Well, here we are again. Arguably the best time of year across the sports world. Baseball makes its return, March Madness, NHL Stanley Cup Playoff pushes, and final NBA Playoff pushes. In the midst of all of that though, is the greatest 4 week span in the state of Indiana. Where basketball is a religion. Of course there will always be the argument of, “The Tournament should be seeded” okay, well how then?
Or you have, “The drawings are not random” okay, how so? There will always be arguments of how this tournament is formatted, especially with the recent change of drawing after each round, but the one thing that will ALWAYS remain the same about this is that in 49 states it is just Basketball… but THIS is Indiana.
With the Sectional Pairings show completed and games starting in just a week, we take a look at some winners and losers of the 2025 IHSAA Boys Basketball Sectionals.
WINNER: Homestead
I think this winner in this particular 4A Sectional is only due to the fact that they did not draw Wayne. Sparty instead drew Huntington North (who will enter the postseason with a guaranteed losing record). The Spartans should be favorites and if they do not underestimate Huntington North and overlook to the title game, they should be on their way to Saturday night where they will face the winner of South and Wayne.
LOSER: Snider
Let’s call this sectional what it is- WEAK. This sectional has seemingly lost its mojo in recent years after years of it being one of the most entertaining in the area. North Side, Carroll, Northrop, Snider, and East Noble all used to have great battles in this one. Now, there are only 4 teams in this sectional (and only 1 team with a winning record). Snider is 3-0 against their sectional opponents, winning all games by 12 or more points. However, the team that arguably played them the toughest is the team they will face in the semifinals… Carroll. This time the Chargers get a crack at the Sectional favorite Panthers at Charger Fieldhouse… where things have been proven to get weird in the past there.
LOSER: Columbia City
What is Columbia City’s reward for being a co-NE8 Champ? Facing a top 10 3A (AP) team in the opening round of sectionals. The Eagles will face the NorthWood Panthers who are projected to come out of this sectional. Not ideal at all for Columbia City.
WINNERS: New Haven and Heritage
Both of these teams received byes and both of these teams are probably favorites to play in the title game Saturday night. Receiving a bye in this sectional, I think is good as you can let the other teams who are below .500, at .500, or just barely over .500 hash it out in the opening round.
LOSERS: Garrett and Angola
These 2 have already played twice this season and split 1-1. The last meeting was decided in OT in the opening round of the NECC Tournament. After having phenomenal regular seasons, these two will now meet for a third time, where the OT game was decided… Garrett. The Railroaders have the advantage here with it being at Bateman Gymnasium, but at what cost? This is one of the reasons people feel the tournament should be seeded. These 2 would be 2 and 3 in the seedings record wise, and yet they are meeting at 6pm on Tuesday. It will for sure be a dog fight and whoever comes out on top, may have a letdown game in the semifinals on Friday.
LOSER: Sectional 35
This the NECC Tournament part 2. I really dislike that all 6 conference opponents are also sectional opponents. They should be spaced out throughout different sectionals. It’s just an odd pairing. You could possibly see a team 3 times in a season if they were to meet in the actual NECC Tournament. With that being said, the actual winner of this sectional is Central Noble as they will play Prairie Heights and a win means playing Eastside. By far, the easiest path to the Sectional Title.
LOSER: Bluffton and Bishop Luers
These two teams are arguably up there in the top 15 of area teams and they will be meeting in the opening round of sectional play. It is a shame that one of these teams’ seasons will be ending on a Tuesday night instead of a Friday night.
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