Driving home through the intense fog from Class 3A Sectional 28 at Greenwood on Wednesday night was fitting for sectional week: We do not know exactly what is in front of us. Proceed with caution.
But before we completely take a look forward at the craziness ahead of us on Friday night for the sectional semifinals and Saturday for the championship games (192 games over two days), let’s refresh what we have seen so far and recognize some of the top performers of the first-round games:
Best teams eliminated
There are only 18 Class 4A teams by the wayside so far – none ranked in the top-10 in the final USA TODAY Network Indiana state poll. But there are some good teams already eliminated, though not necessarily via upset:
>>Westfield: The Shamrocks (13-9) were in good position in Sectional 8 at Noblesville for three quarters … then Hamilton Southeastern surged to a 68-61 win.
>>Zionsville: The Eagles (13-11) were the better team against Noblesville for the second and third quarters but fell late to Baron Walker and the Millers, 42-38, in Sectional 8.
>>Portage: Good things are ahead for this Portage team, which finished 19-5 after a 56-46 loss to Chesterton in Sectional 2. Almost the entire team will be back.
>>Pendleton Heights: The Arabians (17-6) were a victim of a last-second shot in a 53-51 loss to Anderson in Sectional 9 at Greenfield-Central.
Other classes:
>>Angola: The Hornets (18-6) had a tough matchup with Fort Wayne Blackhawk in the first round of Class 3A Sectional 21 at DeKalb, losing 61-48.
>>Jay County: Another case of a difficult matchup here as the No. 8 Patriots (20-4) fell 52-46 to Yorktown in Class 3A Sectional 24 at New Castle.
>>New Palestine: The Dragons (13-12) ran into a buzzsaw in the second half of a 69-58 loss to Roncalli in Class 3A Sectional 28 at Greenwood. Not even Will Davison’s 35 points could save New Palestine.
>>Corydon Central: Tough finish for the 17-7 Panthers, who fell 69-64 to Charlestown in overtime at Class 3A Sectional 30 at Madison.
>>Gibson Southern: One of the better first-round matchups was in 3A Sectional 31 at Washington, where Gibson Southern (17-7) lost 53-45 to Jasper.
>>Frankton: The margin — 68-38 – was surprising to see in Frankton’s loss to Lapel in the first round of Class 2A Sectional 39 at Elwood. The Eagles committed 19 turnovers.
>>Alexandria: Another case of a tough draw, not necessarily an upset, as Alexandria (15-9) lost 62-54 to Blackford in the first round of 2A Sectional 40 at Eastbrook.
>>Riverside: The Argonauts (21-2) rallied into the second half against Cardinal Ritter, falling 61-49.
Biggest surprises
>>Both of these could probably go in the above category, but a couple of potential sectional favorites fell in Class A as Metropolitan lost 83-67 to Lutheran in Sectional 58 at Lutheran and Morristown fell 49-46 to Tri on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Lukus Frazier in Sectional 59 at Tri.
>>It was stunning to see Class 2A No. 4 Parke Heritage pushed to overtime in a Sectional 41 game at Greencastle against the host Tiger Cubs. It is tough to beat a team three times in a season, which Parke Heritage ultimately did … barely.
>>Triton Central got a big-time scare from Eastern Hancock in Class 2A Sectional 43 at Eastern Hancock, rallying for a 47-45 win. The sixth-ranked Tigers (20-3) advance to play Heritage Christian (12-11) on Friday.
>>A little surprising to see Center Grove fall by 13 points to Southport in a 45-32 loss in 4A Sectional 12 at Mooresville. The Trojans, who played close games recently against Fishers and Brownsburg, finished 8-13.
>>Illiana Christian, playing in its sixth sectional, lost 39-30 at Hanover Central to the host Wildcats in 3A Sectional 18. Illiana Christian (15-9) was probably a slight favorite in the sectional.
>>Wheeler (7-16) rebounded from a 14-point loss to Boone Grove (11-12) during the season for a 46-44 win in 2A Sectional 33 at Boone Grove.
>>Knox (8-15) avenged a 15-point loss to Winamac to win 53-49 in overtime in 2A Sectional 34 at LaVille.
First-round stars
Makeil Baker, Decatur Central: The junior put up a game-high 18 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the 3-point line in a 73-46 win over Perry Meridian in Class 4A Sectional 12 at Mooresville.
Don Bowling, Anderson: The sophomore came up big with a last-second shot in Anderson’s 53-51 win over Pendleton Heights in Class 4A Sectional 9 at Greenfield-Central. Bowling finished with 14 points and four steals in Anderson’s win.
Varschon Clark, Hamilton Southeastern: The 6-4 Clark is definitely starting to fulfill the promise that makes him one of the best prospects in the 2028 class. He finished with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting in a 68-61 comeback win over Westfield.
Caleb Coolman, Penn: The 6-5 sophomore finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists in Penn’s 63-43 win over Michigan City in Class 4A Sectional 3 at Mishawaka.
Chris Cruz, Southport: The junior had 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the 3-point line in Southport’s 45-32 win over Center Grove in Class 4A Sectional 12 at Mooresville. He also had four rebounds.
Will Davison, New Palestine: Wow, the 6-5 sophomore was fantastic in a 69-58 loss to Roncalli in Class 3A Sectional 28 at Greenwood. Davison finished with 35 points on an array of different shots, including 20 points in the second half. He knocked down six 3-pointers. It will be fun to see what he does over the next two years.
Brock Detamore, Westfield: The senior went out with a strong performance in a 68-61 loss to Hamilton Southeastern in Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville, going for a team-high 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Detamore was 7-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-6 from the 3-point line.
Drew Haffner, Westfield: Hamilton Southeastern did a nice job making it tough for the senior standout to get going, though the Abeline Christian commit still finished with 17 points and four assists before fouling out with 51 seconds left in a 68-61 loss. It is going to be fun to see what Haffner does in college.
Jack Fessel, Corydon Central: It came in a losing effort, but the senior did all he could in Corydon Central’s 69-64 overtime loss to Charlestown in Class 3A Sectional 30 at Madison, finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Fessel was 5-for-12 from the 3-point line.
Chace Ford, Brebeuf Jesuit: The junior went for 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 59-35 win over Tri-West in the first round of Class 3A Sectional 25 at Frankfort.
Lukus Frazier, Tri: The senior knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer to beat the buzzer in a 49-46 win over Morristown in Class A Sectional 59. Frazier finished with 11 points.
Anthony Fresh, Charlestown: It takes big-time performances to advance sometimes. The senior Miami (Ohio) recruit delivered one in a 69-64 overtime win over Corydon Central in Class 3A Sectional 30 at Madison. Fresh finished with 35 points (4-for-6 from 3), eight rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Terrence Hayes Jr., Gary 21st Century: The 6-2 senior and Missouri State commit went for 30 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, six steals and two blocked shots as Gary 21st Century rolled to a 119-67 win over Lake Station in Class 2A Sectional 33 at Boone Grove. According to John Harrell, the 119 points was the highest tournament total in the class basketball era.
Jarrett Harris, Lutheran: The sophomore standout led Lutheran to an 83-67 win over Metropolitan in Class A Sectional 58 at Lutheran, going for 28 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. T.J. Clark added 18 points for the Saints.
Will Hegwood, Roncalli: The junior was steady throughout Roncalli’s 69-58 win over New Palestine in Class 3A Sectional 28 at Greenwood, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Tyrese Jones, South Bend Riley: The senior finished with 17 points to help South Bend Riley rally for a 58-40 win over LaPorte in the first round of Class 4A Sectional 3 at Mishawaka.
Conner Kesler, Roncalli: The energy in the gym changed in the second half of Roncalli’s 69-58 win over New Palestine … it had everything to do with the 6-3 senior’s play. Kesler scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and added seven rebounds and five assists.
Ishmael Kiteka, Cloverdale: Kiteka, a 6-10 sophomore, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 56-44 win over host White River Valley in Class A Sectional 61.
Amarian Leggett, Blackford: The sophomore star put up 31 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in Blackford’s 62-54 win over Alexandria in 2A Sectional 40 at Eastbrook.
Owen Marshall, Columbia City: The Bethel commit finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in a 75-33 blowout win over West Noble in Class 3A Sectional 20. The host Eagles play Fairfield on Friday.
Myles McLaughlin, Knox: Remember him? Yeah, Indiana Mr. Football can play some hoops, too. McLaughlin scored 35 points in Knox’s 53-49 overtime upset win over Winamac in 2A Sectional 34 at LaVille.
Jackson Miller, Linton-Stockton: The senior guard finished with 27 points on eight 3-pointers in Linton-Stockton’s 79-63 win over Eastern Greene in Class 2A Sectional 47 at North Knox.
Camden Moore, Zionsville: The junior and Notre Dame baseball recruit is an outstanding high school basketball player, too. Moore finished with 19 points in a 42-38 loss to Noblesville in Class 4A Sectional 8. It felt more like 30-something considering the score.
Landon Osswald, Hamilton Southeastern: Big-time performance from the senior in Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville as he finished with 23 points and nine rebounds in a 68-61 win over Westfield. Osswald went 5-for-7 from the 3-point line, including a couple of big makes in the fourth quarter.
Gavin Petty, Lawrence Central: Petty led four players in double figures, finishing with 20 points in the Bears’ 79-62 win over Tech.
Logan Pokorney, Chesterton: The senior drilled three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points in Chesterton’s 56-46 win over Portage in Class 4A Sectional 2 at Chesterton.
Beau Sawyer, Western Boone: Could this be a repeat of Western Boone’s sectional championship last year? Sawyer scored a career-high 25 points (15 in the fourth quarter) to lead the Stars to a 63-55 win over Delphi in Class 2A Sectional 37. It was a career-high night for Sawyer, who drilled 5-for-6 from the 3-point line.
Treigh Schelsky, Parke Heritage: The senior Huntington recruit helped rescue the Class 2A fourth-ranked Wolves from a potential upset, finishing with 28 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the 3-point line and three rebounds in a 56-44 overtime win over host Greencastle.
Branden Sharpe, Brownsburg: The junior guard, one of the state’s top football prospects, tends to play his best in big games. Sharpe finished with 21 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line with four steals and four rebounds in Brownsburg’s 54-49 win over Avon in Class 4A Sectional 11 at Plainfield.
Joe Taylor, Roncalli: The 6-9 senior and Purdue Northwest commit finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Roncalli’s 69-58 win over New Palestine in 3A Sectional 28 at Greenwood.
Jarvis Tolbert, South Bend Adams: The senior standout scored 25 points to help South Bend Adams rally and avoid an upset in a 57-55 victory over Mishawaka in Class 4A Sectional 3 at Mishawaka.
Baron Walker, Noblesville: The senior Butler recruit carried the Millers to a 42-38 win over Zionsville in Sectional 8 at Noblesville, finishing with 21 points, including a big 3-pointer and a three-point play in the final 90 seconds. With Justin Curry out and offensive options limited, Walker rose to the challenge.
Noah Washington, New Albany: The sophomore standout led New Albany with 25 points in an 80-64 win over Scottsburg in Class 4A Sectional 15 at Seymour.
Luke Weemer, Hamilton Southeastern: The 6-6 senior set the tone early for Hamilton Southeastern with nine of his 12 points in the first quarter of a 68-61 win over Westfield. Weemer also had eight points and three assists. The Emporia State commit is greatly improved as an all-round player.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Before moving on … first-round sectional standouts, surprises and more
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
