By Brady Extin | The Times-Post
MADISON COUNTY — The postseason path is set for both Lapel and Pendleton Heights.
On Sunday, Indiana High School Athletic Association announced pairings for the first two weeks (sectional and regional tournaments) of the 48th Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament.
The Class 4A Sectinal 9 tournament was scheduled to be played at Pendleton Heights, but flood damage to the school’s basketball court forced the week-long event to find another home — Mt. Vernon.
The sectional opens Tuesday, Jan. 31, with the teams owning the second- and third-best records playing the lone game at 6 p.m. Pendleton Heights (13-8) plays Greenfield-Central (12-9) with the winner meeting the host Marauders on Friday.
On the other half of the bracket, New Palestine is the only team with a .500 record. The 10-10 Dragons play the first of two games on Wednesday, Feb. 1. They’ll take on Richmond (6-14) prior to the Muncie Central (5-15) vs. Anderson (6-13) contest. Wednesday’s winners play the second semifinal on Friday.
The championship game is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4.
Mt. Vernon (15-6) is the defending champion in Class 4A Sectional 9. The Marauders have the best record in the seven-team tournament and were drawn the bye for the second straight year.
Mt. Vernon is 5-0 against sectional opponents. Pendleton Heights is 3-1, with the lone loss coming to Mt. Vernon in December.
In Class 2A Sectional 40, Lapel will meet the host school and a familiar opponent — Wapahani — in Round 1.
The Bulldogs (15-7) played Wapahani (18-3) on Tuesday after press time, and will meet them again exactly a week later at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. The winner will meet Alexandria-Monroe (15-4) in the first of two semifinal games to be played on Friday, Feb. 3.
The Bulldogs defeated Wapahani in last year’s Sectional 40 semifinal 68-49.
On the other side of the bracket, Munice-Burris (0-13) faces Wes-Del (3-16), and Monroe Central (10-9) faces Winchester Community (16-6) with both games to be played on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
The championship game is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The Sectional 40 reigning champ, Frankton, is in Class 3A this year.
Lapel is 2-1 against sectional opponents, defeating Alexandria-Monroe and Monroe Central, but falling to Winchester Community 66-52 in the opening game of the season.
Along with the sectional draw, the IHSAA announced pairings for first-round regional games to be played on Saturday, Feb. 11. Unlike recent years, the regional is a single-game championship. The semistate becomes a two-game tournament that will take place on Feb. 18.
The winner of the Mt. Vernon Sectional will play the winner of the Southport Sectional at 4 p.m. at Decatur Central High School. The Southport Sectional is also a seven-team tournament that includes Southport, Ben Davis, Perry Meridian, Franklin Central, Decatur Central, Roncalli and Pike.
The winner of the Wapahani Sectional will play the winner of the Blackford Sectional at 4 p.m. at Lapel High School. The Blackford sectional is also a seven-team tournament that includes Eastbrook, Madison-Grant, Eastern, Blackford, Taylor, Tipton and Elwood.