The first wave of the girls postseason in nearly over. Can you believe that we are already this far along in the sports season? It seems like just yesterday I was standing in the frigid rain at the girls golf state finals. But tomorrow I’ll be standing on the deck at The Nat at the girls swimming state finals. Where has the time gone?

This week’s picks are focusing on the girls tournament. I’m picking the remaining semi-final games as well as the championships. Then I will have a few boys games at the end of the article. No analysis, just picks.

I want to congratulate all of the wrestlers that made it to the regional round and wish good luck to all competing at semi-state this weekend.

Also, good luck to all of our local swimmers that will be living the dream at state. Swim state is an exciting event, if you can make it down for the finals on Saturday, I strongly recommend you do so.

Finally, good luck to all of our girls basketball teams that are still alive in the postseason.

Last Week: 5-1
Overall: 109-48

High School Girls Sectional 2/13-2/14

Oregon-Davis Sectional

Triton (15-7) v. South Central (19-5), 6:30 p.m.
The Scoop: This is one of the more impressive sectionals in the state tournament a none of the teams had a losing record entering this week.
Triton played South Central earlier this season and pulled out a 42-35 victory. The Lady Trojans are more than capable of doing that again but it won’t be so easy.
The Satellites (still wanting to know why they are called that) average over 57 points per game on offense and give up just 44 on defense. Triton’s defense is stellar, surrendering just 35 points per game, but the offense is still shaky at times.
I think the better defensive team gets the win here.
The Pick: Triton 48, South Central 39.

LaCrosse (14-8) v. Oregon-Davis (15-7), 8:00 p.m.
The Scoop: I hate Oregon-Davis fans with a passion. No, I’m not being harsh, I’m being honest. I don’t care if they know it, either. They are rude and so far removed from the idea of having sportsmanship that it is actually comical. However, I can’t make picks based on sportsmanship.
O-D is the defending 1A state champion and has home court advantage for the sectional. I think the Bobcats will roll right on through to the regional.
The Pick: O-D 62, LaCrosse 47.

Triton v. Oregon-Davis* Predicted Sectional Title
The Scoop: Triton finally got over the hump this year by beating O-D in Bourbon a few weeks back. I expect another great game between these two teams if they happen to meet again. But playing in the Hamlet Dome is tough. (Seriously, it’s a dome in Hamlet. Shag carpet lines the walls of the “press box.” You can’t make this stuff up.)
O-D will get by Triton to extend it sectional winning streak to 11 games.
The Pick: O-D 53, Triton 45.

Wawasee Sectional

NorthWood (19-5) v. Tippecanoe Valley (19-2), 6:00 p.m.
The Scoop: It’s the showdown of the postseason!
Valley gets a chance for revenge as NorthWood looks for its sixth-consecutive berth into the sectional title game.
The Lady Vikes will need big games out of a few girls to secure this win. I have no doubt that Anne Secrest will do her thing in the middle and record some blocks and pull down boards, in addition to scoring around 16 points. Meredith Brouyette will get the team big threes early. Taylor Trippiedi will come up with big buckets and stay solid on defense. Caylie Teel has not been reliable on offense this year, except for when her team needed her most. Look for the senior to step up again during crunch time. Also, another nice outing from Hannah Dunn certainly couldn’t hurt.
Do I expect all of those things to happen? Yes, actually, I do. This is the moment this team has been building for all season. I expect the Lady Vikings to shine in the spotlight.
The Pick: Valley 57, NorthWood 50.

Whitko (15-8) v. Wawasee (7-16), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: This game is a lot more interesting than I ever thought it could be.
Wawasee played Whitko well just a few weeks ago in Syracuse. It was a game that the Lady Warriors certainly could have won. Whitko is very talented and has the undisputed, best ball-handler in the area in Aly Reiff. The girl can dribble up a storm. She embarrassed several West Noble defenders Wednesday night. The Lady ‘Cats are led by Reif and Brianna Cumberland, but an injury in the final seconds of Wednesday’s win may very well have Cumberland miss the remainder of the sectional.
If Cumberland is out, then Wawasee has a very good chance of winning this game.
A Wawasee player told me before the sectional that if the girls could get by Lakeland in round one, then they would have the momentum they need for Friday night.
Wawasee is not really the team I want to bet on, but the girls have turned a corner in recent weeks and I like to be bold at times. Assuming Cumberland is out, I like Kylee Rostochak and the Lady Warriors to pull the upset.
The Pick: Wawasee 42, Whitko 38.