NEW CASTLE, Ind. — Inclement weather brought the postponement of 25 boys basketball sectional semifinal doubleheaders across the Hoosier state, but all of East Central Indiana’s Friday matchups continued as scheduled.

Nine schools advanced from the opening round of sectional play to represent the area at four different sites. Six won their semifinal outings and will contend for championships on Saturday.

The action in the New Castle Fieldhouse headlined the night as Delta and New Castle competed in the Class 3A Sectional 24 semifinals. Both the Eagles and the Trojans found the winning side of their matchups and will square off in a sectional final at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4.

Here's a recap of each local contest:

More:Muncie Central’s sectional loss ends 'unbelievable' turnaround; ECI Round 1 results

Class 3A

Sectional 24: Delta 61, Hamilton Heights 42

“Don’t settle!”

“Get what you want!”

Head coach Mark Detweiler shouted these phrases from the Delta bench early in his Eagles’ contest against Hamilton Heights.

Detweiler’s players heeded his advice as the Eagles (16-9) got exactly what they wanted on both ends of the floor in their 61-42 triumph over the Huskies (8-15).

Delta found its groove early through Jackson Wors’ scorching start. The 6-foot-3-inch junior opened his night by canning the Eagles’ first four field goals, leading to 11 points in the first quarter alone.

Wors went on to log 20 points in the Delta win, just three days removed from his 27-point outburst against Centerville in Delta’s first-round game.

First round:2nd-half surge propels Delta to sectional semifinal; ECI Round 1 results

The Eagles’ offensive onslaught and tight defensive pressure did not relent after they took a 16-7 first-quarter lead. Delta continued to impose its will in the second quarter and built momentum from highlight plays.

In particular, junior Jayden Furney’s steal and coast-to-coast and-1 bucket midway through the quarter ignited a Delta fanbase that was well represented in New Castle.

Furney continued to play fine basketball all evening as he notched 11 points off an efficient shooting performance.

“The start tonight was obviously what you want to get,” Detweiler said. “I thought we really frustrated them and they couldn’t get in the lane.”

D’Amare Hood was also a major contributor in the Eagles’ swift start as he posted a 10-point first half. The 6-foot-3-inch junior scored 13 points in total and was a dangerous offensive threat.

The second half saw much of the same for Detweiler’s Eagles. Delta continued to build its lead, which swelled to as high as 23 points through unselfish offensive production.

A surprise contributor for the Eagles in the second half was Kaiden Bond, who had a “special” night off the bench, according to Detweiler.

Taking advantage of every offensive opportunity afforded to him, Bond scored 13 points, all of which came in the second half.

Although his contributions aren't always represented in the scorebook, Blake Jones had another strong night anchoring the Delta backcourt. The senior guard was an irritant for Hamilton Heights by providing firm pressure on their ball handlers, and was a force in Delta’s offense by dishing out smart, well-timed passes.

“His (Blake’s) energy is tremendous,” Detweiler said. “He’s an energy guy, that’s what he is, and so you feed off of that.”

Detweiler was pleased with his Eagles’ performance and feels that they are finding their stride at an opportune time.

“I think every one of our guys feels good, and I feel good about what we’re doing defensively,” Detweiler said.

Delta’s win in the sectional semifinal continues an improvement from last year’s results. When asked what has made this group successful, he instantly turned to his team’s high level of confidence.

“They think they can play with anybody,” Detweiler said.

He joked that his players would even be confident if he scheduled them to play the Indiana Pacers.

The Eagles will take their confidence and momentum into their first sectional championship appearance since 2020, when they brought the crown back to State Road 28.

Sectional 24: New Castle 54, Frankton 43

After the final buzzer of the first game sounded, a sea of students wearing black shirts populated the south side of the fieldhouse and a Trojan mascot walked onto the court to stand stoically at the timeline.

It was time for New Castle basketball.

Despite the home-court advantage that the hosting Trojans enjoyed, Frankton was hot out of the gates and owned the first quarter.

The Eagles found early success running their motion offense, which led to many open baskets in the paint.

Conversely, New Castle could not find any coherence on its opening sets as Frankton shut down its two primary scorers – seniors Gavin Welch and Ethan Hinton – in the first half.

Although the Trojans stopped their bleeding toward the end of the quarter, they trailed the visiting Eagles 13-7 after the opening frame.

“They came in kind of fearless, and they came at us,” New Castle head coach Daniel Cox said. “They punched us in the mouth early, and it took us a quarter to kind of get our bearings”

Cox remained positive despite the slow start and urged his crew to “stay the course” in between the first and second quarters.

The Trojans showed their first signs of life in the final minutes of the second with a 10-0 run led to take a 17-15 advantage heading into halftime. Execution from the senior duo of Welch and Quintin Boatright was the catalyst behind the run.

Welch, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, built on his first half to tally 16 points on the night, nine of which came from beyond the arch.

Boatright’s first half propelled him to one of the finest outings of his senior campaign.

The 6-foot guard entered the contest averaging 0.5 points per game and was without a made triple all season. In Friday’s sectional semifinal, Boatright logged eight points and sunk two shots from deep.

Cox commended Boatright’s breakout performance and senses that another unlikely star could be on the horizon.

“Tomorrow night it could be any one of those guys,” Cox said. “That’s the nature of the tournament, you’ve just got to survive.”

Momentum swings throughout the third quarter were fairly even, with both sides exchanging blows on the offensive end. The Trojans and Eagles were locked in a tight battle, until a surge in the closing minutes of the frame gave New Castle a nine-point lead (34-25).

A major factor in the Trojans’ third-quarter run was the passionate contingent of fans supporting green and white. A former New Castle player himself, Cox said “it doesn’t get any better” than playing sectional games in the nation’s largest high school gym.

“Whenever you get a chance to play on your home floor, in front of your home crowd, it’s always special,” Cox said.

Cox, toeing the sideline in a Trojan green sport jacket, screamed at his players to play with “energy” in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans took their coach’s guidance to heart as their strong fourth frame effort sealed a win that Cox was proud of.

“I told the guys this was going to be an absolute dog fight,” Cox said. “(Frankton is) a well-coached, disciplined team that knows what they do, and they do it well.”

Victorious in six of its last eight, New Castle will look to continue its recent success in the sectional final against Delta at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, a team which it fell to in a close mid-February contest.

Class 1A

Sectional 55

Hosted by Tri-Central, the Class 1A Sectional 55 saw two local teams compete in Friday’s semifinal round.

Daleville (11-11) opened the night by defeating Tri-Central (7-18) on its home floor 74-70. The Broncos are now winners of their last three games.

Cowan (10-13) fell to Liberty Christian (14-9) 67-48 in the second semifinal. The loss marks the final game for the Blackhawks’ three seniors: Blaine Marlatt, Logan Walker, and Victor Garrett.

Daleville will take on Liberty Christian in the Sectional 55 championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Broncos fell to the Lions in last season’s final, making for an intriguing rematch.

Sectional 56

Friday’s semifinal slate at Tri’s Class 1A Sectional 56 saw Blue River (19-6) defeat Union Modoc (4-16) 82-17. The Vikings will face Seton Catholic in the sectional title tilt at 7:30 pm Saturday.

Union’s seniors (Gage Rice, Danny Burris, Ryan Lindsay, and Austin Abbott) logged the final game of their high school careers in the defeat.

Follow Adam Altobella on Twitter @AltobellaAdam

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA boys basketball sectionals: Delta New Castle ECI semifinal results