Columbus North’s Kaitlin White, right, and Columbus East’s Caroline Frost go up for the opening tip during the annual crosstown rivalry game at Columbus North Dec. 14, 2023.
The Republic file photo
The Columbus East and Columbus North girls basketball teams are guaranteed to be playing in the semifinals of the Class 4A Whiteland Sectional on Feb. 2.
That’s because the Olympians and Bull Dogs received the two first-round byes in the sectional, which gets under way with first-round games on Jan. 30. The draw was conducted by the IHSAA on Sunday.
East Central (7-14) will play Whiteland (9-11), and Shelbyville (14-7) will face Franklin (19-2) in the opening round. Columbus East (5-15) will play the East Central-Whiteland winner in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. Feb. 2.
“Personally, I’m grateful for (the bye) because this last week of our season, we play three games in six days,” East coach Kaitlyn Phillips said. “Also, it gives us quality time to practice, so we can work on things we need to work on. We’ll get to see both teams play against each other, which will be good.”
The Olympians beat East Central 36-25 on Nov. 15. Columbus East did not face Whiteland, which is where Phillips played and was an assistant coach prior to taking over at East this season.
“There’s no secret that Franklin is the favorite,” Phillips said. “We’re not scared of playing Franklin, but it will be good to have a game under our belt if we play them. But everything is brand new in the sectional. It’s a brand new slate, and anything can happen on any given night.”
North (10-11) will play the Shelbyville-Franklin winner in the second semifinal at around 7:45 p.m. Feb. 2.
“With the bye, that gives you extra time to prepare,” North coach Brett White said. “With either Shelbyville or Franklin, we’ll prepare for either one and be ready to go for that game on Friday.”
The Bull Dogs fell to Franklin 67-36 on Nov. 4. North beat Shelbyville 51-46 on Nov. 28.
“I would say that Franklin is definitely the favorite,” White said. “They’re an experienced team with a number of seniors that have been playing since they were freshmen, and they’ve had a very good season this year.”
All sectional finals will be at 7 or 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3.
Also in 4A, No. 6 Jennings County (19-3) will play Seymour (9-11) in the Floyd Central Sectional opener at 7 p.m. Jan. 30. The winner will face Jeffersonville (11-9) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Feb. 2.
Hauser’s Bella Kilps looks to pass the ball after snagging a rebound against Seeger Dec. 27, 2023, at Hauser High School.
The Republic file photo
Meanwhile, in Class 2A, Hauser will play Switzerland County in the opening round of the North Decatur Sectional at 7 p.m. Jan. 30. The winner will play South Ripley in the semifinals at around 7:45 p.m. Feb. 2.
The Jets (6-16) lost at Switzerland County (11-10) 55-32 on Dec. 14.
“I think the score doesn’t indicate how close the game actually was,” Hauser coach Kyle Shipp said. “We feel good to get this rematch with them and see where we’re at.”
The Jets have lost three starters for the season, but a young group of players has shown signs of promise.
“The goal is always to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year, and I don’t think we’ve put a complete game together quite yet,” Shipp said. “We’ve showed some flashes. I think we’re moving in that direction. We just need to put 32 minutes of basketball together.”
Brown County (10-10) will play Class 3A No. 5 Indian Creek (16-4) in the first round of the Owen Valley Sectional at 6 p.m. Jan. 31. The Eagles fell to the Braves 54-47 on Jan. 6. The winner will play either Northview (17-3) or South Vermillion (0-21) in the semifinals at around 7:45 p.m. Feb. 2.
In Class A, Edinburgh (3-17) and South Decatur (13-9) will meet in the opening round at Southwestern (Shelby) at 7 p.m. Jan. 30. The Cougars beat the Lancers 46-19 on Tuesday. The winner will play Class A No. 8 Jac-Cen-Del (17-4) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Feb. 2.
Trinity Lutheran (10-10) will face Medora (7-13) in the opening round of a Class A sectional at New Washington at 6 p.m. Jan. 30. The winner will play New Washington (8-13) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Feb. 2.
This year’s tournament features a different regional format. There are eight regional hosts in the north and eight in the south, and two games — not necessarily from the same class — will be played at each regional site on Feb. 10. Teams will be assigned to those regional sites after sectional play. The eight sites in the south are Bedford North Lawrence, Charlestown, Crawford County, Decatur Central, Greencastle, Southmont, Southwestern (Shelby) and West Washington.
Following the regional round, teams will be assigned to four-team semistates. Each semistate will host semifinals and finals for one class on Feb. 17. Southport, Shelbyville, Jasper and New Albany are the southern semistate sites.
The state finals are Feb. 24 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
