Indiana
Insider: Here are 10 must-see Central Indiana girls basketball sectional matchups
IHSAA girls basketball: Previewing the 2024 Sectional 9 tournament
Brian Haenchen, Courtney Delks, Josh Sabol and Danny Riego preview the Sectional 9 girls basketball tourney. Full episode at YouTube.com/@IndyStarHank
The sectional round of the girls high school basketball state tournament begins Tuesday and there are a lot of good games around the area (and the state, for that matter).
Here are my picks for the 10-best matchups in Central Indiana.
The Scorers Table will be hosting LIVE recap shows this week. Stay tuned for details.
SECTIONAL PREVIEWS: 4A | 3A | 2A | A
Insider: 10 takeaways from sectional draw
10. Decatur Central vs. Ben Davis, 7:30 p.m. Wed., at Pike
On paper, Decatur Central should have the advantage over Ben Davis. It has double the wins (as of Thursday) and a solid young core with Kenadi Passley-Banks, Soriah Gouard, Havana Thompson and Kassie McMasters. But it would be unwise to write off the Giants with legendary coach Stan Benge patrolling the sidelines. Plus, they’re trending up with a win over Pike and competitive losses to Lawrence North and Westfield.
9. East Central vs. Whiteland, 6 p.m. Tues., at Whiteland
Whiteland finished above .500 for the first time since 2018-19 last season. Now it’s looking to win its first state tournament game since 2017. Standing in its way: East Central, which was hit hard by graduation last year, but was involved with a few narrow finishes down the stretch. Don’t expect a ton of points from this one, but it should be a close one.
8. Lutheran vs. Eminence, 7 p.m. Tues., at Eminence (aka The Eel Tank)
These are the top-two teams in Sectional 59 and their Jan. 13 meeting was decided by five points (Lutheran won). The Saints have more than doubled last season’s win total (5) and boast a nice 1-2 punch with Grace King and Caitlyn Brooks; Eminence has one of the area’s top small-school talents in Sophia Saucerman. Both teams are experienced, so there shouldn’t be much of a feeling-out process here.
7. Brownsburg vs. Avon, 7 p.m. Tues., at Avon
Avon snapped a 27-game losing streak vs. Brownsburg in December, beating the Bulldogs for the first time since Jan. 3, 2008. Can they recreate that magic to extend their season? It’s a rivalry game in sectionals — expect the unexpected. If that’s not enough, Avon has an electrifying scorer in junior guard Aniah Smith and Brownsburg boasts a 6-6 center in Purdue commit Avery Gordon.
More: Avon’s Aniah Smith ‘makes the hard things look so easy.’ And she’s just getting started.
6. Lapel vs. Alexandria, 7:30 p.m. Wed., at Lapel
This is the third meeting between these fiery combatants in 2023-24. The big question: Can Lapel hold Jacklynn Hosier in check? The junior guard went for 27 points in their first meeting, but was limited to 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting with five turnovers at the Madison County tournament earlier this month. Then again, it may not matter if Lapel’s Laniah Wills and Madelyn Poynter are on their game.
5. North Central vs. Warren Central, 7 p.m. Tues., at Cathedral
Another quick turnaround from Friday. Warren Central, which beat NC, brings some serious firepower with senior Denyha Jacobs and sophomore Denell Jacobs. North Central rebounded from an 0-7 start with a run to the Marion County tournament finals, and has picked it up down the stretch. It rallied from an 18-point deficit to upset Zionsville, hung with Lawrence Central, then rallied to beat Pendleton Heights.
Her sister’s career casts a big shadow. Now, Talia Harris forming own path with Fishers.
4. Brebeuf Jesuit vs. Bishop Chatard, 6 p.m. Tues., at Bishop Chatard
The Braves get first crack at dethroning the defending regional champion Trojans, who beat Guerin Catholic by two in OT, Brebeuf by a point and Heritage Christian by four in double overtime to win their third consecutive sectional crown last season. A few young up-and-comers will be on display here, too, with Chatard sophomore Olivia Berzai and Brebeuf freshman Jailen Bowling. The Braves beat the Trojans by 14 on Friday.
3. Greenfield-Central vs. New Palestine, 6 p.m. Wed., at Pendleton Heights
Using the regular season as a barometer here. Greenfield-Central had three players score in double figures and shot 43% as a team, but still needed overtime to beat New Pal thanks to a 19-point (four 3-pointers), eight-rebound and six-assist performance by senior Allie Blum. Winner here likely advances to face the host Arabians.
2. Triton Central vs. Eastern Hancock, 6 p.m. Fri., at Scecina
The two best teams in the bracket, both ranked inside the top 15. Eastern Hancock, one of the favorites to win it all in 2A, beat Triton Central by nine back in early November, but the past two postseason meetings between these two teams have been much closer (triple overtime in 2022).
1. Sectional 8 semifinals
Hedging a bit here, but the matchups are set: Zionsville vs. Hamilton Southeastern/Westfield and Noblesville vs. Fishers/Carmel. Any combination of those matchups will be fascinating. HSE had to rally from a 10-point deficit to beat Zionsville last Friday; Westfield took the Eagles to overtime in early December. Noblesville lost to Carmel, while the Millers-Tigers matchup has decided the eventual 4A north champion in both of the past two seasons. A side plot: With reclassification on the horizon, this could be the final year of the vaunted Class 4A Sectional 8 tournament as we know it.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
Indiana
Bryce Boettcher Opens Up About Indiana Ahead Of Playoff Semifinals
The No. 5 Oregon Ducks are preparing to face the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers for the College Football Playoff semifinals. Ahead of the matchup, Oregon star linebacker Bryce Boettcher discussed the game, which will be a rematch of the Ducks’ only loss this season.
The Oregon Ducks are coming off a shutout win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Boettcher addressed how the team can keep momentum, but called Indiana a better opponent.
“I mean, we had a really good game. I think it just obviously gives you confidence. You can’t get complacent with that confidence. You got to realize that Indiana is going to be a way better team than Tech. Tech was a good team, but Indiana is better. At this point, it’s win or go home. We’re pumped for the opportunity,” Boettcher said.
What Sticks Out About The Rematch Against Indana
“A couple things defensively. First off, when you stop the run, they’re really good at running the ball. We got to do that. Got to cage your quarterback. Feel like he’s overlooked for how good he is at scrambling at times, getting out of the pocket. Got to do that, just do our job.”
How Oregon Has Changed Since First Game Against Indiana
“We’ve sewn some things up within our defense. As we played them, we installed some new defenses that we’re still working the kinks out of. Now we’re experts at it. Everybody knows their job in and out. We’ve had a lot of reps at it.”
How Much The First Matchup Against Indiana Goes Into Playoff Preperation
“It definitely comes into play. I mean, obviously, they’re not a new team but an evolved team, and so are we. I think more so, kind of correcting our errors in where we went wrong in the first game, doing some self-scout and recognizing that. They may try to expose that again in this next game. Yeah, it comes into play a little bit. We also watched new film because they’re an evolved team.”
The Challenge In Beating The Same Team Twice
“I mean, I think obviously that’s a narrative. I know teams have been beaten twice. Sometimes it doesn’t happen. I don’t know, I think Indiana is a good team. We’re also a good team. The better team’s going to win.”
What Being In The Semifinals Means To Bryce Boettcher
“It means everything. It’s a pretty rare opportunity. There’s four teams left. Pretty cool. Surreal. I’ll be happy once we get this win. Honestly, I’m head down, focused on the task at hand. But it’s a cool opportunity.”
MORE: Curt Cignetti Speaks Candidly On Oregon Ducks Playoff Rematch
MORE: Oregon’s Three Most Impactful Transfer Portal Departures
MORE: Oregon Freshman Brandon Finney Turns Heads With Comments After Orange Bowl
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!
How Bryce Boettcher Is Handling The Magnitude Of The Game
“I mean, I’ve played a lot of big games in my year here, whether it be football or baseball. I feel like I do a pretty good job at handling the magnitude of the game. At the end of the day, it’s a football game. We play the game every day in practice. We’ve been in pretty dang big games. It’s just another game, but it’s win or go home, so I’m pumped for that aspect.”
How Oregon Is Handling The Long Trips
“It’s always cool when you get to spend some time together. Obviously, most of the time we’re spending time together, it’s pretty locked in at the task at hand. We try not to spend a whole lot of time talking about other stuff other than football. There are other times on the plane or in the hotel room when you have some downtime that you can come together, bond. So it’s been fun.”
How The Defense Can Install New Ways To Stop Indiana
“You can’t be the same team every time you play another team, or else they’ll just scout you, know what you’re in every single time.”
“You got to do your assignment, play hard. At the end of the day, the team that plays the hardest and does their assignment is going to win. Some variables, throw in some new things at a team, which is definitely important. When Indiana comes out, I’m sure they won’t do everything we’ve seen on film. They’ll have a few wrinkles. That’s the exciting part.”
What Went Wrong Against Indiana In October
“Just doing our job within our defense. Honestly, the past Indiana game, couple mental errors where I didn’t necessarily do my job in the body of the defense. Same goes for other guys on our team. I think just sewing that up, better understanding our opponent, having a better game plan going into the game.”
What Makes Indiana’s Offensive Line Good
“They’re smart, fast, and physical. I know up front in their run game, they play physical, and they do their job. They don’t have a lot of unblocked hats. I know in the screen game, they get out and are elite at kind of retracing and blocking for their receiver in the screen game, which was present in our last game. We’ve done a lot of screen drills. They’re a good unit. They play well together and do their job.”
What The Loss Against Indiana Meant For The Rest Of The Season
“I believe everything happens for a reason. I think we needed that to kind of wake us up. We came out of a big Penn State win, kind of thought we were pretty cool going into that week, pretty confident. Got a little lackadaisical with our prep, I think. It was a good wake-up call. The rest of the season leading up to this point is a pretty good testament to the way we responded to that loss.”
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Indiana
FBI thwarted ‘ISIS-inspired plot’ at Indiana school, but won’t say where
Dan Bongino announces he will be leaving the FBI in January
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced he is leaving in January after less than a year as the law enforcement agency’s number two official.
At some point in 2025, the FBI helped a local police agency foil an “ISIS-inspired plot” that at least one minor planned to carry out at an unnamed central Indiana school, according to an annual summary released by the federal agency’s Indianapolis field office on Jan. 5, 2026.
FBI agents “disrupted an ISIS-inspired plot targeting a Central Indiana high school through rapid coordination with local partners,” according to the news release.
Beyond that, the agency provided few details, sharing neither the name of the school involved nor the city or town in which the school was located. Nor did the agency clarify why the report characterized the plot as ISIS-inspired.
Chris Bavender, an FBI spokesperson, declined to answer an IndyStar request for additional information about the foiled attack, responding in an email that “this matter is ongoing.”
“Because the student had immediate access to firearms, FBI Indianapolis worked closely with the high school and our local law enforcement partner to remove all firearms from the house, and the student was expelled from school. DOJ did not file charges as the individual is a juvenile,” Bavender wrote.
Bavender did not provide any information on whether the student is facing charges in the juvenile justice system.
Although high schools in both Mooresville and Westfield were the site of high-profile threat investigations in 2025, neither matched the details mentioned in the FBI report.
In February 2025, Trinity Shockley, 18, was arrested after sharing plans for a Valentine’s Day school shooting at Mooresville High School. Though the investigation into Shockley began after the FBI received a tip, Shockley was not a juvenile at the time of her arrest. Nor did court documents filed in her case reference any connection to ISIS.
The Mooresville Police Department did not immediately respond on Jan. 5 to a request for comment.
In September 2025, Westfield High School was placed on lockdown after a “potential threat.” Billy Adams, the assistant chief of the Westfield Police Department, said there’s no indication the lockdown “had anything to do with an ISIS-inspired plot.”
IndyStar reached out on Jan. 5 to multiple police agencies in central Indiana, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Southport Police Department, the Speedway Police Department and the Beech Grove Police Department.
Officials for IMPD, Southport, and Speedway police said their agencies handled no such threat. Beech Grove’s police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
Indiana
Unseasonably mild temperatures for central Indiana this week | Jan. 5, 2026
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Temperatures in Central Indiana are expected to remain above normal through late this week, with highs near 60 degrees expected by Thursday and Friday. Rain showers are predicted from Thursday through Friday night, with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms.
Today:
Dry and mild, with high temperatures ranging from the mid 40s to low 50s. Just a mix of sun and clouds with light winds should make for a pleasant afternoon.
Tonight:
Lows in the mid 30s to low 40s, with patchy drizzle or fog possible late.
Tuesday:
Mostly cloudy skies and breezy conditions with wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph, elevating highs into the lower to middle 50s. A few light showers will be possible through the day as well.
Wednesday:
Should be the best day of the week, featuring more sunshine and lighter winds, with highs in the low to mid 50s.
Late week storm system:
Highs on Thursday and Friday are set to approach 60°, which will be pushing a few records across the state.
A warm front moving through Thursday evening will spark scattered showers and possibly some thunderstorms across the area starting Thursday afternoon.
A stronger storm or two can’t be ruled out.
Showers will continue into the first half of Friday, before the cold front pushes out of the state later in the day.
As the weekend approaches, the cold front will move through, leading to a significant drop in temperatures. Conditions will become cooler and breezy, with spotty flurries possible as temperatures return to seasonal norms for this time of year.
Looking ahead, the weekend is expected to bring a return to cooler temperatures and near-seasonal norms, with potential light snow flurries in the forecast as a cold front passes through Central Indiana.
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
News1 week agoFor those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
Business1 week agoInstacart ends AI pricing test that charged shoppers different prices for the same items
-
Business1 week agoApple, Google and others tell some foreign employees to avoid traveling out of the country
-
Technology1 week agoChatGPT’s GPT-5.2 is here, and it feels rushed
-
Politics1 week ago‘Unlucky’ Honduran woman arrested after allegedly running red light and crashing into ICE vehicle