By GREG MENGELT
It’s been a great girls’ basketball season in Southern Indiana.
Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Austin and South Central all had spectacular seasons, won conference championships and put up 73 victories between them.
As memorable as it has been for the foursome, greatness is reserved for the postseason.
Playoff basketball begins tonight with Floyd, Jeff, Austin and South Central all appearing to be state title contenders.
First things first. The Highlanders, Red Devils, Eagles and Rebels have to get past sectional week to have a shot at greatness.
Class 4A, Sectional 15 at Floyd Central
This is, without a doubt, the best Class 4A sectional in the state.
The favorites appear to be Floyd Central and Jeffersonville, but the sectional draw opened things up a little in Sectional 15.
The Highlanders and Red Devils are both 20-1 and played a 58-57 overtime classic in December. After another month and a half, there’s not much difference between the two sides.
Floyd’s win over the Devils isn’t an indicator of the Highlanders being the favorites. There were 62 fouls called in that game and there was never any flow to it.
Until Tuesday’s 16-point loss to Columbus East, I was starting to believe that Floyd Central had the superior team. Before the season, everyone knew that the Highlanders would be among the state’s best teams because of point guard Brigid Morrissey and center Jennifer Smith.
What we didn’t know is how good their supporting cast of Morgan Rookstool, Camry Hinton, Mercades Bierman and Erica Smith would be.
On the other hand, Jeff has been steadier. No team in the state has better inside play, rebounding, defense or passing. The Red Devils thrive on unselfishness. What could be their undoing is shooting.
That’s why this game is impossible to predict. If Jeff is hitting shots, it will win hands down. If it isn’t, Floyd could run away with a victory.
No matter how wins Friday’s semifinal matchup, the winner will have to get up again the following night for Bedford North Lawrence or Seymour — two teams that are better than their respective records.
Seymour had leads over Floyd and Jeff at halftime this season. Whether it’s Floyd or Jeff, Erin Murphy and the Owls could be trouble.
I believe this is a three-way toss up, but I have to pick a champion.
Predicted champion: Jeffersonville.
Class 3A, Sectional 30 at Silver Creek
This sectional is the most wide open sectional in Southern Indiana. Five of the seven teams have a legitimate shot at winning.
The area’s two teams — Silver Creek and Charlestown — could face each other in the championship game, or they could both be sent home after their first games.
Silver Creek will face the North Harrison-Crawford County winner in Friday’s first semifinal. The Dragons, who lost five of their last six games in the regular season, won at North Harrison in the second week of the season, then lost to Crawford County at home by 11 a week later. I’m guessing North Harrison — the defending champions — survive the upper bracket.
In the lower bracket, Charlestown will face Salem in the first round. Salem appears to be the favorite, but the Lions edged Charlestown at home, 51-46 just two weeks ago. With a win, Corydon Central would likely be the Pirates’ semifinal opponent. Charlestown beat the Panthers, 44-37 in its second game of the season.
So, what do these results tell us? Absolutely nothing.
This sectional is going to come down to foul trouble, clutch performances and big shots.
I like Charlestown’s Amanda Miller to have clutch performances and make the big shots.
Predicted champion: Charlestown.
Class 2A, Sectional 47 at Brownstown Central
Austin is 19-2 with their two losses coming to 4A powers Jeffersonville and Seymour.
At No. 3 in the latest poll, there’s no doubt Austin is among the handful of Class 2A title contenders. However, getting out of Sectional 47 will be anything but easy.
Brownstown Central is 18-3 and is the host. The Eagles beat Brownstown, 62-46 at home early in the season. However, at that point, the Braves were behind after their volleyball team went to the state finals, and the game was played at Austin.
Like Austin, Brownstown is on a roll. The Braves have won nine in a row and 14 of 15. Their only loss since falling to Austin was a 55-42 defeat at the hands of Class 4A, No. 6 Bloomington North.
It will be tight and could go either way. I’m calling Austin in a 3-point victory.
In the other semifinal, Providence, which drew a first-round bye will likely face 16-4 Paoli, which will play 3-17 Clarksville in the first round on Tuesday.
The Pioneers are just 7-13, but don’t be surprised if they are in the title game.
Predicted champion: Austin.
Class A, Sectional 62 at New Washington
Don’t be fooled by South Central’s 14-8 record. The Rebels finished the regular season with six straight wins and they are a state contender.
Under Randall Schoen — perhaps the most underrated coach in Southern Indiana — South Central has gotten stronger and stronger and even played at Class 4A, No. 2 Floyd Central for three quarters in two of its losses. The Rebels also lost to Jeffersonville and Austin, two more state contenders.
Mengelt Wisdom says the home court is worth eight to 10 points. With that being the case, New Washington has a shot at South Central and is the only team in the sectional with even an outside shot at knocking off the favorites. (Of course, if there has ever been anything to take with a grain of salt, that would be “Mengelt Wisdom.”)
The Rebels beat New Washington, 62-44, to start their winning streak — and it really wasn’t that close.
The two should meet in Friday’s Sectional 62 semifinal. The result will be the same.
Predicted champion: South Central.
