Dave is a 2001 graduate of Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Ill., where he played three years of varsity golf for a top-five program along with participating on the Future Collegians World Tour. Going on to receive a bachelor's degree in media arts from Butler University in May 2005, he immediately became a sports reporter, then editor, at The Daily Sun in Boone County. Finally, before coming on board at HSSTM, Dave was a freelance writer for the Indiana Department of Tourism and The Indianapolis Star.

With the weather still wreaking havoc around central Indiana, news in the high school sports world seems a bit trivial. But should you need an escape, or a reason to get your mind elsewhere, here’s a look at a busy weekend and what lies ahead as spring sports come to a close.

BASEBALL
What a story the Decatur Central baseball team has become the past couple weeks, as the Hawks have thrilled and survived to now find themselves playing for the 4A state title this Saturday. The squad came into sectionals ranked No. 9 and was certainly under the radar on most accounts, but Saturday’s 7-6 comeback win over Evansville Harrison put the radar detectors into overdrive.

Nick Stoia, who made an error in the top of the seventh that allowed Harrison to take a 6-4 lead, got some serious redemption in the bottom half of the inning when he hit a two-run double off the left field wall. That shot off his bat tied the game at 6, and then the next batter, Adam Kirk, drove in Stoia and the celebration ensued.

Decatur Central, now sporting a 28-7 record, will play Saturday evening at Victory Field against the winner of today’s game between Crown Point and FW Homestead.

Elsewhere around the diamond, the area’s top teams in 3A have fallen during regionals and the title game is set with Crawfordsville and Mishawaka Marian. Crawfordsville is one of the hottest teams around, having taken out the likes of Brebeuf and Greensburg to reach the title game. In Class 2A, the northern half of the bracket is complete and FW Luers will be playing for the title. The southern half of the semistate bracket plays today at Mooresville with Elwood taking on Austin and South Ripley playing Eastern Greene.

Finally, in Class 1A, Bethesda Christian hopes to continue its unexpected run today as it is scheduled to face Shakamak in one semistate semifinal. Should Bethesda win, it will play the winner between Tecumseh and Jac-Cen-Del at 8:00 this evening at Perry Meridian.

GOLF
Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) at The Legends in Franklin, the boys golf state finals will get underway and two local teams have set themselves apart from the others. Avon, ranked No. 1 in the final poll, is probably considered the favorite after consistently posting low scores with serious depth on the roster. The Orioles beat Cathedral, the other frontrunner, at last Thursday’s regional by 10 strokes and have yet to lose one dual meet or invitational this season.

Senior Ronnie Harris posted a 67 at sectionals and 77 at regionals, while freshman Patrick Rodgers (my boy) won the individual regional title with a 69 at Hickory Stick. Center Grove claimed the final team spot out of that regional, finishing third by edging Brebreuf by one shot. Advancing individually were Perry Meridian’s Aaron Monson, Zionsville’s Graham Singer, Roncalli’s David Holmes and Greenwood’s Corbin Mitchell.

In other regional action, Lebanon was sent up north and came away with a berth in the state finals after Andrew Frandsen led the way with a 75. And at the Muncie Central Regional, Hamilton SE won the team crown and advanced along with second-place Noblesville. Carmel suffered a tough one as a tiebreaker put them one spot out of qualification.

GIRLS TENNIS
One week after Park Tudor claimed the team state championship, individual titles were on the line this past weekend. In a central Indiana showdown for the doubles crown, North Central’s senior pair of Maggie Ashby and Alena Perez-Majul came back to defeat Park Tudor seniors Heather Rogers and Elizabeth Emhardt by the score of 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. Ashby and Perez-Majul completed a perfect season (23-0) and became the sixth doubles team in school history to claim the top spot.

In singles action, Carmel freshman Courtney Wild made an impressive run to the championship match before falling to Columbus North sophomore Caroline Hedrick (3-6, 6-4, 6-1). With the win, Hedrick posted a 25-0 record this season. In the consolation match, Avon junior Christina Riley fell to Munster junior Mary Hill to finish fourth overall.

THIS WEEK
The softball state championships, after being postponed on Saturday due to the weather, will be settled this evening at 7:00 at various locations around the area. Click here to view the schedule.

As mentioned, the boys golf state championships are set to be played Tuesday and Wednesday at The Legends in Franklin.

Friday, the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Games will be played at Conseco Fieldhouse starting at 6:00 p.m. and will feature several local hoops stars. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Finally, the baseball state championships are scheduled to be claimed this Friday and Saturday at Victory Field. Teams are still to be determined, so check back on our homepage tomorrow for the full list of games.

Let’s get to the point. There’s dozens of games notes, storylines and updates in the world of spring sports state tournaments. Here’s a quick-hit snapshot, for those of you not weathering the storm at Carb Day today.

• Lawrence North shot-put stud Brandon Pounds, whom I’m guessing you may know by now, threw an all-time state best 66 feet, 9 inches at regionals last night. It surpassed the mark of 66, 8 ½ tossed in 1997 by Pike’s Jeremy Allen, but Pounds will have to repeat that performance in the state meet in order to get his name in the books. Records are confined to the state meet. Not sure if I like that rule.
  
  
• Meanwhile, boys track regionals saw many fine performances last evening. You can find full results from the IHSAA by clicking here. You can also catch up with the ladies by viewing the heat sheet for the upcoming state finals by clicking here. The girls have state next Friday while the boys follow a day later down in Bloomington.
  
  
• Girls tennis is racing through its postseason in team competition, as regionals concluded this week and tomorrow sees semistate competition. You can get a quick look with our rundown here. Tomorrow’s match between No. 3 Carmel and No. 7 Center Grove will be heated, and the winner will almost surely be facing No. 1 Park Tudor. A possible contest between Carmel and Park Tudor would be perhaps the best of the entire state tournament.
  
  
• Softball sectional titles will be hotly contested tonight and tomorrow, highlighted by two key contests in Class 4A. Tonight, No. 10 Hamilton SE squares up against Noblesville on the Millers’ home field. That might not sound great on paper, but the Royals are still the defending state champs and Noblesville is fresh off last evening’s huge upset over No. 3 Carmel. Meanwhile, No. 1 Center Grove takes to the diamond in a sectional title showdown against No. 6 Franklin Central tomorrow at noon on the Flashes’ home field. Elsewhere, you can see a full sectional bracket for 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A. Enjoy.
  
  
• In the club sports scene, boys volleyball will be crowning its state champion tomorrow in the new gym at Franklin. Games will be played all day, starting at 11:00 with semifinals at 3:00 and the title game at 5:00. Local schools Franklin, Cathedral, Center Grove, Carmel and Lawrence North will all be playing. Check out the action, it’s a lot more entertaining than you might think.
  

Everyone enjoy the holiday weekend. Be safe, and I’ll try to do the same.

Yeah, guess I’ve been off the old blog for a while now. It’s Friday, and as they say, I’m due.

Needless to say, HSSTM, both locally and nationally, has been quite busy this spring. We had an e-mailer yesterday notice that we are a bit behind on some of our Web content, like the rankings. This gentleman was quite friendly about the whole thing, expressing sympathy for trying to maintain every little piece while focusing on the magazine itself (with a staff of five). Most of the time this would fall into the “angry e-mailer” category, so I’d just like to thank this man for not going that direction. I digress.

Folks, all I can really say is sit tight, we’re working on some big (and very cool) changes. We take pride in trying to provide some timely key information on the Web, so it irks us, too, that there are currently a couple ‘bugs’ that have resulted in, mainly, rankings that are three weeks old. Please keep visiting, as our Showcase stories and blogs will keep rolling along. Pretty soon you’ll understand why I’m saying all of this.

Now on to your regularly scheduled blogging.

BOYS TRACK SECTIONALS

At the risk of not repeating too much information that you can find elsewhere, I’d like to mention a few things from the boys track sectionals last night. There were dozens and dozens of notable performances throughout Central Indiana, but there two specific groups of teammates that have the chance to do something really special this spring.

Those two groups would be the Ben Davis sprinters and the Lawrence North field event fellas. It appears as though Giants sprinters Matthew Terrell, Lavarus Williams, Rapheal Williams, Anthony Kimmons, Brandon Newbern, Colin Hester and Robert Rose all have a shot at competing in the state meet – Terrell and the two Williams’ for sure (knock on wood, of course). That’s a ridiculous group simply in numbers, and 95 percent of coaches around the state would love to have just one of them. See all of their times and finishes here.

Then last night at the North Central Sectional, the LN field athletes were just as impressive as the BD sprinters. Tra Wilson, Jordan Conley (Mike's brother) and Tarus Blackburn finished 1-2-3 in the long jump and all were separated by about nine inches total. Couple the long jumpers with the 1-2 finish in the shot put by Brandon Pounds and Ryan Smith, and you’ve got yourself quite a cast. Pounds has the longest throw in the state this season, while Wilson matched his win in the long jump with sprinting wins in the 100, 200 and 400 relay. Eesh.

BASEBALL SECTIONAL DRAW

We’ve put up a rundown of every local baseball sectional on the homepage, but I thought I’d just make a few comments about the interesting match-ups.

This discussion has to start in 4A Sectional 8, where No. 3 Carmel (19-4) has drawn Noblesville (18-6) in each team’s sectional opener, which will be a semifinal in that bracket. Carmel has to be considered one of the teams with the most depth, top to bottom, while the Millers are quite an interesting story themselves. After a surprise run to semistate last year, Noblesville returned a large handful of starters and it was the coaches’ choice for the preseason No. 1 team in 4A. Then the Millers started the season 6-5 and quickly dropped from the rankings, but have since gone 12-1 and have to be considered a frontrunner with experience. Without a doubt, one really good team will have its season cut short after this one.

Elsewhere, 4A Sectional 12 at Avon has some interesting potential if the bracket stays chalk. In the opening game, No. 5 Brownsburg (18-3) takes on rival Avon (17-7) in what will be an intense chess match. The Bulldogs have beaten their Hendricks County foe three times this season, but can they make it four? If so Pike will be waiting in the semis with a possible championship game looming against one of the bigger surprises of the season, No. 9 Decatur Central (17-6). The Hawks have a first round game scheduled against Ben Davis and would face the winner of Manual vs. Tech in the semis before a showdown with Brownsburg could happen.

In 3A, Sectional 26 at Brebeuf could have a semifinal game for the books. Host and No. 5 Brebeuf (17-4) plays Beech Grove in the opener while No. 2 Chatard (21-3) takes on Howe. If both teams win, they would square off in the semis…keep an eye on that one.

Lastly, in 2A, Sectional 43 at Park Tudor looks to be highly competitive. Don’t sleep on Triton Central, who is just outside the top-10 in the rankings and won this sectional last year. They have drawn Washington in their opener and would possibly have to face solid teams such as Heritage Christian and Park Tudor in later rounds. 

Greeting readers, happy Wednesday to you. Here's some news, notes and things we're keeping an eye on.

• As we posted on our homepage this morning, former IU hoops standout Greg Graham is in the running to get the head job for boys basketball at his alma mater, Warren Central.
• The North Central girls track team won the Marion County meet last evening, beating out Warren Central and Lawrence North just like the MIC meet last week. Highlights for the Panthers included Leigha Tolliver's wins in the long jump (18 feet, 5 3/4 inches) and 300-meter hurdles (46.83 seconds). Other standout performances included Park Tudor's Hannah Farley winning the 800, Warren's Candyce McGrone capturing the 100 and 200, and Beech Grove's Renee Masterson earning the top spots in the 1,600 and 3,200. Breaking County marks at the meet were Lawrence North's Felisha Johnson in the shot put (49 feet, 5 inches) and Lawrence Central sophomore Margo Tucker in the pole vault (12 feet, 1 inch). The Marion County boys meet is Thursday at North Central.
• The Westfield girls track team won the Hamilton County meet, also held last evening. The Shamrocks beat No. 7 Carmel by 9.5 points, and cleaned up at the finish line by winning several events. Freshman Waverly Neer took top honors in the 3,200, Sarah Kinnamen won the pole vault by tying her own meet record (11 feet, 3 inches), Felisha Strong won the long jump, BreAuntai Bluing captured the 100, and Breanne Ehrman took first in the 800.
• Some big dual meets in boys golf the past week. Last Wednesday, April 30, No. 3 Avon edged No. 10 Hamilton SE 144-147. Avon's Andrew Wegeng and HSE's Wes Bowman both shot 33 in that match. Then on Thursday, May 1, No. 17 Warren Central beat Lawrence North behind a 34 from Matt Spicuzza, and on that same day, No. 6 Carmel beat a solid Brebeuf team on the strength of a 33 from Grant Meade.
• Cathedral and Chatard will be playing for the baseball City Championship tomorrow, Thursday, at Victory Field. The Irish are currently No. 6 in 4A while the rival Trojans are No. 2 in 3A, but Chatard will be looking to avenge its early-season loss to Cathedral in this one.
• Our Student Photo Contest is quickly wrapping up. If you know any local high school students that shoot photography for academic or recreational purposes, please pass on the good word. See the link provided for more information.

You know those times when it seems like you can't remember what you just did 20 minutes ago? Yeah, that's me...all week.

It's been kind of nice, in a way, to sort of hop from station to station (literally and figuratively) while Brian soaks up his vacation (unintentional rhyme, really). I think you can tell I'm losing it a little bit...but I've gotten sort of territorial this week in the office and Brian doesn't know it. It'll be like watching the Discovery Channel in here next week, re-introducing a species (Brian) to its native home (the office) after its former ally (me) has been left cold to fend for itself.

Now that my random thoughts are out of the way, let's get to some business. Spring sports are busy. Here's some things to chew on:

• Perry Meridian quarterback Adam Wiese, whom we featured in our October issue, has signed a Letter of Intent to continue his playing career at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn. this fall. Lambuth is currently an NAIA school, but is scheduled to become NCAA Division II in 2010. Wiese threw for over 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, and will be playing in July's Grange Insurance All-Star Classic.
  
• The Zionsville girls tennis team has bumped up to No. 5 in the Coaches' top 20 this week, up four spots thanks to an impressive run. The Eagles hosted an April 26 tournament in which they beat then-No. 6 Brebeuf and then-No. 5 Center Grove. The week prior, on April 19, Zionsville took second out of eight teams in a loaded field at the Park Tudor Invite, as seniors Danielle Hansen (No. 1 singles) and Margo Harrington (No. 2 singles) lead the way. Other hot teams in girls tennis include Park Tudor and a young but extremely dangerous Carmel squad.
  
• City tournaments and Marion County tournaments are abound this week and next. Cathedral, ranked No. 1, recently took the City title in boys golf with an absurd four-round total of 284, led by Henry Plager's 2-under 70. Scecina softball will be going for its fifth straight City title, set to play Ritter in the semis on Saturday. The winner of that game will play the winner between Cathedral and Chatard in the 4 p.m. championship game at Brookside Park. The Marion County tourneys in softball and baseball also get started today, with the softball title on Monday at Ben Davis and baseball title on Thursday at Victory Field. No word on what happens when all of today's games get rained out (sorry, but it's all but guaranteed).
  
• Brownsburg baseball might be able to call itself the hottest team in the state for the moment, save for Crown Point. The 4A No. 2 Bulldogs swept a home-and-home with No. 7 Avon, taking out the Orioles 12-4 on Wednesday and 16-4 last evening. Mark Conover did some damage, knocking a homer in Wednesday's game followed by a grand slam in Thursday's game along with getting the win on the mound. Not too shabby.

That's all for now. If you have any notes about a school you follow, something newsworthy, always feel free to contact us at letters.centralindiana@hsstm.com. We'll do our best to get you some pub somewhere. Hope most of you, if not all, enjoyed the May issue, currently flying off the shelves at your local Marsh or Blockbuster. Happy Friday to all and have a great weekend.

The Mind is pretty much riding solo at the office this week. That’s trouble.

My main man Mr. Moore currently finds himself submersed in the World of Disney, making friends with Mickey and the gang. Meanwhile, Bob the intern has officially signed off…and suddenly I realize that this ship known as HSSTM can’t possibly be run by a one-man show.

But I’m sure as heck going to try.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, dealing with being the lone ranger this week wasn’t my first sign that the apocalypse is upon us. It was actually a series of phone calls this past weekend between myself, John and Cathy. Who’s John and Cathy? My parents.

Growing up, and just until about four years ago, video games took up a decent chunk of my free time. I can vividly remember my brother, almost eight years my elder, always finding a way to belittle yours truly when it came to video games…and Cathy hated it. Cathy hated how much time we spent staring at a TV screen with controllers in our hands. Cathy hated how her youngest (once again, yours truly) got his faced rubbed in the sand when it came to virtual competition.

Why do I bring this up? Well, it’s all starting to change. All thanks to the Nintendo Wii.

Talking to my dad on the phone on Sunday, and this is all brief summary, he explained that my brother was coming out to their house for dinner that night…and they were going to play some Wii. This has turned into a family activity, apparently.

But what’s more is that my dad goes on to tell me that Cathy, the same mother who despised video games, got caught red handed not too long ago. She was alone at the house, or so she thought, and dad walked downstairs only to find her showing amateur form at the virtual bowling alley.

Now I must say, Cathy tells this story a little bit differently. As far as she’s concerned, she’s got nothing to hide. But what’s more is that she’s turned quite competitive with the whole thing, as I sat in my car having this conversation with her just before going into a real bowling alley.

“I’m about to walk into a charity bowling event,” I said.

“Well I got three strikes in row yesterday,” Cathy responds.

“What? What are you talking about?” I quickly asked.

“Wii. I was bowling on the Wii last night and I got three strikes in a row,” Cathy says, very nonchalantly. “I’m getting pretty good and I’m going to beat your brother tonight.”

Oh, how the tables have tuned. And I love it. Cathy is hooked on Nintendo Wii, and the apocalypse is upon us.

Some news and notes today. Nothing flashy, but hopefully effective.

• The Indiana Baseball Coaches Association, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society, has initiated a state-wide effort to raise money for the fight against cancer. The effort is being called “Baseball Strikes Out ‘K’ancer” and the campaign will be taking place during games played the final week of this month. For example, Fishers has designated its home game this Saturday against Avon as their “Baseball Strikes Out ‘K’ancer” game. The participating schools have the option of getting money donated or pledged using different game factors such as number of strikeouts, runs scored, or total hits gotten by both teams. Cool stuff, be sure to donate if you find yourself at a local game participating in this effort.
  
• Updates in the various rankings this week. Avon has jumped to the top spot in the 4A softball poll, thanks in part to the efforts of outstanding pitcher Jenny Esparza. On Thursday, the Orioles have a showdown schedule on the road against 2A No. 1 Scecina. In baseball, Carmel fell out of the top spot after losing 1-of-2 against North Central last week while Brownsburg fell from No. 2 to No. 5. Crown Point and Penn take the top two spots, respectively.

• On our homepage this week, we take a quick look at some spring standouts – some of which have already been mentioned on the blog and some new highlights as well. Also, the Indiana All-Stars have been announced and you can get the full roster here.

• The softball City Tournament gets underway this Saturday at Brookside Park, where the aforementioned Scecina Crusaders are the top seed and heavy favorites. The semifinals are set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 and the championship game follows.

• We’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of the May issue, which is set to begin distribution on Monday at local Marsh and Blockbuster stores. However, we will be sending out the digital copy in the brand new HSSTM E-Mag newsletter tomorrow morning, so if you haven’t signed up for the free newsletter (in which the digital issue will be sent every month, along with other tidbits), you can do so here.

• We’re saying farewell to our beloved (and over-worked) intern this Friday. Bob, who was recently named next year’s Editor in Chief for the Butler Collegian, has been a big help to our staff here since January and we wish him nothing but the best. If you notice a bit of a drop-off in production next week, well, you can always blame the intern. Sure, that excuse still works.

And that’s a wrap, for now. Be sure to check out Bob’s farewell blog on Friday…I’m sure it will be a real tear-jerker. Have a great weekend!

 

This past Tuesday, the 15^th, myself and cohort Brian Moore were fortunate and honored to attend the 2008 Thomas A. Brady Sports Achievement Awards at the Indiana Roof Ballroom – presented by the Methodist Sports Medicine Research and Education Foundation and the IHSAA.

It might not seem like that big of deal, especially for folks not in attendance, but part of the nice aspect about not growing up in this area kind of allows me to see things from an “outsider’s perspective”. This can be a great thing and a not-so-great thing, depending on the situation of course. It also applies to my job every day here at the magazine.

As we sat down to dinner, I took a look at the program to see what was on tap. We knew some people that were going to be honored before arrival, but as I looked around the room, it was sort of a who’s-who of Indiana sports figures – both past and present.

It started with a live auction, with none other than the outspoken and truly entertaining Ron Hunter on the microphone. The men’s basketball coach at IUPUI, Hunter, who does a wide variety of community service efforts himself, was a perfect choice to bat leadoff for the show. With his charming personality, he helped raise tens of thousands of dollars with the auction and even agreed to caddy for a group who successfully bid on a golf package at Crooked Stick.

After the auction, the list of honorees included one of Indiana’s finest athletic role models in George McGinnis and a truly legendary coach, Jerry Yeagley. That duo each was presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

This is where that whole “outsider’s perspective” comes into play. Had I heard of George McGinnis? Did I know a little bit about him? Sure, on both accounts. But to hear him speak, to see the attention and respect he had from the crowd, told me a little bit more about how people here in the Hoosier State still admire his accomplishments.

The likeliness of McGinnis’ story recurring these days is slim to none. A true high school hoops legend, wins the state title with the Washington Continentals, takes home the Mr. Basketball honor, goes to play at the biggest in-state power at IU, and then continues his professional career in the same place with the Pacers of the ABA and NBA. Geez, just think about that. The only thing that could even come close, and I don’t think it’s that close, is if Eric Gordon is about to be drafted by the Pacers and goes on to have an incredibly successful NBA career here locally.

And that brings us to Jerry Yeagley, the soccer coach who took IU’s program from insignificance on the club level to a national powerhouse. Yeagley was a true gentleman accepting his award, talking about playing for the pride of the front of the jersey. After his experiences, leading IU to six national championships and several National Coach of the Year honors personally, that seems like a perfect message for Yeagley to send. Even before the huge high school soccer explosion in the ‘90s, there was Yeagley and his program at IU that set the bar so high.

I was familiar with Yeagley, and that started when I was as student at Butler. I had a group of five very close friends that played soccer for the Butler program – including local North Central product Cory Edgington – and every year when IU was next on the schedule, it was almost like the next coming of something higher up. The way my buddies spoke of IU and Yeagley in particular, buddies that truly understood college soccer, made me quickly realize what he meant to the game.

Most people in the crowd probably didn’t even flinch when they saw other prominent faces in attendance, including Dallas Clark, IU athletic director Rick Greenspan, Clark Kellogg, former Pacer Scot Pollard and many others. For me, not that I get star struck by any means, it was just cool to see that events like this can bring together figures from all different areas within sports – and all local flavor. Hoosiers should be proud.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:

• One of HSSTM's December covergirls, Hamtilon SE diver Sarah Clay, has signed a letter of intent to join Michigan State University's swim and dive program next year.
• I have a correction from the magazine I would like to share. On page 11 of the current April issue, we have a photo and caption of Arsenal Tech girls tennis player Kelly Fritz. This spring, however, Kelly has decided to forego her high school tennis season and has joined the high school crew team with the Indianapolis Rowing Center. Best of luck to Miss Fritz, and apologies for any confusion.
• I also have some tragic and extremely difficult news to share, for those outside Boone County who may not have heard. Natalie Duke, a sophomore at Western Boone and the September issue Shelbourne Clinic Comeback Athlete of the Month, was killed in a car accident early this week. HSSTM sends our sincere condolences to the Duke family, and you can read the news story from The Boone Sun by clicking here. May this be a lesson and reminder to our young drivers, in part so that Natalie's memory will live on.

We’ve been talking about spring and keeping our eye on spring sports for a few weeks now, but it just hasn’t felt right.

Finally, it feels like spring.

Amazing what the sun can do. Even though it’s still a little crisp outside, that big yellow thing just makes a huge difference. You know what else makes a difference? Spring sports are starting to get in the swing of things.

• Don’t know if you saw it (or voted on it), but I thought the poll question on our homepage last week was pretty interesting. Especially the results. The question was: Which team do you think is most likely to repeat as state champs this spring? In what I thought was a shocker, Scecina softball took 34.4 percent of the votes to lead the way – even after losing one of the best players in the state, Emily Wethington. Second place, which I thought would have easily been first, was Park Tudor girls tennis with 30 percent. After that it was a big drop off: Hamilton SE softball (11%), Warren girls track (10%), Cathedral baseball (7.8%) and Warren boys track (6.7%). Anyone care to share their thoughts on that? It’s a decent debate this time of year, early in the season.
• We put up a little story on the Class 3A No. 2 New Pal softball squad on the homepage yesterday, so if you care to read, here it is. The Dragons, led by the Marcum sisters and senior Jessica Huey, have quite a week ahead. Games include a Thursday date with heated rival Mt. Vernon, followed by hosting Class A No. 1 Lutheran on Friday and 4A No. 1 Pendleton Heights on Monday. I guess New Pal will find out how good it is. I love when good teams schedule big games during the regular season, especially when it’s out of conference and voluntary. New Pal also just added 2A No. 1 Scecina to its schedule for May 2.
  
• A few more news-y things to pass along, if you haven’t heard. Beech Grove boys basketball coach Randy Males, fresh off a thrilling sectional title on the Hornets’ home floor, has resigned from the sidelines. Males coached 11 seasons for the Hornets and will continue teaching at the school. Also, Greg Schellhase has left as athletic director at Guerin and will take the same position at Zionsville.
• Just some players that have gotten off to great starts, in other words, players you might want to go see this spring: Heritage Christian lacrosse All-American David James; Franklin Central softball pitcher Chanda Bell; Avon softball pitcher Jenny Esparza; Cathedral golfer Corey Ziedonis; Mt. Vernon baseball pitcher/hitter Tyler Calder; Ben Davis boys track sprinters (Matthew Terrell, etc.); Lawrence North boys track jumper Tra Wilson and thrower Brandon Pounds…and many, many more.
• Time to get outside this week…lots of great games going on. In baseball, the Carmel vs. North Central rivalry is renewed in a Thursday-Friday home-and-home. The Greyhounds are currently No. 1 in 4A while the Panthers cracked the rankings at No. 10 this week. Also on the diamond, 4A No. 2 Brownsburg travels to Noblesville tomorrow (Wednesday), just after the preseason No.1  Millers dropped out of the top 10. In track, Decatur Central hosts the Hawk Invite this Friday, featuring Decatur discus stud Bob Belden. Belden recently broke two-time defending state champ Josh Greenwald’s school record. Congrats kid!

The team here at HSSTM has been efficiently cramming this week, putting together the May issue on the heels of spring break. That might not sound like a big deal, but with the way Central Indiana migrates for spring break these days, it put us a little bit behind.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that we're very thankful for Mother Nature this week, because without her kindness, we wouldn't have had any photos for the next issue. And that would be a bad thing.

• Let's start with Billy Packer, that's always fun. It's been a while since I've blogged so I know I'm a little late on the NCAA title game comments, but Packer's color analysis tends to stick around for a while. My favorite Packer-ism of the Monday night Kansas win? Not even two minutes into the game, two minutes, CBS flashes the graphic showing how close the two team's statistics are for the season...points per game, field goal percentage, points allowed, etc...and here's what Packer says, roughly speaking: "We're on pace for a game in the low 80s." Really? It was 4-1 at that point. 4-1. Let's use your head, Billy.
• Next Tuesday, the 15th, myself and colleague Brian Moore have been fortunate to be invited to the third annual Thomas A. Brady Sports Achievement Awards, hosted by my bud Anthony Calhoun from WISH-TV. It's a night full of big names from around the state, which you can read more about by clicking here, but the night is really about celebrating some of the finest true student-athletes we have here in Indiana.
• This will be posted on our hompage at some point today, but thought I would give you guys the link to a YouTube video of Franklin baseball standout Brad Hook at the 2008 Power Showcase Home Run Derbyheld in Florida. Hook will be featured in our upcoming May issue. Stay tuned.
• Had a chat over the phone last evening with Lutheran softball coach Don Peitz, who's really one of the good guys as far as coaches go. Great guy to just have a conversation with. Anyway, Peitz is about as happy as a pig in mud these days as the young talent just keeps rolling in for the Class A No. 1 Saints. Now-sophomores Brandi Lawson, Morgan Lewis, Amanda Korb and Molly Birk played a huge roll in last year's state title, and this season there's even more freshmen making an impact. Pitcher Erin Moeller got the win last Saturday over Triton Central, for starters. And yet another freshman expected of big things is Chaunsey Bell, younger sister of Franklin Central star pitcher Chanda Bell. Look for the Saints to keep rolling through Class A again this season.

Hitting Friday is normally a good thing, but not when most people are enjoying sun and sand while wrapping up Spring Break.

Not that I have anything to complain about after a recent five-day trip to Tuscon, Ariz. where the sun was shining and the golf was glorious. I think I lost about 18 Titleists that succumbed to the the cactus-laden desert lining the fairways. But hey, at least I wasn't stupid enough to go searching through the brush where the rattlers reside.

Not sure if more than three people are going to read this, but I thought I'd give a little update as to what we've been up to this week and what lies ahead for plans next week.

Being the photography manager for the magazine, I'm pleased to announce a spring photo contest for our area high school students. If you know ANYONE that might be interested, please pass on the good word or simply send the story link around. We are doing our best to get as many students involved in our magazine as possible, so the help is much appreciated.

Hopefully most of you have had the chance to see our First Anniversary Issue, but if not, here you go. Our staff here had a lot of fun picking our our first-year favorites, found on p. 52, so feel free to share yours as well by commenting on this blog or e-mailing us at letters.centralindiana@hsstm.com.

Also this week on our homepage, we've given a little love to early-season boys golf with an extended version of Coaches' Corner. As some of you know, I'm a little biased toward the links...but fortunately growing up in Illinois, I didn't have to worry about early-season weather and offseason troubles as we played in the fall.

Our very own Brian Moore caught up with Heritage Christian baller Kelly Faris upon her commitment to play for national power Connecticut when she heads to college in 2009-10. Congrats to Faris, she's a classy young lady and a very hard worker.

Next week, HSSTM will be painting the town and hopefully bringing good weather with us. I'll be headed to Martinsville on monday for the softball team's showdown with Center Grove (and covergirl Emily Gwaltney). We also have plans to stop by the New Pal @ Roncalli softball game on Tuesday, the Warren Central girls track invitational on Thursday and the Zionsville-Lafayette Jeff lacrosse game on Friday. Who knows, we might even show up at your family dinner one night. 

Lastly...who've you got in the Final Four this weekend? I have UCLA beating Kansas in my bracket for the title game, but I actually would take North Carolina over UCLA if I had to choose right now. Don't be surprised if Memphis comes out running and gunning tomorrow and surprises UCLA.

Have a great weekend, if anyone is reading.

In one word: unbelievable.

As soon as I saw Austin Fish's inbounds pass hit the floor, I thought it was over. Surely, the clock would run out as there were just 2.1 seconds left when Fish threw the pass.

But Julian Mavunga jumped, in synchronization with Marion's Jay Edwards Jr., and managed to tip the ball into open space in the lane. Then, virtually out of nowhere, Gordon Hayward did basketball's version of the scoop-and-score, sending the Brownsburg contingency into complete mayhem at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday night. After all, the buzzer-beater meant that Brownsburg had claimed the school's first ever boys basketball state title...in about as thrilling of fashion as one could imagine.

"I don't know how I got open or how it went in. It's just an unbelievable feeling," Hayward said, almost immediately following the celebration. "It just went in, I don't know what to say. I thought it might have been over once (the ball got tipped), but it slipped out and I was able to get it up there (before the buzzer). I can't believe this is even happening."

Well said, Mr. Hayward. Hard to imagine there would be words to describe such a moment.

To put it in some context, the last two minutes of the 4A championship game, which ended in a 40-39 Bulldog victory in what was largely a defensive struggle, was quite full of drama. With Brownsburg up two points after a one-for-two trip to the line by J.D. Cosby, Marion got the ball with about 50 seconds remaining. They held the ball, called timeout with about 15 seconds to play, and junior Scott Wood drilled a 3-pointer for a one-point lead and 2.1 seconds remaining.

Keep in mind, Wood, a sharpshooter who came into the title game shooting 45 percent from behind the arc this season, was 0-for-7 from long distance at that point. Everyone and their brother thought that the game would be in the hands of Julius Mays, who ended up dishing off to Wood for the shot. Talk about some serious mental fortitude for Wood to be able to knock it down after struggling all game.

Those last few seconds were a great soap opera, from Marion's lead-taking 3-pointer to a series of called timeouts in a chess match prior to the final play. Then, from my seat courtside opposite the Bulldog fans, I saw (almost) the entire town of Brownsburg erupt in chaos. It was the stuff that scripts are made of. 

"Wow. It was a rollercoaster, it really was," said Brownsburg coach Josh Kendrick, talking about those last emotions. "During the timeouts, I thought our kids got to follow the learship of Gale Watson, he's kind of our spiritual leader. In the huddle he said, 'Fellas, believe.' It obviously didn't go as I drew it up, but it went in and that's all that matters."

Kendrick himself was like a little kid during the postgame celebration. I don't blame him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said. "Everybody dreams of this. There are times to be poised and there's time to be excited, and now is one of those times to let it all hang out. What a great story for these young men, who all year have been underrated, underappreciated and undervalued. To pull this off is a great, great chapter in their lives."

It was a great team effort by Brownsburg on Saturday, which explains why there were able to overcome a poor overall shooting performance to win the game. Mavunga was a beast again, but the likes of Fish, Cosby and Mitch Jankowski made big plays at key moments.

I've seen some state championship games in my relatively short time here, but nothing like that. I feel for the Marion squad, whose emotions were the exact opposite from the quotes you just read above. It was Indiana high school hoops at its finest, where a community was tied together through the bond of supporting the school. Well done.

We've kept your mind away from the boys basketball state finals on this here blogging scene at HSSTM. But now it's time to get back to b-ball, as two local teams take to the Conseco Fieldhouse floor tomorrow for what should be another fantastic spectacle.

Yesterday I spoke with Jason Wille, the sports information director at the IHSAA, and tickets are apparently going like hotcakes (mmmm...hotcakes). The IHSAA is expecting a near-sellout or a complete packed house by the time Brownsburg and Marion take the court for the 4A title game around 8:00. Not that attendance ever struggles at the state finals, but having two schools that travel extremely well doesn't hurt the situation. Just from seeing the crowds at Southport for regionals and semistate, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the entire town of Brownsburg might be showing up tomorrow.

Let's start with that 4A matchup. The only conclusion I can really come to is that I will be shocked if this game isn't decided in the last few minutes. The two squads both seem to feel comfortable in a similar tempo, where scores more often than not end up in the 50s or 60s. Both teams will run floor when the time is right, Marion a bit more than Brownsburg, but this contest will be decided in the half-court sets.

It's no secret that the Bulldogs must have both Gordon Hayward and Julian Mavunga running the show. They proved last week that they both don't necessarily have to be at the top of their game, as Mavunga sat the bench in foul trouble for a few lengthy stretches against New Albany, but these two have the weight of this game on their shoulders. They've dominated virtually all tournament, and something tells me that Hayward and Mavunga won't let that stop tomorrow.

As far Marion, who came into the season as the No. 1 team in 4A, they are a little bit more balanced. With Julius Mays (18.5 ppg) and Scott Wood (16 ppg, 45 percent 3-point shooting) controlling the backcourt, they can be extremely dangerous. Reason being, that outside combo can be opened up by inside-outside play of Jay Edwards, Jr. (13.8 ppg). If Brownsburg can slow down that trio, the Bulldogs will win this game based on defensive prowess.

Moving to the 1A game, between Lutheran and Triton, it is just difficult to see Lutheran's ride ending with a loss in this game. I've never seen Triton play and don't know much about them, but I say this about Lutheran because they have such determined and fundamental leadership from a huge group of seniors. I think there's a lot to be said about a team full of seniors, that have played together for the better part of their lives, simply because it's all about the team. There's no true superstars on the Saints, which I think has allowed them to use their chemistry and goal-oriented approach to their utmost advantage in the postseason.

I'll be at the 1A and 4A games to take it all in. There's always a couple events on the high school circuit that are worth seeing no matter who's playing, and the boys hoops state championships are definitely one of them. Conseco will be rocking for the first time since last March (other than maybe a Reba McEntire concert), so you should be there, too.

Time to turn on the TV to watch the second day of the NCAA's to unfold. In case you're wondering, yours truly is leading the HSSTM office pool after Day 1. Big surprise. Butler's a lock today...mark it down.

I could write about the Brownsburg and Lutheran boys hoops teams, again, because they frankly deserve it and it's the state finals this weekend.

But I know that we (and the rest of the media around here) have given plenty of attention to our area's b-ball winners lately, and I'm sure we'll be providing plenty more as the week goes on. I'll have a state finals preview up on our homepage tomorrow after I attend this afternoon's press conference, while Brian Moore was nice to recap Brownsburg and Lutheran from last weekend's semistate.

But for now, let's give a few news and notes as spring sports really start kicking into first gear this week. It's always difficult to shift focus, especially when its 45 degrees and rainy, but we can all look forward to getting outside a little bit here in the near future.

One of the first big track meets of the new campaign is set for this Saturday down at IU in Bloomington, where the Marshall Goss Relays will be taking center stage. Lawrence North (preseason No. 3 for both boys and girls) heads a field that includes North Central (No. 2 girls; No. 6 boys), Lawrence Central (No. 4 boys; No. 18 girls), Center Grove (No. 10 boys; No. 11 girls), Fishers, Arlington and many others.

Those rankings above are courtesy of the IATCCC, and you can see the full top 20 for both boys and girls on our homepage. The pull-down menus are having a few minor glitches, so please bear with us but you can still click away and find all the rankings you are looking for. We have also posted preseason coaches' polls in baseball and softball for all four classes. Girls tennis and boys golf should be coming in the near future. All rankings will be updated every week as soon as they're sent to us.

Speaking of softball, several of the area's top teams open their respective seasons this week. Tonight, 4A No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern is home to North Central, while Wednesday marks first games for 3A No. 9 Roncalli (vs. an always-tough Martinsville squad) and 4A No. 5 Pendleton Heights (vs. Shenandoah). Then on Thursday, 4A No. 4 Avon has an opening-game home date against Pike.

Baseball gets started next week, including preseason 4A No. 1 Noblesville welcoming Lebanon to town on March 26. Also on the 26th, parochial school rivals start the season on the same field when 4A No. 3 Cathedral travels a short distance to play 3A No. 8 Chatard.

Welcome back friends, it's time to do another mailbag...where discussion can get interesting and sometimes off topic. Mostly just to tell me how wrong or stupid I am because I enjoy that so much. And just for clarification, I have full rights to edit grammar and spelling...which isn't a strong suit for some. That's part of what it get paid to do, so it's cool. Not that we're perfect here by any stretch of the imagination.

Here we go, this edition's opening tip:

Posted by "Gregory" on the March 3 blog: "Walter Matthau? You've got to be kidding me. What are you, 65? How about something from Apocalypse Now like: 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning'."

The Mind: Hmmm...where to start. A line about napalm? Really? I'm going to guess that you might fairly new to The Mind, and that's a great thing but would mean that you missed the banter about how I'm just terrible with movies in so many ways. Just not my thing. But nor is napalm. Also, yes, I'm 65 and Walter is my homeboy.

Posted by "Kyle Travis" on March 3: "Wow...are you the interviewer of the stars? (Tony) Dungy, (Cal) Ripken, Bill Lynch...who's next, the President?"

The Mind: George W? Somehow that just doesn't seem to go together with "High School Sports - The Magazine." I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic or not, but I appreciate the kudos nonetheless...really just doing my job. Always trying to add some flavor to what is seen everywhere else. Most of the time I feel like we do a good job of that, other times we haven't. I'll get an interview with the prez when I'm the prez and get back with you.

Posted by "The Bruce is Loose" on March 3: "Let's hope (North Central boys hoops coach) Doug Mitchell isn't as dirty off the court as Bruce Pearl. And I don't mean because of his massive amount of flop sweat each game."

The Mind: That's really just unneccesary to speculate on such a thing when Mitchell happens to be a great guy and a class act as a person, ever since I've talked to him. We have this whole "comment approval" system here on the blog and I'm actually a little disappointed I didn't deny this one from being posted, just because that's not what we're about here. And besides, what has ever been proven against Pearl, other than hearsay?

Posted by "Neil James" on the March 10 blogregarding Brownsburg boys hoops: "New Albany awaits...end-o-season, Brownsburg, but thanks for playing."

The Mind: Neil is entitled to his opionion, of course, and he might be correct when it's all said and done. But...I don't know how you can sleep on a team with two standout D-I recruits that have combined for 81 points and 60 rebounds as a pair for both games on Regional saturday. The level of competition that Brownsburg has beaten, just look at the list of teams through sectionals and regionals: Pike, Decatur Central, North Central and Carmel. North Central was one of the hottest teams in 4A in the tournament and Carmel was in the top 5 since the third or fourth week of the season. New Albany, undefeated at 26-0, has beaten Bedford North Lawrence (8-13), Jeffersonville (11-12), East Central (16-8) and Evansville Reitz (17-8) to get to this point. Not sure how much that is going to mean come gametime, but Brownsburg's confidence must be soaring after last Saturday. It's just a matter of whether or not they stay hungry. I have not seen New Albany play, which makes this somewhat tough to analyze, but I've heard different things about them. Some people say "look out, nobobdy knows about these guys around here" and other say they can be beaten with size and smarts. All I know for sure is that it has the makings of a great one.

Rep the western suburbs, Brownsburg, go ahead. And feel good about it.

How 'bout them Bulldogs? You know, it's actually nice to see a fresh face making a deep run in 4A boys basketball. Seems like it has been the same five or six area schools for the past 10 years. But Saturday, Brownsburg dealt two stiff blows to the pride of Indy's north side by taking out North Central and Carmel -- getting the team in purple its first regional title since 1995.

Maybe the best part about it? Just seeing the Brownsburg student section do its thing. They came deep and they came strong, even being Julian Mavunga's bowling pins during pregame warm-ups.

From a basketball standpoint, coach Josh Kendrick and his squad controlled the pace of play in the 63-59 championship against the Greyhounds. Brownsburg was not going to win that game had the score gotten into the 70s, but it didn't happen. The Bulldogs didn't allow it to happen.

While Mavunga (17 points, 11 boards) and Gordon Hayward (21 points, 11 boards) carried the load offensively, I was just as impressed with the team's defensive performance in controlling the pace. As a unit, the Bulldogs were smart to get back quickly to the defensive end which prevented Carmel from running the floor too much. Brownsburg also spread the floor defensively which, in turn, spread out the Carmel offense. They Greyhounds aren't the same team when Daniel Moore can't penetrate or run the fast break as he does so well. I also felt like the Carmel offense wasn't patient enough in the half-court set to work the ball inside, but with the Bulldogs leading much of the game, sometimes the 3-pointer can seem like the quickest and best way to climb back or keep within striking distance.

After one of the more memorable Saturdays in the program's history, Brownsburg will now sit and wait until late Tuesday night to know its semistate opponent. They'll play the winner of the Seymour Regional that was postponed until tonight and tomorrow, where consensus 4A No. 1 New Albany (24-0) resides. New Albany faces East Central (16-7) tonight, while Evansville Reitz (16-7) and Terre Haute North (11-12) are in the other regional semi at that site.

REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

• Another tip of the hat to Lutheran, a squad I mentioned last week for winning its first ever sectional title. Well, the Saints marched on with a regional championship with convincing wins over Shakamak (19-6) and South Decatur (14-10), both by double digits. Always great to see a group of seniors make some history at their school. Seniors Jared Broughton, Zach Cutshaw, Eric Borst, Ryan Maddigan, Austin Glander and Jordan Jones all had a say in Saturday's triumph. Lutheran's (21-4) next opponent will either be Borden (19-5), Tecumseh (19-5) or Orleans (20-1).
• The area's two other regionals with local squads, 3A Shelbyville and 2A Greenfield-Central, will be played tonight and tomorrow due to the March snow storm (it's almost painful to even type those last three words). For a 2A bracket click here and for a 3A bracket click here.
• Around the state, there were some great regionals that are worth noting this time of year. In 4A, defending state champ East Chicago Central fell in a triller, 61-60, to SB Riley (22-5). The 4A preseason No. 1 team, Marion (23-4), stayed alive with a 42-40 overtime win against a New Castle (18-6) team that had already beaten Lafayette Jeff (23-2) in the afternoon semis. Marion now plays SB Riley in this coming weekend's semistate. Also, In 3A, Tyler Zeller and Washington had a heck of a regional performance at home in the Hatchet House by avenging an earlier loss to Edgewood (23-3) and then claiming the regional title against Evansville Memorial (21-2).
• Last, an in-house note to remind you to check back to our homepage later this afternoon and the rest of the week. We'll be putting together stories about the hockey state finals and a look ahead to boys hoops semistate on Thursday morning....among other updates, of course.

Big weekend on the plate, and we're all over it. Well, as much as we can be with five people on staff.

HSSTM will be hitting the early games at three of the four local boys hoops regionals, and we're excited to be travelling to some areas we haven't visited in a while. Our very own husband-wife ownership combo (Phil and Jennifer Temple) will be headed south to Shelbyville for a fine 3A regional where Danville takes on Rushville followed by Beech Grove duking it out with Batesville. We'll have a table set up in the arena with copies of the March issue, and a photographer capturing the action at the championship nightcap.

As for me, I'll be headed to the 4A Southport Regional where four local teams will be on the floor. Personally, I'm eager to take in the 10 a.m. marquee matchup between North Central and Brownsburg, which can only be rivaled for "best game" by the Beech Grove-Batesville 3A contest. On a related note, North Central coach Doug Mitchell has been selected as the head coach USA Men's Junior National Team that will participate at the Nike Hoop Summit in April. The event is in Portland, Ore. and pits the US team against a 19-and-under World Select Team. Something tells me Mitchell isn't too worried about that right now, but thought it was worth a mention.

We'll also have magazines down in Martinsville at the 1A regional where local squads Lutheran and Waldron will be trying to stay alive in the tourney. Congrats to Lutheran senior Jared Broughton (and the rest of the seniors) who won their first ever sectional last weekend. I talked to Broughton for "Grill" in the March Issue and was pleased to see a group of hard-working kids finally reach their goal of capturing a sectional.

One event probably not on many people's radar this weekend is the hockey state finals, which will be taking place Saturday and Sunday at the Pepsi Coliseum. HSSTM will be there with  March magazines and capturing the sights with one of our fine photographers, as Saturday's first game at 11:30 a.m. sees Carmel Gold taking on SB Riley in the 4A championship. Following that game is the 5A contest between Hamilton SE and Culver. Sunday's action starts for local teams at 11:30 a.m. when Cathedral-Chatard takes on Evansville for the 2A title, followed by a 1:30 faceoff between Noblesville and Columbus for the 3A crown. If you haven't been able to catch a high school hockey game, trust me, it's worth it.

I headed out the door yesterday morning to go grab some breakfast, only to think that I was Walter Matthau in the opening scene of "Grumpy Old Men." Everybody now, hit that tune...

"We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave..."

Ah yes. And one of the first sure-fire signs of spring around my neighborhood? The traffic jam on the Monon Trail for a good 12 hours yesterday. Another sure-fire sign of spring? Well, it's March, and we've got hoops galore to discuss.

BOYS SECTIONALS

I went out to Warren Central for Sectional 10 semis on Friday night. Classic Hoosier Hysteria. What a second half between Cathedral and Lawrence North, although both programs ended their seasons this weekend. The crowd was great, but the action on the floor made this one suspenseful. Cathedral's full-court press put them within striking distance in the last minute, but LN was poised in icing the game on the foul line. But this sectional was all about North Central, who surprised many with its performance in Saturday night's title game. Fantastic coaching job by Doug Mitchell to do his best impersonation of Bruce Pearl and Tennessee, having his players remain relentless from baseline to baseline throughout all 32 minutes and finally wore down the Wildcats in the end.

How 'bout that finish at Beech Grove? The host Hornets did it the hard way last week by winning possibly the toughest three-game stretch out of anyone in the state. Eric Weathers' buzzer-beater against Northwest in the title game gave Beech Grove their first sectional title in 15 years, and that was after an 8-point win against Roncalli and another 2-point win against Chatard in the semis.

Another fantastic finish came out of 2A Sectional 46 hosted by South Putnam, where Tri West finally got over the hump with a sectional title. After heartbreak the past two seasons as favorites in that sectional, the Bruins earned the crown with a 50-49 win against Covenant Christian. Andrew Keck made the two most important shots of his life when he sunk two free throws with four seconds remaining to take the lead. And his arms were probably feeling like Jello at that point.

Keep an eye out this week on the blog and homepage for a look at upcoming regionals. There's still a few delayed sectional title games tonight as well, one at Carmel where the Greyhounds will take on Noblesville and one at Triton Central where Heritage Christian will be battling with Ritter.

GIRLS STATE FINALS

And the reason that the Carmel boys sectional game is being played tonight? Well, there was another pretty important game being played for the school on Saturday night at Conseco. The ladies were led by Chrissy Steffen's 31 points in capping off quite a memorable tournament for her individually. And for the school, the girls hoops program's first ever state championship resulted in No. 100 overall. The Greyhounds were on a mission throughout the tourney and made that clear by adapting their style of play to their opponents, including their best offensive effort on Saturday against a high octane SB Washington team.

"Three" was the magic number for Heritage Christian in the 2A title game, as the Eagles notched No. 3 in a row with a controlling 53-31 win against previously undefeated Oak Hill. A third quarter run sealed it for the Eagles, but it was the defensive effort that really set the tone in pulling away. Will this be a rematch of next year's 2A title game? Both teams return just about everybody.

And, although they didn't come out of Conseco with state titles, University and Chatard need to be commended for fine seasons on the hardwood. In 3A, Chatard fell in a nail-biter to Plymouth, 47-46, while University couldn't seem to get its offense rolling in a 36-32 loss to FW Canterbury. When you make it this far, it surely has been a fun ride despite the disappointment.

To wrap things up for today, I'd just like to say thanks to all of the players and fans that make this time of year so memorable for everyone...win or lose. As all of you can attest, it is the players on the floor who lay it all out on the line and show us what high school athletics is all about. Cheers.

It's a big day for HSSTM, releasing the digital copy of the March issue and announcing the addition of six new advertisers this month. For those of you keeping score at home, this issue makes No. 12. In other words, we're pleased to have officially made it for a full calendar year. Hold onto you seats, this is just the start of a long and adventurous journey.

On these blogs over the past couple of weeks, there have been several people commenting about the situation with Class 4A Sectional 10 and why it's so loaded. Well, we didn't want to spoil it, but we feature this sectional on our new cover and you can read more about it coming from our fine feature writer, Mike Beas, starting on p. 36. I'll be out at Sectional 10's semifinals on Friday with hords of new magazines, so be on the lookout if you're in the packed house at Warren Central's gym. Cathedral takes on Lawrence North in the 6 p.m. game with North Central vs. Broad Ripple following in the nightcap.

On our homepage this week, we've got a by-the-numbers preview of the girls hoops state finals this Saturday. We also have an extended version of "Coaches' Corner" with area boys hoops coaches, along with a list of the local girls who made Hoosier Basketball Magazine's top 100 seniors.

Onto the more timely news, coming from area boys hoops sectionals that have been heating up the hardwood last evening and the night before. Indianapolis Washington notched its first sectional victory since 1995 last evening with a mini-upset of host Triton Central, 59-40. It's good to see the Continentals back on the map, and they'll play Heritage Christian in the semifinals of Class 2A Sectional 43.

In other notable games, Franklin notched a slight upset last evening against Whiteland in 4A Sectional 11. It was a rubber match for the two teams this season, who had split two previous regular season matchups. Franklin will now play Franklin Central in the semis on Friday at Perry Meridian, with the other semifinal pitting host Perry against Southport. Should be a great night on the near-Southside.

A couple other in-county rivals will be playing sectional battles in the semis tomorrow. Pendleton Heights will be taking on Madison County rival Anderson in the New Castle Sectional, while Hamilton County foes Carmel and Hamilton SE square off in the Greyhounds gym. The other Carmel Sectional semifinal also sees county foes when Fishers takes on Noblesville.

In 3A Sectional 26 that we have been keeping an eye on, Chatard got an impressive 15-point win against Howe on Tueday and now will face host Beech Grove in tomorrow's semis. If you've got nothing to do tomorrow night, that would be a top destination to consider. Northwest takes on Brebeuf in the other semifinal.

If you're going to a game, keep an eye out for copies of the new March issue. I'm trying to get a stack down to the Shelbyville Sectional championship on Saturday night, as well as Beech Grove and hopefully a few others. And this is a fair question: are the sectional semis and championships more appealing than the state championships now? Attendance might say so.