SECTIONAL 5 @ CARROLL
Projected Winner: Carroll
This is a hard one to project because as talented as Snider is, picking against Carroll at home in the postseason just doesn’t seem wise. The Chargers are led by Paxton Crane, who is one of the few players in the area averaging a double double at 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per content. He knows really well how to clear out space and create around the rim. Carroll has lost 3 of their last four coming into Sectional play, but when they have been good they have been really good including dominant wins over New Haven, East Noble and Norwell. With Brody Fisher accenting Crane on the inside, the size of the Chargers can be hard to match up with.
Player You Can’t Miss: Xavier Wilson, Snider
One of the best breakout players in the area this season, Wilson has seized the reigns of a Snider team that can fly around and score in a lot of ways. Wilson leads the Panthers at 14.6 points per game and the junior is active on the glass and the defensive end. He has posted double digit scoring in 17 of Snider’s games and even posted a double double opposite Merrillville.
Don’t Be Surprised If: Northrop surges at the right time
The Bruins aren’t where head coach Shane Merryman probably wants them to be yet in his second year of the program, but they have some head turning moments and this quick two game Sectional is a prime spot for them to continue to rise up. The Bruins have three guys who average double figures scoring, headed by Donlaray Reese’s 12.2 points per game. Northrop has a win over potential Sectional final opponent Carroll and some really good, decisive wins over South Side, New Haven and East Noble. This team has been well coached and their buy in this season has bore some success, they are a really interesting team to watch in March.
SECTIONAL 6 @ WAYNE
Projected Winner: Wayne
Wayne just wins Sectional titles lately, that is key and so is hosting this thing at home. Wayne didn’t win a Sectional for 29 years, but has back-to-back titles to defend and will do so in a building where they are 6-2 this season with neither of those losses coming to anyone close to this Sectional bracket. Trey Dillard missed the regular season finale against Anderson, as did head coach Anthony Brewer. Their statuses for Friday’s semi final are important pieces because everyone in this Sectional has high level guys who can get hot from the field. If things are even keel at Wayne, it is hard to believe they won’t three peat as they beat South Side by 35 a month ago and also have a win over Homestead, holding off the Spartans’ best shot.
Player You Can’t Miss: Ethan Zahn, Huntington North
Zahn is one of the best players in Northeast Indiana that doesn’t get talked about enough. While the Vikings have had an up and down year, its hard to pin much of that on Zahn, who has pretty much just been good the whole way. He is one of NE Indiana’s top scorers at 19.5 points per game, he has scored outside of double figures just one time this season while also posting scoring games of 32, 39 and a program record 42. Zahn also averages five assists and 2.1 steals per game, highlighting how he can hurt you everywhere.
Don’t Be Surprised If: South Side pulls off a semi final shocker
Are people leaving South out of the conversation? Yes Wayne has reigned strong and continued that in the SAC this season and Homestead is in one of highly successful head coach Chris Johnson’s most winning seasons, but South Side is a 17 win squad. They check a lot of boxes with athletes that can create their own shots, solid and probably underrated shooters and the size inside to really change the game down low. A 35-point loss to Wayne less than a month ago has South Side as underdogs and this perfectly fair. But don’t count the Archers anywhere near out; second leading scorer Demarcus Barr has hit on 55 percent of his shots and junior post Zachariah Belcher is living up to his potential this year the most he has in his career, averaging a team high 14.4 points and seven rebounds.
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