Class 3A

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PAGE 6 ■ SECTIONAL

THE HERALD ■ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Class 3A

@ Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium Jasper Wildcats Record: 15-6 Coach: John Goebel (114-86 in nine seasons; 200-123 in 14 seasons overall) Opponent: vs. Washington (18-4), 8 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 31 sectionals, 14 regionals, 1 semistate, 1 state title Probable starters: G T.D. Nottingham (5-8 Jr.); G Hunter Gossett (6-1 Sr.); G Justin Goebel (6-0 Sr.); F Alex Allen (6-4 Sr.); F Peyton Gentry (6-6 Sr.) Team tidbits: Allen grabs a team-leading 9.1 rebounds per game and is shooting

Southridge Raiders Record: 8-14 Coach: Ted O’Brien (23-21 in two seasons; 36-30 in three seasons overall) Opponent: vs. Pike Central (17-5) or Princeton (2-22), 6:30 p.m. Friday Postseason history: 12 sectionals, 2 regionals, 2 semistates Probable starters: G Chase Bland (5-10 Sr.); G Gaage Fetter (6-1 Sr.); G/F Harrison Steckler (6-2 Jr.); F Payton Mattingly (6-3 Sr.); F Jayden Montgomery (6-2 Sr.) Team tidbits: The Raiders will be gunning for their first sectional win on their home

Pike Central Chargers Record: 17-5 Coach: Jason Roach (29-16 in two seasons) Opponent: vs. Princeton (2-22), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 1 sectional, 1 regional Probable starters: G Trey Wornica (6-1 Jr.); G Colton White (5-10 Jr.); F Tyler Toopes (6-5 Sr.); F Gabe Elliott (6-5 Jr.); F Bryant Nalley (6-5 Soph.) Team tidbits: Pike Central’s revival this season has been savored by the Charger fan base with history in mind. Before going 12-11 last season, Pike Central’s last win-

A LOOK BACK This is the Jasper boys basketball team from 1951, which is the last year that Jasper hosted a boys basketball sectional. When Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium was built, the sectional moved there from Jasper. Since the advent of class basketball in 1998, Jasper has gone to Washington or Huntingburg every year for the sectional. The Wildcats will again play at Huntingburg this year, but the local Class 2A sectional will be played at Jasper. This ’51 Jasper team received a firstround sectional bye and followed by beating Ireland 49-29 and Huntingburg 40-37 to reach the sectional championship, where the Wildcats lost 49-42 to Winslow. Pictured from left to right are, first row: student manager Bob Berg, Duane Stemle, Gil Seger, Junie Giesler, Bill Rohleder, Johnny Habig and coach Cabby O’Neill. Second row: Marvin Hackman, Dave Krodel, Jim Kress, Jerry Clark and Charley Buechlein.

66.5 percent from the field, the fourth-best season mark in program history behind Adam Sander (67.8), Faruk Mujezinovic (67.1) and Mike Luegers (66.8). ... The Wildcats have won their last eight games played at Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium, including three in their 2014 sectional run. Keep an eye on: The end of the game. The Cats struggled with that in losing a 14-point lead against Washington in the regular season, though their end-of-game management has been solid the last two weeks. Moment to remember: The Cats crushed rival Vincennes Lincoln 62-31 in early January, earning their widest winning margin against the Alices in series history on their way to a share of the conference title.

Washington Hatchets

floor since 2011 after dropping their sectional opener in the next three years that followed. ... The Raiders shoot free throws at a collective 74 percent rate, with Bland (83 percent) and Steckler (76) leading the way. ... 32 percent of Southridge’s field goals come from the 3-point line; Fetter has hit 56 on the season and 124 for his career. Keep an eye on: Keeping pace early. The Raiders have had some sluggish starts despite solid finishes — including a loss to potential sectional foe Pike Central in which they fell behind 28-6 before losing 65-55. Moment to remember: The Raiders’ fourgame win streak in late December/early January included a win at Northeast Dubois to avenge a loss from a few weeks earlier.

Vincennes Lincoln Alices

ning campaign came in 1998-99. ... Pike’s points are well-distributed among Toopes (16 ppg), White (11.4), Nalley (11.3), Elliott (11.2) and Wornica (8.7). Elliott also averages 7.6 rebounds and shoots 58 percent from the floor with Nalley at 62 percent. Keep an eye on: Winning mojo. The Chargers haven’t had it for years, and they scuffled at the end of the regular season, losing three of their last four entering the postseason. Can they rediscover it to work through a kind draw in a tough sectional and win for the first time since 1997? Moment to remember: On Jan. 2, the Chargers toppled Indianapolis Park Tudor, then ranked No. 1 in 3A, by a 58-54 count behind Toopes’ 16 points and nine rebounds.

Princeton Tigers

Record: 18-4 Coach: Gene Miiller (188-74 in 11 seasons; 656-302 in 41 seasons overall) Opponent: vs. Jasper (15-6), 8 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 46 sectionals, 20 regionals, 6 semistates, 7 state titles Probable starters: G Connor Brown (6-1 Sr.); G Colten Garland (6-0 Sr.); G Matthew Stephens (6-1 Jr.); F Jake Bedwell (6-1 Sr.); F Jacob Overton (6-2 Jr.) Team tidbits: The Hatchets score 63.6 ppg, which is an increase of almost 10 points

Record: 17-6 Coach: Jeff Hein (12366 in eight seasons; 295-205 in 22 seasons overall) Opponent: vs. Jasper (15-6) or Washington (18-4), 8 p.m. Friday Postseason history: 71 sectionals, 20 regionals, 4 semistates, 2 state titles Probable starters: G Grant Oexmann (5-11 Jr.); G/F Ethan Claycomb (6-7 Sr.); F Tate Schuckman (6-2 Soph.); F Braeden Field (6-1 Sr.); F Anthony Smith (6-5 Sr.) Team tidbits: Lincoln is on a five-year run of winning 15 or more games. After losing

Record: 2-22 Coach: Ryan Haywood (41-77 in five seasons) Opponent: vs. Pike Central (17-5), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 33 sectionals, 7 regionals, 3 semistates, 1 state title Probable starters: G Brogan Reneer (5-9 Jr.); G Rylin Stough (6-0 Soph.); G Nick Albin (6-1 Soph.); F Joe Wildt (6-3 Sr.); F Maleek Hardiman (6-3 Soph.) Team tidbits: Princeton is 0-12 away from home this season and being outscored by

from last year’s team that won 17 games, and it’s a higher average than their state championship teams from 2010 and ’05. ... Garland (18 ppg), Brown (14), Overton (13) and Stephens have a combined 13 seasons’ worth of experience as starters. ... The Hatchets have won 41 of their 46 sectionals on their home floor; they most recently won at Southridge in 2009 and ’11. Keep an eye on: Height (no one taller than 6-2) and depth (Hatchets usually play six guys). Both will be tested by taller and deeper teams in a tough draw. Moment to remember: The Hatchets rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter Jan. 15 at Jasper to win 66-64 on Garland’s floater in the final seconds.

three senior guards from last year’s group that reached the semistate before bowing out to Guerin Catholic, the Alices have regrouped around Claycomb (18 ppg) and Smith (13). ... Lincoln’s 71 sectional titles rank second statewide behind only Kokomo, which has won 74. Keep an eye on: Claycomb. Not just because of his scoring ability, but because he may be the toughest player in the sectional from a matchup standpoint as a guard in a big-man’s body. Moment to remember: An Oexmann-toSmith connection for a layup with seven seconds left gave Lincoln a 35-33 win over Washington on Feb. 4 that allowed the Alices to grab a share of the Big Eight title.

an average margin of 13 points a game. ... Stough (10 ppg) is coming off a 21-point game last week against Heritage Hills. Wildt is the second-leading scorer (9 ppg) and top rebounder (5.6); the all-state tight end in football who’ll play at Rose-Hulman makes 49 percent of his field goals but just 46 percent on free throws. Keep an eye on: Can they win the close one? The Tigers have played better in Feburary but are 0-5 this season in games decided by 10 or fewer points. Moment to remember: The Tigers broke loose for 94 points in a 21-point rout of Mount Vernon on Feb. 6 as all five starters got in on the action with 10 or more points, including 22 from Stough.