The eight Tri-Eastern Conference schools now know which team will be on the schedule when the Indiana High School Athletic Association state tournament begins on Tuesday, March 1.
Six of the squads will meet in the Class 2A sectional at Hagerstown with the championship contest set for Saturday, March 5.
“It’s a conference championship,” Northeastern Head Coach Brent Ross said of the pairings announced on Sunday. “Everybody knows everybody.”
Hagerstown (13-8) and Lincoln (8-12) square off in the opener on Tuesday, while third-ranked and two-time defending champ Northeastern (18-3) faces Winchester (13-7).
“You’re going to see some great basketball games,” Ross said. “You’ve got to be playing well. You’ve got to have some luck and some things go your way.”
During the regular season, Hagerstown defeated Lincoln 50-32 (Dec. 4). Northeastern won 75-53 over Winchester last Friday.
On Friday of the tourney, Centerville (5-13) plays the winner of the first contest. The Bulldogs have lost twice to Hagerstown this season. The Tigers won 46-31 (Dec. 4) and 59-52 (Jan. 8).
In the second game, Union County (14-8) gets the winner of Northeastern and Winchester. The Patriots lost to Northeastern 62-56 (Dec. 29) and 72-46 (Feb. 12), while they defeated Winchester 50-34 (Dec. 18).
Class 1A Sectional
The TEC will have two squads in the six-team field at Blue River.
Tri (6-14) faces Blue River (6-15) in the first contest on Tuesday. Union (1-15) and Union City (11-10) meet in the second game.
The Titans and Vikings split a pair of games during the regular season. Blue River won 70-59 (Dec. 4) and Tri won 66-60 (Jan. 9).
Union City beat Union 63-26 (Jan. 6) during the Randolph County Tournament.
On Friday, No. 2 Seton (20-3), which won the title a year ago, plays the winner of the Tri-Blue River match-up. The Cardinals are 5-0 against teams in the sectional with an 84-50 win over Blue River (Jan. 26) and a 61-56 decision over Tri (Feb. 16).
Randolph Southern (1-19) faces the Union-Union City winner. The Rebels lost to Union City 58-39 (Dec. 4) and they have not played Union.
The championship is slated for Saturday night.
Tri-Eastern Conference
Boys Basketball Sectional Championships
(Also listed are the titles won prior to consolidation)
WINCHESTER (26) – 1928, 1929, 1932, 1936, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. RIDGEVILLE (5) – 1920, 1921, 1926, 1936, 1938. JEFFERSON (1) – 1949.
UNION CITY (12) – 1927, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1984. WAYNE TOWNSHIP (1) – 1937. WARD TOWNSHIP (1) – 1961.
CENTERVILLE (7) – 1944, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011.
UNION COUNTY (5) – 1976, 1977, 1979, 2012, 2013. LIBERTY (3) – 1938, 1945, 1967. KITCHEL (2) – 1942, 1943. BROWNSVILLE (1) – 1946.
HAGERSTOWN (4) – 1928, 1929, 1959, 1965. GREENSFORK (1) – 1936.
TRI (3) – 1976, 1977, 2005. SPICELAND (3) – 1919, 1920, 1947. LEWISVILLE (2) – 1945, 1961. STRAUGHN (1) – 1942.
LINCOLN (2) – 1951, 1961. MILTON (1) – 1954.
NORTHEASTERN (2) – 2014, 2015. WHITEWATER (1) – 1927. FOUNTAIN CITY (1) – 1949.