Class 2A Sectional Reactions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A field of nearly 100 Class 2A basketball programs was quickly whittled down to just 16 Sectional champions last week. Before the 16 remaining teams move on to Saturday's Regional round let's take a quick look back at the opening rounds of the IHSAA Boy's Basketball State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Team to Watch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After reaching the Semi-State last season Carroll (Flora) brought back the core of their team and repeated as Sectional 38 champions this year. Led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1391325' first='Owen' last='Duff'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1391465' first='Jake' last='Skinner'] they have great size on the wing and the necessary veteran leadership to make a run in the state tournament. The Cougars rolled through Sectional play winning by 24, 26, and 14 points respectively to cut down the nets. They have now won eight straight games and 14 of their last 15 to move back into the Class 2A Top 10. Look out for this group as they advance to the Lapel Regional to take on Wapahani.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Biggest Upset</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was supposed to be the year for Eastern Hancock. The Royals reached the Semi-State last season before falling to eventual Class 2A state champion Providence. Then, Coach Aaron Spaulding returned his two star sons, [player_tooltip player_id='1393268' first='Jacob' last='Spaulding'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1393269' first='Silas' last='Spaulding'], for their senior seasons and his 24th year at the helm. However, dreams of a run to Gainbridge Fieldhouse came crashing down on Friday night with a 55-40 loss to Indianapolis Scecina. Scecina did go on to win Sectional 42, but it was still surprising to see the early exit from this Eastern Hancock team that certainly had high expectations all season long.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Best Game</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is no surprise that the matchup between Brownstown Central and Providence went down to the wire in Sectional 46. The unfortunate part though was that it was a Sectional semifinal and not the championship game. Class 2A #4 Brownstown Central entered having won 11 straight games while #7 ranked, and defending state champion, Providence had won 16 of their last 17 contests. As expected the game came down to the final seconds with Pioneers fouling the Braves on a loose ball rebound with under one second to play. Brownstown connected on the two free throws to escape with a 44-42 victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Best Individual Performance</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1158205' first='Nolan' last='Swan'] absolutely dominated Sectional 39 action leading Tipton to cutting down the nets. The junior guard started the tournament off by scoring 21 points in a 74-38 route of Eastbrook. Then, he went off for 30 points in the Blue Devils semifinal win over Madison-Grant which included going over the 1,000 career point milestone. Finally, Swan scored 28 points to lead Tipton to the Sectional title in a 58-40 win over Taylor. His 26.3 points per game on the way to the Sectional championship certainly earns him best individual performance honors when it comes to Class 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->