Next stop - sectional

Todd Lancaster, Washington Times-Herald, Ind.
·3 min read

Jan. 26—So can anyone honestly say that they have a better idea about Sectional 63 after the weekend?

I say no.

As always, the Buggy Bowl proved itself to be one of the most interesting and entertaining games of the year. The game was a showdown between Jaylen Mullen of North Daviess and Hagen Knepp of Barr-Reeve, and if the old saying is correct, you want the ball in the hands of your best players during crunch-time — and for both schools, it was.

B-R also got a nice night from Kayden Graber as well, as he also knocked down some big shots and that may be the key to a sectional win — seeing how players step up around the leading scorers. Right now, B-R is 2-1 against Loogootee and ND, the Cougars are 1-1 against the Vikes and LHS and Loogootee is 1-2 against ND and B-R. So all we really know is the three really good teams have played some really close games.

For me, Saturday night almost felt like the first "real" game since the start of the pandemic. B-R had only two other home games this year, and most of last season had fan restrictions, so this game had a true tournament feel. Since several other games were canceled, I saw plenty of kids from other schools in letter jackets, and fans from across the area. Both crowds were great and had just enough controversy to remind you this was still a B-R/ND game. For Viking coach Josh Thompson it was his 200th win and he remains unbeaten in Montgomery as the Viking mentor.

What shouldn't have gotten lost was North Daviess' Friday night win over Linton, 24-23. The Miners were ranked No. 2 in 2A, but North Daviess proved no matter how a team wants to play, the Cougars can adapt. In fact, in the last three seasons, Linton is 1-3 against Barr-Reeve and North Daviess. Loogootee also had a big win on Saturday night, 44-39 over Bloomfield.

The Washington boys picked up a conference win against Princeton on Friday and their Pike Central game has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5.

The Lady Hatchets finish out the regular season with Senior Night on Thursday. Their four senior players have gone 59-9 in the last three years and are going for their third straight sectional, and this year, that sectional will be at the Hatchet House. Their seniors also have two 1,000 point scorers in Alaina Thorne and Kencia Levasseur, and one has to wonder how many points Jesse Ledgerwood would also have if she hadn't have miss a year with an injury. Ellie Reed who is also a senior is a multi-sport athlete for WHS and has contributed.

I also wanted to mention that the B3 Podcast is back with a new format but the same three co-hosts, Brian Emmons, Mike DeCoursey and myself. We wanted to make it more like what you might encounter sitting in a sports bar so we are now recording it live in a sports bar. Hopefully you can find it where ever you download your favorite podcasts.

Just a few other things. Although there were eight teams that I didn't have a real rooting interest in, this weekend's NFL Divisional Playoff games were some of the best I have ever seen. I think it is official, the torch was passed from Brady and Rodgers to Mahomes, Allen and Stafford.

Don't forget about the WHS Baseball Pancake Breakfast this Saturday at WHS. It is always fun and seems like the first sign that spring is not too far off.

Until next week, keep kickin' it around.