Whiteland’s girls basketball team lost both of its regular-season meetings against Center Grove. It won’t have to wait long for a shot at payback.
The Warriors (17-4) and Trojans (16-5) drew one another in the first round of the Class 4A Franklin Central Sectional when the IHSAA revealed its postseason brackets Sunday afternoon, and the county rivals will play for the third time this season in a 6 p.m. showdown Jan. 30.
Center Grove won the county title game against the Warriors in a 60-29 rout Nov. 18. The Jan. 2 rematch was considerably closer, with the host Trojans holding on for a 55-47 victory.
“We feel comfortable with how we’ve improved throughout the season,” said Whiteland coach Kyle Shipp, “and we’re looking forward to the opportunity, having another chance to play somebody that’s beaten us twice.
“We’re very familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses and what teams want to do, so there’s going to be no surprises. Hopefully the stuff we’ve worked on throughout the year pays off.”
Both Franklin (8-12) and Greenwood (11-11) received byes into the Feb. 2 semifinals. The Grizzly Cubs will play the Whiteland-Center Grove winner, while the Woodmen face either the host Flashes (7-14) or Martinsville (13-8).
The sectional features three likely Indiana All-Stars in Whiteland’s Mackenzie Blazek, Center Grove’s Cassidy Hardin and Martinsville’s Kayana Traylor. Hardin and Traylor will play together at Purdue next season, while Blazek is headed to Illinois.
Indian Creek (12-9) drew a first-round bye in the Class 3A Indianapolis Manual Sectional, moving the Braves into a Feb. 2 semifinal against either No. 9 Danville (18-4) or host Manual (12-10).
In Class A, Edinburgh (8-10) will open play at the West Washington Sectional with a Jan. 30 game against Medora (2-13). Eighth-ranked Trinity Lutheran (17-4), which received a bye, awaits the winner in a Feb. 2 semifinal.
Greenwood Christian (16-6) is hosting its own sectional, and it will play a Jan. 31 first-round game against Central Christian. The Cougars beat the winless Chargers 60-4 back in December. Should GCA handle them again, it would advance to a Feb. 2 semifinal against either Providence Cristo Rey (6-12) or Christel House Academy (2-16).
Cougars coach Alan Weems, who celebrated his birthday Sunday, was pleased with the draw, which put both Class A No. 2 Tindley and perennial tough Indianapolis Lutheran on the other side of the bracket.
“It’s great to be at home for it, and just having the brackets unfold the way they did gives you some comfort,” Weems said.
