GBB sectional 1st round: Royals, Marauders move on

Class 4A Greenfield-Central sectional

Anderson 54, Greenfield-Central 51: The Cougars rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, but it fell short in the Class 4A Greenfield-Central sectional.

The Cougars had two possessions with it a one-possession game late. G-C outscored Anderson 20-13 in the final quarter.

G-C trailed 12-9 after a quarter and 32-19 at the half before outscoring the Indians 12-9 in the third to cut the deficit to 10.

Sara Jones had 19 points to lead G-C. Regan Lewis added 15. Emily Koers added six points.

The Cougars finish their season with an 8-13 mark.

Anderson will meet New Castle in the second semifinal on Friday at Cougar Gym. Connersville -- which beat Pendleton Heights 32-31 -- will meet Richmond in the 6 p.m. semifinal.

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Connersville 32, Pendleton Heights 31
Anderson 54, Greenfield-Central 51
Friday, Feb. 8
Richmond (12-10) vs. Connersville (14-8), 6 p.m.
New Castle (6-14) vs. Anderson (17-5), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: face Terre Haute sectional winner in Decatur Central regional (1st semi)

Class 3A Chatard sectional

Mt. Vernon 72, Howe 19: This one was never in doubt as the Marauders pulled away from the Hornets to win their sectional opener.

MV, which won its fifth consecutive sectional game, welcomed Erica Moore back into the lineup. The 6-foot-1 junior scored 14 points to help pace the Marauders.

MV (17-4) will meet Guerin Catholic (15-7) in the 7:30 semifinal on Friday at Chatard. Brebeuf will face the host Trojans in the 6 p.m. game. MV beat Guerin 70-45 on Jan. 15.

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Mt. Vernon 72, Howe 19
Friday, Feb. 8
Brebeuf (9-11) vs. Chatard (15-7), 6 p.m.
Guerin Catholic (15-7) vs. (6) Mt. Vernon (17-4), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Class 2A Knightstown sectional

Eastern Hancock 61, Northeastern 45: The Royals emphatically won their seventh straight game and moved into the sectional semifinals with the victory at Knightstown.

This was EH's first sectional victory since 2006.

Kaytlin Eastes had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Royals. She hit 7-of-8 from the line. Kristen Eischen also had 13 points and added four boards and nine steals. Kiersten Schrope had 12 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocks. Hannah Best had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Lauren Harmon added eight points, four boards and three steals.

EH was 19-of-25 from the line.

The Royals trailed 11-10 after a quarter, but a 20-point second quarter put them up 30-22 at the break. They extended it to 46-32 after three.

The Royals (17-4) will meet Centerville (8-9) in the 6 p.m. semifinal Friday at Knightstown. EH beat Centerville 41-38 last Thursday in the regular-season finale. The second semifinal contestants will be determined Wednesday, when Hagerstown faces Cambridge City Lincoln and Knightstown faces Union County.

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Eastern Hancock 61, Northeastern 46
Wednesday, Feb. 6
Hagerstown 40, Cambridge City Lincoln 31
Knightstown 56, Union County 25
Friday, Feb. 8
Centerville (8-9) vs. Eastern Hancock (17-4), 6 p.m.
Hagerstown (12-9) vs. Knightstown (13-8), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Class 4A Franklin sectional

Dragons to play FC: The New Palestine Dragons were idle Tuesday night, but they found out their semifinal opponent in the Franklin sectional, as Franklin Central beat Center Grove 48-40.

The Dragons and Flashes will meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The first semifinal will feature Greenwood -- which beat Franklin 51-30 tonight -- facing off against Whiteland.

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Greenwood 51, Franklin 30
Franklin Central 48, Center Grove 40
Friday, Feb. 8
Whiteland (10-11) vs. Greenwood (17-4), 6 p.m.
New Palestine (3-17) vs. Franklin Central (17-4), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Elsewhere in the HHC
Five HHC teams remained alive after Tuesday night sectional play, with Mt. Vernon, Rushville and Yorktown winning their sectional openers. New Palestine and Shelbyville drew byes.

At Hamilton Heights, Yorktown defeated Delta 49-18 in a matchup of county and conference rivals in Class 3A. The Tigers (16-6) move on to face Blackford in the 6 p.m. semifinal at HH. Muncie Central will meet No. 1 Hamilton Heights in the other semi.

At Rushville, the host Lions beat Batesville 59-42 in 3A action. No. 7 Rushville improved to 18-3 on the season and advances to face Lawrenceburg in the sectional semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. The other two teams will be determined Wednesday.

Shelbyville, which drew a bye in the Columbus East sectional, will meet Bloomington South on Friday. BHSS beat Columbus East on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the MHC
Including Eastern Hancock, four of the nine Mid-Hoosier Conference teams won their first-round games on Tuesday night, with two more to play on Wednesday -- against each other. Three were defeated -- including both entrants at the Jac-Cen-Del sectional, South Decatur and Hauser. Morristown was also ousted, while Indian Creek, EH, North Decatur and Southwestern (Shelby) were all winners.

In Class 3A action at Beech Grove, Indian Creek emphatically beat defending sectional champion Tri-West 74-50. The Braves (17-5) will face Northwest in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.

In Class 2A action at South Ripley, North Decatur won a 35-34 decision over Switzerland County. The Chargers (12-8) will meet Milan in the 6 p.m. Friday semifinal.

In Class A action, four MHC teams compete in the eight-team Morristown sectional. One was successful tonight -- Southwestern (Shelby) used a strong start to beat Greenwood Christian 55-28. The Spartans (17-4) will play Lutheran, which beat Morristown 36-31 in the opener, in the 6 p.m. semifinal on Friday. Waldron (6-14) beat Edinburgh 49-47 and earns a semifinal date with Irvington, which beat Baptist Academy 71-46.

Alson in Class A at Jac-Cen-Del, South Decatur nearly rallied from a big deficit against Oldenburg Academy, but fell 66-57 despite scoring 29 fourth-quarter points. In the first semi, Hauser fell to Jac-Cen-Del 56-52.