10 Sectional Matchups to Watch on Tuesday Night

<p>Welcome to tournament time in Indiana. On Tuesday night Sectional action will tip-off across the great Hoosier state as teams will begin their quest to reach Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Unfortunately, this time of year also means that teams will see their seasons come to an end. Half of the teams that suit up this evening won't have practice tomorrow. That is the exciting and heartbreaking dichotomy of this time of year. As always, Prep Hoops Indiana will be your one stop shop for everything you need to know throughout the 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament. Let's take a look at the 10 best matchups on opening night.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Chesterton vs. Portage (Sectional 2 @ Chesterton)</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1275807' first='Tyler' last='Parrish'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1158231' first='Justin' last='Sims'] against [player_tooltip player_id='1297094' first='Michael' last='Wellman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1275800' first='Jaelyn' last='Johnson']. This will be a heck of a battle, but just a few weeks ago the Indians of Portage won this matchup 70-49. The Trojans will have revenge on their mind.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Penn vs. Northridge (Sectional 4 @ Elkhart)</h2>   <p>Despite being rocked by graduation, including Indiana Mr. Basketball Markus Burton, Penn went 16-6 this season and will have a chance to three-peat as Sectional 4 championship. To do so, they will have to survive a first round test with Northridge who they beat 57-49 in overtime just over a month ago.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. Fort Wayne North Side (Sectional 5 @ East Noble)</h2>   <p>On paper, North Side is the Sectional 5 favorite when looking at their 16-8 record. However, Carroll beat them the first time around 66-60 back on February 6th. It won't be easy overcoming the talented backcourt trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1158216' first='Jaxon' last='Pardon'], [player_tooltip player_id='1270990' first='Cannen' last='Houser'], [player_tooltip player_id='1525665' first='Jaiyre' last='Sampson']. [player_tooltip player_id='1547392' first='Jaxson' last='Fugate'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1578389' first='Eugene' last='Young Jr'] certainly are capable of matching up with them though in terms of firepower.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Carmel vs. Fishers (Sectional 8 @ Noblesville)</h2>   <p>Sectional 8 will have two great games in its loaded field this evening, but all eyes will be on the nightcap between Carmel and Fishers. The Greyhounds pulled the upset back on January 27th as part of winning eight of their last nine games. However, despite the loss, Fishers enters the postseason as one of the favorites to win the Class 4A state championship. Knocking off [player_tooltip player_id='2079500' first='Keenan' last='Garner'] and company a second time won't be easy for Carmel.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">New Palestine vs. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (Sectional 9 @ Greenfield-Central)</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1728587' first='Luke' last='Ertel'] is back and that has changed the ceiling for Mt. Vernon alongside fellow sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1561435' first='Julien' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2252566' first='Elijah' last='Parra']. The Marauders made a statement down the stretch winning their final five games which included a decisive 66-44 win over New Palestine just last week. Can [player_tooltip player_id='1297068' first='Julius' last='Gizzi'], one of the state's leading scorers, continue his magical junior season with a revenge victory in the opening round this evening?</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lawrence Central vs. Warren Central (Sectional 10 @ Lawrence North)</h2>   <p>In a field featuring the likes of Lawrence North, Crispus Attucks, and Cathedral, these two teams won't get mentioned as much. However, both are more than capable of knocking off anyone on a given night. Lawrence Central enters Sectional play having won seven of their last eight games while Warren Central has proven to be dangerous throughout the season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Plainfield vs. Brownsburg (Sectional 12 @ Terre Haute South)</h2>   <p>These two teams could not have been happy with their draw. However, that is part of the magic of the Indiana High School Basketball state tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='1172872' first='Jordan' last='Lomax'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1293376' first='Grant' last='Porath'] will look to lead the Bulldogs against a well-balanced Plainfield squad featuring [player_tooltip player_id='1293396' first='Collin' last='Schmidt'], [player_tooltip player_id='1384422' first='Eli' last='Ellis'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1561513' first='Noah' last='Smith'] among other. Despite being in the same county, these two teams did not play in the regular season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seymour vs. Jeffersonville (Sectional 15 @ Seymour)</h2>   <p>Seymour hasn't won a Sectional in 31 years. In order to do so, on their home floor, they will have to go through Jeffersonville who features a trio of talented juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='1388408' first='Tre' last='Singleton'], [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1373104' first='P.J.' last='Douglas'] along with senior [player_tooltip player_id='2099233' first='Jeremy' last='Rose']. The Owls already knocked off the Red Devils once, 40-39 back on December 8th, can they do so again tonight?</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">South Bend Washington vs. Mishawaka Marian (Sectional 19 @ South Bend Washington)</h2>   <p>There are few teams that enter Sectional play as hot as Mishawaka Marian who has won 12 straight games. During that winning streak they dominated South Bend Washington 73-48 back on January 26th. However, the firepower of sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561449' first='Steven' last='Reynolds III'] will give Washington a shot in any game that they play. He is averaging 21.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2140346' first='Dakori' last='Parker'] averages 14.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Paoli vs. Sullivan (Sectional 47 @ Paoli)</h2>   <p>Two of the best individual prospects in Sectional 47 will face-off right away as Paoli's junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297025' first='Fletcher' last='Cole'] takes on Sullivan's sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1561438' first='Cooper' last='Bock']. Both of these teams are 18-5 with sights set on cutting down the nets. The path won't be easy though as whoever is lucky enough to survive this opening round matchup must then take on 18-4 Linton-Stockton.</p>

Welcome to tournament time in Indiana. On Tuesday night Sectional action will tip-off across the great Hoosier state as teams will begin their quest to reach Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Unfortunately, this time of year also means that teams will see their seasons come to an end. Half of the teams that suit up this evening won't have practice tomorrow. That is the exciting and heartbreaking dichotomy of this time of year. As always, Prep Hoops Indiana will be your one stop shop for everything you need to know throughout the 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament. Let's take a look at the 10 best matchups on opening night.