None of these sectionals has been assigned a number as of yet, and the assumption cannot be made that winners from pairs of sectionals listed chronologically here will play one another at the regional level. With some of the changes under consideration by the IHSAA, you might see winners of four sectionals playing one another at the regional level, just like the good old days. (But much more geographically spread out.)
In any case, here's our take, and when you're done reading, you can make your own comments on the alignments in the thread discussing this topic on the RRR Message Board.
East Chicago Central, Gary Wallace, Gary West Side, Lake Central, Lowell, Munster
Advantage, Gary West Side. They lose Highland, who has been a thorn in their side for three years. Disadvantage, Lake Central. They will be a tough team next season and would have had a better chance coming out through the old sectional 2 makeup. They will not match up well with West Side's quickness and LC's ballhandlers could experience their worst nightmares against the always- smothering press of the Cougars.
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This season, Crown Point won its first sectional after the change to class basketball four years ago. With DAC powers Valpo and Portage moving west to CP's sectional, a repeat by the Bulldogs will be extremely difficult next season. |
Chesterton, Crown Point, Hobart, Merrillville, Portage, Valparaiso
Advantage, absolutely no one. This thing just got tougher for everyone with Crown Point, Portage and Valparaiso all in the same
playoff. Valpo and Crown Point, perennial rivals, didn't have to
worry about seeing each other until the semi-state round in the old
groupings. Disadvantage, Chesterton, Merrillville and Hobart. If they thought getting out was tough this year, next year gets even
tougher. Their only hope is an early bye for themselves and first-round matchups between
the others.
LaPorte. Michigan City, South Bend Adams, South Bend Clay,
South Bend Riley, South Bend Washington
Advantage, SB Riley. The Wildcats lose that pesky Penn team that seems to give them trouble each
and every year, even though Penn didn't make it out this year after
trouncing Riley in the first round. Disadvantage, LaPorte and Michigan City. Two young programs on the rise, but with a strong and equally young Riley team hanging around for the next two
years, things won't get easier as they will all get better with time.
Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Goshen, Mishawaka, Penn
Advantage, Penn. My goodness. The basketball gods were good to the Kings(wo)men this
spring! Disadvantage, everyone else. Who would want always
powerful Penn in their
sectional? My guess is none of the first five teams listed here.
Carroll (Fort Wayne), Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Warsaw, Wawasee
Advantage, Wawasee. Everyone wants to see if this team can
compete in 4A. Trouble is, this sectional doesn't contain a legitimate powerhouse
contender for the Warriors, but has lots of programs who could cause
problems. The Warriors return everyone, while Warsaw, Sectional 5's perennial
winner, loses some key players to diplomas. Disadvantage,
Warsaw. After having a cake-walk sectional for eons, the Tigers will
have their hands full just getting to the finals with the addition of the
other quality programs to this sectional.
Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort
Wayne Snider, Homestead, Huntington North
Advantage, Huntington North. Although they now have to fight
Snider and some other FW quality programs to move on, they WON'T have to
go through Kokomo to get out. Disadvantage, Snider. Getting to
the regionals will be a lot tougher if Huntington North has another good
year. Getting to the semi-state and state finals will be tougher
than ever for the Panthers.
Harrison (West Lafayette), Kokomo, Lafayette Jefferson, Logansport,
Marion, McCutcheon
Advantage, like the east Region sectional, no one here. Lots of quality
programs and only one can escape. Kokomo looks to have the edge, but
if they are assigned a first-round berth, the Kats will have to get past two
quality teams to advance no matter how you cut it. Disadvantage, McCutcheon. The
Mavericks are likely to have a good team next season, but may never get to
strut their stuff outside of the sectional with Kokomo now in the mix.
Anderson, Anderson Highland, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside, New Castle,
Richmond
Advantage, all of these teams, but mostly New Castle. The first two no longer have to
deal with Kokomo and Huntington North. Three of the last four no
longer must face Connersville. Did we hear a collective sigh of
relief? For New Castle, lots of young talent could
bring home a sectional. Disadvantage, Muncie
Southside. Welcome to 4A basketball.
Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Noblesville,
North Central (Indianapolis), Pike
No changes in this sectional, but Hamilton SE looks to be a contender
with the graduation of some outstanding senior talent at several of the
other schools.
Connersville, Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Cathedral, Lawrence
Central, Lawrence North, Warren Central
Advantage, again, no one. With the addition of Connersville and
Cathedral, the path just got a LOT rougher. Disadvantage,
Connersville. After years of dominating their own sectional, looks
like the gravy train has made its last stop.
Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Decatur Central, Indianapolis Manual,
Indianapolis Northwest
Advantage, Decatur Central. Of the three big dogs - Ben Davis,
Brownsburg and Decatur Central -- the Hawks lose the least. But Ben
Davis still has plenty of talent to throw at any opponent. Disadvantage, Avon. The Orioles are probably wondering what crime
they committed in another life to be moved from the north half of the
tournament and submitted to punishment like this.
Center Grove, Franklin Central, Greenwood, Indianapolis Tech, Perry
Meridian, Southport
Advantage, Center Grove. The Trojans are swiping their
collective brows after leaving behind Bloomington South in Sectional
14. The South Panthers will be high-flying contenders next season, and now
the Trojans might not even have to see them until Semi-State if they both get
that far. But are these new sectional partners any easier?
Some tough opponents for certain. Disadvantage, Indianapolis
Tech. The Titans will need Denzel Washington to pull off a good
outcome to remember here .
Martinsville, Mooresville, Northview, Plainfield, Terre Haute North, Terre
Haute South
No changes here either, but Terre Haute South, despite losing
some key players, will benefit from the graduation of a good deal of
talent at Martinsville. Mooresville, who retains a lot of talent
from this past season, might be the Braves' biggest challenge.
Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Columbus East, Columbus North, East
Central, Franklin Community
Advantage, Bloomington South. The big, bad Center Grove
Trojans have left the sectional and this domain is now the property of the
South Panthers; that is, unless Columbus North decides otherwise. Disadvantage,
Franklin. Wow. Welcome to the big leagues in a big way.
Bedford North Lawrence, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County,
New Albany, Seymour
No changes here again, but JC has to be considered the favorite again
after a deep tournament run this past season.
Castle, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville North,
Evansville Reitz
No changes here either, but Castle is looking like the favorite
in this mix with a young and talented squad.
Hammond, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton, Hammond Noll, Highland
Advantage, Highland. Even though the Trojans lose bread and butter DeMuth to graduation, the cupboard is far from bare. Making the move from 4A will make the loss of talent easier to take, but with a very strong feeder program, the Trojans will continue to produce talent for years to come. Disadvantage, Hammond Gavit. The Gladiators had this shallow pool all to themselves the past two years. Now they could find themselves in over their heads with Highland next season.
Andrean, Calumet, Gary Mann, Gary Roosevelt, Gary Wirt, Griffith
Advantage, Andrean. With a lot of top-notch talent returning to the 59ers, Andrean is sitting pretty in this one, especially leaving behind talented Kankakee Valley and an up-and-coming St. Joseph's team in the old sectional grouping. Disadvantage, Calumet. Although the Warriors escape the clutches of Gavit with this new grouping, it will be even more difficult to get a foothold here with the Niners in control.
Boone Grove, Hanover Central, Lake Station Edison, North Newton, Rensselaer Central, Wheeler
Advantage, all teams. With the move of Hebron to 1A, most of these teams have a better chance of moving on to the next level. Rensselaer Central is especially happy to be out of the running with North Judson, but still will have to deal with a strong returning Spartan group from North Newton from the Bombers old grouping. Disadvantage, Lake Station. This could be one of the most evenly-balanced and competitive 2A sectionals in the state, except for the struggling Fighting Eagles program. There are no probable scenarios for Lake Station here.
Bremen, Glenn, Jimtown, LaVille, North Judson, Triton
Advantage, Triton. The 1A State Champion Trojans lose their inside anchor to graduation, but return a full complement of talent to compete at the next level in 2A. Disadvantage, North Judson. Finally! North Newton is out of the sectional picture. But the Bluejays would probably welcome back the Spartans in exchange for the Trojans any day.
Michigan City Marquette, River Forest, South Central (Union Mills), Washington Township, Westville, Whiting
Advantage, MC Marquette, River Forest and South Central (Union Mills). Now that Kouts is out of the picture, the Blazers could dominate here. River Forest should be more competitive at this level, making the move from 2A. As for South Central, no more Triton to deal with at the sectional level. Disadvantage, the three other schools. The competition just moved up a few notches with the entries of South Central and River Forest.
Hebron, Kouts, LaCrosse, Morgan Township, Oregon-Davis, West Central
Advantage, Hebron. The move to 1A is a blessing for the Hawks, as they lose a tremendous amount of senior talent to graduation. But with that said, they should dominate at this level. Disadvantage, everyone else. Hebron will be the pick nobody wants at draw time, but they'll all have to play the Hawks sooner or later to get out.
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