South Central relishes matchup against O-D
PCC tourney champs get state-ranked squad in sectional’s 1st round
The blind draw lends itself to two of the best teams facing in the first game quite often. So it wasn’t too surprising to South Central coach Rick Budka that his team drew Oregon-Davis in the first round of the Class 1A Triton Sectional.
In fact, he welcomed the draw, especially since the two teams are scheduled to play each other on Tuesday (though another paralyzing snowstorm is forecast for that day) and he’s been keeping an eye on O-D all season.
“Well, everybody knows that Oregon Davis is the favorite,” Budka said. “However, we’ve scouted them all year so we have a game plan. The game on Tuesday should allow us to prepare even better for the sectional game.”
The Satellites (11-6) are playing well this season, winning the Porter County Conference tournament for the first time and still undefeated in the round-robin with a virtual PCC championship game on Thursday against fellow undefeated squad Morgan Township.
“Our girls are playing with a lot of confidence,” Budka added. “We just need to believe anything is possible. It’s time to shock Sectional 51.”
Griffith will be going for its sixth straight sectional title in its own 3A sectional that has no teams with a .500 record. The Panthers, who open with Gary Lighthouse, are a young group that have gone through some ups and downs this season. But veteran coach Tom Golumbeck sees the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Coming into this season we only had one returning starter,” he said. “We’ve been playing better. We just have to show up and be ready to play.”
In the other 3A sectional at Hanover Central, only one team is above .500. That’s Kankakee Valley at 12-5, while the host Wildcats gets New Prairie (3-13) in the first round and is on the other side of the bracket opposite the Kougars.
“Yeah, but you know how it is this time of the year,” Hanover coach Doug Nelson said when asked about KV being on the other side. “Anybody can jump up and beat anybody.”
Another matchup of possible favorites comes in Class 4A Sectional 1 at Lowell with defending champ Lake Central facing Highland, which is having its best season since 2007-08 with 14 victories. The other sectional favorite, West Side (13-3), is on the other side of the bracket with an easier road to the final.