Friday Night Lights: Sectional Semis!

A monumental night of games is laid out before the eager hoops-heads across the Hoosier state. With so many fantastic teams vying for their postseason lives, there are inevitably going to be a plethora, yes a plethora, of ridiculously great games. P-Hoops has selected a Sweet Sixteen of the best Sectional Semifinals slated to start tonight. Without further ado, here are the top tilts for Friday the 6th!

Sectional 1: Gary West (15-5) vs. East Chicago (14-7) at East Chicago - East Chicago, the home team, is coming off a solid win over a quality Lake Central team in the Sectionals quarterfinals. The Cardinals are led by Michael Harris and Bryce Walker, who scored 15 and 24 points, respectively, in the quarters. Gary West beat Hammond Morton to advance to the semis. They are led by junior Xavier Jones, among others. The winner of this game will play the winner of Munster - Highland for the title.

Sectional 2: Merrillville (16-5) vs. Valparaiso (18-3) at Michigan City - Merrillville, who received the bye, is one of the hottest teams in the state, winning six in a row and handing Munster their only loss. They are led by big man Jonathan Nwannunu. The Vikings are coming off a double-overtime thriller against Chesterton on Wednesday, in which they won late behind the great play of Hayden Humes and Jerrick Suiter. The winner will face the winner of the Hobart - Crown Point game.

Sectional 3: South Bend Adams (13-7) vs. South Bend Washington (18-4) at Mishawaka - Two of the top teams in South Bend go at it for the right to play for the Sectional title. Adams, who received the bye, is coming off a huge, confidence-building win against 1A number one ranked Bowman Academy. The Panthers, led by junior Kennis White, are a force to be reckoned with, winning eight of nine including their opening round win over Penn. The winner will face the winner of the South Bend Clay - Mishawaka game.

Sectional 7: Kokomo (13-7) vs. Lafayette Jeff (17-7) at Jeff - The WildKats come in hot, winning seven of their last eight, including a win over 2A number one ranked Tipton. Their only loss in that stretch was an overtime thriller against Anderson. Kokomo, who had the bye, is led by a solid crew of seniors including 6'7 forward Patrick Hopkins, an Indiana Wesleyan recruit. The Bronchos won big over Logansport in the first round, rallying behind their potent trio of Jesse Berry, Roddy Richardson, and widebody Shane Wyant, who went for 25 points and 19 rebounds in the opener. The winner of this game plays the winner of the McCutcheon - West Lafayette Harrison game.

***UPDATE***Jeff star Roddy Richardson broke his foot in practice last night, and is out for the duration of the tourney. This adds a new dimension to this game.

Sectional 9: Hamilton Southeastern (13-7) vs. Noblesville (13-8) at Noblesville - This game is a match-up of teams with average records, but who have gotten hot as of late. The Royals, behind senior forward Charlie Duffy, have rattled off seven wins in eight games, with their only loss to Lafayette Jeff. They received the bye. The Millers upset one of the favorites, beating Zionsville in the first round of Sectionals behind the strong play of junior Leland Brown. They have won five in a row. The winner gets the winner of the Carmel - Fishers game.

Sectional 12: Pike (12-8) vs. Decatur Central (18-3) at Pike - The Red Devils got a last second lay-in by Justin Strickland to unseat the defending State Champ, Brownsburg, 50-48. IU head coach Tom Crean was on hand, watching sophomore Marquis Teague, and others, and in all likelihood, he will be back for this one. The Hawks squeaked past Tech by four points, as the upstart Titans gave the more experienced team from DC fits with a 1-3-1 zone. Decatur is led by senior forward Blake Beasley, a double-double machine. The winner will play the winner of the Avon - Ben Davis.

Sectional 22: Elmhurst (12-7) vs. Ft. Wayne Wayne (12-8) at Wayne - Elmhurst, who had the bye, struggled to a 6-6 start this year, only to get hot, winning six of their last seven heading into tonight's meeting. The Generals beat Bellmont in the first round of Sectionals to advance to face the Trojans. The winner of this game will face the victor in the Norwell - Peru match-up.

Sectional 23: Heritage (14-8) vs. Bishop Dwenger (17-4) at New Haven - The Saints used a late run to put away the hosts from New Haven in the opener. They have size, including Tyler Eifert and Tony Springmann, and depth to trouble most teams. Heritage beat Angola in a one point game in the opening round, and have a literal tall task against Dwenger. The winner faces the winner of Leo - Harding.

Sectional 25: North Montgomery (15-5) vs. Danville (17-4) at Crawfordsville - The finest likely game of the night in 3A sectionals pits the Chargers against the Warriors in a rematch of a game won by Danville last month. The big story of this game is the two Purdue recruits: North Montgomery's DJ Byrd and Danville's Travis Carroll. Byrd, a senior, is coming of minor knee surgery only a week old, and yet hopes are high that he will play tonight. Without him, the Chargers have little hope of defeating the 6'10 junior Carroll and his Warriors squad. If Byrd is able to play, this game should be highly competitive and come down to the wire. The winner will play either Lebanon or Western Boone.

Sectional 26: Howe (14-7) vs. Brebeuf Jesuit (13-8) at Beech Grove - This game includes to of the top 3A teams in Marion County in the Hornets and the Braves. Howe has a bevy of talent, including sophomore point guard PJ Boutte and junior assassin Andre Hampton. They have a big missing piece, however, in that 6'9 junior wing Jordan Manuel will not be able to play with a hand injury. Brebeuf is on a dominating run, winning four of their last five, with their only loss by one on a last second shot to Carmel at the Greyhounds arena. Not bad at all. Their strength is in their defense, toughness, and discipline. They have no "big name" stars, but they have around six kids on the team who average between twelve and eight points, and any one of them can shine on a given night. The winner will face the winner of Roncalli - Beech Grove.

Sectional 38: Bishop Luers (17-4) vs. Bluffton (21-2) at South Adams - In what is possibly the most anticipated game of the night in the entire state, the 2A number two ranked Knights of Luers will meet the 2A number three ranked Tigers from Bluffton. Luers has won eight of nine, losing to Warsaw in their epic battle. They are led by the best player in the state, regardless of class, in 6'7 junior Deshaun Thomas, an Ohio State recruit. Bluffton is a true team that plays together and has the size and discipline to compete with the defending 2A State Champs. The Tigers are out for revenge, since Luers ended their season last year in the Sectional finals with a 66-64 win. The winner of this game will face the winner of Woodlan - South Adams.

Sectional 40: Madison-Grant (13-7) vs. Guerin Catholic (15-7) at Tipton: The Argylls boast one of the coolest nicknames in Indiana (my personal favorite being the Jug Rox) and a quality record to boot. They are slumping a bit, losing five of their last seven, but they have quality wins over Taylor, Alexandria, and Frankton. The Golden Eagles are a team capable over going for over eighty points on any given night thanks to the scoring prowess of sharpshooter Ryan Nowicki and do-it-all forward Michael McMahon. They come in to the game winners of six straight, including their opening round win over Taylor. The winner will face the winner of Tipton - Eastern (Greentown).

Sectional 41: Winchester (17-3) vs. Wapahani (17-3) at Lapel - Two of the top ranked teams in 2A will throw down for the likely chance to face another of the classes top ranked squads. The Golden Falcons, who had the bye, are scorching hot coming into this one, winning 13 consecutive games, and salvaging a season that was potentially on the brink with internal issues. They are led by high scoring guard Tyler Koch, a Wright State signee. Wapahani boasts an identical record, and they beat Alexandria to earn this match-up with Winchester. The winner faces the winner of Lapel - Elwood, with Lapel another ranked 2A team led by Logan Ingle and Chandler Guion.

Sectional 44: Switzerland County (17-5) vs. Lawrenceburg (18-3) at North Decatur - The Pacers beat South Ripley to earn a spot in the semifinals, where they will face one of the toughest teams in 2A. Lawrenceburg is the fifth ranked team in the class, and they are winners of eleven out of twelve and have won five in a row, including their opening round win over Hauser. The winner faces the winner of North Decatur - Southwestern (Hanover).

Sectional 50: Argos (13-7) vs. South Central (Union Mills) (17-5) at Triton - The Dragons had the bye and were on a win streak of four games coming into this game. They play a tough schedule, including 4A squad South Bend Riley, that should prepare them for this game with the Satellites. South Central beat Marquette Catholic in the first round, giving them a win streak of five games. They boast big man Jake Kitchell, a stat-stuffing machine, who leads the Satellites in all major categories. He has been watched by the IU staff recently. The winner will face the winner of Triton - Oregon-Davis.

Sectional 63: Barr-Reeve (18-3) vs. North Daviess (17-5) at North Daviess - The Vikings had the bye, but they are winners of six in a row. Their last loss was to North Daviess all the way back on January 24th, and they are out for revenge. The Cougars have won eleven in a row, including their opening round win over Loogootee. They are on their home floor, where they beat the Vikings earlier on, but this one is sure to be close as these bitter rivals go at it again. This is possibly the best 1A game in all of Sectional play. The winner will face the winner of Shoals - Vincennes Rivet, another ranked 1A team.

Check back tomorrow for the results to the Sweet Sixteen! Go out and see a game tonight. I certainly will!