Sectional Preview: 54

Mason Asher

October 12, 2017 @ 04:18 PM

The coming high school season is almost upon us. With that, we are taking a look at each Sectional in the state. Starting with 64 and ending with 1. Today, we are previewing Sectional 54. Clinton Central (9-16) – Lost 2nd Rd. Sectional Last year, Clinton Central had two really good players who each scored 17.5+ PPG and they rode those two to a pretty decent season. This year they lose both of those players and three others. Only two players return that played more than 12 games. This will be a down year for Clinton Central unless underclassmen really step up. Frontier (6-17) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectionals Frontier struggled last year and they only lost two players. This doesn't mean they will be good, but they will be better. It is a process to rebuild and Frontier is going through that right now. They aren't in a spot to compete right now but in the future they should be since they have a good young core. Lafayette Central Catholic (22-7) – Lost State Finals If there is such thing as a high school basketball dynasty, LCC fits the mold. They have won 12 straight sectional championships and five regionals in that span. They will always have 5+ losses a year but that's because they schedule the toughest 1A schedule in the state with 15 3A/4A teams on their schedule this year. LCC lost nine players last year and that will really hurt them with only four returners. I still expect them to compete in the sectional though. Northfield (8-15) – Lost 2nd Rd. Sectional Cody Holmes was one of the best players in this sectional last year but he is onto college as are three of the top four scorers from this team. They do return a 15.0 PPG scorer from last year but with all the losses they had, this will be a tricky year. They could be okay but they also have a lot of underclassmen getting their first taste of varsity basketball. I think they are probably a year away. Southwood (21-5) – Lost 1st Rd. Regionals Southwood was really, really good last year. This year they'll be better and will contend for a state title. They had four guys average in double-digits and they return them all. They only lost three seniors but those seniors each played big bench roles. They averaged 71.6 PPG last year and they lost 9.9 of that this year. This will be a stud team in the North this year. Tri-Central (2-19) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectionals It was not a good year for Tri-Central last year going 2-19. This year will not be any better as they lose four players from last year. They are looking for a bit more consistency this year and I'm not sure if that will come with the players they have. Contenders For 2017-18: Lafayette Central Catholic, Southwood Prediction: Southwood Player to Watch: Carson Barrett (Lafayette Central Catholic)