Do you remember where you were the last time a Greenwood boys basketball team won a sectional championship?
The current players sure don’t. Heck, a few of them weren’t even born yet. Those who were couldn’t even walk yet, much less dribble a ball.
Yes, it was 2002 the last time the Woodmen cut down the nets. Michael Jordan was still an active NBA player (yeah, it was just Wizards Jordan, but still). LeBron James was a high school junior.
"Most of us seniors, we were either born the year before or that year," Greenwood senior Spencer Aaron said. "So it’s something, definitely, that we’re striving for, and I think we have a real good opportunity to come out and compete for a sectional championship."
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Drew Glentzer was an assistant coach for the 2002 Woodmen, but he’ll spend this week trying to end an even longer drought at his alma mater, Indian Creek. The Braves, who are hosting a Class 3A sectional, will be attempting to win their first crown since 2000.
To go along with home-court advantage, Indian Creek also received a pretty favorable draw. The Braves didn’t get a first-round bye, but it has two manageable opponents lined up in Herron and Indianapolis Washington, with slight sectional favorite Beech Grove on the other side of the bracket.
Glentzer acknowledged that his team’s path isn’t as bumpy as it could have been, but he’s not taking any game for granted.
"A good draw is only a good draw if you do something about it," he said. "In sectionals, anybody can get you."
The Woodmen are taking the same approach. On paper, they appear to have a glide pattern to their Class 4A sectional final, with games against struggling Whiteland and Shelbyville teams, but coach Joe Bradburn knows better than to count chickens — especially since his team barely escaped Whiteland with a 52-50 win in January.
"They’re pesky, they’re agressive, they’re gritty and it was a tough game when we played them a month ago," Bradburn said of the Warriors. "We respect them and how hard they play, so that’ll be our focus."
While the players and coaches at both Greenwood and Indian Creek are trying to keep the blinders on and stick to a day-by-day approach, they’re aware of the buzz around their respective schools.
Even if the teams don’t talk about it in the locker rooms, they’re hearing it in the hallways.
"The proverbial ‘take one game at a time’ type of thing is really our mentality, and that’s the way it’s been all season," Bradburn said. "But there is some talk around the school, and there’s people that understand that and know that — and our guys hear that a little bit, and they’re excited to try to change the history."
Indian Creek, Glentzer noted, hasn’t had a 17-win season in more than 30 years. The 16-6 Braves can secure that 17th victory against Herron tonight, but they undoubtedly want to follow up with two more.
For the Woodmen, a sectional title would likely mean delivering some payback. Greenwood (also 16-6) suffered four-point losses earlier this season to Center Grove and Franklin Central, two of its potential opponents in the final. The players aren’t looking past Whiteland yet, but they like their chances regardless of who they might face after that.
"We always believe in coach, and I think coach puts in a position to win in any game possible," Aaron said. "There’s some things we haven’t shown yet and we’re excited to use for sectionals."
If it all works out, they’ll be able to show their school something it hasn’t seen in a very long time.
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Class 4A Shelbyville Sectional
Today
Greenwood vs. Whiteland, 6 p.m.
Franklin Central at Center Grove, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Shelbyville vs. Greenwood/Whiteland winner, 6 p.m.
Franklin vs. Franklin Central/Center Grove winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class 3A Indian Creek Sectional
Today
Cardinal Ritter vs. Speedway, 6 p.m.
Indian Creek vs. Herron, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Beech Grove vs. Ritter/Speedway winner, 6 p.m.
Indianapolis Washington vs. Indian Creek/Herron winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.
Class A Indianapolis Lutheran Sectional
Today
Victory College Prep vs. Tindley, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Christel House vs. Providence Cristo Rey, 6 p.m.
Indianapolis Lutheran vs. Central Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Greenwood Christian vs. today’s winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday’s winners, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class A Edinburgh Sectional
Today
Trinity Lutheran vs. Edinburgh, 6 p.m.
Shawe Memorial vs. West Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Crothersville vs. Trinity/Edinburgh winner, 6 p.m.
Medora vs. Shawe/West Washington winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
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Class 4A Center Grove Sectional
Players to watch: Center Grove — Charlie Bemis, Ben Cooney, Landin Hacker, Leyton McGovern; Franklin — Drew Byerly, Damon Dickey, Christian McClure, John Shepard; Franklin Central — Mason Gonzales, Jalen Hooks, Benny Ogayonne, Javon Small; Greenwood — Gavin Dowling, Bryce Hoffman, Brock Kincaid, Ian Raker; Shelbyville — Luke Asher, T.J. Sherwood, Layton Stieneker, Mitch Yeend; Whiteland — Kyson Jones, Max Sullivan, Austin Willoughby, Logan Willoughby
Sagarin ratings: Franklin Central 84.62 (27th in Class 4A, 37th in Indiana), Greenwood 80.42 (37th/57th), Center Grove 78.35 (46th/68th), Franklin 69.49 (78th/148th), Whiteland 69.32 (79th/151st), Shelbyville 65.04 (87th/189th)
Outlook: The Flashes, who have earned wins over Greenwood (close) and Center Grove (less so), would have to qualify as at least a slight favorite. Among those three teams — who Sagarin rates as a tier above the other three — the Woodmen likely have the smoothest road to the final, since Franklin Central and Center Grove have an extra game and it’s against one another. But smooth is a relative term; Greenwood only defeated Whiteland by two when they met in the regular season, and with as much familiarity as there is among these teams, nobody can cruise to a title. Whoever plays the best this week will emerge, and while the Flashes and Woodmen may be the hottest teams coming in, that can all change in a Shelbyville minute.
Class 3A Indianapolis Washington Sectional
Players to watch: Beech Grove — Jajuan Allison, Jadyn Curry, Gavin Mitchell, Vin Pich; Cardinal Ritter — Aidan Cannon, Damon Oagletree, Jordan Turner; Herron — Cam Bethel, Ty Brown, Matt Ray; Indian Creek — Mason Britt, Xavier Ferris, Colby Marker; Indianapolis Washington — Kelyn Hill, Jonathon Porter, Tyler Weatherly; Speedway — Carson Harrison, Drew Valentine, Reis Walker
Sagarin ratings: Indian Creek 74.63 (25th in Class 3A, 101st in Indiana), Beech Grove 74.09 (27th/110th), Ritter 64.23 (56th/203rd), Indianapolis Washington 58.08 (78th/261st), Speedway 54.02 (86th/300th), Herron 44.70 (93rd/355th)
Outlook: This is likely the best shot Indian Creek has had in quite some time to break its 20-year sectional title drought. The Braves have run hot and cold since reeling off nine straight victories early in the season, but they’re coming into the sectional looking up again, having won four of their last five (with the lone loss to a strong Greenwood team). Beech Grove, the Braves’ most serious threat, is on the other side of the bracket; Drew Glentzer’s club should be able to make the final, at which point it would be facing a winner-take-all game on its home floor. If that’s how it plays out this week, go ahead and roll the dice.
Class A Greenwood Christian Sectional
Players to watch: Central Christian — Treveon Jackson, Tanner Royer, Kaleb Vonderheide; Greenwood Christian — Andrew Anderson, Champ McCorkle, Styles McCorkle, Derek Petersen; Providence Cristo Rey — Jamil Chandler, Jaren Freeman, Chris Mason; Tindley — Billy Brown, Joseph Glenn, Quan’da Knox, Michael Robertson; Victory College Prep — Israel Barnett, Daryl Webb
Sagarin ratings: Greenwood Christian 83.80 (third in Class A, 40th in Indiana), Tindley 69.02 (11th/157th), Providence Cristo Rey 68.97 (12th/158th), Victory College Prep 64.52 (18th/197th), Indianapolis Lutheran 60.02 (22nd/237th), Central Christian 55.57 (32nd/281st), Christel House 19.33 (94th/408th)
Outlook: While this might be one of the deeper Class A sectionals in the state (five of the top 22 teams, per Sagarin) and anything can happen on a given night, it would be truly surprising if the Cougars don’t come out of this sectional largely unscathed. GCA was two late University free throws away from a perfect regular season, and with 13 days to let that defeat fester, Jonny Marlin’s club should come into the postseason with a renewed focus. The Cougars just have too much firepower here.
Class A West Washington Sectional
Players to watch: Crothersville — Cable Spall, Josh Thomas; Edinburgh — Caleb Dewey, Travis Jones, Isaac Roberts; Medora — Isaiah Myers, Caleb Sturgill; Shawe Memorial — Chandler Cole, Henry Grote, Ethan Stuart; Trinity Lutheran — Tyler Goecker, Mitchell Hackman, Jack Marksberry
Sagarin ratings: West Washington 59.57 (23rd in Class A, 240th in Indiana), Trinity Lutheran 55.68 (30th/277th), Crothersville 53.34 (40th/306th), Shawe Memorial 46.40 (59th/345th), Edinburgh 44.64 (64th/356th), Medora 16.48 (95th/409th)
Outlook: The host Lancers face an uphill climb to make it out of this sectional, beginning with tonight’s date against a Trinity that beat it by 10 just after Christmas. Survive that and they’d still have to survive the only two teams in the field with winning records (Crothersville and West Washington) to cut down the nets and advance. With everyone on Keith Witty’s team set to come back, Edinburgh is primarily looking to use this week to build some positive momentum for next season and beyond.
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