2020 Boys Basketball Sectional

2020 BOYS BASKETBALL

SECTIONALS FOREST PARK n HERITAGE HILLS n JASPER NORTHEAST DUBOIS n SOUTHRIDGE

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MONDAY, march 2, 2020 section b

page 2 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

Herald file photo

John Goebel of Jasper, left, is the leader among active local boys coaches with six sectional titles, and Nate Hawkins of Heritage Hills, right, has three championships.

Local coaches recall past sectional triumphs

BY COREY STOLZENBACH sports@dcherald.com There’s no shortage of success when it comes to local boys basketball coaches in the sectional tournament. Four coaches have combined to win 15 sectional championships, and there could be more on the way this year.

Jasper’s John Goebel is the leader among active boys coaches with six sectional titles. Goebel won four straight crowns at Evansville Mater Dei from 2003-06, including a state championship in 2004, and has won another two with Jasper in 2014 and 2019. The 1987 Mater Dei graduate discussed what all his six championship teams had in common.

“They were all talented,” Goebel said. “There’s no doubt about that. They all were playing their best basketball at the right time of the season. They all suffered through some tough losses during the season. None of them were undefeated, but they got through those losses and they learned from them, and they kept growing as a team and they kept working together.

“I think that was probably the biggest ingredient,” he continued.

“All six of them, the teams had good chemistry.”

Goebel added that every player, regardless of how much time they saw on the floor, understood their role and contributed where they had to. Those teams had little selfishness or players with their own agenda.

He said chemistry is the one characteristic of a sectional championship team that is the most underestimated. Players need to care

about their school and for one another. Caring about winning more than they care about their own statistics is also key, Goebel said.

Goebel also pointed to the need for senior leadership, citing Jared Englert and Reece Milligan as examples of that on last year’s sectional title team.

He found one big thing to peaking at the right time is not dwelling on the losses. It isn’t the end of the world when his team loses.

However, it doesn’t mean the Wildcats have everything figured out if they go on a winning streak. He said the team must stay the course and realize there’s more work to do, win or lose.

The nature of the beast in the sectional tournament means teams that have good regular-season records will see their season end without a championship. Goebel said the best team he coached that didn’t win a sectional was the 2016 Jasper team when his son, Justin, was a senior.

The Wildcats won 17 games that season, including a 57-50 game against Pike Central on Feb. 13, 2016. They saw the Chargers March 5 in a rematch for a sectional championship, but that was a different story. Pike Central won 20 games that year, the last one coming at the expense of the Wildcats, 49-47, in the sectional title game. They fell just short after also knocking off an 18-win Washington team and 17-win Vincennes Lincoln team.

“It was really a tough row to hoe,” Goebel said. “We got the absolute worst draw that we could get and just didn’t have quite enough gas to get over the hump.

As far as sectional losses, that

was the most disappointing of my career.”

The 2013-14 Wildcats hovered around .500 for much of the season. A 54-53 loss Feb. 18 at Princeton put them at 9-9. Then they won five in a row, including their first sectional championship with Goebel at the helm, and first sectional crown overall since Jasper went to semistate in 2001-02.

“We played some good games and came up just short,” he said.

“Basketball’s a funny sport like that. You can play well and still lose this game. We felt like most of that season, we were playing well, and we had two juniors on the team that year in Nolan Ahrens and Tyler Begle, who were good shooters for us, but we had some seniors like Rhiley Eckert and Courtland Betts and Austin Alles, who provided great leadership for us and did a lot of good things as well.

“It was just a perfect storm,” Goebel continued. “We had leadership. We had some kids that could put the ball in the bucket and they put the defense first and were a team that got along really well.”

His mindset is there’s always the possibility his team is going to win the sectional until they’re eliminated. All six of Goebel’s triumphs in the sectional have felt the same to him. He’s proud of all of them. Not one sectional championship is more special than the other to Goebel. His teams have been to many sectional championship games in his career, and he is proudest of those teams’ preparedness.

“We do feel, as a program, that we get teams ready for that tournament, and I don’t know if people

really understand how difficult it is to win a sectional. But we do feel like, in most years, that we go into the sectional believing we can win and having the tools to win it,” he said.

He hopes that will ring true this year as the Wildcats seek a sectional repeat.

“One of the reasons I still coach is because, especially at tournament time, I’m still nervous,” Goebel said. “I remember Larry Bird had said one time he knew it was time to retire because he wasn’t nervous before the games anymore, and I don’t feel that way. I’m still nervous before the games, but sectional time is a pressure cooker. You’ve got that sense of urgency and that nervousness and that anxiety and that excitement all rolled into one. I’ve gotten used to that feeling, but that feeling hasn’t gone away.”

Nate Hawkins knows as well as anybody how tough it is to win a sectional championship.

The Heritage Hills coach has not cut down the nets at sectionals since winning three straight titles at alma mater Forest Park from 2010-12. He saw himself fortunate to have the players he had with the Rangers.

“We had great teams, coachable kids, they played for each other and we were able to accomplish some great things while we were there,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins thought he was learning on the fly with his players, since he was a young coach at the time. Everybody bonded together.

Playing for one another with the toughness and defense Forest Park had contributed to its success, especially in 2010 and 2011

when the Rangers also won regional championships.

They lost in quadruple overtime, 47-45, against a Park Tudor team that had future NBA player Yogi Ferrell and future NBA G League player Trevon Bluiett in the 2010 semistate. Park Tudor denied the Rangers at semistate the next year, too, handing them their only loss of the 2010-11 season after starting 25-0.

Hawkins may be at another Pocket Athletic Conference school now, but it means a lot that he had the success he had at his alma mater. The 1998 graduate never won a sectional championship when he played for coach Denny Doutaz, but made all sorts of memories when he himself coached the team.

“It was really special,” he said.

“I will always have a special place in my heart for Forest Park.”

Now he’s hoping to do the same thing at Heritage Hills that he did three times at Forest Park. He had a winning season in each of his first three seasons with the Patriots, including 19 wins in a row during the 2018-19 season, but all three of those teams have been one and done in the sectional.

Hawkins thought last year’s team was the best team he coached that didn’t win a sectional.

“I really, truly thought that last year’s team, they were good enough,” Hawkins said. “I thought they were good enough to get it done. Like all of these things and to win a sectional, you’ve got to have a ball bounce your way, or you’ve got to have a little luck here See TITLES on Page 8

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional ■ page 3

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boys basketball sectional ■ page 5

Herald file photo

As one of Jasper’s primary weapons, senior guard Jackson Kabrick is battle tested. “We know we have the ability to go far in the postseason, and that’s what we’re looking to do,” he says.

Jasper looks to defend sectional championship

BY JONATHAN SAXON jsaxon@dcherald.com JASPER — It’s been quite the season for the Jasper Wildcats.

They won three of their first four games out of the gate, experienced a mid-winter nine-game winning streak and bounced back after a three-game skid for another late-season win streak, which included the program’s first-ever win over the Castle Knights in a 75-73 overtime outing on Feb. 14.

They also won the final Big Eight Conference championship, and seem to be on track in terms of competitive progress.

“We’re playing with a lot better attitude,” Wildcats coach John Goebel said. “We’re more competitive and working a little bit harder during the games.”

That being said, the Wildcats believe they’re going into sectional a bit under the radar. Last year, the Wildcats beat a lot of odds when they won a sectional title in their first season in Class 4A, and this year, the players feel as if they’re back in the same spot, having to prove they’re more than just another team in a playoff field that includes Castle, Evansville Reitz, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison and Evansville North.

“Winning sectional was a great experience for our program,” se-

Class 4A At Evansville North All Times ET Tuesday, March 3 G1: Jasper vs. Evansville Harrison G2: Evansville Central vs. Castle Friday, March 6 Semifinals G3: Winner of G1 vs. Evansville Reitz G4: Winner of G2 vs. Evansville North Saturday, March 7 Championship G5: Winner of G3 vs. Winner of G4

nior forward Quentin Harmon said. “But I don’t feel like we get the credit we deserve. We still have a chip on our shoulder going into sectional. We feel like we need to prove ourselves.”

“I don’t know if everybody considers us a big contender for the championship this year,” senior guard Jackson Kabrick added. “We know we have the ability to go far in the postseason, and that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Their coach, however, doesn’t mind that the Wildcats aren’t being heralded with a bunch of outside fanfare. To be clear, Goebel doesn’t think the Wildcats are getting disrespected, but he and the players have noticed that they’re never really in the discussion about which teams could be

dangerous or have a chance to win it all in March. But he thinks the Wildcats can use that, and further believes that the only opinions the team should be worried about are the ones in their locker room.

“In a way that’s good,” Goebel said. “You get to fly under the radar. All that really matters is how we feel about ourselves and what we can do. We believe in ourselves and what we’re doing.”

And defense is at the foundation of what they’ve been doing all season. The Wildcats have allowed fewer than 48 points per game, and have held opponents to less than 50 points in more than half of their contests. The shooting has been streaky at times, but the Wildcats play the kind of defense that gives them a chance whenever they step on the court.

“A key part of our nine-game win streak was our defense,” junior guard Caleb Burger said. The Wildcats allowed only two teams to score more than 50 points during that stretch. “That’s been our strength and key for us in big games, especially blocking out and rebounding.”

The Wildcats are a team that embodies the concept of the individuals combining to create a unit that is more than the sum of their individual parts. They don’t have an exceptionally dominant

“We’re playing with a lot better attitude.

We’re more competitive and working a little bit harder during the games.”

John Goebel Jasper coach

force at any one spot on the floor, but playing together allows them to overcome that challenge, especially on defense. Last season, the Wildcats were able to hold all three of their sectional opponents to less than 50 points, and Goebel staunchly believes they’ll need to produce a similar effort for another deep run. He also thinks the defensive success of teams in the recent past have made a strong impression on his players, which is why everyone was eager to buyin on the commitment to locking down the floor from the start of the season.

“It’s really the only way this program has been successful the last few years,” he said. “These seniors now saw that as they were growing up. They watched the

Jasper teams hit the floor and win games by playing defense. They’ve just borrowed that attitude.”

There are other things that need to fall in place for the Wildcats to claim another sectional title. They’ve been continually working to work from the insideout on offense, shoot the ball with more confidence and limit the turnovers that could turn to easy points for their opponents. But they know defense butters their bread, and it’ll also be what gets them through stretches where the baskets aren’t that plentiful.

“The thing that’s helped us be most successful is defense,” Harmon said. “That’s always our goal — be the better defensive team every night.”

The Wildcats will face the Harrison Warriors, whom they previously defeated 62-51 on Nov. 26, in the tournament’s first round.

Though the team may be drawing a bit from last season’s well of proving doubters wrong to give themselves extra motivation, Goebel reiterated that it’s a new day, and the team must be prepared for another long grind if they hope to repeat as sectional champions.

“We want to stay grounded,” he said. “We’ve had a good season, but we don’t want to go into the sectional overconfident. Sectional titles don’t come easy, and it’s going to be a lot of work.”

page 6 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

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boys basketball sectional ■ page 7

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Southridge was without junior Colson Montgomery (23) for a few games this season, but now, he’s good to go. Montgomery and his teammates understand that preparation is key to the team’s success. “We just have to stay focused and have hard practices. What we do in practice is what we’re going to do in the games,” Montgomery says.

Raiders feeling confident going into sectionals

BY JONATHAN SAXON jsaxon@dcherald.com HUNTINGBURG — It’s deja vu all over again in Huntingburg.

Similar to the 2017-18 season, the Southridge Raiders have had an inconsistent, up-and-down year and will be going into the tournament with a record under .500.

But a funny thing happened that season two years ago. The Raiders caught fire right when they needed to and maximized their draw to win their first sectional title since 2007, and the connection between then and now is not lost on the players who were around during that season.

“I do see a lot of similarities with that season,” senior forward Garrett Voegerl said. “We weren’t the best that year either offensivewise, but we were probably the best defensive team in that sectional. We were all nitty-gritty and always getting after it. That’s how this team is, too.”

“It’s a spitting image when I think about my freshman year and now,” junior guard Colson Montgomery added. “The season was kind of going the same, but we peaked at the right time. We didn’t get many wins going into the sectional, but we were getting better every day.”

Part of the Raiders’ struggles this season has to do with forces that are out of their control —

Class 2A At Southridge All Times ET Tuesday, March 3 G1: North Posey vs.

Evansville Mater Dei, 6:30 p.m.

G2: South Spencer vs.

Forest Park, 8 p.m.

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Tecumseh, 6:30 p.m.

G4: Winner of G2 vs.

Southridge, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Championship G5: Winner of G3 vs.

Winner of G4, 7:30 p.m.

injuries. Junior guard Camden Gasser missed most of the season after having surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb.

Sophomore guard Carter Whitehead broke his wrist on Jan. 18 against the Jasper Wildcats, and even Montgomery missed some time with a sprained ankle in late January. Not having the ability to play with all your guys or establish a sense of stability are hard factors to work against, but the Raiders have done their best to push through and remain competitive on the court.

“We always take the next-manup mentality,” Raiders coach

Mark Rohrer said. “But you’ve got to have many next-man-up-type situations. I’ve been proud of how we’ve stayed competitive almost every single night.”

At the same time, some of the team’s struggles have been selfinflicted as well. The Raiders have had a fair number of games where they kept pace with their opponents for three quarters, only to let the game slip away from them in the fourth period, often by less than 10 points. They readily pointed to the defensive lapses they experienced and how those mistakes came back to bite them. They also have been working diligently to correct those errors, as they’re cognizant of how costly they’ll be when games turn into one-anddone affairs in March.

“We have some lapses during the game where we go off [mentally], then we’re down five or eight,” Montgomery said. “Now we have to dig ourselves out of that hole. In sectional, if that happens, the other team is going to try and stall. We can’t let that happen.

We just have to stay focused and have hard practices. What we do in practice is what we’re going to do in the games.”

The Raiders do have a couple of positives going for them heading into the tournament. First, the team is healthier than they’ve ever been, with the exception of Whitehead’s injury and some nicks

“Our guys have been in those big situations.

Come tournament time, the teams that have played in big moments ... have a better chance.”

Mark Rohrer

Southridge coach

and bruises that come during the season. Second, the Raiders have drawn a first-round bye and will face whoever emerges from the South Spencer/Forest Park game, which gives them more prep time.

Rohrer is a firm believer that the experience his players have in biggame moments, which includes postseason experience in football and baseball, will help prepare them to handle the pressure that comes with sectional basketball.

“Our guys have been in those big situations,” he said. “I told (Southridge baseball coach) Gene Mattingly I was so glad they went on that run. There’s nothing I can do in summer basketball or practice that can simulate those bigmoment situations. Come tournament time, the teams that have played in big moments, situations

and environments have a better chance. It’s not a guarantee, but those experienced kinds of teams have a better chance. That’s why I like our chances come tournament time.”

The players believe in their chances as well. They’ve played hard all season to overcome the obstacles put before them. And while they wish they could have achieved more during the regular season, the tournament gives the Raiders an opportunity to overcome their disappointments and prove they are better than their record shows. They’re determined to harness the spirit of the 2017-18 season and look forward to showing what they’re able to do with a full roster and clean slate.

“I think we have a legitimate shot,” Gasser said. “We’re all pretty resilient. We’ve been thrown a lot of adversity, but I think that’s going to pay off for us in the long run. Having that mentality that we all belong and can make a difference in the game, that’s what’s going to help us the most.”

“We’re all pretty high on [our chances],” Voegerl added. “We know we can do it, we just have to have trust in each other. When everything is going good, we’ve got to be positive. When the bad starts going bad, we’ve got to be positive.

If our guys understand how every possession is going to matter, I think favor will be on our side.”

page 8 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

Titles (Continued from Page 2) or you’ve got to stay healthy.”

It was really hard for Hawkins, and he wanted that sectional championship so badly last year for a group of seniors that played hard, but the Pats came up short.

“I think everybody that is playing for me now this year, a lot of those guys were in that locker room last year when we came so close to beating that very good (Evansville) Bosse team,” he said.

“Just that feeling of hurt and the agony of defeat, I think is really pushing them forward.”

Sectional creates an exciting feeling, an exciting time for Southridge’s Mark Rohrer. Rohrer has yet to cut down the nets as coach of the Raiders, but he did so twice at South Knox in 2017 and 2018.

The 2007 Barr-Reeve graduate also won one his senior year as a player, getting all the way to the state finals. Rohrer had finally broken through as a player. The Vikings lost, 40-36, in double overtime when he was a sophomore in 2005 against eventual state runner-up Loogootee. They also lost, 37-36, to North Daviess in the sectional championship during his junior year, despite being favored in that sectional.

Yet Rohrer came so close to never experiencing a sectional championship as a player. BarrReeve avenged the 2005 Loogootee loss, 40-39, to claim its first sectional since 2002.

So, is it harder to win a sectional as a player or as a coach?

“They’re all tough,” Rohrer said. “It’s hard to win sectionals.

It just is. We were fortunate when I was at South Knox to win those back-to-back ones. The two years previous to that, we thought we were going to win both of those as well, and we just had such tough finishes.”

South Knox got to the championship in the 2015-16 season after defeating top-ranked Barr-Reeve, 43-40, in the sectional semifinals, only to lose to Linton-Stockton, 43-40, in five overtimes in the sectional championship. The Spartans got their revenge on the Miners with a 68-64 win and triple overtime in the sectional opener.

Rohrer was thinking it was deja vu during the process.

He remembered looking over at Joe Hart, the father of LintonStockton coach Joey Hart, after regulation ended.

“I just kind of smiled,” he said.

“Just, ‘Here we go again.’ That’s what happens in a tournament is we knew every single play, every single tendency of Linton’s personnel and players. We were kind of in the mind of their coaching staff and they were the same for us. They knew every single play of ours. They knew every single player tendency. They knew what we were thinking as a coaching staff, and so it’s just one of those things when you have very good coaches that you’re going against. You’re going against very well-prepared and talented teams. It’s not like it’s surprising when there’s a five overtime or a three overtime.”

Rohrer has enjoyed a lot of success, both in the regular season and tournament, but the best team he coached that didn’t win a sectional title was the 2014-15 team at South Knox. LintonStockton, again, spoiled the Spartans’ dreams of cutting down the nets with a 36-33 win in the sectional title.

That team started 7-0, and could have started 9-0 if not for losing, 51-50, in their eighth game against No. 1 Barr-Reeve, who went on to win state and whom Rohrer dubbed as “maybe one of the best 1A teams of all time.” A last-second, buzzer-beating shot off an offensive rebound prevented

Terry Friedman of Northeast Dubois the Spartans from moving to 8-0 at a tournament in North Daviess.

He thought that group “regained their mojo” as it affected them going forward during the season. The Spartans were not 100% healthy going into the tournament. He thinks they could have made it to the Final Four or even the state finals if they had been.

South Knox led Linton by one point in the final minute, but missed the front end of two oneand-one free throw attempts. He doesn’t like to talk about his first season, 2012-13, when he went 6-16 at South Knox, but he started all freshmen and sophomores to build to the next couple of years.

He found the first sectional in 2017 to be the most rewarding, getting to take down Barr-Reeve in the finals. Rohrer saw it more about the program getting over the hump than it was about him.

He looked to Barr-Reeve knocking off Linton in that sectional, and not having to play both teams that sectional.

Yet, it was the next year, 2018, when Rohrer thought he made his best decision as a coach in a sectional tournament in the tripleovertime game against Linton. It took him a moment, but then he remembered.

“It was our ball,” Rohrer said.

“We were up two, about four seconds left in the last overtime, and we had to call our last timeout because we couldn’t get it in, and I looked at our staff and I said, ‘Somebody tell me why we shouldn’t throw it long,’ and they all said, ‘Do it,’ and so we drew up a plan at timeout. It was all or nothing at that point to just throw it long. We caught it and we got fouled, but that’s a little risky play to where we throw it long, they get it and we’re scrambled on defense and they can come down and make a basket, but it worked out perfectly.”

Then there are other decisions he’d like to have back, such as in the five-overtime game with Linton. He hesitated to say it, then the words came out.

“First overtime, I very vividly remember we ran a play, our best player, Isiah Stafford, he was a four-year starter, so I coached him all four years, third-leading scorer in our school history, played at Wabash College, he was a great player,” he said. “We were running a play out of bounds. It was tied, and he was going to get a corner three and we knew he was going to get a corner three, and I remember fighting with myself mentally to tell him to not shoot it short, and then I told myself, ‘No,’ because I thought to myself, ‘If he shoots it long, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself that I told him not to shoot it short and then he shoots it long.’ He ended up shooting it short. That could’ve

Good Luck AllArea Team s!!

potentially won the game.”

Rohrer estimated there were 20 seconds left, possibly less, when that sequence happened.

He delivered the Spartans their first sectional championship since the 2009-10 season. Rohrer emphasizes playing a variety of offensive

Good L uc k A ll A re a Te a m s !

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the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional ■ page 9

Heritage Hills Patriots

Members of the Heritage Hills High School boys basketball team are, front, from left, managers Matayia Sims and Michaela Gogel; second row, manager Ethan Cain, Logan Krzykowski, Jake Johnson, Cayden Kratzer, Aiden Susnjara, and managers Eugene Darling and Graham Gardner; and, back, coach John Becher, coach Josh Wetzel, Simon Scherry, Adam Guth, Mark Doyle, Blake Sisley, Alex Schaeffer, Murray Becher, Cole Sigler, head coach Nate Hawkins, assistant coach Drew Messmer and assistant coach Dillion Gregory.

Titles (Concluded from Page 8) “Being able to get half-court stops in the sectional is so important,” Rohrer said. “The amount of time we spend on our half-court defense throughout the season here, what we did at South Knox, that’s something I’ve really tried to carry over because even some of those teams at South Knox, we may not have been as talented as the Barr-Reeve and Linton groups, but the half-court defense can win you games in the tournament against teams that might be more talented than you.”

Rohrer also won two sectional championships as an assistant at Evansville Bosse in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Never, though, has he won one on his home court. He’ll have a chance to do that this year as Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium hosts the sectional tournament. The Raiders could also win a regional championship as the iconic Huntingburg gym will be the same venue for regionals.

“To potentially play five home games to get to the Final Four, not everybody gets that opportunity,” he said. “There’s very few that get that opportunity, and we feel like we do have a group that, if we’re able to take advantage of all the situations and opportunities we’re going to have in the regular season to get ourselves prepared for it, that, hopefully, come tournament time, we can be playing our best, and make as deep a run as possible.”

Terry Friedman is the other local coach to have won a sectional, both as a player and as a coach.

The 1977 Northeast Dubois graduate was part of his school’s firstever sectional championship his senior year after taking down Jasper, 60-55, in overtime in the title game. He remembers the town of Dubois being pandemonium. The Jeeps also went to Washington and won the regional championship.

“It’s an experience that you really can’t put into words,” Friedman said. “The ’77 team gripped the whole community.”

Friedman remembers his parents, Leroy and Barbara, taking him to see the sectional when he was a kid, and getting to see future NBA player Don Buse shine for Holland. He said there was no empty seat.

“Basketball was the fabric that bonded all the communities,” he said. “It was the big deal back then, and I guess it still is today.”

He has gone on to win four more sectional championships as coach of his alma mater — 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014. He’s in his 14th season as a varsity head coach, all with the Jeeps. Friedman previously spent time coaching sixthgrade boys, junior varsity and also worked at Kimball International.

He was asked to be both the head basketball coach and the Northeast Dubois athletic director, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Friedman is a big believer in seniors and senior leadership, and he thought his sectional teams were a product of that.

“Seniors have a tendency to really step up come tournament time, and seniors are usually the ones that can make the difference for you,” he said. “Our 2009 team, we started five seniors that year. They were very focused on it. They had worked for it their whole career, and they were able

Courtesy photo

Mark Rohrer of Southridge with wife Paige and sons Jaden and Eli. to finish it and come out with a victory there — 2010, once again, was senior-led and ’13 and ’14 both were senior-led teams.”

He noted that the 2009 team had a pair of outstanding players in Josh Gordon, and the late Dexter Royer — a logging accident claimed his life in 2011. The 2009 Jeeps team won the sectional crown, 40-39, against Orleans after Gordon’s 5-foot bucket with 1.1 seconds to play. They knocked off the Bulldogs again in 2010, with a 44-42 double-overtime victory.

The 2013 team was special to him because son Wade was a senior on that team. He found the 2009 and 2013 wins to be particularly special.

Terry explained Gordon’s championship-winning bucket to

The Herald.

“We had an inbound play underneath there, which was actually a broken play,” he said. “The play broke down. Josh Gordon was able to work his way open in the lane and turned and laid it right over the rim and we won.

“Our camera man, who was filming the game, turned the camera off and stormed the court,” he later said. “Our fans stormed the court, but there was still one second left. [The referees] had to clear the court back off completely to play the last one second of the game.”

Friedman thinks the 2014 team was the best. He touted seniors Tyler Haas and Cameron Riecker, adding that they were juniors on the 2013 team. The Jeeps won

their afternoon regional game, 5553, against Tecumseh before falling shy to eventual state runnerup Barr-Reeve, 69-60. Northeast Dubois was the first of only two teams to post 60 on the Vikings that season, along with champion Marquette Catholic in the state title game.

He thought the best teams that didn’t win the sectional were 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2017-18 teams.

Friedman said all three were capable of winning sectionals, saying they had some key ingredients with big men and also good guard play. However, Orleans bested Northeast Dubois, 46-42, in overtime in 2011. The 2012 team bowed out, 61-47, to the Bulldogs in their second sectional game, and the 2018 Jeeps saw their season end in the championship game against Springs Valley.

The best sectional decision he made came against Evansville Day in the 2013 sectional opener.

Northeast Dubois won that game, 64-48. Friedman remembers the Eagles having a strong 1-3-1 half court trap they’d use when they were behind.

“We worked for a week prior to the sectional on that with some set plays against it,” he said. “The minute they threw it at us, we made three passes and got a layup.

The second time they threw it at us, we got two passes and a wideopen three and we were able to break the game open.”

This year, he goes for his fifth, and is optimistic about his team’s chances. He shared his own experiences on whether it’s tougher to win a sectional as a player or as a coach.

“Probably as a player because back then, there wasn’t class basketball,” he said.

page 10 â– boys basketball sectional

the herald â– Monday, March 2, 2020

Jasper Wildcats

Members of the Jasper High School boys basketball team are, front, from left, Reece Day, Elliott Hopf, Quentin Harmon, Carter Stamm and Jackson Kabrick; and, back, Caleb Burger, Jace Goodhue, Tanner Erny, Andrew Wallace, William Schmitt and Isaac Heim. Not pictured: head coach John Goebel and assistant coach Jason Ahlbrand.

Forest Park Rangers

Members of the Forest Park High School boys basketball team are, front, from left, Blake Hagedorn, Evan Tretter, Logan Eugtert, Drew Howard, Wade Leonard and Isaac Uebelhor; and, back, Simon Jacob, junior varsity coach Phil Winkler, head coach David Welp, varsity assistant coach Aaron Berg and Landon Nalley.

the herald â– Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional â– page 11

Northeast Dubois Jeeps

Members of the Northeast Dubois High School boys basketball team are, front, from left, Ty Riecker, Nicholas Lueken, Ethan Ziegler, Bryce Merkel and Dante Miller, and, back, Ethan Fromme, Lane Knies, Colby Pieper, Eli Lueken and Reece Bauer. Not pictured: Logan Mehringer and Eli Schott.

Southridge Raiders

Members of the Southridge High School boys basketball team are, front, from left, manager Reece Tretter, Austin Kaeck, Garrett Voegerl, Jadon Culbertson, Gavin Voegerl, Camden Gasser and Carter Whitehead, and, back, head coach Mark Rohrer, assistant coach Michael Hopkins, Fernando Hernandez, Leyton Lauderdale, Colson Montgomery, Sam Sermersheim, Kaleb Wibbeler, Kaden Neukam and assistant coach Jeff Tooley.

page 12 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

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the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional ■ page 13

Kayla Renie/The Herald

Sophomore Landon Nalley (24, right) has stepped up as a role player for Forest Park this season. “It would mean a lot to me, but it would mean even more to me that these guys who have put in so much effort, that would mean so much to me to see them get that sectional trophy,” coach David Welp said of the Rangers emerging as champions.

Forest Park hungry going into sectional play

BY COREY STOLZENBACH sports@dcherald.com FERDINAND — Not everything was going Forest Park’s way after the holiday break. But coach David Welp said the hunger in his players has persisted the entire time.

“I think our guys are staying positive,” Welp said. “Basketball is a game where you have to have confidence, and I think our guys are staying positive with each other. They continue to come in and practice and play very hard. I believe our guys are ready for the postseason. I know we’ve got to finish a few games here, but overall, they’re ready for it. They’re excited.”

The Rangers started 9-1, despite having a lot of turnover from last year’s team. But things started to change, beginning with a 60-50 loss Jan. 11 at Perry Central. Wins became scarce, and while the team didn’t lose more than back-to-back games, they had three separate stretches of two losses in a row. Welp thought the Rangers competed well in some games, but added that his players need to continue to fo-

Class 2A At Southridge All Times ET Tuesday, March 3 G1: North Posey vs.

Evansville Mater Dei, 6:30 p.m.

G2: South Spencer vs.

Forest Park, 8 p.m.

Friday, March 6 Semifinals G3: Winner of G1 vs.

Tecumseh, 6:30 p.m.

G4: Winner of G2 vs.

Southridge, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Championship G5: Winner of G3 vs.

Winner of G4, 7:30 p.m.

cus on maximizing every single possession.

He said Forest Park still needs to clean things up. One of those things is transition defense. Welp was not happy with the transition defense the Rangers showed in their 62-53 loss Jan. 24 against Jasper. He said they need to work on their communication in transition defense, such as talking about where shooters are and

which player has them.

“Something that we’ve got to work on is making sure we all get back, whether our man is back or not, we’ve got to make sure that we all get back and communicate those pieces out,” he said.

Welp thought the Rangers went through a stretch where they weren’t shooting the ball well, but defense is where it all starts for them. Like many other teams, Forest Park gets its offense largely from its defense. He believes the Rangers are at their best when they are out in transition and pushing the basketball.

Welp thought their defensive tenacity was a big reason for starting the season 6-0. He thought opposing teams did a better job against it, but wanted his players to understand the importance of boxing out, finishing the job and then get out in transition.

The Rangers may have slid in some games down the stretch, but still clinched a winning record in the regular season. Welp expected this, though, because of the work and effort they put in during the offseason and during the season.

“I know how they work, and I appreciate their efforts,” Welp

“I think our guys are staying positive.

Basketball is a game where you have to have confidence, and I think our guys are staying positive with each other.

I believe our guys are ready for postseason.

They’re excited.”

David Welp

Forest Park coach

said. “I appreciate their dedication to our program.”

Forest Park lost junior Wade Leonard to injury before he returned in late January. Welp described Leonard as a toughnosed, tenacious defender for the Rangers. He said they missed his defense as Forest Park played tough teams during a crucial part of the season, but Leonard can shoot the ball from the outside as

well. He also praised sophomore Landon Nalley for stepping up for them. Welp commended Nalley’s ability to take care of the basketball, play tough defense and pass the ball to the correct position.

Welp said Southridge has a tough sectional, but thinks his players are ready to get after it. The Rangers won their first sectional game last year, 54-50, before dropping a 63-55 loss to Evansville Mater Dei. He knows they would have won three tough games if they’re the ones to come out of the sectional. Forest Park would have rebounded, taken care of the ball, made shots and got lucky if it was able to cut the nets down.

He knows a thing or two about winning sectional championships, having played on Forest Park’s back-to-back state championship teams in 2005 and 2006. Now, the second-year coach has the chance to add onto that while in charge at his alma mater.

“It would mean a lot to me, but it would mean even more to me that these guys who have put in so much effort, that would mean so much to me to see them get that sectional trophy.”

page 14 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

G O O D L U CK

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the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional ■ page 15

Herald file photo

Reece Bauer is acknowledged after breaking the Northeast Dubois boys scoring record on Jan. 31 at Jasper. Coach Terry Friedman says Bauer and Ethan Ziegler provide strong leadership for the Jeeps.

Friedman seeks 5th sectional championship

BY COREY STOLZENBACH sports@dcherald.com DUBOIS — Northeast Dubois coach Terry Friedman has won four sectional championships in his career. Friedman told of a common bond those four teams had, and added the current team has something in common with those four.

“Looking back on the teams here that I’ve coached that have been successful in the sectional, we had some very strong leadership, and I think Reece Bauer and Ethan Ziegler provide that for us,” Friedman said. “We’re going to be leaning on them heavily as we head into the tournament.”

Friedman thinks Ziegler improved on the offensive end as the season progressed, such as shooting the ball better. Bauer has had a season to remember with multiple milestones, and draining a 75-foot buzzer-beater for the win on Jan. 17 at Paoli.

“The shot at Paoli was special,” Friedman said. “In my 14 years, I don’t think I’ve ever lost or won a

Class 1A At Springs Valley All Times ET Tuesday, March 3 G1: Evansville Day vs.

Springs Valley, 6:30 p.m.

G2: Northeast Dubois vs.

Cannelton, 8 p.m.

Friday, March 6 Semifinals G3: Winner of G1 vs.

Wood Memorial, 6:30 p.m.

G4: Winner of G2 vs.

Vincennes Rivet, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Championship G5: Winner of G3 vs.

Winner of G4, 7:30 p.m.

game on something like that. Very few of us have.”

Ziegler and Bauer may often grab the highest total on the scoresheet, but the success of the Jeeps doesn’t start and stop with those two alone. Friedman believes Northeast Dubois has become more balanced. There’s ju-

nior Ty Riecker, who has stepped up his consistency. Fellow junior Logan Mehringer scored the game-winning free throw with one second left in regulation on Feb. 14 against Perry Central, 44-43, and Friedman praised both his rebounding and ability to play well against other big men. He added other juniors, as such as Nick Lueken and Lane Knies have played well, and are doing what they can do to help Northeast Dubois win.

The Jeeps have had a season of ups and downs. They were 4-0 for the first time since Friedman took over as coach, and exceeded that win streak with a five-game run from Jan. 11-25. However, Northeast Dubois also experienced its troubles, going on a five-game skid from Jan. 31 through Feb. 11. Mehringer coming through in the clutch prevented the Jeeps from losing their sixth in a row, and ensured they would avoid a losing season for the third time in four years. They may have lost five in a row, but all came within single digits. Northeast Dubois lost by four on Jan. 31 to a Jasper

“The thrill of the state tournament is a tradition that’s been here for over 100 years.

[The community, the players and the school all] look forward to it.

It’s just really a time of high energy, high excitement.”

Terry Friedman

Northeast Dubois coach

team that won a sectional championship last year, and on Feb. 8 by eight against a Barr-Reeve team Friedman thinks is arguably the best team in Class 1A in the entire state. But even before the skid ended, the optimism still remained.

Friedman thought the Jeeps

needed to get better on late game management, as they were all tied or ahead in the fourth quarter, and versus Perry Central, the Commodores went on an 8-0 run to tie them before Mehringer’s free throw. The ability to take care of the basketball and close out the game will be critical going forward. He also pointed to the need of tightening the screws on defense, especially in the man-toman. Northeast Dubois allowed at least 50 points in all five losses, and that changed against Perry Central.

The Jeeps still focused on their opponents during the regular season instead of looking ahead to sectionals, but they hope to be ready when the time comes.

“The thrill of the state tournament is a tradition that’s been here for over 100 years in the state of Indiana,” Friedman said. “So, it’s something that the communities look forward to. The players look forward to it. Your school looks forward to it. It’s just really a time of high energy, high excitement.”

page 16 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

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the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional ■ page 17

Marlena Sloss/The Herald

Heritage Hills’ Murray Becher shoots the ball Feb. 18 in Lincoln City. Heritage Hills begins Class 3A sectional play in Friday night’s semifinals at Boonville.

Patriots hope to ‘get over the hump’ this year

BY JONATHAN SAXON jsaxon@dcherald.com LINCOLN CITY — There’s not much Heritage Hills can’t do when it comes to the basketball court.

The Patriots are blessed with two of the more talented perimeter players in the senior guard duo of Murray Becher and Simon Scherry, plus they have the presence of 6-foot-9 junior forward Blake Sisley, who not only mans the paint, but can also stretch out to the three-point line for offense. Mix in the shooting threats presented by senior guard Cole Sigler and junior guard Jake Johnson, and you have as a complete a team as a coach could ask for.

“The growth process has really been tremendous,” said Patriots coach Nate Hawkins. “At the start of the year, we were playing OK. Our schedule was really demanding, so we didn’t have a lot of time to fall too far behind.

The biggest thing this group has found between that tough December schedule and where we’re at is each and everyone of them love each other as teammates. You can see that as our play has really improved.”

But there’s one hill the team has not been able to crest — the first round of sectional. The majority of this current Patriots

Class 3A At Boonville All Times ET Tuesday, March 3 G1: Gibson Southern vs.

Evansville Bosse, 7 p.m.

G2: Evansville Memorial vs.

Boonville, 8:30 p.m.

Friday, March 6 Semifinals G3: Winner of G1 vs.

Heritage Hills, 7 p.m.

G4: Winner of G2 vs.

Mt. Vernon, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Championship G5: Winner of G3 vs.

Winner of G4, 8 p.m.

group has been on the other end of tough sectional games, and they haven’t translated their regularseason success into deep playoff runs. This fact has weighed on the team’s conscience, and they’re looking hard at this year’s tournament to rewrite their sectional history.

“The past few years, we’ve had a bad taste in our mouth,” Sisley said. “After two years of that, we’ve learned and we’re going to be ready to come in, play as hard as we can for 32 minutes and alter the outcome.”

“It’s left a sour taste in our mouth,” Scherry added. “To have that extra factor, we’re ready and determined to get over the hump.”

One tool the Patriots will lean on heavily as they work to go where they haven’t gone before is their defense. The Patriots use their length and athleticism to play some of the most aggressive defense on display across southern Indiana. They mix up their press and trap sets to keep opponents from even crossing midcourt, and their savviness in playing the passing lanes leads to more than a few fastbreak points that quickly increase their leads into double digits. As high-powered as they are on offense, the Patriots consider themselves a defensive team first and foremost.

“We’re a team that likes to create our defense into offensive points,” said Hawkins, whose team has only allowed three opponents to score more than 50 points in January and February.

“They know exactly where everyone is going to be on the defensive rotations. It’s a very good pressing team, and, even if the full-court pressure isn’t happening, we’re able to slide it back and we do some half-court schemes where we’re trapping out of that.

It’s caused some teams a lot of problems.”

“They’ve got a winner’s mentality. They feel like they’re going to go win every night they go out.

The goal from Day One has been to go win a sectional championship, and we’ve put ourselves in a good position to do that.”

Nate Hawkins

Heritage Hills coach

“We’re defending with a purpose,” Scherry added. “In year’s past, it was like, ‘Just run around, try to get steals and then play in the half court.’ This year, we know we have to get stops night in and night out to win, so we recognize the importance defensively.”

Another factor the Patriots believe is in their favor is their collective experience. Their multiple seasons playing together have turned into a comfort and trust level that extends to all five guys they put on the floor. Everyone knows what they bring, their

role and how they best serve the team’s greatest interest, and the Patriots believe they can use that knowledge to maximize their synergy in the tournament.

“We have a team with a lot of experience,” Becher said. “We have five seniors, and we have juniors and sophomores with a lot of experience. That experience should really help come tournament time.”

“Most of us have played together for the past three years,” Sisley added. “This year, we’re older and more experienced. I think that’s going to help us as we start postseason play.”

The Patriots have drawn a bye this year, and will await the winner of the Gibson Southern/ Evansville Bosse matchup. The Patriots’ minds are focused on their goal, and they’re looking forward to making up for lost time.

“This is a different group,” Hawkins said. “They’ve got a winner’s mentality. They have fun around each other, and they feel like they’re going to go win every night they go out. The goal from Day One has been to go win a sectional championship, and we’ve put ourselves in a good position to do that. We know it’s going to take a lot of work, but we like where we’re at.”

page 18 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

Boys sectional history

YEAR WINNER RUNNER-UP HOST SCHOOL SCORE 1925 Huntingburg Orleans Jasper 23-21 1926 Huntingburg Winslow Jasper 23-14 1927 Huntingburg Winslow Huntingburg 37-29 1928 Spurgeon Petersburg Petersburg 24-15 1929 Spurgeon Holland Jasper 20-13 1930 Huntingburg Holland Huntingburg 21-12 1931 Stendal Jasper Petersburg 45-30 1932 Stendal Jasper Jasper 24-20 1933 Jasper Ireland Huntingburg 41-7 1934 Jasper Huntingburg Petersburg 23-7 1935 Huntingburg Jasper Jasper 28-13 1936 Jasper Holland Huntingburg 36-24 1937 Huntingburg Jasper Petersburg 40-34 1938 Jasper Huntingburg Jasper 30-25 1939 Stendal Jasper Huntingburg 37-35 1940 Huntingburg Petersburg Petersburg 36-22 1941 Winslow Holland Jasper 25-19 1942 Jasper Spurgeon Jasper 49-33 1943 Jasper Winslow Jasper 32-28 1944 Jasper Spurgeon Jasper 50-43 1945 Jasper Holland Jasper 61-30 1946 Jasper Spurgeon Jasper 51-41 1947 Jasper Huntingburg Jasper 36-27 1948 Jasper Spurgeon Jasper 51-49 1949 Jasper Winslow Jasper 48-39 1950 Winslow Jasper Jasper 64-46 1951 Winslow Jasper Jasper 49-42 1952 Jasper Spurgeon Huntingburg 52-47 1953 Holland Huntingburg Huntingburg 49-46 1954 Winslow French Lick Huntingburg 67-53 1955 Huntingburg Holland Huntingburg 55-50 1956 Jasper Winslow Huntingburg 73-69* 1957 Jasper West Baden Huntingburg 77-68 1958 Springs Valley Huntingburg Huntingburg 66-41 1959 Huntingburg Springs Valley Huntingburg 41-39 1960 Jasper Winslow Huntingburg 84-38 1961 Jasper Winslow Huntingburg 85-58 1962 Jasper Ireland Huntingburg 59-51 1963 Ireland Springs Valley Huntingburg 20-19 1964 Springs Valley Ferdinand Huntingburg 77-74** 1965 Springs Valley Huntingburg Huntingburg 72-65 1966 Springs Valley Jasper Huntingburg 59-57** 1967 Holland Jasper Huntingburg 62-52 1968 Holland Ferdinand Huntingburg 57-53 1969 Springs Valley Holland Huntingburg 54-34 1970 Huntingburg Holland Huntingburg 55-53 1971 Jasper Dubois Huntingburg 86-65 1972 Jasper Forest Park Huntingburg 61-53 1973 Jasper Southridge Southridge 47-46 1974 Jasper Perry Central Southridge 73-49 1975 Jasper Forest Park Southridge 75-74*** 1976 Southridge Forest Park Southridge 57-45 1977 Northeast Dubois Jasper Southridge 60-55* 1978 Perry Central Jasper Southridge 56-55 1979 Southridge Northeast Dubois Southridge 46-44 1980 Southridge Northeast Dubois Southridge 55-45 1981 Jasper Southridge Southridge 69-68 1982 Southridge Forest Park Southridge 48-44 1983 Southridge Jasper Southridge 63-53 1984 Northeast Dubois Southridge Southridge 49-36 1985 Southridge Forest Park Southridge 57-37 1986 Southridge Jasper Southridge 55-53 1987 Southridge Northeast Dubois Southridge 42-41 1988 Northeast Dubois Jasper Southridge 52-39 1989 Jasper Southridge Southridge 49-37 1990 Forest Park Jasper Southridge 55-42 1991 Southridge Northeast Dubois Southridge 47-36 1992 Southridge Forest Park Southridge 55-40 1993 Forest Park Pike Central Southridge 46-40 1994 Southridge Forest Park Southridge 46-34 1995 Jasper Southridge Southridge 70-51 1996 Jasper Northeast Dubois Southridge 61-43 1997 Pike Central Southridge Southridge 67-56 1998 Gibson Southern Pike Central Washington 63-47 Evansville Bosse Evansville Memorial Boonville 72-71* South Spencer Evansville Mater Dei Southridge 69-68 Cannelton Northeast Dubois Tecumseh 70-61 1999 Gibson Southern Pike Central Washington 64-53 Heritage Hills Boonville Boonville 58-53 Evansville Mater Dei Perry Central Southridge 62-56 Tecumseh Cannelton Tecumseh 66-42 2000 Princeton Vincennes Lincoln Washington 61-46 Evansville Mater Dei Evansville Bosse Boonville 86-60 Paoli Tell City Southridge 73-69 Northeast Dubois Springs Valley Orleans 71-46 2001 Jasper Vincennes Lincoln Washington 71-69* Evansville Mater Dei Heritage Hills Boonville 72-59 Crawford County Tell City Southridge 65-64 Northeast Dubois Orleans W. Washington 61-30 2002 Jasper Pike Central Washington 66-39

Gibson Southern Heritage Hills Boonville 53-43 Crawford County Southridge Southridge 50-46 Tecumseh Evansville Day Wood Memorial 64-52 2003 Sullivan Vincennes Lincoln Washington 38-37 Heritage Hills Gibson Southern Boonville 38-36 Forest Park Crawford County Southridge 59-45 Tecumseh Evansville Day Tecumseh 48-37 2004 Vincennes Lincoln Washington Washington 64-54 Evansville Mater Dei Heritage Hills Boonville 59-55 Forest Park North Posey Southridge 64-42 Orleans Crothersville W. Washington 45-33 2005 Washington Vincennes Lincoln Washington 83-60

YEAR WINNER RUNNER-UP HOST SCHOOL SCORE Evansville Mater Dei Boonville Boonville 47-38 Forest Park Southridge Southridge 61-46 Orleans Northeast Dubois Springs Valley 42-40* 2006 Washington Vincennes Lincoln Washington 63-53 Evansville Mater Dei Evansville Bosse Boonville 66-64 Forest Park South Spencer Southridge 50-37 Orleans Northeast Dubois Orleans 67-44 2007 Washington Vincennes Lincoln Washington 71-63 Evansville Bosse Evansville Memorial Boonville 56-54 Southridge Tell City Southridge 42-41 Orleans West Washington W. Washington 70-43 2008 Washington Vincennes Lincoln Washington 76-49 Evansville Mater Dei Tell City Southridge 54-41 Orleans Springs Valley Springs Valley 32-24 2009 Washington Vincennes Lincoln Southridge 42-34 Forest Park Evansville Mater Dei Boonville 69-60 Northeast Dubois Orleans Orleans 40-39 2010 Washington Jasper Washington

43-30 Forest Park Evansville Mater Dei Southridge 66-44 Northeast Dubois Orleans Springs Valley 44-42** 2011 Washington Southridge Southridge 47-36 Forest Park North Posey Boonville 43-41 Trinity Lutheran Orleans Orleans 53-40 2012 Vincennes Lincoln Jasper Washington 56-41 Forest Park Evansville Mater Dei Southridge 73-51 Orleans Northeast Dubois Orleans 61-47 2013 Vincennes Lincoln Jasper Washington 48-25 Perry Central Evansville Mater Dei Southridge 56-54 Northeast Dubois Tecumseh Wood Memorial 69-60* 2014 Jasper Heritage Hills Southridge 69-52 Perry Central Evansville Mater Dei Boonville 67-64 Northeast Dubois Tecumseh Tecumseh 55-45 2015 Vincennes Lincoln Washington Washington 50-40 Evansville Mater Dei Forest Park Southridge 69-64 Wood Memorial Evansville Day Wood Memorial 49-39 2016 Pike Central Jasper Southridge 49-47 Evansville Bosse Heritage Hills Boonville 68-36 South Spencer Forest Park Jasper 59-43 Wood Memorial Tecumseh Tecumseh 61-48 2017 Pike Central Vincennes Lincoln Washington 51-34 Forest Park Evansville Mater Dei Forest Park 44-43 Wood Memorial Northeast Dubois Wood Memorial 53-38 Evansville Bosse Mount Vernon Boonville 86-54 2018 Evansville North Castle Evansville North 74-68* Southridge Vincennes Lincoln Southridge 69-65** Forest Park North Posey Tecumseh 47-44 Springs Valley Northeast Dubois Springs Valley 68-54 Evansville Bosse Evansville Memorial Boonville 67-62 2019 Jasper Evansville Reitz Evansville North 45-39 Princeton Washington Washington 55-34 Tell City Evansville Mater Dei Southridge 46-36 Evansville Day Wood Memorial Wood Memorial 39-37 Evansville Memorial Gibson Southern Boonville 47-36

* overtime * double overtime *** triple overtime ■■ HOW THEY’VE FARED ALL-TIME IN THE SECTIONAL School Yrs. Won Lost Pct. Titles Jasper 103 167 71 .702 32 Southridge 47 47 34 .580 13 Forest Park 48 56 36 .609 12 Northeast Dubois 43 44 34 .564 9 Heritage Hills 47 46 38 .548 9 Note: Jasper first competed in IHSAA state tournament play in 1914. In the 103 seasons from 1914 through 2016, there were three occasions where the Wildcats did not compete in sectional play. In 1914, there was no sectional round in the tournament; the Wildcats lost their first game of state tournament play to Cutler.

Then in 1917 and 1918, Jasper did not participate in the sectional because its coach, Raymond Cunningham, left to serve in the U.S. military during World War I. ■■ SECTIONAL TITLES WON BY DEFUNCT SCHOOLS Dale (11), Huntingburg (10), Holland (3), Ireland (1) ■■ OTHER POSTSEASON TITLES School Regional Jasper 14 Southridge 2 Forest Park 6 Northeast Dubois 3 Heritage Hills 0

Semistate 1 2 4 0 0

■■ STATE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS School Overall Single-Class Marion 8 6 Muncie Central 8 8 Washington 7 3 Frankfort 4 4 Indpls. Park Tudor 4 0 Lawrence North 4 1 Anderson 3 3 Bloomington South 3 1 Carmel 3 1 Evansville Bosse 3 3 Franklin 3 3 Indpls. Crispus Attucks 3

3 Lafayette Ctrl. Catholic 3 0 Lafayette Jeff 3

3 Lebanon 3 3 Martinsville 3 3 Pike 3 0

State 1 0 2 0 0 Multi-Class 2 0 4 0 4 3 0 2 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3

Last Title 2016 1988 2011 1939 2015 2006 1946 2011 2013 1962 1922 1959 2003 1964 1918 1933 2003

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

boys basketball sectional ■ page 19

Herald file photos

Top, Heritage Hills’ Blake Sisley (52) versus Evansville North.

Clockwise from above, Forest Park’s Landon Nalley (24) versus Southridge, Jackson Kabrick (15) of Jasper vs. Evansville Mater Dei, Lane Knies (31) of Northeast Dubois vs. Perry Central and Southridge’s Garret Voegerl (24) versus Forest Park.

page 20 ■ boys basketball sectional

the herald ■ Monday, March 2, 2020

RANDALL G. NORRIS, MD

BRIAN J. BLESSINGER, MD

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WE ARE YOUR DEDICATED SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM

1900 Saint Charles Street • Jasper, IN • 812.634.1211 www.norrisblessinger.com