days. Let's take a broader look at the sectional draws in Class 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Most Intriguing Sectional - Sectional 46 @ Southwestern (Hanover)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This sectional features three teams ranked in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 2A Top 10 including the defending state champions. At 20-3, #9 ranked Southwestern (Hanover) enters with the best record and also received the best draw of the primary contenders. The host school got the coveted bye and will await the winner of Henryville (16-6) and Austin (4-17). Meanwhile, on the bottom half of the bracket the sectional will feature a heavyweight matchup between #5 ranked Brownstown Central (18-4) and Eastern (Pekin) (15-6). The Braves feature Class of 2024 Purdue commit [player_tooltip player_id='1158245' first='Jack' last='Benter'] while Eastern (Pekin) has 6'9" unsigned senior center [player_tooltip player_id='1049165' first='Jacob' last='Cherry']. Additionally, Class 2A defending state champion Providence begins their quest to repeat with Clarksville (8-13). The Pioneers, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1273735' first='Casey' last='Kaelin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1287890' first='Noah' last='Lovan'] are 18-4 and come in ranked #7 in the 2A rankings. This sectional will be a meat grinder with multiple teams who have legitimate aspirations of cutting down the nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>State Title Favorite - Linton-Stockton</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Linton-Stock Miners are 22-1 and have spent the vast majority of the season ranked as the #1 team in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 2A polls. They have now won 18 straight games and their only loss game to Cooper High School in Kentucky. Also, they aren't just winning but absolutely crushing their opponents. The Miners haven't played a game closer than 21 points in over a month. Led by Central Florida signee [player_tooltip player_id='868240' first='Joey' last='Hart'], Linton-Stockton has the top end talent to take them all of the way. Additionally, [player_tooltip player_id='935736' first='Logan' last='Webb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1158180' first='Braden' last='Walters'] are two other excellent players alongside freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1560992' first='Paul' last='Oliver'] who has emerged as a consistent contributor. Their quest to Gainbridge Fieldhouse will start with a tough matchup against 17-5 Paoli, and Sullivan (17-6) and South Knox (16-7) are solid on the other side of the bracket, the Miners simply shouldn't have much of an issue cutting down the nets in Sectional 47 at North Knox.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Best First Round Matchup - Covenant Christian vs. Park Tudor</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the first round matchups already listed above, Brownstown Central vs. Eastern (Pekin) and Linton-Stockton vs. Paoli could enter into the conversation here, but both should be won by the favorites. This Covenant Christian (14-9) vs. Park Tudor (13-8) is probably the biggest first round toss-up between two teams who will then try to knock off 20-1 University for the Sectional 43 crown at Cascade. The two programs did not face each other during the regular season so this will be their first meeting since the Panthers lost to Covenant back in the 2021 sectional. Park Tudor is led by Indiana All-Stat candidate [player_tooltip player_id='868228' first='Jermaine' last='Coleman'] who is headed to play at Purdue Fort Wayne next season. The talented 6'7" wing gives them a chance in any game they play. Senior guard Tony Flatt leads the Warriors with 12.6 points and 6.0 assists per game. Both teams were competitive, despite losing, to #3 ranked University during the season so the winner will be ready to take another shot at the Trailblazers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->