(Marian and Washington from 2020)

With a limited number of first-round upsets, the semi-final games around the state were stacked. Here is an overview of the tight games, upsets, and near upsets.

Great games

No. 4 Lawrence North 46-45 over No. 5 Warren Central

The Tech sectional lives up to the hype once again. Shamar Avance kept the Wildcats alive, but Warren Central had a chance to win it late. This was a back-and-forth game throughout, and now LN gets to play a surging North Central team.

Jeffersonville 66, Floyd Central 64 in triple overtime

Things are always hotly contested when these teams get together, but it would be hard to predict a triple-overtime affair. Will Lovings-Watts had the last word as he made a slashing bucket with two seconds left.

Evansville Central 54, Harrison 51

Central trailed by five with 48 seconds left. The Bears used a buzzer-beating three from Boston Steers to steal the game from Harrison. It was a fantastic ending.

Barr-Reeve 40, North Daviess 38

North Daviess took the top 1A to the wire but missed a last-second shot to tie the game. BR and ND always play tight games, and ND was also a strong 1A team. It was not surprising that the game went down to the final possession.

Twin Lakes 57, Western 53 in double overtime

Kent Adams always has Twin Lakes ready for a postseason run, but Western looked poised for a sectional title. Michael Lewis had his team 16-6 before running into the 19-4 Indians. It took two extra frames to decide this one.

Sullivan 60, Princeton 56 in double overtime

In another double-overtime game, Sullivan was nearly upset by Princeton. The Golden Arrows have been a top 3A team all season behind Randy Kelley and Jackson Hills. Princeton played its best basketball at the end of the season with a six-game winning streak before this loss.

Upsets

Portage over Lowell, 41-36

Maybe the surprise of the night. Lowell received the bye in Sectional 2 and was opposite of Valparaiso, Chesterton, and Crown Point. It looked like a given that Chris Mantis and Lowell would play for the sectional title. Portage had different ideas.

Penn over Northridge 45-40

Sophomore Markus Burton scored 15 points, and Northridge only made five three-pointers in this upset. The Raiders are a team that regularly makes double-digit threes. Sam Smith did score 14 points, but it was not enough.

Bedford North Lawrence 49, New Albany 48

The Stars were down early but came back to beat New Albany. Kaden Stanton scored 25 for NA, but Kooper Staley tallied 14 points for BNL.

St. Joe 53, Marian 45

Marian was a top 3A team all season and held a winning streak against St. Joe, but JR Konieczny and the Indians put an end to that. St. Joe used a quick start to gain an early advantage and held on for the upset.

New Castle 51, Delta 43

This has not been a good year for the Trojans, but they put it together to beat Brady Hunt and Delta.

Churubusco 45, Central Noble 40

It seems like these teams are always facing each other. Central Noble’s two losses this season came at the hands of Churubusco.

South Decatur 64, South Ripley 62

South Ripley established itself as a 2A contender, but South Decatur pulled the upset. Lane Lauderbaugh and Evan Wullenweber each tallied 19 points. Cody Samples scored 26 in the loss.

Washington Township 57, Gary 21st Century 55

On paper, this does not seem like an upset. 21st Century Charter did not have a great record, but the Cougars played a mostly 3A and 4A schedule. 21st also welcomed newly eligible Ashton Williamson, a top 2023 guard, to the lineup. Despite that, Washington Township was able to take down the Cougars.

Close calls

Silver Creek 44, North Harrison 41

North Harrison beat a Trey Kaufman-less Silver Creek squad in December. It did not seem like that would happen again, but Logan McIntire nearly led the upset. Kaufman, Kooper Jacobi, and Branden Northern survive and advance in the 3A tourney.

Adams over Mishawaka 68-60

Adams always finds a way to win. Mishawaka showed flashes of being able to beat Adams, but Quentez Columbus did not allow that to happen. Now, Adams plays Riley for the Michigan City sectional championship.

Carroll beat North Side 75-70

Led by a young core, North Side played great down the stretch of the season. The Legends nearly upset Jalen Jackson and Carroll, but the Chargers made enough plays to secure the win.

Pike 58, Decatur Central 54

Decatur Central built a lead in this one, but sophomore Devon Woods came up huge for the Red Devils. Pike did not play great in the second half of the season, but Bill Zych’s squad reaches another sectional title game.

Leo 76, Luers 70 in overtime

Leo is another team that limped to the regular-season finish line, and Luers was playing better at the end of the year. Luers had its chances to beat Leo, but the Lions move on.