The opening week’s pairings have been announced for the 47th Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament presented by the Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers.
Sectional games are scheduled to begin Tuesday, Feb. 1, and run through Saturday, Feb. 5, with the regional round slated for Feb. 12 and semi-states on Feb. 19. The four state championship games that make up the state finals will be played at the newly-renovated and renamed Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, Feb. 26. Top-ranked Homestead will meet the winner of the New Haven-Columbia City game in the semifinals of Sectional 6 at Huntington North. The Spartans are the No. 1 team in both the 4A poll of the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association (ICGSA) and the single class poll from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA). In Class 3A, the No. 1-ranked South Bend Washington Panthers will host Jimtown for its first-round game in Sectional 19. The Class 2A poll shows the South Central Satellites of Union Mills leading the field and scheduled to face North Judson-San Pierre in the eight-team Sectional 34 at Rensselaer Central. And in Class A, the Waldron Mohawks top the latest poll and are scheduled to host the Rising Sun-Oldenburg winner in the Sectional 60 semifinal round. The Crown Point Bulldogs, the defending state champions in Class 4A and ranked No. 3 in this week’s ICGSA poll, will host Portage in the Sectional 2 opening game. Last year’s Class 3A state champion and this week’s No. 4 team, the Silver Creek Dragons will face Scottsburg in the first round of Sectional 30 at North Harrison. The Linton-Stockton Miners, last year’s 2A state champion and now playing in 3A, drew home-standing Washington in Game 2 of Sectional 31. And last year’s Class A state champion, the Pioneer Panthers are now playing in 2A and ranked No. 12 this week. They will play Rochester Community in the Sectional 37 opening game at Lewis Cass.