It’s tourney time for girls basketball
The IHSAA girls basketball sectional draw was Sunday (see related column, this page). Here are a few things to know about the process, via ihsaa.org:
To conduct the random drawing for the girls basketball state tournament, the IHSAA places ping-pong balls representing each school in a given sectional into a lottery-style air mix machine.
A motorized fan in the bottom of the machine blows the balls around inside the transparent container and air then forces each ball up through a tube in random order.
For example, the first ball retrieved from the machine will be the visiting team in Game 1 with the second ball representing the home team in Game 1. The third ball to come out is the visitor in game two and the fourth ball the home team in Game 2. That same method is followed through all 64 sectionals and 16 regionals.
Number of schools entered: 398 teams, 5,395 participants.
By class: 101 4A teams; 99 3A teams; 100 2A teams; 98 1A teams.
Total number of state tournament games: 394 games in 26 days.
Defending state champions
4A: Bedford North Lawrence (Sectional 15 at Jeffersonville).
3A: Western (Sectional 20 at West Lafayette).
2A: Heritage Christian (Sectional 42 at Heritage Christian).
1A: Oregon-Davis (Sectional 51 at Oregon-Davis).
Most state championships
6: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.
5: Fort Wayne Canterbury, Heritage Christian.
4: Bedford North Lawrence, Ben Davis.
3: Kokomo, North Central (Indianapolis), Tri-Central.
2: Brebeuf Jesuit, Crown Point, East Chicago Roosevelt, Evansville Mater Dei, Fort Wayne Concordia, Huntington North, Indianapolis Cathedral, Martinsville, Oregon-Davis, Shenandoah, Triton, Warsaw.
All-time consecutive tournament victories
31: Heritage Christian, 2006-10.
26: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, 1999-2002.
25: Fort Wayne Canterbury, 2008-11.
24: Kokomo, 1992-94.
23: Tri-Central, 2003-06.
20: Crown Point, 1984-86; Evansville Mater Dei, 2012-14; Fort Wayne Canterbury, 2012-14.
17: Ben Davis, 2009-11.
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Varsity program sets softball clinic
The Greenfield-Central varsity softball program will host a clinic Feb. 21 in the Greenfield-Central Fieldhouse from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $35; includes T-shirt and pizza. For families with two players; $60.
Clinic is for players from age five through eighth grade. Infield and outfield defense and hitting will be covered.
Deadline is Feb. 14. The clinic will be capped at 50 players. Contact head coach Jason Stewart at [email protected] to register.
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Coaches sought for Royals sports
Eastern Hancock is accepting applications for head coaches of seventh-grade softball, eighth grade softball and middle school golf.
If interested, contact Eastern Hancock athletics director Aaron Spaulding at 317-467-0095, ext. 250, or at [email protected].
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Prep Calendar
Today
Girls basketball: Western Boone at MV, 7:30; NP at Connersville, 7:30; Whiteland at GC, 7:30
Boys swimming: MV at Yorktown, 6; EH, Oldenburg at Greensburg, 5:30
Gymnastics: Noblesville at NP, 6
Thursday
Girls basketball: GC at Greenwood, 7:30; EH at Centerville, 7:30
