IHSAA girls basketball: Sectional draws, takeaways for East Central Indiana teams

MUNCIE, Ind. — Entering the final week of the season, girls high school basketball teams now know their postseason opponents.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association on Sunday revealed its 2021 girls basketball sectional tournament pairings. The state tournament schedule begins with sectionals (Feb. 1-2, 4-5), then regionals (Feb. 12), semi-state (Feb. 19) concludes with the state finals (Feb. 26).

Here's a breakdown of postseason paths for the 16 area schools, playing across seven different sectionals:

Class 4A Sectional 9 (at Mt. Vernon)

First round: Muncie Central (11-6) v. Anderson (8-12); Greenfield-Central (7-12) v. New Palestine (11-9); Richmond (8-12) v. Pendleton Heights (15-4)

Semifinals: Mt. Vernon (13-8) v. Muncie Central/Anderson ; Greenfield-Central/New Palestine v. Richmond/Pendleton Heights

Takeaways: The good news for Muncie Central is it recently beat its first round opponent by 14 points, making that a favorable draw for the Bearcats. They're 3-0 against sectional opponents, but their potential semifinal foe, host Mt. Vernon, is 4-1 with its only loss being to the top-seed Pendleton Heights. The Arabians drew favorable pairings since they avoid Muncie Central and Mt. Vernon until the championship game, but the Bearcats have a solid chance of getting there. The Marauders have won this sectional twice in the last three seasons, and although Pendleton Heights is likely the favorite, it should be a competitive tournament.

Class 3A Sectional 24 (at Yorktown)

First round: Jay County (18-3) v. Hamilton Heights (15-5); New Castle (11-8) v. Muncie Burris (2-7)

Semifinals: Delta (3-16) v. Jay County/Hamilton Heights; Yorktown (5-16) v. Muncie Burris/New Castle

Takeaways: Despite being the top-seed, Jay County draws a tough matchup in Round 1. Hamilton Heights narrowly eliminated the Patriots in the tournament last year before winning it all, and it's likely the winner of this game will go on to hoist the trophy again. Delta gets a bye but is guaranteed to face a juggernaut, and the other side of the bracket will likely yield a New Castle v. Yorktown semifinals, which should be competitive. With a strong senior duo, the Patriots will be determined to win their first sectionals since 2006.

Class 2A Sectional 40 (at Lapel)

First round: Frankton (15-5) v. Alexandria (14-5); Lapel (14-7) v. Elwood (0-18)

Semifinals: Monroe Central (11-9) v. Frankton/Alexandria; Wapahani (16-5) v. Lapel/Elwood

Takeaways: Sectional 40 is historically one of the better sectionals in the state, and this year is no different. Frankton has won this sectional three of the last four years and should be the favorite again. The Eagles won a low-scoring contest over Alexandria and dominated the Golden Bears already this season, so their draw was relatively favorable. On the other side, Lapel likely will beat Elwood before facing Wapahani. Both of those teams' only loss to a sectional team was to Frankton, so while Lapel v. Wapahani should be a good one, either team would have to play its best to topple Frankton.

Class 2A Sectional 39 (at Eastbrook)

First round: Winchester (19-1) v. Eastbrook (16-2); Taylor (8-12) v. Tipton (17-3)

Semifinals: Blackford (16-4) v. Taylor/Tipton; Madison-Grant (12-9) v. Winchester/Eastbrook

Takeaways: Winchester, the state's highest scoring team at 71.2 points per game, is back in 2A following a two-year stint in 3A. The Golden Falcons, however, have never played in this particular sectional, and they join an extremely competitive field. Eastbrook and Tipton each won a sectional title over the last two seasons and are undefeated against sectional opponents this year, so it'll likely be one of those three teams winning this tournament. Still, Tipton gets the favorable draw by facing the two lowest seeds. Blackford is no slouch either, so Tipton will likely either face a battle-tested group in the championship.

Class 2A Sectional 41 (at Shenandoah)

First round: Hagerstown (8-8) v. Knightstown (2-19); Northeastern (7-13) v. Centerville (3-13)

Semifinals: Shenandoah (5-9) v. Northeastern/Centerville; Union County (8-8) v. Hagerstown/Knightstown

Takeaways: Shenandoah is the reigning back-to-back sectional champion but is almost a entirely different roster this year. Northeastern has struggled this season yet are 5-0 against sectional opponents, so the Knights are likely the favorites to win a relatively weak field. They also have a favorable matchup by avoiding Hagerstown and Union County until the championship game. Union County beat Hagerstown 36-32 earlier this season, so that'll likely be an interesting semifinals contest.

Class A Sectional 56 (at Union City)

First round: Randolph Southern (8-12) v. Blue River (18-2); Union (7-9) v. Tri (15-4)

Semifinals: Cambridge City Lincoln (1-15) v. Randolph Southern/Blue River; Union City (13-8) v. Union/Tri

Takeaways: Blue River has beaten every sectional opponents except Union City already this season, and none of the games were close. The Vikings, the sectional champions three consecutive years, again have an experienced and balanced roster that should get to the championship game thanks to drawing the easier side of the bracket. Union City lost by 13 points to Tri this season, so getting a first-round bye and potentially avoiding them is ideal. Still, that will likely be an exciting semifinal matchup.

Class A Sectional 55 (at Tri-Central)

First round: Wes-Del (6-11) v. Cowan (4-13); Tri-Central (8-12) v. Liberty Christian (9-9)

Semifinals: Daleville (4-14) v. Wes-Del/Cowan; Anderson Prep (5-12) v. Tri-Central/Liberty Christian

Takeaways: Lucky for Daleville and Anderson Prep, which have a combined 1-6 record against sectional opponents so far this season, to get a first-round bye. This is a pretty balanced sectional with no dominant teams, so every group has a chance to win. Tri-Central won the sectional last year, but the Trojans also drew arguably the field's toughest opponent in the first round. Daleville's only sectional-opponent win was against Anderson Prep, and the Jets lost to Liberty Christian by one point. This one could go to any team, and that's exciting.

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com or 765-729-4742.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA girls basketball: Sectional draws, takeaways for ECI teams