By Al Stilley Senior staff writer The 44th annual IHSAA girls’ basketball tourney opens Tuesday with six Southside teams in action. Southport (4A) and Greenwood Christian (1A) are hosts for sectionals. At Southport, darkhorse Roncalli meets Pike and Perry Meridian goes against Decatur Central, Tuesday. The host Cardinals meet the Pike-Roncalli winner with slightly favored Ben Davis facing the PM-DC winner Feb. 1. All sectional championship games are Feb. 2. At Greenwood Christian, the host Cougars open Tuesday against Central Christian and are favored to advance to the semis against Christel House, Feb. 1. Southside rival Lutheran, in the opposite bracket, plays Providence Cristo Rey Jan. 30. The two rivals could meet in a semifinal match-up Feb. 1. No. 7 ranked Center Grove, the only Southside team defending a sectional title, meets Martinsville in the Tuesday nightcap. Franklin Central and Franklin open the tourney. On Feb. 1, Greenwood meets the FC-Franklin winner and dangerous host Whiteland test the CG/Martinsville winner. In 3A at Indian Creek, Beech Grove meets Herron in the Tuesday nightcap with the winner facing Manual in the Feb. 1 nightcap, probably setting up a Southside semifinal duel. Here’s a capsule look at Southside teams: Beech Grove (4-13) – Rebuilding Hornets defeated Herron 53-26 on way to winning own holiday tourney … now in 7-game losing skid … led by Alexia Blakely (15.5 points, 15.9 rebounds) … sectional tune-ups Thursday at Triton Central and Saturday at Speedway. Center Grove (18-2) – On 17-game win streak … defense averages 39.1 points … led by 1-2 punch of Ella Thompson, 14.8 points & Emma Utterback, 12.5 points … county and holiday tourney champs … defeated sectional foe Martinsville (54-38, 37-33) … visit MIC foe No. 10 Lawrence North, Friday. Franklin Central (2-16) – Young Flashes suffered losing streaks of 6 & 8 games … average only 39.3 points …50% of offense from Rachel Loobie, 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds … defeated Southport & sectional foe Franklin … … Flashes first-year coach Vince Cerbone won 3 sectional titles at Martinsville … play Friday at Fishers. Greenwood (4-16) – 1-14 against 4A teams … downed 3A Herron & Brown County & new rival 1A Greenwood Christian … floor general Bailey Taft, 11.4 points … face new Mid-State neighbor Perry Meridian, Friday … 0-5 against sectional field. Greenwood Christian (13-8) – No seniors but plenty of swag … avg. winning margin 14.6 points … after 1-4 start, won 8 of 9 games in mid-season stretch … rising star in soph Izzy Reed, 21.6 points, 15.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists … 3-0 against sectional foes, including once-dominant Tindley (50-38) … Thursday at Southwestern. Lutheran (5-15) – Slow start at 1-9 … won 3 of last 5 games … score only 42.1 points per game … held Central Christian & International to 11 & 12 points … Rylee Morris 1,000-plus points for career … at home Thursday against Morristown. Manual (9-8) – Won 7 of 12 games after 2-5 start … played only 3 teams above 1A & 2A … no sectional trophy since 1982 … finish Saturday against Scecina. Perry Meridian (8-12) – Falcons started 2-5 … won Warsaw holiday tourney …defeated sectional opponent Decatur Central (60-49) in November … Caitie Baird, 10.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, leads … Falcons averaged 58.5 points in recent 4-game win streak … Friday at Greenwood. Roncalli (13-6) – Opened with 5 straight wins … 5 of 6 losses against ranked teams … defeated Pike (61-51) but lost to Ben Davis (58-44) … riding 6 game winning streak … rolling with Maddie Bischoff (16.7 points) & Alana Vinson (16.7 points) … Columbus North visits Thursday. Southport (5-15) – Lost 7 of 1st 8 games … 2-5 against sectional field; split against Decatur Central … Lexi Green (12.1 points, 9.5 rebounds) & Kyra Duncan (12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds) … Thursday at home against Terre Haute South. Info online at: IHSAA.org or indianagirlsbasketball.homestead.com. |
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By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer Beech Grove and Southport put together the Southside’s most dramatic game of the boys’ basketball season last week with a four-overtime marathon. The host (7-4) Hornets prevailed 86-85 at Southport Fieldhouse on Josh Copenhaver’s free throw with 3.5 seconds to play. He was sent to the line after being fouled on an offensive rebound. The third OT produced the most dramatic moment of the game Jan. 16 when BG’s John Parker nailed a half-court buzzerbeater for a 69-all deadlock. Earlier, Southport’s Brian Miller hit 2 free throws that put the Cardinals ahead by 3 points. The nailbiter was tied 50-all at the end of regulation. Each team scored 4, 9 and 6 points apiece in the next overtimes. Parker scored 13 of his 16 points in the overtimes. Gavin Hess led the Hornets (8-6) with 24 points and 18 points. Southport’s Brevin Jefferson had a game-high 35 points. Southport (8-6) played without 6-8 Chaz Hinds who sprained his ankle early in the first quarter. The fourth overtime game was the second in Hornets basketball history in nearly nine decades. On Feb. 28, 1930, Acton defeated Beech Grove 3130 in the sectional at Tech. The Hornets played in three overtimes on Feb. 27, 2007 in a 70-65 win against Chatard in the Whiteland sectional and a 61-59 homecourt loss against Roncalli, Jan. 10, 2003. Elsewhere, Center Grove hit the road with new uniforms Friday and came away with an impressive 56-45 conference win at Ben Davis (10-5). The Trojans (12-4) were led by 6-9 Indiana University commit Trayce Jackson-Davis with 23 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks and 6-7 Justin DeGraaf, 16 points and 11 rebounds. CG poured in 21 points in the third quarter for a commanding 47-34 lead and pulled away for its first league win. At Roncalli, the Rebels (3-9) pulled to 53-51 on Anthony Donohue’s 3- point shot but the Dragons (8-4) prevailed 67-61 by hitting 8 of 8 free throws in the final 35 seconds. Jacob Denney put in 18 points for the Rebels and 6-7 Daniel Asher, 13 points. Games postponed due to weather Saturday included Roncalli at Center Grove (Feb. 5) and Terre Haute North at Southport (Feb. 19), and games involving Franklin Central, Greenwood, Lutheran and Perry Meridian. (Note: Basketball historian Jim Pich contributed to this article.) |
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