Super Tuesday brought about plenty of surprises during the opening round of the boys basketball state tournament.
Involving Jackson County teams, the Owls raised a few eyebrows by making a fast-paced Jeffersonville team look slow thanks to their ball-possession offense and dialed-down pace.
Though the Owls came up short, they’ve given the blueprint on how to stop the Red Devils in a loaded Seymour Sectional. The second round of matchups stand to be very good with Floyd Central taking on the Red Devils and Jennings County battling Bedford North Lawrence.
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At Edinburgh, the Trinity Lutheran Cougars came up short to a Lancer team they beat twice already this season by 10 points. Just like in their previous two meetings, the game was close throughout, but the Lancers were able to hang on this time.
Maybe a surprise on paper was Brownstown Central taking down South Vermillion in the opening game of the Edgewood Sectional. Entering the game, the Wildcats had a better record, but the Braves undoubtedly had played a tougher schedule and were more tournament ready.
The Braves trounced the Wildcats and will face Brown County at 6 p.m. today for a spot in the sectional final.
Here’s a look at that game and those involving the remaining Jackson County teams:
Brownstown Central vs. Brown County at Edgewood, 6 p.m.
Braves coach Dave Benter said his team put together a great 32 minutes of basketball Tuesday night to upend the South Vermillion Wildcats.
They may not need that tonight against a Brown County team that has amassed just five wins this year and hasn’t beaten a Class 3A team this season. The Eagles are scoring just 41.4 points a game while giving up 50.7, but they have won two of their last four games, including victories over Mitchell and Edinburgh.
Brownstown Central is averaging 48.1 points while giving up 52.2 and has held teams to 53 points or fewer in its last four games.
If the Braves come out shooting like they did Tuesday night, going 61% from the field and 9-for-14 from the 3-point line, they’re going to be a tough out no matter who they play.
A win puts the Braves back into the sectional championship albeit at a new location. They’d likely face either Edgewood or Northview.
Crothersville vs. Edinburgh at Edinburgh, 6 p.m.
Maybe the Lancers weren’t the team the Tigers expected to be playing tonight, but nevertheless, it’s still another chance at redemption for Crothersville.
The Lancers beat the Tigers on their home court in early February by one point, triggering a three-game losing skid by Crothersville before they ended it with a three-point win over Eastern (Pekin). Prior to Tuesday’s win over Trinity Lutheran, Edinburgh hadn’t won a game since they tamed the Tigers.
Edinburgh averages just 47 points a game while allowing 61.2 and has only strung together consecutive wins once this season when they beat Waldron and North Decatur in mid-December.
A win gets the Tigers back to the sectional championship game for the second year in a row, and they’d play a team who they’re very familiar with in either Medora or West Washington.
Medora vs. West Washington at Edinburgh, 7:30 p.m.
The Senators and Hornets meet for the second time this year.
They met in late January in Medora, where the Senators won by 45 points.
Medora won its second game of the year a couple of weeks ago but wasn’t able to keep the momentum going. The Hornets are averaging just 37.7 points a game this year and are allowing opponents to score close to 70.
West Washington is riding a two-game winning streak after losing a close one to Rock Creek Academy by three points.