By Andy Amey
All three Vigo County boys high school basketball teams begin their state tournament journeys on the first night of action as a result of pairings drawn Sunday by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
Terre Haute North, a potential favorite in Class 4A’s Plainfield Sectional, could potentially play two teams the Patriots haven’t faced this season, including the home team in the March 2 opening game.
Terre Haute South, a darkhorse in the same tournament, plays the second game on March 2 but with the prospect of playing two teams the Braves have already beaten.
And in the Class 3A Owen Valley Sectional, West Vigo could use revenge for motivation. To reach the championship game of that wide-open tournament, the Vikings would have to beat two teams that beat them during the Western Indiana Conference season.
“It will be a challenge,” said coach Todd Woelfle of the Patriots, who would meet Martinsville in a semifinal game if they are able to beat Plainfield. “Long travel, a 6 o’clock game … it’s not an ideal situation.
“But you’re in the state tournament,” he continued. “It’s one and done; the best team that night for 32 minutes is all that matters. We have a mature basketball team, and I’m confident they’ll be ready.”
“It’s OK with us,” coach Mike Saylor of South said of the draw, which finds the Braves playing Mooresville first, the winner of that game to meet Northview. “You have to play every game in the sectional, so obviously you’d rather have the bye.
“In one way or another, you’re going to have to beat whoever perseveres [to win the championship],” Saylor concluded.
“It’s tough having to play on Tuesday, when everyone else has an extra day to prepare,” said coach Joe Boehler of West Vigo. The Vikings and Brown County, a 53-50 winner over West Vigo on Dec. 19, are the only game scheduled on the first night of a seven-team tournament. Edgewood, the only team in the field with a first-round bye, plays either the Vikings or the Eagles in the semifinals.
“Brown County beat us earlier by three points, so it should be an even match,” Boehler continued. “Anything could happen … for us, there’s no easy night at all.”
Rodney Idlewine would probably agree with that. His South Vermillion team will meet Sullivan for what figures to be the second time in five days and third time this season in perhaps the key game of the other half of the bracket.
“It’s a tough draw, obviously, for us,” he said Sunday.
In a pair of interesting Class A sectionals, Covington will play host North Vermillion and Attica will face Turkey Run on the opening night of an all-Wabash River Conference tournament. Rockville awaits either the Falcons or Trojans, Riverton Parke the Red Ramblers or Warriors in a field in which every team has beaten at least one of the others.
Unquestionably Union (Dugger) has the worst draw in the White River Valley Sectional. To reach the final game, the Bulldogs would have to beat two teams — Shakamak, then the host Wolverines — who have spent much of the season among the state’s top 10. North Central and Clay City are the other semifinal matchup in the five-team bracket.
Linton likewise has a long road in the Class 2A North Knox Sectional, needing to beat both the Knox County schools to face either Bloomfield or Eastern Greene in the championship game.
And coach Pat Rady of Cloverdale has two shots this week at his 700th victory, road games at Speedway and Eminence, before squaring off with Monrovia in a loaded eight-team field at South Putnam.
Indiana boys basketball sectionals
Class 4A
At Plainfield
March 2 — Terre Haute North vs. Plainfield, 6 p.m., followed by Mooresville vs. Terre Haute South
March 5 — Martinsville vs. winner game 1, 6 p.m., followed by Northview vs. winner game 2
Class 3A
At Owen Valley
March 2 — West Vigo vs. Brown County, 7 p.m.
March 3 — Greencastle vs. Owen Valley, 6 p.m., followed by Sullivan vs. South Vermillion
March 5 — Edgewood vs. winner game 1, 6 p.m., followed by winner game 2 vs. winner game 3
Class 2A
At North Knox
March 2 — North Knox vs. Linton, 7 p.m.
March 5 — Eastern Greene vs. Bloomfield, 6 p.m., followed by South Knox vs. winner game 1
At South Putnam
March 2 — Cloverdale vs. Monrovia, 6 p.m., followed by Tri-West vs. North Putnam
March 3 — Speedway vs. Cascade, 6 p.m., followed by Covenant Christian vs. South Putnam
March 5 — March 2 winners, 6 p.m., followed by March 3 winners
Class A
At North Vermillion
March 2 — North Vermillion vs. Covington, 6 p.m., followed by Attica vs. Turkey Run
March 5 — Rockville vs. winner game 1, 6 p.m., followed by Riverton Parke vs. winner game 2
At White River Valley
March 2 — Union vs. Shakamak, 7 p.m.
March 5 — Clay City vs. North Central, 6 p.m., followed by White River Valley vs. winner game 1
All championship games March 6
