Sectional Preview: 4A North
Now that the Sectional draw has taken place this past weekend, we are ready to preview each Sectional heading into next week and the beginning of the playoffs. Here is our breakdown for each Semistate pod. Sectional 1: Crown Point…
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Continue ReadingNow that the Sectional draw has taken place this past weekend, we are ready to preview each Sectional heading into next week and the beginning of the playoffs. Here is our breakdown for each Semistate pod.
Sectional 1: Crown Point
Champion Prediction: Munster
Munster has had an outstanding year and while their draw isn’t as good as it could have been, the Sectional isn’t particularly difficult this season. They are 6-1 against Sectional opponents with their one loss to Crown Point. This has been the season they have wanted for a while and look poised to take advantage of it.
Sleeper Pick: Crown Point
Crown Point is only 11-8 this year but they have some really interesting wins and have the ability to pull of an upset. They have already beaten Andrean, South Bend Washington, Michigan City, Merrillville, and have beaten Sectional favorite, Munster. Can they go 2-0 against them?
Best (Potential) Matchup: Munster vs. Crown Point
The best matchup would be Munster and Crown Point going Round 2. Crown Point won 55-51 in overtime last time around so it was pretty close. Munster is probably the better team out of a 10-game series but with only one game to play, anything can happen.
Sectional 2: Portage
Champion Prediction: Valparaiso
At 18-5, Valparaiso is the team to beat here. They are 6-0 against their Sectional foes and beat Chesterton by 28 points just this past week. Now, it won’t be that easy again and Chesterton is a solid team but Valpo has one of the best players in the state in Brandon Newman and he just dropped 49 points in his last game. He’s got the ability to take over any game.
Sleeper Pick: Michigan City
The winner of the bye game, Michigan City holds an advantage. The only issue they will face is likely having to beat Chesterton and Valparaiso in back-to-back games. They were the one team in this Sectional that played them both relatively close and with only having to play two games, that goes a long way.
Best (Potential) Matchup: Valparaiso vs. Chesterton
There aren’t many other matchups that would draw such a fun game. Now losing by 28 points the first time around isn’t ideal but again, Chesterton isn’t 28 points worse of a team. They have good players and are 16-5 this season against a tough schedule. Round 2 will be much closer with everything on the line.
Sectional 3: Penn
Champion Prediction: Penn
Penn is a team that has the ability to get to the final weekend of the year. They are 17-3 and 12-2 against their class. This team has a great Senior-led squad and has guys like Drew Lutz and Noah Applegate that can produce at a really high level. Their draw sucks but get through the first game and things get so much easier.
Sleeper Pick: LaPorte
The one team not named Riley or Penn, would be LaPorte. This team has a really good shot here. They have yet to play Penn, they drew the bye game, and if it ends up being South Bend Riley, they were able to play them tight and only lost by 6 points in the first game of the season.
Best (Potential) Matchup: South Bend Riley vs. Penn
The first game out of the gate is South Bend Riley vs. Penn and it should be a stellar one. With a ton of college talent on the floor and a competitive history, this should be a fun one to watch. They played last on Feb. 2nd and Penn squeaked out a win, 63-61. Round 2 should be a must watch.
Sectional 4: Elkhart Central
Champion Prediction: Elkhart Memorial
Elkhart Memorial got a really tough first round draw in Warsaw but their second round game is quite a bit easier. Memorial’s schedule has been a tough one but they have been great this year to the tune of a 15-5 record. They have beaten teams like Penn and Mishawaka Marian which gives this team hopes beyond the first week. They do have to play Warsaw twice in the span of a week though as they take them on first Tuesday.
Sleeper Pick: Plymouth
The team to watch here is Plymouth. They beat Elkhart Memorial earlier this year in overtime and they are 13-7 on the year with a really solid draw. They did lose to Northridge earlier this year so they will likely have to overwrite that ending again but if so, they should have confidence to pull it off.
Best (Potential) Matchup: Warsaw vs. Elkhart Memorial
Part of the reason this will be the best matchup is because they will have to play each other twice in the span of a week. If it is close in the first game, that only makes round 2 that much more palpable. Warsaw has been really strong down the stretch, though.
Sectional 5: DeKalb
Champion Prediction: East Noble
East Noble has the best record in the Sectional at 17-3, they get an opening round game against 2-19 Fort Wayne North, and they have won 14 of their last 15 games. This is a team that has gone under-the-radar all year but has some really good wins against Westview, Fort Wayne Carroll, Bishop Dwenger, and Warsaw. They did lose to Snider but only by 3 points. This is a team that has size in Ali Ali and a stud point guard in Hayden Jones. Those two should be a good combo come March.
Sleeper Pick: Fort Wayne Northrop
While the next top pick for me would be Carroll, Northrop is a team a little deeper that I could see winning it. They have Sydney Curry that eats up the boards and can erase some mistakes down low and if this is low scoring game, he becomes that much more valuable. They do have to find a way to get past Carroll but Carroll doesn’t like to play quick and that could play right into Northrop’s hands. Get out of the first round and you get 6-14 DeKalb and then a shot at the title.
Best (Potential) Matchup: East Noble vs. Fort Wayne Carroll
The game that would probably be the most fun would be East Noble and Carroll. A lot of shooting and Ali Ali vs. David Ejah could be a game to watch. These two teams played really early in the year and East Noble won but Carroll has been really good in the second half of the season.
Sectional 6: Fort Wayne Wayne
Champion Prediction: Homestead
Homestead has won their Sectional the last five years running and they are the easy pick here as they have been near flawless with an 18-2 record and losses to Bishop Dwenger and Northrop by a combined 10 points. They are 4-0 against their Sectional opponents already.
Sleeper Pick: Huntington North
Huntington North is the one team that has a really good record although they have losses to Homestead and Fort Wayne South this year. They have size all over the floor and have been pretty successful this year. They have a week to prepare for their toughest opponent that they drew in their Sectional as well.
Best (Potential) Matchup: Homestead vs. Huntington North
That first round matchup of Homestead and Huntington North looks like the best one on paper. Homestead beat them earlier this year in the first game of the season but it was only a 5-point win for them. Huntington North has also been better in the second half of the season and they don’t really have a bad loss this season so if they can come with the best version of themselves, it could be an interesting Tuesday game.
Sectional 7: Kokomo
Champion Prediction: Zionsville
The best team here is Zionsville and they have had a monster of a schedule with a good veteran group that will be ready to go. This is a group that will be able to shoot themselves into some wins. This team is 17-5 and all 5 of their losses have come to MIC teams. Pretty impressive.
Sleeper Pick: Logansport
Logansport is 4-0 against their Sectional opponents and they are 16-4 overall. This has been a really good year and with Sam Skaggs and Will Penny playing at a very high level. They also got a great draw avoiding Lafayette Jeff and Zionsville. Their path to Saturday is paved pretty well.
Best (Potential) Matchup: Lafayette Jeff vs. Zionsville
The most fun you could have on Friday might be to watch Lafayette Jeff vs. Zionsville if it ends up happening. Those two teams shoot a ton of threes and if they are hitting, this could be an absolute shootout. If that happens, either team could win. Jeff has the size to matchup with Zionsville and not sure Zionsville has seen a team this year that will shoot quite like Jeff will.
Sectional 8: Carmel
Champion Prediction: Carmel
The team to beat probably in the state is Carmel and they not only got a bye game, they miss HSE until the finals. Carmel is 19-1 this season and just got done beating the next most likely team to win 4A in Warren Central. Beat them pretty well actually. So, hard not to see them getting through this Sectional again this year.
Sleeper Pick: Fishers
Fishers has had a tremendous year and are 15-7 overall and 4-0 against Sectional opponents. They will have to beat Carmel, a team they have yet to play this year, but they already took down Hamilton Southeastern early in the season. They get through Anderson in the first round, they have a shot, not a great one based on what they would have to do but they have played every team on their schedule tough.
Best (Potential) Matchup: Carmel vs. Hamilton Southeastern
While the first round of this game didn’t go well for Hamilton Southeastern and Carmel dominated, this matchup is one of the more fun games to watch all year long. Carmel has had their number, though, so things would have to buck trends here and HSE would have to pull it together in a season where they have been all over the place.