When the brackets were announced Sunday for the first round of sectional girls basketball playoffs by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Columbus North and Columbus East were assigned an unusual task.
They get to watch.
Both the Bull Dogs and Olympians received a bye in the Class 4A Shelbyville Regional, which begins Feb. 10 as Shelbyville plays East Central and Bloomington North challenges cross-town rival Bloomington South.
Columbus North faces the Shelbyville-East Central winner at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 in the sectional semifinals while Columbus East meets the Bloomington South-Bloomington North victor at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13.
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The title game will be contested 7 p.m. Feb. 14.
Although the tournament bracket isn’t seeded, it would appear that Columbus North (21-1) and East Central (19-3) would be the class of the sectional and headed toward a semifinal clash. The Bull Dogs won the regular season match-up 65-52 on Dec. 11.
Bull Dogs coach Pat Mc-Kee said his team just needs to continue the momentum it has built from an excellent regular season.
“We are in a rhythm, and we have to continue that the best we can,” McKee said. “Of course, it is different in sense that during the regular season you can make a mistake and learn from it.
“You can’t do that in the sectional. That’s the nature of the beast.”
McKee said the Bull Dogs will do everything they can to extend their season.
“We want to keep this team together,” McKee said. “It’s a special thing. Every team is its own special entity, and you like to get it together as long as possible.”
Columbus East (9-11) likely will face Bloomington South (12-6) in the semifinal considering Bloomington North has had a bad year at 2-20.
The Olympians dropped a 71-60 decision to Bloomington South on Tuesday, but was behind only by a point in the fourth quarter.
“I think we will know more after we play our final regular-season games this week,” Columbus East coach Danny Brown said. “Our players have to first get through this grind that might make them mentally tougher.
“Then we will need to come up with a strategy for South. I know we had one of four best shooting games against them, and our worst defensive game.”
Brown said that his team will be a threat in the sectional. “We are not a bad basketball team,” he said. “We played a tough schedule.”
The other Bartholomew County team, Hauser, drew powerhouse Jac-Cen-Del in the first round of Class A Jac-Cen-Del Sectional play on Feb. 10. Hauser (10-12) lost to Jac-Cen-Del (18-2) 56-35 on Dec. 1. South Decatur faces the Hauser vs. Jac-Cen-Del winner Feb. 13.
The IHSAA drew pairings for the Indiana Girls Basketball State Tournament for the 40th time. A total of 398 teams will compete in four classes.
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Sectional matchups for local teams
Games 1, 2 Feb. 10
Games 3, 4 Feb. 13
Title games, Feb. 14
CLASS 4A
Shelbyville Sectional
Game 1: Shelbyville vs. East Central
Game 2: Bloomington North vs. Bloomington South
Game 3; Columbus North vs. winner of Game 1
Game 4: Columbus East vs. winner of Game 2
Title game: Winners of games 3, 4
Jeffersonville Sectional
Game 1: Bedford North Lawerence vs. New Albany
Game 2: Jennings County vs. Jeffersonville
Game 3: Seymour vs. Game 1 winner
Game 4: Floyd Central vs. Game 2 winner
Title game: Winners of Games 3, 4
CLASS 3A
Brown County Sectional
Game 1: Edgewood vs. Owen Valley
Game 2: West Vigo vs. Brown County
Game 3: Northview vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Game 2 winner gets bye
Title Game: Winners of Games 3, 4
CLASS A
Jac-Cen-Del Sectional
Game 1: Shawe Memorial vs. Oldenburg Academy
Game 2: Jac-Cen-Del vs. Hauser
Game 3: Rising Sun vs. winner of Game 1
Game 4: South Decatur vs. winner of Game 2
Title Game: Winners of Games 3, 4
West Washington Sectional
Game 1: Medora vs. Orleans
Game 2: Springs Valley vs. West Washington
Game 3: Trinity Lutheran vs. Game 1 winner
Game 4: Crothersville vs. Game 2 winner
Title game: Winners of Games 3, 4
Morristown Sectional
(8 team sectional, dates TBA)
Game 1: Southwestern (Shelby) vs. Greenwood Christian
Game 2: Waldron vs. Indianapolis Lutheran
Game 3: Indianapolis Arlington vs. Morristown
Game 4: Edinburgh vs. Baptist Academy
Game 5: Winners of Games 1, 2
Game 6: Winners of Games 3, 4
Title game: Winners of Games 5, 6
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