By Nathan Pace
Online Editor

Southport honored its senior class with a 78-69 win against Lawrence Central. The Cardinals led the whole game but the Bears did cut it to 69-67 with under two minutes left.

Senior center Joey Brunk scored the first four points for the Cardinals as Southport erupted to a 16-4 first quarter lead. Lawrence Central, champions of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference battled back and adjusted to Southport's size and length. 

But Southport, Conference Indiana champions, finished the game on a 9-2 run culminating in a dunk by junior swingman Paul Scruggs in the finals seconds.

The game was the first ever Teddy Bear Toss at Southport where fans threw Teddy Bears onto the court to donate to Riley Children's Hospital. The event raised over $530 dollars and collected 226 bears.

View video and photos from the game below.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Rejuvenated No. 11 Southport (16-6) collides with two-time reigning sectional champion and No. 10 Pike (16-7) in Tuesday’s opening round of the 4A Southport Sectional.

Pike, coached by former Perry Meridian and Center Grove coach Bill Zych, has had Southport’s number during the last two sectional championship duels, defeating the Cardinals 49-48 last year with a late-game rally at Perry Meridian and in overtime, 73-65, in 2014 at Ben Davis.

The Cardinals were picked No. 1 in the statewide coaches preseason poll but had difficulty putting things together as several football players began their transformation on the basketball court. The Cardinals dropped to 5-4 Jan. 8 when Franklin Central pounded them 75-55 in historic Southport Fieldhouse.

Since then, coach Kyle Simpson’s team is 11-2 and is on a nine-game winning streak that includes back-to-back wins against Terre Haute South and Evansville Reitz. 

The rivals collide at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with Perry Meridian (8-13) facing Ben Davis (12-9) in the second game. The Southport-Pike winner meets Roncalli (13-7), and the Perry Meridian-Ben Davis winner goes against Decatur Central (8-12) March 4.

No. 15 Franklin Central (16-5) has won three consecutive sectional championships by overcoming the underdog role, but now goes into the Martinsville Sectional as the favorite. The Flashes drew a bye and wait for the Martinsville-Greenwood winner. The host Artesians could threaten the Flashes, provided Martinsville escapes defensive-minded Greenwood. 

In 3A, Manual and Beech Grove are dark horses and easily could spring upsets in separate sectionals.
Sectional host Beech Grove (12-8) will meet Ritter (11-9) or Park Tudor (15-4) in a rematch of Indiana Crossroads teams. 

Manual (14-7) is having its best season in decades and is in the same bracket as favored Crispus Attucks (16-5) and host New Palestine (5-16).
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All sectional championship games are March 5.