BOYS BB: Sectional preview
Mar. 2—The Logansport boys basketball team didn't finish the regular season the way it wanted to.
But it's a new season this week as it's sectional week.
The Berries (11-11) have a rematch with Kokomo (6-16) tonight at the Class 4A Marion Sectional. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Bill Green Arena.
The Berries ended the regular-season with a four-game losing streak following their last-second win over Anderson.
But Logan defeated Kokomo 51-44 on Jan. 8. It might have been the Berries' best weekend of the season as they followed that up with a 49-43 win over Western.
Logansport was the top defensive team in the NCC this season, allowing 50.6 ppg.
Logan coach Drew Schauss said Kokomo, as always, will be a tough opponent. The Berries are seeking their first sectional win since 2015.
"We are in a unique situation with our sectional because every single team has played one another. Kokomo had a lot of weapons and athleticism that make them dangerous. They've been in nearly every game this year. They beat Marion and took Zionsville down to the last second," Schauss said.
"For us to be successful this week we have to value every possession on both sides of the ball and play with a ton of energy. We had a very good practice [Monday] and hope to carry that over into [tonight's] game. I would love to see all the hard work and dedication this team has shown come to fruition this week."
Malachi Pearson is averaging 16.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 3.0 apg to lead the Berries. Noah Lange is averaging 8.8 ppg and has made 46 3-pointers at 34.6%. Carter Davis is averaging 7.5 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Jamien Piercefield averages 6.3 ppg and has made 40 3-pointers at 38.1%. Caleb Crook and Garrett Barron add 5.9 ppg apiece.
Jackson Richards averages 12.4 ppg for the Wildkats. Bobby Wonnell averages 11.3 ppg and has made 38 3-pointers at 40.4%. RJ Oglesby adds 9.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
No. 7 Lafayette Jeff (21-2) plays defending champion Marion (11-11) at 6 p.m. tonight. The winner plays Harrison (12-10) at 6 p.m. Friday. The Logan-Kokomo winner plays NCC champion and No. 11 McCutcheon (16-3) at 7:30 Friday. The final is set for 7:30 Saturday.
CLASS 2A DELPHI SECTIONAL
Lewis Cass (11-11) gets a rematch with Winamac (6-16) to get the sectional underway at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
Winamac upset Cass in the first round last year. The Kings got some revenge with a 48-41 win on Feb. 13, but the season is again on the line in tonight's matchup.
"I've got a great deal of respect for coach Huggler and the guys on that team," said Cass coach Kyle Johnson, who was the head coach at Winamac from 2011-17. "They tend to play with a really good effort and energy against us. I think it's a great way to get the sectional started with a very competitive game. We've been preparing all season playing against all different kinds of competition and I'm hoping we bring our A game on Tuesday night.
"It's one of those things where we truly need to get that monkey off our back. They have gotten the best of us I'd say, even though we beat them two regular-season games, they got the one that counted in the sectional. So we've just got to play well. It's a lesson learned and hopefully we've done what we needed to do to prepare to have a chance to win in the end."
Tristin Miller is averaging 12.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg for the Kings. Tyson Good is averaging 11.9 ppg. Tyson Johnson averages 8.7 ppg, 4.4 apg and 2.4 spg. Luke Chambers adds 6.9 ppg.
Russell Compton averages 11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg for Winamac. Beau Brandt averages 8.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg. Carson Bennett adds 5.7 ppg.
Delphi (3-14) plays North Newton (12-9) in tonight's 8 p.m. game. The Cass-Winamac winner plays Rensselaer (12-10) at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Delphi-North Newton winner plays defending champion and No. 12 Rochester (16-1) in the later semifinal. The final is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
CLASS A TRI-COUNTY SECTIONAL
Defending champion Caston (7-15) plays South Newton (5-14) at 6 p.m. tonight to get the sectional underway.
Pioneer (8-11) plays Frontier (8-9) at 7:30 tonight.
Caston snapped a six-game skid with a 62-38 win over North Miami last Thursday. The Comets face a Rebels squad that recently snapped an eight-game slide with a 55-51 win over Attica.
"It starts with Kayden Cruz and Cy Sammons for South Newton. Both are really aggressive offensively and do a great job of attacking the basket," Caston coach Carl Davis said. "We have to make sure we limit their driving opportunities and make it difficult for them to get the ball into Sammons in the post. Offensively, we have to execute, take care of the basketball and attack the offensive boards. They're going to play hard so we have to be ready from the tip."
Kade Zeider is the Comets' leading scorer at 10.4 ppg. Bryce Rudicel and Sam Smith share the rebounding lead at 5.5 rpg apiece. Rudicel adds 2.3 spg. Joey Spin averages 2.5 apg.
Pioneer has won four of its last five games. The Panthers' regular-season game against Frontier was canceled.
"Frontier will be a tough opening-round opponent," Pioneer coach Darren McKaig said. "They have won five in a row and are coming into the game with a lot of confidence. They have a couple good post players who can score inside and outside and a tall, athletic guard who can hit the 3 and the pullup jumper. We will have to use our speed and quickness to make sure they don't get clean looks.
"On offense we will have to be patient and wait for their defense to break down because they fly around and play really hard. The game will probably come down to who stays calm with the ball and who takes better shots. We have been working hard on both of those things and I like where we are at right now."
Hunter Klepinger averages 9.9 ppg and 4.5 rpg for the Panthers. Ezra Lewellen averages 9.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 2.1 spg. Drew McKaig adds 5.8 ppg.
The Caston-North Newton winner plays Tri-County (3-15) at 6 p.m. Friday. The Pioneer-Frontier winner plays North White (14-8) at 7:30 Friday. The final is set for 7:30 Saturday.
