Class 3A

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PAGE 6 ■ SECTIONAL

THE HERALD ■ MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2015

Class 3A

@ Hatchet House, Washington Jasper Wildcats Record: 15-6 Coach: John Goebel (9879 in eight seasons at Jasper; 184-116 in 13th season overall) Opponent: vs. Mitchell (5-14), 7 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 31 sectionals, 14 regionals, 1 semistate, 1 state title (1949) Probable starters: G T.D. Nottingham (5-8 Soph.); G Tyler Begle (6-2 Sr.); G Nolan Ahrens (6-1 Sr.); F Alex Allen (6-3 Jr.); F Austin Alles (6-4 Sr.) Team tidbits: Jasper’s 15 victories are the most in the regular season since the Cats

Southridge Raiders Record: 14-6 Coach: Ted O’Brien (14-6 in first season at Southridge; 25-15 in second season overall) Opponent: vs. Pike Central (12-10), 6 p.m. Wednesday Postseason history: 12 sectionals, 2 regionals, 2 semistates Probable starters: G Corbin Neu (6-0 Sr.); G Payton Mattingly (6-2 Jr.); F Evan Julian (6-5 Sr.); F Cam O’Bryan (6-4 Sr.); F Henry Steckler (6-3 Sr.) Team tidbits: Southridge’s 69-52 regularseason win over first-round sectional foe

Heritage Hills Patriots Record: 12-9 Coach: Matt Sisley (84-94 in eight seasons, all at Heritage Hills) Opponent: vs. Washington (15-7), 6:30 p.m. CST Wednesday Postseason history: 9 sectionals Probable starters: G Sean Schaefer (5-7 Sr.); G Tyler Ward (5-11 Sr.); G Gavin Schaefer (6-4 Sr.); F Sam Collins (6-4 Sr.); F Mason Becher (6-3 Jr.) Team tidbits: Gavin Schaefer is 22 points away from 1,000 for his career. ... Heritage Hills is 3-2 all-time against Washington, with a 1-1 split in postseason games. ...

won 16 in 2003-04. The Cats’ average of 64.4 ppg is their highest since the 2001-02 team scored 64.6. ... Begle and Nottingham both shoot better than 85 percent from the foul line and 40 percent from 3-point range. ... Jasper averages almost 10 steals per game, and Begle tops the team with 41. Keep an eye on: The number 60. When the Cats have exceeded 60 points this season, they’ve won their last 12 games. Moment to remember: Near the end of the regular season, the Cats snagged overtime road wins at Mater Dei and Floyd Central. That could provide some confidence in what’s been a tough venue to string together wins — the Cats are 8-10 in sectional games at the Hatchet House since 2002.

Mitchell Bluejackets

Pike Central marked the Raiders’ highestscoring game of the season. ... With 49 wins in the last three seasons, this is the best three-year stretch for the Raiders since going 66-14 from 1984-85 through ’86-87. Keep an eye on: Scoring enough. Since winning the sectional in 2007, Southridge has struggled to score in sectional losses, averaging 36.9 points in those seven defeats. Moment to remember: The Raiders captured the Pocket Athletic Conference for a third straight season; Southridge’s girls basketball team also shared the PAC crown this season, marking the fourth time in school history the boys and girls have won PAC titles in the same season. It also happened in 1981-82, 2004-05 and ’12-13.

Pike Central Chargers

Last year, the Pats made the sectional final for the first time since 2004. Their last sectional title came a year earlier in ’03. Keep an eye on: Offensive consistency. The Pats have showcased offensive pop at times with five games in the 70s this season, but have also been limited to 43.3 ppg in their six losses since the New Year. They’ll need to produce against a Washington team that limited them to 39 points on 33 percent shooting in the regular season. Moment to remember: Heritage Hills shook out of a funk with a four-point win over Vincennes Lincoln on Feb. 14, coming from seven points down in the first half and limiting the Alices to four points in the fourth quarter.

Washington Hatchets

Vincennes Lincoln Alices Record: 17-6 Coach: Jeff Hein (10259 in seven seasons at Lincoln; 274-198 in 21 seasons overall) Opponent: vs. Jasper (156) or Mitchell (5-14), 6 p.m. Friday Postseason history: 70 sectionals, 19 regionals, 4 semistates, 2 state titles (1923, ’81) Probable starters: G Brandt Nowaskie (6-2 Sr.); G Conner Barmes (5-11 Sr.); G Jacob Breece (6-1 Sr.); G/F Ethan Claycomb (6-6 Jr.); F Anthony Smith (6-5 Jr.) Team tidbits: Nowaskie (14.7 ppg), Claycomb (11.8) and Barmes (8.5) all started

Record: 5-14 Coach: Doug Thomas (17-43 in third season) Opponent: vs. Jasper (15-6), 7 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 12 sectionals, 1 regional, 1 semistate Probable starters: G Daulton Blackwell (6-3 Soph.); G Aidan Wheeler (5-10 Jr.); G Daniel Jenkins (5-10 Sr.); F Clinton Yeary (6-4 Sr.); F Jared Vance (6-3 Sr.) Team tidbits: Balance reigns for Mitchell, as Vance leads the way with 10.3 ppg followed by Blackwell (8.3), Wheeler (8.1), Jen-

Record: 12-10 Coach: Jason Roach (12-10 in first season at Pike Central) Opponent: vs. Southridge (14-6), 6 p.m. Wednesday Postseason history: 1 sectional, 1 regional Probable starters: G Colton White (5-11 Soph.); G Garrett Elliott (6-0 Sr.); G/F Gabe Elliott (6-4 Soph.); F Tyler Toopes (6-5 Jr.); C Chris Downey (6-6 Sr.) Team tidbits: Pike Central has secured its first winning season since going 15-8 in 1998-99. Since then, the Chargers had

Record: 15-7 Coach: Gene Miiller (168-69 in 10 seasons at Washington; 636-297 in 40 seasons overall) Opponent: vs. Heritage Hills (12-9), 7:30 p.m. Wednesday Postseason history: 46 sectionals, 20 regionals, 6 semistates, 7 state titles (1930, ’41, ’42, 2005, ’08, ’10, ’11) Probable starters: G Connor Brown (6-0 Jr.); G Colten Garland (6-0 Jr.); G Matthew Stephens (6-0 Soph.); F Jacob Overton (6-2 Soph.); F Jake Bedwell (6-1 Jr.) Team tidbits: Garland is a three-year starter,

two years ago for Lincoln’s sectional championship squad. ... Breece adds 11.1 ppg and Smith provides 7.2 ppg and 6.7 rebounds. ... The Alices could face Jasper in Friday’s semifinals; Lincoln has won the last eight sectional clashes between the rivals. Keep an eye on: 3-pointers. Lincoln’s four-guard starting lineup attempts a lot of them. The 3s didn’t fall in a regular-season loss to Heritage Hills, but did against Jasper later in the game as the Alices rallied. Moment to remember: At the end of an eight-game win streak, Breece nailed the game-winning jumper at the buzzer in a 40-38 win at Washington on Feb. 6 that clinched the Big Eight title for the Alices and gave Hein his 100th win at Lincoln.

kins (8.0) and Yeary (7.3). ... Mitchell is 1-9 away from home this season, with the lone win coming against Shoals (3-18). The Bluejackets are also 1-5 on the season against fellow 3A teams, though the one win came against a Brown County team with 15 wins. ... Mitchell has been eliminated by Jasper in the sectional each of the last three seasons, falling 66-50, 62-42 and 62-28. Keep an eye on: Vance. He’s a three-year starter and rang up a team-best 15 points in the sectional against Jasper last year. Moment to remember: Mitchell lagged to a 1-12 start to the season but gained some momentum following a 41-38 overtime win over Loogootee, in which Jenkins buried the winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

averaged 4.4 wins per season. ... Toopes scores 13.4 ppg (including 42 percent on 3-pointers), while both Elliotts score near 11 ppg. White averages 9.5 ppg, and Bryant Nalley (Fr., F) scores 7.3 ppg off the bench. Keep an eye on: Defense. The Chargers can score; they’ve put up 78 or more on six occasions this season. But they also give up 62.7 ppg. They’ll have to defend to make a run through a tough sectional draw. Moment to remember: The Chargers created some noise with a 92-87 triple-overtime win over Vincennes Lincoln on Feb. 7 that included 30 points from White. Pike Central swept all four Knox County teams this year, also knocking off North Knox and South Knox, which have a combined 31 wins.

and the Hatchets return all five starters from a year ago. Garland nailed a combined eight 3-pointers in regular-season wins over Jasper and Southridge. Keep an eye on: The second half. Against Jasper, Southridge and Heritage Hills during the regular season, the Hatchets broke away from close games at halftime. With their guard-heavy lineup, experience and disciplined style, the Hatchets are a nightmare to face if you’re playing from behind. Moment to remember: Pretty much all of 2015 so far. The Hatchets were 3-5 and averaging 46.5 ppg before Christmas. They’ve been a different team since then, scoring 64 ppg and losing only to Vincennes Lincoln and Evansville Memorial.