At least one possible Johnson County grudge match is in play when boys basketball sectionals start up next week.
Franklin drew a bye to the semifinal round of the 4A sectional at East Central, awaiting the winner of a Feb. 27 clash between Shelbyville and Whiteland. Should the Grizzly Cubs and Warriors face off, it would be for the third time this season; Whiteland scored a 67-64 victory in the county tournament on Jan. 9, while Franklin took the rematch 10 days later in overtime, 58-55.
In the Class 4A Bloomington North Sectional, Greenwood and Center Grove both open up with first-round games on Feb. 27 — the Woodmen against Bloomington South and the 10th-ranked Trojans against Mooresville. Martinsville awaits Greenwood if it beats the Panthers, while Center Grove would earn a semifinal date against the host Cougars.
The Trojans beat Bloomington North at home, 55-44, on Dec. 1 to avenge a sectional championship defeat last season.
In Class 3A action at Owen Valley, Indian Creek plays a first-round game Feb. 28 against South Vermillion. Should the Braves survive, they’d play Brown County or Edgewood in a March 1 semifinal; they won their regular-season meetings against both.
Edinburgh, the lone Johnson County school hosting a sectional, drew a Class A first-round matchup against South Decatur on Feb. 28. The Cougars won in the Lancers’ gym, 64-60, on Jan. 6. With a victory in the rematch, Edinburgh would advance to a March 1 semi against Jac-Cen-Del or Waldron.
Greenwood Christian plays Providence Cristo Rey in the opening round of the Class A Indianapolis Lutheran Sectional on Feb. 28; a win would pit the Cougars against either Central Christian or Eminence in the semifinal round two days later. GCA has yet to play any of those three teams this season.
