The first round of Indiana high school girls’ sectional basketball tournament play is complete. A surprisingly wide margin in Class 3A last night on WRBI, between Number 6 Greensburg, with its 18 & 4 season record, and Franklin County, which came in 14 & 7. Greensburg led the game, 22 – 14, at halftime. But the Pirates blew things open with a 24-point third quarter, while holding the Wildcats to 8, and the ‘Cats couldn’t recover in the fourth — the final 60 to 26. The win puts Greensburg in the Sectional 29 semi-final Friday, against Lawrenceburg. Those Tigers ended Rushville’s season last night, 56-41. The Greensburg-Lawrenceburg semi-final winner takes on the Connersville-Batesville victor Saturday, for the sectional title and a spot in the regional.
Other first-round sectional action… Class 1A Sectional 60 Wednesday, Oldenburg Academy knocked out Southwestern Shelby on the Spartans’ home court, 52 to 24. Also on that floor, Morristown topped Waldron 67-54, creating an OA-Morristown semifinal tomorrow, whose victor will play the winner of the other semi, Jac-Cen-Del or South Decatur, on Saturday.
The high school boys’ regular season continues tonight, with Batesville at South Dearborn. We’ll have that one here on The Sports Voice. Also this evening, Greensburg is visiting Rushville, Lawrenceburg at East Central, Milan going to Rising Sun, South Ripley at Southwestern Hanover, and Waldron at North Decatur.
Young athletes’ basketball this week included North Decatur’s 8th-grade girls suffering a 42-25 loss to Morristown. Those young Chargers look for a win today, against Batesville.
Men’s college hoops last night included West Virginia edging UC 69-65. Xavier calmed the Red Storm of St. John’s, 88 to 77, and Indiana State’s Sycamores grabbed their 19th win of the season, beating Belmont in Nashville, 78 to 72.
And in the NBA tonight, the Pacers visit the Knicks.