TERRE HAUTE —
Wabash Valley high school basketball’s focus can be solely on its boys now, with sectional pairings drawn Sunday by the Indiana High School Athletic Association for next week’s games and Illinois regional tournaments starting tonight.
Terre Haute South and West Vigo are among the teams that drew byes from the IHSAA in the Indiana tournament that begins Feb. 26.
South will be at the Class 4A Mooresville Sectional, where the Braves can scout the 6 p.m. opener on Feb. 26 between Northview and the host Pioneers. Terre Haute North plays the second game that night against Plainfield, winner of that game meeting Martinsville in the second semifinal game on March 1.
West Vigo will be the last team to see action at the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional, although the Vikings may not be able to avoid longtime nemesis Edgewood. South Vermillion and Brown County play the sectional opener next week, the winner to meet Owen Valley, while the second first-round game between Edgewood and the host Tiger Cubs will send its winner along to face the Vikings.
Co-favorites Linton and Sullivan, who split games earlier and who haven’t played each other since late December, are in opposite brackets of the Class 2A North Knox Sectional. The Arrows need to overcome North Central and Bloomfield to reach the championship game, while Linton will have to beat South Knox in the first round and — if the Miners do so — either Eastern Greene or the host Warriors in the semifinals.
In Class A play, top-ranked Rockville is in a bracket with its Parke County neighbors at the North Vermillion Sectional, opening with Riverton Parke, while Turkey Run waits in the bye bracket. On the other side, the host Falcons play Attica, winner to take on Covington.
The five-team White River Valley Sectional opens with Shakamak playing winless Union. Clay City gets the winner of that game, while the other semifinal features the host Wolverines against Eminence.
n Action at Newton — Perhaps the best Class 2A regional in Illinois starts tonight at Newton, where Marshall faces Cumberland.
Despite a 22-win season, the Lions are just a four seed in that tournament, which also features Robinson, Casey and Newton among its favorites.
Paris plays today facing a long road to a championship at the Class 2A Sullivan Regional, while top-seeded teams in Class A regionals are Oblong at Dieterich and Catlin at Chrisman.
Dominating duo helps lead Casey into Class 2A Newton Regional
Players say defense, team ball are leading to success
By Craig Pearson
Tribune-Star • Casey, Ill.
The Casey boys basketball team has one of the top shooters in the Wabash Valley. Six-foot-3 guard Brandon Wolfe has knocked down 59 3-pointers for the Warriors and averages close to 23 points-per-game.
And Casey takes as much momentum as any of the strong teams into the Class 2A Newton Regional. The Warriors have won 11 of their last 12 games, winning the Little Illini Conference tournament title for the first time since 2004 during that stretch. Casey’s only recent loss came on a neutral court to Harrisburg (25-1), the state’s No. 1 team in 2A, by a score of 68-50.
Casey (19-6) has played a brutal schedule that also includes a loss to unbeaten Indiana Class A’s No. 1 Rockville in the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic opener. Another loss came to 2A No. 8 St. Joseph-Ogden. Another came to 23-4 Robinson, which went unbeaten in the LIC regular season.
“We’ve been on a roll lately. We’ve beat some really good teams, but we ran into a brick house playing Harrisburg. We had a rough first half, but fought back, had it within six and ended up giving it away in the end,” Wolfe said.
The Warriors have improved defensively and they’re getting outstanding play from 6-2 senior Trivette Scales, who’s averaging 17 points. Scales led the Warriors to the LIC title with 20 points
and five steals in the championship game
against Newton.
On Feb. 5 against Paris, Scales had 29 of his career-high 33 points by halftime.
“When teams are keying on me, Trivette is just dominating,” Wolfe said. “He’s getting himself open, he’s getting to the bucket, he’s hitting shots. He’s done everything that coach has asked him to do. I would love to have his athleticism. He can jump, he can run, he can defend. He’s a very big key to our team.”
Coach Steve Hawkins agrees wholeheartedly, praising Scales and senior big man Matt McCown for their leadership this season.
“Trivette is probably one of the most underrated players in the area. He has always been a top-notch athlete, and this year in particular he has become more consistent at both ends of the floor and has been a great teammate and leader for our team,” Hawkins said. “When he plays inside-out he can be very dangerous offensively and he is also our most versatile defender due to his athleticism and length.
“Trivette does so much for our team at both ends, it is really hard to put in words just how much he provides for us. He can score 30-plus, grab 10-plus rebounds, have 7-plus steals or 7-plus assists on any given night.”
Scales and Wolfe lead Casey into a third meeting with Newton on Wednesday night at Newton, where the Warriors will try to beat the Eagles for the third time.
With Newton and Robinson new to the LIC — and traditional power Marshall winning 20 games once again — the conference tournament title was meaningful for the Warriors, Wolfe said.
“Winning that meant a lot just because we hadn’t done it since 2004. That’s quite a long streak,”
Wolfe said.
The Warriors average 68 points as a team, and they’re working better together at the defensive end as well.
“Coach Hawkins is trying to get us there. He’s a defensive-minded coach for sure,” Wolfe said. “We have so many athletes on our team. We’re finally starting to get together.”
That’s just been a matter of maturing.
In his third year as head coach at his alma mater, Hawkins had enough talent his first two years to finish over .500, but the Warriors have grown into a more confident group this year.
“It’s been a good year so far. We maybe let one game get away from us. We’ve played good competition, and we’ve set ourselves up to have a successful postseason,” Hawkins said.
Wolfe is the main reason. He’s shooting a career-best 45 percent from the field, a pretty good number for a guy that takes a lot of jump shots.
“His defense has gotten a lot better. He’s definitely become a smarter defender. His shooting percentages are up. He’s just a special player,” Hawkins said. “He’s got a smooth stroke, especially when he gets on fire. High-release point, he puts in the work.”
Wolfe, who has had some Division I interest from programs such as Indiana State and Missouri State, has enjoyed his junior season the best.
“I feel like I’ve had a pretty good year. My favorite thing this year is we’re winning,” Wolfe said, expanding on the reasons for the winning. “Team ball. Definitely playing team ball. Everyone’s playing together now. Everyone’s caring about each other. Everyone’s working for each other. Everyone’s working on their offense, defense, setting screens.”
Co-favorites Linton and Sullivan, who split games earlier and who haven’t played each other since late December, are in opposite brackets of the Class 2A North Knox Sectional. The Arrows need to overcome North Central and Bloomfield to reach the championship game, while Linton will have to beat South Knox in the first round and — if the Miners do so — either Eastern Greene or the host Warriors in the semifinals.
In Class A play, top-ranked Rockville is in a bracket with its Parke County neighbors at the North Vermillion Sectional, opening with Riverton Parke while Turkey Run waits in the bye bracket. On the other side, the host Falcons play Attica, winner to take on Covington.
The five-team White River Valley Sectional opens with Shakamak playing winless Union. Clay City gets the winner of that game, while the other semifinal features the host Wolverines against Eminence.
• Action at Newton — Perhaps the best Class 2A regional in Illinois starts tonight at Newton, where Marshall faces Cumberland.
Despite a 22-win season, the Lions are just a four seed in that tournament, which also features Robinson, Casey and Newton among its favorites.
Paris plays today facing a long road to a championship at the Class 2A Sullivan Regional, while top-seeded teams in Class A regionals are Oblong at Dieterich and Catlin at Chrisman.
Boys postseason basketball
Indiana sectionals
Class 4A
At Mooresville
Feb. 26 — Mooresville vs. Northview, 6 p.m., followed by Plainfield vs. Terre Haute North
March 1 — Terre Haute South vs. Mooresville-Northview winner, 6 p.m., followed by Martinsville vs. Plainfield-Terre Haute North winner
March 2 — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class 3A
At Greencastle
Feb. 26 — South Vermillion vs. Brown County, 6 p.m., followed by Edgewood vs. Greencastle
March 1 — Owen Valley vs. South Vermillion-Brown County winner, 6 p.m., followed by West Vigo vs. Edgewood-Greencastle winner
March 2 — Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 2A
At North Knox
Feb. 26 — North Central vs. Sullivan, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 27 — Linton vs. South Knox, 6 p.m., followed by Eastern Greene vs. North Knox
March 1 — Bloomfield vs. North Central-Sullivan winner, 6 p.m., followed by Feb. 27 winners
March 2 — Championship, 7 p.m.
Class A
At North Vermillion
Feb. 26 — Rockville vs. Riverton Parke, 6 p.m., followed by Attica vs. North Vermillion
March 1 — Turkey Run vs. Rockville-Riverton Parke winner, 6 p.m., followed by Covington vs. Attica-North Vermillion winner
March 2 — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
At White River Valley
Feb. 26 — Shakamak vs. Union, 7 p.m.
March 1 — Eminence vs. White River Valley, 6 p.m., followed by Clay City vs. Shakamak-Union winner
March 2 — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Illinois regionals
Class 2A
At Newton
Today — Marshall vs. Cumberland, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday — Robinson vs. Marshall-Cumberland winner, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday — Casey vs. Newton, 7:30 p.m.
Friday — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
At Sullivan
Today — Sullivan vs. Paris, 6 p.m., followed by Tolono Unity vs. Tuscola
Wednesday — Monticello vs. Sullivan-Paris winner, 6 p.m., followed by Champaign St. Thomas More vs. Tolono Unity-Tuscola winner
Friday — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class A
At Dieterich
Today — Hutsonville-Palestine vs. Neoga, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday — Dieterich vs. Martinsville, 6 p.m., followed by Stewardson-Strasburg vs. Windsor
Wednesday — Oblong vs. Hutsonville-Palestine-Neoga winner, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday — Tuesday’s winners, 7:30 p.m.
Friday — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
At Chrisman
Tuesday — Chrisman vs. Milford, 6 p.m., followed by Danville Schlarman vs. Oakland
Wednesday — Catlin vs. Chrisman-Milford winner, 6 p.m., followed by Shiloh vs. Danville Schlarman-Oakland winner
Friday — Championship, 7:30 p.m.
All Illinois tournament times CST
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