Columbus North and Bloomington North did not get to play each other in the regular season this year, but Conference Indiana’s two unbeaten teams in that conference will square off in the first round of the sectional.
The Bull Dogs (11-4) and Cougars (11-2) will meet at around 8 p.m. March 2 at Bloomington South. The teams were scheduled to have played on Friday, but Columbus North has been in quarantine the past two weeks and will return to practice today.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to get back and playing basketball,” Columbus North coach Paul Ferguson said. “We’re going to have to have a great week of practice this week. We’re ready to go out there and play a basketball game.”
Columbus East (1-16) will await the winner of the Bull Dogs-Cougars matchup in the semifinals at around 8 p.m. March 5. Host Bloomington South (18-4) will play East Central (12-9) in the 6 p.m. opener on March 5, and that winner will face Martinsville (3-17) at 6 p.m. March 5.
“We’re glad that we’re playing on Tuesday,” Ferguson said. “For us being off for so long, if we’re going to advance to the sectional final, Tuesday and Friday would give us a chance to knock the rust off, so getting to play on Tuesday is a plus for us.”
Olympians coach Brent Chitty is happy to have drawn the bye.
“I think it’s tough on any team to try to win three games in a week, especially in our sectional because the teams are so good,” Chitty said. “You have to prepare, and this gets you extra preparation time. We’ll see who our opponent is and prepare for them the best we can and go from there.”
Also in Class 4A, Jennings County (10-9) will play Jeffersonville (10-6) at around 8 p.m. March 2 in the first round of the Seymour Sectional. The winner will meet Floyd Central (12-5) in the semifinals at around 8 p.m. March 5.
Meanwhile, in Class A, Hauser (8-11) will face the host Spartans (7-9) in the first round of the Southwestern (Shelby) Sectional at around 8 p.m. March 3. The Jets are scheduled to host Southwestern in a regular-season game on Wednesday, seven days before their sectional meeting.
“We just haven’t had much time in the gym with our kids, and we have three games this week, so we’re just looking forward to getting some time with our kids,” Hauser coach Brent Keck said. “Southwestern (Shelby) is playing pretty well. We’re looking to shore some things up this week, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
If Hauser wins, it would play Waldron (3-17) or Rising Sun (5-9) in the semifinals at around 8 p.m. March 5. No. 7 Morristown (17-4) is on the opposite side of the bracket.
Also in Class A, No. 5 Edinburgh (16-5) drew a first-round bye in the West Washington Sectional and will play at around 8 p.m. March 5 against the winner of the 8 p.m. March 2 matchup between Trinity Lutheran (7-13) and Crothersville (3-16).
South Decatur (12-7) drew a first-round bye in the Class 2A Milan Sectional and will await the winner between No. 6 South Ripley (19-1) and North Decatur (4-16) in the semifinals at around 8 p.m. March 5.
In Class 3A, Brown County (1-11) will face Edgewood (12-9) in the first round of the Owen Valley Sectional at 7 p.m. March 2. If the Eagles win, they would play South Vermillion (7-12) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. March 5.
All sectional finals are scheduled for the evening of March 6. The regional semifinals and finals will be March 13, followed by semistate action on March 20.
There will be a two-week break this season between the semistate and state finals. The state finals are scheduled for March 3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
