A roundup of thoughts before Saturday's sectional championships:
1. I wrote in this space earlier this week that Borden and Vincennes Rivet had solid chances to win their first sectional titles, while Indianapolis Lutheran was a virtual lock to win its first. While Rivet was eliminated by Barr-Reeve (who then turned around and defeated a 20-win North Daviess squad that entered the tournament as Class A #1), Borden and Lutheran are still alive.
Borden's Braves (17-5) face 9-14 South Central on Saturday night. Borden beat the Rebels by 12 in December.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Lutheran improved to 18-4 with its semifinal win over Indianapolis Tindley. The only team standing between the Saints and their first sectional title is 8-14 University.
Borden and Lutheran aren't the only teams remaining with a chance to win their first sectional crowns on Saturday night, though:
* Carroll (Flora) is still alive (see below).
* So is Fort Wayne Canterbury, who faces Fort Wayne Blackhawk for that sectional's championship.
* Churubusco will play on Saturday, but only by virtue of their Friday night semifinal against Prairie Heights being postponed to Saturday due to a winter storm. The Eagles are 1-19 heading into semifinal play.
* New Harmony, who played a major role in determining this year's WW Boys Team of the Year (more to come in a later post), faces powerhouse Tecumseh for the Sectional 64 title.
* Lastly, Covenant Christian, one of the IHSAA's newer basketball playing schools, has a solid chance to grab its first sectional championship. The 15-6 Warriors, who'd only managed 6 wins in the previous two years, face 10-12 Tri-West for the Class 2A Sectional 46 title. Myself - I question the strength of their 15 wins, as many of them have come against schools in their class or smaller, while Tri-West didn't play a single Class A school all season.
2. I also wrote that Seeger's 30-year sectional championship drought would be the longest one broken this year. While the 18-3 Patriots are still alive and face 9-12 Carroll (Flora) - a school looking for its first sectional crown - for their sectional's championship, there are several other teams with longer droughts who could prove me wrong.
Perhaps the best story - and one I overlooked when examining the draw - is 10-11 Morton Memorial. The Tigers have the second-longest drought in the state at 55 years, but that's irrelevant in the bigger picture.
Morton Memorial is a high school on the grounds of the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's Home, established in the late 1800s by then-Governor Morton. Formerly an orphanage for the children of veterans' families, the ISSCH is essentially a boarding school environment that gives the at-risk youth of Indiana a chance to succeed where otherwise they might not have had the opportunity. Its mission is about so much more than basketball, but who knows what kind of athletic success can turn around a kid's life?
On the court, the Tigers had a pretty favorable sectional draw, opening with a big win against one of the state's weaker teams in Greenwood Christian before avenging a close loss to Southwestern (Shelbyville). Morton Memorial faces 13-8 Waldron for the sectional championship. (As a side note, Waldron is the only team in state history to go undefeated one season - in 2003-04 - and winless the next.)
Four other teams with designs on breaking their long sectional droughts on Saturday night are Wabash, Elwood, Union (Modoc) and Union County.
Wabash, as you may recall, was part of an answer to one of my earlier trivia questions, having won over 20 sectional championships in the pre-class era, but none since the move to class hoops, and none since 1967. The 6-16 Apaches face 13-8 Northfield for their sectional's title on Saturday; the Norsemen beat Wabash by 19 during the regular season. (Winless Watch would love to do the pre-game tease for this one: "Apaches! Norsemen! NEXT!")
11-10 Elwood also advanced to a sectional championship, but have a tough road ahead, facing perennial power Winchester, who sits at 19-3 heading into Saturday. Elwood hasn't won a sectional crown in 48 years.
Meanwhile, Union (Modoc) brought a 6-14 record into sectionals, but snagged two wins this week to set up a rematch against Monroe Central. Unfortunately for the Rockets, who last won a championship in 1970, Monroe Central has beaten them soundly on two occasions this season, including a 52-point walloping in January. Will the third time be the charm for Union? Winless Watch would like to think so, but ... we'll see.
The only other drought longer than 25 years that could come to an end on Saturday night is Union County's. The Patriots won three sectional crowns in a span of four seasons between 1976 and 1979, but none since. Union County takes a 12-10 record into Saturday night's title tilt against Eastern Hancock, who sports a 14-9 mark.
3. Apropos of nothing in particular, part 1:
Several teams who started the week with fewer than 5 wins on the season still have the chance to make their seasons successful: Elkhart Central (4-17 going into sectionals), Loogootee (3-17), Tri-Central (3-17), New Prairie (3-18), Fort Wayne Elmhurst (5-14), Vincennes Lincoln (5-14), Wabash (4-16), North White (3-17), Springs Valley (4-16) and New Harmony (3-18) all will play for sectional titles on Saturday night. Why do I like Loogootee's chances the best of all of them?
4. Apropos of nothing in particular, part 2:
While researching Crothersville's season and history this week, I noted that their coach, Jim Stewart, has a career mark of 257-546. 546 losses! I wonder if that's some kind of state record. I believe Stewart coached for a long while at Medora, which goes a long way toward explaining his 31% winning percentage.
Anyway, good luck to all of the teams still playing; 2/3 of the schools in the state have seen their seasons end, and would love to trade places with you.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
WW's best bets for sectional week:
A couple of final opinions, projections and thoughts before kicking off sectional week:
Longest drought to be broken this year: Seeger has gone 30 years since its last sectional title, but is by far the strongest team in the 5-team Fountain Central Sectional (Sectional 37, for those of you who keep track of such numbering schemes). The Patriots are the only team with a winning record in that sectional, and as if that weren't enough, they also drew the bye. WW says to look for Seeger to win its first sectional championship since 1978.
Best bet for #1: There are three solid teams who've never won a sectional but could possibly cut the nets for the first time this week. Vincennes Rivet, whose girls just won their first sectional crown (congratulations!), has a fairly tough road to take at Loogootee, drawing a strong Barr-Reeve team in the opener; if they survive the Vikings, they'll likely face the best team North Daviess has ever had (19-2, on a 14-game winning streak).
Borden's odds are a little better; not only do they host, but they open against sub-.500 Henryville, and if they're successful, they'll face the winner of Christian Academy and Lanesville in the semifinal in what Winless Watch thinks would be the de facto sectional championship, as the three teams other side of the bracket have combined for a 22-37 record (led by Rock Creek Christian's 11-10 mark).
But it says here that Indianapolis Lutheran is a virtual lock to snag its first sectional crown; they've already scored a 25-point win against the only other team with a winning record in its sectional, Indiana Deaf. The 16-4 Saints drew Tindley in the bye game of their own sectional; the other four teams on the opposite side of the bracket have a combined record of 31-45. If betting on high school sports were legal in
(That three-team teaser you've been eyeing with Crothersville,
Sectional droughts.
While the number of first-time sectional champions grows every year, so, too, does the list of schools that have never won a sectional championship. It's a paradox that's easy to explain – just consider the increase in private schools and charter schools joining the IHSAA and fielding basketball teams for the first time.
Without considering that, it's easy to say, "Oh, Trinity Lutheran (for instance) has never won a sectional championship – it must be awful, to endure such a drought!" Yes, it must be awful, the pain that goes with having never won a championship in the only two seasons you've been in existence. You could be, say, Winless Watch's alma mater, Shoals, who've been playing for almost 100 years.
So, when compiling the below list, I broke up the "never wons" into two groups:
Group I is composed of the legacy schools. These schools have been at it for decades, and have never cut down the nets on Saturday night. There are 24 of these schools remaining on the "never won a sectional" ledger.
Group II of the "never wons" are the newer schools. These tend to be, but aren't always, your private/parochial/charter schools that have sprung up like mushrooms in the last 10 years (XYZ Christian,
I figured it was important to delineate between the two groups, to give the first group its proper due and recognize their true futility.
Anyway, this is the best I could gather from John Harrell's site. If I made an error or missed your school, I apologize – I compiled this list by hand and didn't really have a sanity check in place.
Never – Group I (legacy schools): Borden, Carroll (Flora), Churubusco, Crothersville, Culver Academy, Evansville Day, FW Canterbury, FW Keystone, Franklin County, Frankton, Hamilton Southeastern, Indiana Deaf, Indianapolis Lutheran, Lake Station, Michigan City, New Harmony, Northeastern, Shoals, Vincennes Rivet, Washington Twp., West Noble, Westfield, Westville, White's
Never – Group II (newer schools – less than 10 years of basketball)- Bowman Academy, Bethesda Christian, Clinton Christian, Covenant Christian, Elkhart Christian, Fall Creek 21st Century, Fishers*, Greenwood Christian, Guerin Catholic, Indianapolis International, Indianapolis Metropolitan, Indianapolis Tindley, Lakewood Park, Liberty Christian, Oldenburg Academy, Rock Creek Christian, Seton Catholic, Terre Haute Holy Cross, Trinity Lutheran
* - I struggled with whether to include Fishers, which actually won a sectional in its first incarnation in 1922, but Fishers v. 2.0 has been open only in the last couple of years. The original
And now, the droughts:
1949 – 59 years: Medora
1953 – 55 years: Morton Memorial
1954 – 54 years: Mississinewa
1956 – 52 years: Eastern (Greentown)
1958 – 50 years: Howe Military
1960 – 48 years: Elwood
1961 – 47 years: Cambridge City Lincoln
1965 - 43 years:
1966 – 42 years: North Posey
1967 – 41 years:
1968 – 40 years:
1969 – 39 years: Mishawaka Marian
1970 – 38 years:
1973 – 35 years: Edinburgh, Griffith
1976 – 32 years:
1978 – 30 years: Indianapolis Tech,
1979 – 29 years:
1981 – 27 years: Whiting
1982 – 26 years: Clinton Prairie, Linton
1983 – 25 years: Clinton Central, Sheridan
1984 – 24 years: Boonville, North White,
1985 – 23 years: Culver, Daleville
1986 – 22 years:
1987 – 21 years: Chesterton
1988 – 20 years:
1989 – 19 years: Crawfordsville, Floyd Central, Frontier
1990 – 18 years:
1991 – 17 years: Anderson Highland, Blackford, East Central, Fountain Central, LaCrosse, Tri-West
1992 – 16 years: Beech Grove, Goshen, Hobart, Indianapolis Manual, Kankakee Valley, Seymour, Turkey Run
1993 – 15 years:
1994 – 14 years: Center Grove, FW Wayne, Southmont
1995 – 13 years:
1996 – 12 years: Columbus East, Evansville Memorial, Gary Wallace, Logansport, Madison-Grant, New Haven, North Harrison, North Judson, Richmond , West Washington
1997 – 11 years: Brownsburg, Columbus North, Connersville, FW Dwenger, Frankfort, Lake Central, Mitchell, New Palestine, Noblesville, Perry Central, Pike Central, Woodlan
(Class basketball era begins here – schools in boldface are schools who won their first sectional championships after class basketball began)
1998 – 10 years: Cannelton, Crown Point, Eastbrook, Evansville North, Greenfield-Central, Heritage, Indianapolis Cathedral, Lawrence Central, Mooresville, Peru, Rising Sun, South Spencer, Southwestern (Hanover), Springs Valley, Yorktown
1999 – 9 years:
2000 – 8 years: Calumet, Charlestown, Indian Creek, Maconaquah, Michigan City Marquette, Monrovia, Munster, Princeton, Silver Creek, Southern Wells, Southport, Southwood, Union (Dugger), Warren Central, West Lafayette, Western Boone
2001 – 7 years: Adams Central, Attica, Bedford North Lawrence, East Noble, Eastern (Pekin), Greensburg, Hamilton, Huntington North, Muncie South, New Washington, Northeast Dubois, Oak Hill, Portage, Randolph Southern, River Forest, Shelbyville, South Bend St. Joseph's, South Newton, Tipton, Whitko
2002 – 6 years: Anderson, Avon, Benton Central, Bethany Christian, Castle, Crawford County, Elkhart Memorial, Gibson Southern, Greenwood, Homestead, Indianapolis Arlington, Jasper, Kouts, Lakeview Christian, Lebanon, Leo, North Putnam, Paoli, Pioneer, Rockville, Rossville, South Bend Washington, South Central (Elizabeth), Speedway, Whiteland, Winamac
2003 – 5 years: Ben Davis, Brown County, Caston, Central Noble, Eastern Hancock, Elkhart Central, FW Northrop, Gary Roosevelt, Hamilton Heights, Heritage Hills, Highland, Indianapolis Scecina, Lakeland, Merrillville, Milan, Muncie Burris, New Prairie, Perry Meridian, Salem, South Bend Riley, South Central (Union Mills), South Putnam, Southwestern (Shelby), Sullivan, Triton
2004 – 4 years: Bloomington North, Bluffton, Brownstown Central, Columbia City, Corydon Central, Delphi, Evansville Central, FW Elmhurst, Garrett, Greencastle, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Noll, Indianapolis Chatard, Indianapolis Northwest, Indianapolis Ritter, Jimtown, Knox, Lafayette Jeff, Monroe Central, North Knox, Northridge, Northview, Pendleton Heights, South Ripley, Triton Central, Vincennes Lincoln, Waldron, White River Valley
2005 – 3 years: Argos, Austin, Bellmont, Bloomfield, Concord, Decatur Central, DeKalb, Delta, FW North, Fremont, Gary West, Hammond, Henryville, Jennings County, John Glenn, Kokomo, Lapel, Loogootee, North Decatur, Northfield, Rensselaer Central, Rushville, Scottsburg, South Bend Clay, South Decatur, Terre Haute South, Tri, Twin Lakes, West Central,
2006 – 2 years: Andrean, Boone Grove, Carmel, Cascade, Centerville, Danville, Eastern Greene, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Forest Park, FW Concordia, FW Snider, Franklin, Hauser, Hebron, Heritage Christian, Indianapolis Roncalli, Jeffersonville, Knightstown, LaPorte, Martinsville, McCutcheon, North Daviess, Owen Valley, Prairie Heights, Riverton Parke, Shakamak, Shawe Memorial, Switzerland County, Taylor, Tri-Central, University, Warsaw, Wawasee, Westview
2007 – 1 year: Barr-Reeve, Batesville, Bloomington South, Blue River, Brebeuf, Carroll (FW), Cloverdale, Covington, East Chicago Central, Eastside, Edgewood, Eminence, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Reitz, Fairfield, FW Blackhawk, FW Luers, FW South, Franklin Central, Gary Wirt, Hammond Clark, Harding, Indianapolis Howe, Jac-Cen-Del, Jay County, Lafayette Central Catholic, Lanesville, Lawrence North, Lawrenceburg, Lewis Cass, Madison, Marion, Morgan Twp., Morristown, Muncie Central, New Albany, New Castle, North Central (Farmersburg), North Central (Indianapolis), North Montgomery, Northwestern, NorthWood, Oregon-Davis, Orleans, Park Tudor, Penn, Pike, Plymouth, Providence, Rochester, Shenandoah, South Bend Adams, South Knox, Southridge, Tecumseh, Terre Haute North, Tippecanoe Valley, Tri-County, Valparaiso, Washington, Wes-Del, Western, Wheeler, Winchester
Quiz answers:
Answers to last week's quiz:
1. Medora has the longest drought since its last sectional title. The Hornets cut down the nets for the only time in their history in 1949 - 59 years ago.
2. Five schools have gone 50+ years since their last sectional crown: Medora (1949), Morton Memorial (1953), Mississinewa (1954), Eastern (Howard) (1956), and Howe Military (1958).
3. The move to class basketball hasn't been very good to Richmond. The Red Devils, who last won a sectional in 1996, won 62 championships in the pre-1997 era, but none since the state switched to class hoops. (No opinions here about how it's easier to beat up on Hagerstown and Centerville than Anderson and Muncie Central, only the facts.)
4. Including Richmond, 10 schools won 20 or more sectional championships in the pre-class days, but haven't won a title since: Richmond (62 sectionals), Connersville (57), Logansport (56), Frankfort (46), Seymour (44), Crawfordsville (40), Tell City (34), Wabash (26), Boonville (23) and Linton (21). (Of note: the '70s, '80s and '90s weren't good to Wabash, either, as the last of the Apaches' 26 titles came in 1967.)
5. In 1997 - the last year under the single-class system - one school won its first sectional title, and hasn't won another championship since. That year, Pike Central won both its only sectional title and only regional title in school history.
1. Medora has the longest drought since its last sectional title. The Hornets cut down the nets for the only time in their history in 1949 - 59 years ago.
2. Five schools have gone 50+ years since their last sectional crown: Medora (1949), Morton Memorial (1953), Mississinewa (1954), Eastern (Howard) (1956), and Howe Military (1958).
3. The move to class basketball hasn't been very good to Richmond. The Red Devils, who last won a sectional in 1996, won 62 championships in the pre-1997 era, but none since the state switched to class hoops. (No opinions here about how it's easier to beat up on Hagerstown and Centerville than Anderson and Muncie Central, only the facts.)
4. Including Richmond, 10 schools won 20 or more sectional championships in the pre-class days, but haven't won a title since: Richmond (62 sectionals), Connersville (57), Logansport (56), Frankfort (46), Seymour (44), Crawfordsville (40), Tell City (34), Wabash (26), Boonville (23) and Linton (21). (Of note: the '70s, '80s and '90s weren't good to Wabash, either, as the last of the Apaches' 26 titles came in 1967.)
5. In 1997 - the last year under the single-class system - one school won its first sectional title, and hasn't won another championship since. That year, Pike Central won both its only sectional title and only regional title in school history.
WW girls - season wrap-up, Team of the Year
Three Indiana high school girls' basketball teams ended their season with nary a win to show for the floor burns, endless layup drills and excruciating halftime motivational speeches they endured this year.
Before we look at those three, a special mention of two teams:
First-year program Seton Catholic also went winless this season, but at 0-13, they did not play a full schedule (defined for the purposes of Winless Watch as 15 or more games plus the tournament). WW's super-double-top-secret formula had them ranked at the top for much of the season; they lost by nearly 40 points per game against the weakest schedule in the state as defined by Sagarin. But it was the Cardinals' first season of girls' basketball, and as I did with Indianapolis Tindley's boys last year, I will cut them some slack.
If it weren't for their season-opening win against Fall Creek 21st Century, Medora would have been a lock for Girls Team of the Year. Counting that 26-point win, the Hornets still averaged over 42 points per game less than their opponents. They scored fewer than 20 points on 14 separate occasions, and didn't break the 20-point mark offensively after Christmas. All of this futility was capped by a 62-2 defeat at the hands of Edinburgh in the last game of the regular season. After that dismal showing against the Lancers, I had predicted that they would go scoreless in their sectional tilt against Northeast Dubois. The Jeeps actually won, 82-9, and used the momentum of that tournament-opening win to advance deep in the tournament, falling just a game shy of the Class A state championship game.
With that, the final WW rundown for the girls' basketball season:
Fort Wayne Northrop checks in at #3. The Bruins wrapped up their season at 0-19, but were probably the best 19-loss team in the state; six of their losses came by 10 points or less, and their strength of schedule was 56th strongest in the state, says Sagarin, which is commensurate with their 4A classification. A couple of breaks their way, and Northrop isn't even mentioned in the same breath as …
#2 Wes-Del actually had a winning season last year, but struggled to an 0-20 campaign this year. Six of their defeats were by 10 points or less, including a three-game stretch where they lost by 5, 3 and 4 points. Sure, there were a handful of blowouts, but they are a Class A school playing a Class A-level strength of schedule (yet still played 8 teams above their class), and so Wes-Del has landed in the runner-up slot for WW Girls Team of the Year "honors." A couple of breaks their way, and the Warriors aren't even mentioned in the same breath as …
Our WW Girls Team of the Year had only two losses by less than 10 points, but still showed improvement in some areas over last year, when they went 1-15 and lost by an average of over 43 points per game. While Gary Wirt didn't post a win this year, there were only two real embarrassing outcomes on their schedule, a 93-11 defeat against Hammond and a 73-19 blowout against South Bend Adams. Still, the Troopers' strength of schedule was only 358th in the state according to Sagarin, which is a ranking far below what a Class 3A school should have.
Taking all of this into consideration, Gary Wirt is the 2007-08 WW Girls' Team of the Year, following in the footsteps of two-time defending TotY Indianapolis Howe (who played their way out of a possible threepeat with a resounding 5 wins this season).
We close the books on the girls' basketball season, and Winless Watch for the girls will return next winter.
Before we look at those three, a special mention of two teams:
First-year program Seton Catholic also went winless this season, but at 0-13, they did not play a full schedule (defined for the purposes of Winless Watch as 15 or more games plus the tournament). WW's super-double-top-secret formula had them ranked at the top for much of the season; they lost by nearly 40 points per game against the weakest schedule in the state as defined by Sagarin. But it was the Cardinals' first season of girls' basketball, and as I did with Indianapolis Tindley's boys last year, I will cut them some slack.
If it weren't for their season-opening win against Fall Creek 21st Century, Medora would have been a lock for Girls Team of the Year. Counting that 26-point win, the Hornets still averaged over 42 points per game less than their opponents. They scored fewer than 20 points on 14 separate occasions, and didn't break the 20-point mark offensively after Christmas. All of this futility was capped by a 62-2 defeat at the hands of Edinburgh in the last game of the regular season. After that dismal showing against the Lancers, I had predicted that they would go scoreless in their sectional tilt against Northeast Dubois. The Jeeps actually won, 82-9, and used the momentum of that tournament-opening win to advance deep in the tournament, falling just a game shy of the Class A state championship game.
With that, the final WW rundown for the girls' basketball season:
Fort Wayne Northrop checks in at #3. The Bruins wrapped up their season at 0-19, but were probably the best 19-loss team in the state; six of their losses came by 10 points or less, and their strength of schedule was 56th strongest in the state, says Sagarin, which is commensurate with their 4A classification. A couple of breaks their way, and Northrop isn't even mentioned in the same breath as …
#2 Wes-Del actually had a winning season last year, but struggled to an 0-20 campaign this year. Six of their defeats were by 10 points or less, including a three-game stretch where they lost by 5, 3 and 4 points. Sure, there were a handful of blowouts, but they are a Class A school playing a Class A-level strength of schedule (yet still played 8 teams above their class), and so Wes-Del has landed in the runner-up slot for WW Girls Team of the Year "honors." A couple of breaks their way, and the Warriors aren't even mentioned in the same breath as …
Our WW Girls Team of the Year had only two losses by less than 10 points, but still showed improvement in some areas over last year, when they went 1-15 and lost by an average of over 43 points per game. While Gary Wirt didn't post a win this year, there were only two real embarrassing outcomes on their schedule, a 93-11 defeat against Hammond and a 73-19 blowout against South Bend Adams. Still, the Troopers' strength of schedule was only 358th in the state according to Sagarin, which is a ranking far below what a Class 3A school should have.
Taking all of this into consideration, Gary Wirt is the 2007-08 WW Girls' Team of the Year, following in the footsteps of two-time defending TotY Indianapolis Howe (who played their way out of a possible threepeat with a resounding 5 wins this season).
We close the books on the girls' basketball season, and Winless Watch for the girls will return next winter.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
WW boys - wk of 2/18/08
As we enter the final weekend of the Indiana boys high school basketball regular season, there are three teams that remain 0-for-the-season.
With one regular-season game left against a New Haven team that's riding a 6-game losing streak of its own, #3 Adams Central could parlay its near-miss against a not-bad South Adams team last weekend into its first win of the season. It'd better come this weekend for the Jets, because they drew 20-0 Bluffton in the first round of the sectional. Before you think, "Uh-oh – mismatch of the century," keep in mind that Bluffton beat the Jets by only 13 earlier in the season.
#2 Whiting has had four of its 19 losses to date by less than 10 points, but when they've been uncompetitive, they've really been uncompetitive: five of their other losses have been by 40 or more. The Oilers have one game left as well, tonight against a 12-7 Hammond Clark squad that already beat them by 34 back around Thanksgiving. Whiting will face the winner of 16-4 Morgan Township and 11-9 Kouts in the bye game of the Kouts Sectional next Friday night.
The best opportunity, though, for a winless team to break their skid this weekend – and maybe gain some momentum heading into sectional – is on Saturday night (weather permitting), as #1 Shoals hits the road to face a 3-win New Harmony team that is only one spot above the Jug Rox in the Sagarin ratings. Comparing common opponents:
* Washington Catholic beat Shoals by only 3, while they beat New Harmony by 33.
* Wood Memorial beat the Jug Rox by 29 at home, while beating New Harmony on the road by 37.
* Dugger edged Shoals by only 1, but beat the Rappites by 22.
* And Cannelton downed Shoals by 7, and beat New Harmony twice by 10 and 8.
Add it all up, and you've got to hope if you're Shoals that the ice storm that walloped far southwest Indiana this week doesn't wreak havoc with the scheduling of the game. (Oh – Shoals' sectional draw didn't go much better than Adams Central's; they drew 18-2 North Daviess in the opener on Tuesday night.)
With one regular-season game left against a New Haven team that's riding a 6-game losing streak of its own, #3 Adams Central could parlay its near-miss against a not-bad South Adams team last weekend into its first win of the season. It'd better come this weekend for the Jets, because they drew 20-0 Bluffton in the first round of the sectional. Before you think, "Uh-oh – mismatch of the century," keep in mind that Bluffton beat the Jets by only 13 earlier in the season.
#2 Whiting has had four of its 19 losses to date by less than 10 points, but when they've been uncompetitive, they've really been uncompetitive: five of their other losses have been by 40 or more. The Oilers have one game left as well, tonight against a 12-7 Hammond Clark squad that already beat them by 34 back around Thanksgiving. Whiting will face the winner of 16-4 Morgan Township and 11-9 Kouts in the bye game of the Kouts Sectional next Friday night.
The best opportunity, though, for a winless team to break their skid this weekend – and maybe gain some momentum heading into sectional – is on Saturday night (weather permitting), as #1 Shoals hits the road to face a 3-win New Harmony team that is only one spot above the Jug Rox in the Sagarin ratings. Comparing common opponents:
* Washington Catholic beat Shoals by only 3, while they beat New Harmony by 33.
* Wood Memorial beat the Jug Rox by 29 at home, while beating New Harmony on the road by 37.
* Dugger edged Shoals by only 1, but beat the Rappites by 22.
* And Cannelton downed Shoals by 7, and beat New Harmony twice by 10 and 8.
Add it all up, and you've got to hope if you're Shoals that the ice storm that walloped far southwest Indiana this week doesn't wreak havoc with the scheduling of the game. (Oh – Shoals' sectional draw didn't go much better than Adams Central's; they drew 18-2 North Daviess in the opener on Tuesday night.)
Sectional time again.
To warm you up for sectional week, a short quiz on Indiana high school basketball sectionals:
1. Fishers last won a sectional in 1922, but we'll cut them a break because they didn't have their own school from 1967 – 2006, having been consolidated into Hamilton Southeastern before explosive growth in the town of Fishers brought about the return of their high school this decade. Aside from Fishers, what school has the longest active drought since its last sectional title?
2. Counting the answer to #1, five schools have gone 50 years or more since their last sectional title. Name them.
3. What school won the most sectional championships in the pre-class era without having won a crown since the move to class basketball?
4. Counting the school in #4, 10 schools won 20 or more sectional championships in the pre-class era, but have yet to score a crown since the move to class basketball. Can you name them?
5. 1997 was the last season of one-class basketball in Indiana. Just in time, this school won its first sectional championship that season, but hasn't won since. Name the school.
Answers next week, as well as Winless Watch's best bets for what used to be the greatest high school sports week in the country (but is still a pretty cool week nonetheless).
1. Fishers last won a sectional in 1922, but we'll cut them a break because they didn't have their own school from 1967 – 2006, having been consolidated into Hamilton Southeastern before explosive growth in the town of Fishers brought about the return of their high school this decade. Aside from Fishers, what school has the longest active drought since its last sectional title?
2. Counting the answer to #1, five schools have gone 50 years or more since their last sectional title. Name them.
3. What school won the most sectional championships in the pre-class era without having won a crown since the move to class basketball?
4. Counting the school in #4, 10 schools won 20 or more sectional championships in the pre-class era, but have yet to score a crown since the move to class basketball. Can you name them?
5. 1997 was the last season of one-class basketball in Indiana. Just in time, this school won its first sectional championship that season, but hasn't won since. Name the school.
Answers next week, as well as Winless Watch's best bets for what used to be the greatest high school sports week in the country (but is still a pretty cool week nonetheless).
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