Shooter: Girls Sectional Predictions

Shooter: Girls Sectional Predictions – News Sentinel

Last Monday night, the IHSAA made their first sectional draw of the roundball season and out popped a bracket full of allure. The games get started tomorrow night and run through Saturday and when all is said and done, just six local teams will still be alive to seek out a state championship.Postseason basketball ups the ante and couldn’t make Shooter happier. Every team playing like its their last days on earth, fighting for survival and knowing that more than likely, this all ends in tears. Shooter loves the tears. No, I don’t like watching teenage girls cry just for fun. Shooter loves the tears because the raw emotion is the best part about high school basketball. All of these girls care so much about the week ahead and this is one frog that can’t hate on passion for the sport.But don’t worry, there is plenty left for Shooter to hate. So without further ado, here are Shooter’s sectional predictions:Class 4A Sectional 5 at East Noble Tuesday’s games shouldn’t be much of a test, but Friday is going to be a really neat affair in Kendallville. Saying that absolutely anyone could come out of a projected final four of Snider, Carroll, East Noble and DeKalb is an understatement. Barring anything extraordinary going down on Tuesday night, Friday’s semi-finals will be in-conference showdowns. East Noble just beat DeKalb 54-38 a couple of weeks back and they could meet again Friday if East Noble slides by North Side tomorrow. This could be much closer than their first meeting, Shooter really feels that DeKalb’s Leigha Brown could give the Knights fits in a rematch. Shooter says: Carroll defeats East Noble in Sectional finalClass 4A Sectional 6 at HomesteadOk, let’s be honest. This is just a nightmare for anyone not named Sparty. You have to win a tournament that Homestead is in and you have to do it at Homestead. Unless one of these teams is going to sneak Benet Academy from Illinois into their uniforms, this is a lost cause and even then you have to hit your threes. And yeah, I think at this point it is ok for me to throw some shade at Homestead opposition, not because of their skill level, but because Shooter is just being honest.There are still games to look forward to. Tuesday’s Wayne vs. South Side meeting could be interesting if the Generals are on point. This young South Side team has played well all season and it would be great for them to be able to get a Sectional win, but Wayne needs it more. Wayne has been the biggest letdown around this year; they could have been a contender for one of the top spots in the SAC. However, the Generals just never seemed to find the right chemistry to thrive together with Tyson and Tashayla Sutorius leading the charge. A first round date with young South Side could be the ticket to garner some momentum to end the season off strong.But come Friday night, the most interesting game of this entire bracket will be the winner of that game playing Jay County. The Patriots have had a terrific 19-win season and testing themselves in Sectional play against an SAC team will be fun even if they do hold a win over South Side already. Shooter says: Homestead defeats Jay County in Sectional finalClass 3A Sectional 22 at GarrettWith seven teams, we get a fun four day Sectional here with a lot of teams to watch out for. Wednesday’s Canterbury-Leo and Bishop Dwenger-Garrett games could very well decide the champion of this Sectional. Not all of these teams have played up to their potential this year, leaving Shooter perplexed and a Sectional full of mid-level, near .500 ball clubs with Leo peaking over the top. This could be my toughest call to make, but I am going to say that Canterbury pulls a rabit out of their hat and upsets Leo on Wednesday, widening everyone’s chances a little bit more. Shooter says: Bishop Dwenger defeats Concordia Lutheran in Sectional finalClass 3A Sectional 23 at NorwellThe Bishop Luers girls have beaten the buzzer in dramatic fashion not once, but twice this season. Emma Wolfe shocked Northrop back on November 11 and Kayle Knapke buried Bishop Dwenger on January 22 in the same fashion, all in the confines of their home gym. As they take their act on the road to Norwell for Sectional play, teams have to know that the Knights are dangerous. Knapke was 7-of-7 from three point range in the win against Dwenger, presenting it’s own problem of how well Luers gets open and shots and converts them. But just as important to keep in mind is that if you let Luers get close, stay close and end the game with the ball, your season could end in the blink of an eye.Just like at Homestead, you sure don’t want to have to challenge Norwell at their place to try to advance in the state tournament. Yeah, they had a couple of big waves along the way including that heart breaker at Leo, but the Knights are the most postseason ready team in the area not named Homestead. Give me Mackenzie Sawyer, give me Stephanie Conrad — Norwell has so many weapons and options to beat you. So they are going to do just that. Shooter says: Norwell defeats Bishop Luers in Sectional finalClass 2A Sectional 36 at South AdamsRejoice teams of the ACAC, you no longer have to conquer Jay County! This is especially good South Adams, who could be blemish-less if it wasn’t for Jay County (and Fort Recovery). The Patriots gave the Starfires two of their three losses, but there is no Jay County here. Instead, there is a South Adams team who is 7-0 against teams in this Sectional and 10-0 in Class 2A. Add to that the recent re-addition of Cindy In’t Groen — a 20-plus point per game performer — who missed five games while stuck out of the country, and you have a clear favorite. Woodlan is the only other team above .500 and Eastside did force South Adams into overtime at the beginning of 2016 before succumbing. Shooter Says: South Adams defeats Bluffton in Sectional finalClass 1A Sectional 52 at HamiltonBlackhawk Christian, one of just two News-Sentinel coverage area teams in this Sectional, has traded wins and losses all year long. But as a team independent of a conference, they have won when it has mattered the most: against this Sectional and against their class. The Braves will need to string together three wins for the first time all season in order to win this Sectional, which could be the big test. They have won back to back games on three occasions, but not since the beginning of the year. Shooter says: Bethany Christian defeats Blackhawk Christian in Sectional finalClass 1A Sectional 55 at Southern WellsLet’s just say, this doesn’t look good for anyone not named Liberty Christian. The Lions are barely above .500 overall, but nobody else is even close. Liberty Christian is 5-0 against teams in this Sectional and nobody has been closer than 13 points. Good news for the local interest, Southern Wells does hold a win this year over opening round opponent Daleville and they should easily beat them again tomorrow night. Bad news: that is about as far as they can go. Shooter Says: Liberty Christian defeats Cowan in Sectional final

More Information

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Sectional pairings

CLASS 4A
At East Noble

Feb. 2
Northrop vs. Carroll, 6 p.m.
East Noble vs. North Side, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5
Snider vs. Northrop-Carroll winner, 6 p.m.
DeKalb vs. East Noble-North Side winner, 7:30 p.m.