Four Sleepers Come Tournament Time: 4A
The season is winding down now and we are going to start looking ahead to the postseason. We are going to go through each class and detail four teams to pay attention to that are under-the-radar heading into the tournament.…
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Continue ReadingThe season is winding down now and we are going to start looking ahead to the postseason. We are going to go through each class and detail four teams to pay attention to that are under-the-radar heading into the tournament. The rules for this are we can’t pick a team that is ranked by AP Poll Top 10 and we want one team from each region of the state. For fun’s sake, we will also try and avoid obvious teams as well.
Team From Sectional 1-4: Munster
Had we not avoided obvious ones, Valparaiso would probably be here but Munster is a really interesting case. They are 16-1 and their only loss is to Crown Point by 4 in overtime. Their schedule has not bee extremely tough but they do hold wins over Valparaiso (minus Brandon Newman), Lowell, Michigan City, Merrillville, Griffith, and Portage. They are 6-1 against Sectional opponents and have some confidence against their potential Regional opponent, Valpo. This is a team that has size and keeps opponents offense into the low 40’s. They could be a fun sleeper to watch get through the first two weeks.
Team From Sectional 5-8: Fort Wayne Northrop
Fort Wayne Northrop is one of the most under-the-radar teams in the state. They are 12-4 against the 46th toughest schedule and has done very well against other Fort Wayne teams. They are 3-1 against Sectional opponents with their only loss being to Snider who they split with this season already. This team is physical and talented with lots of scoring options. They has Sydney Curry who is a double-double machine and will provide rebounding that could really help to halt runs by opponents. This is right up there with the hardest Regionals in the state but not many will expect Northrop to go far.
Team From Sectional 9-12: Avon
This was the toughest one to pick because of how stacked these Sectionals are and the likelihood of a sleeper winning is tough. However, the best of those is Avon who will have to find a way past Brownsburg. While they have lost to them twice this year already, draw will be huge as well as timing. This Avon team can really run and at times have shown the ability to hit perimeter jumpers. They have length and talent. If, a big if, they can get all of that working against Brownsburg, this looks like the best bet of a team in this group that could be a sleeper.
Team From Sectional 13-16: Columbus North
The success of Bloomington South for so long has made them the perennial favorite but this is a year in which it could be tougher to get through. I think part of it is the depth of the Sectional but also Columbus North has proven that they have the ability to be really good this year. They have some big wins and have played a tough enough schedule to get them prepared. These two teams will face off tomorrow and that could be a barometer for how things will go in Sectionals. Columbus North is 14-4 and in their four losses, they lost by a combined 13 points. They are always competitive, just need a break or two and their run could extend past Sectionals.