Hoosier Hysteria and a double cheese-booger

​Let’s be honest. All of us, everyone, picks their/our noses. It’s not a big deal. Unless, of course, if it is seen by another human. The worst such scenario happens in a car when I didn’t see a filled station wagon laughing hysterically.
Oh well.

Today I plan on doing a public picking for all to see. I will let you know who is going to win the local boys basketball sectionals, which begin on Tuesday.

Another round of Hoosier Hysteria, Region style.

My picks are locks. And when they all come true I’m going to go and get a big cheese-booger to celebrate. You are all welcome to watch.

This is the 109th IHSAA boys basketball state tournament. Sectional finals are March 2. The regional nets will be cut on March 9. Semistates are the 16th and the state finals will be March 23 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
And here are your local winners, folks.

Class A

​Morgan Twp. Sectional: Three-time defending sectional champion 21st Century got invited to the Porter County Conference tournament. And the Cougars got a tough draw. They will have to beat host Morgan (13-7), then likely Washington Twp. (15-6) and Kouts (19-3) in the final. 21 beat Kouts by 8 on Feb.8.
If anyone is going to get the Cougars this is the year. It will not be easy. But I think Rodney Williams team will find a way to survive.

West Central Sectional: Not sure if you can tune into WJOB in DeMotte, but Covenant Christian will win the young school’s second straight sectional title. The guard play is too good for CC.

Triton Sectional: South Central has three wins for the season. Argos will cut down the nets.

Class 2A

Lake Station Sectional: This is the Region’s most competitive sectional. Period. End of sentence. Andrean (14-8) opens against Bishop Noll (12-9) on Tuesday. Bowman Academy (10-11) battles River Forest (9-12) in the first game on Wednesday and Whiting (11-11) plays Roosevelt (3-14) in the second. Lake Station (17-6) will play the winner of the first game between the two Catholic schools.
There should be some college scouts in the gym since there are so many top-shelf individuals lacing them up here. I’m going to go with the 59ers because sophomore Kyle Ross is a matchup nightmare and I do not know if he can be checked.

Winamac Sectional: Marquette Catholic will have trouble with the hosts in the Blazers first game, but Colin Kenney’s shooting range and the rest of his mates will be enough to get by and take out the Saturday night scissors.

Class 3A

Hammond Sectional: The best venue for any local sectional is here, the Hammond Civic Center. Wish Russ McLeod could be there for the first one, Griffith (18-4) vs. Hammond (14-6). The two powers did not play in the regular season. West Side (14-7) won’t get tested until Friday night.
I’m going to pick Griffith by a hair. I think the Panthers’ defense and the play of Tim Lawson and Corey Landers will be the difference.

Calumet Sectional: The defending champs get to play at home in the fieldhouse of the sectional I went to as a kid. I think it’s going to be an all 2-1-9 final, Calumet vs. Hanover Central. Warriors’ junior guard Davion Davis is the best player in the field. If he gets hot no one will be able to hang. I think he will as Carl Traicoff smiles down from above.

Class 4A

Crown Point Sectional: Throw a dart at the wall in this one, full of great programs and players. East Chicago Central got the best draw needing to get past Highland and Lowell to get to Saturday night. While Munster, Lake Central and Crown Point fight it out on the other side. Last time the Bulldogs hosted a sectional a kid named Sasha hit a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to help get the win.
Sasha ain’t there anymore. I’ll take Munster by two over E.C. in the finale.

Portage Sectional: Valparaiso’s Vikings and standout Brandon Newman have won 18 games and have not lost to anyone in the field. Barak Coolman will be dressed to the nines and Valpo will win it all. But it will not be easy. At all.
I only missed one local sectional pick for the girls, thanks to Doug Nelson’s Kankakee Valley Kougars. A last-second shot or I would’ve been perfect. I feel my percentage at the line of going up. My head tells me all these picks are stone-cold locks.

If not, I’m sure some folks in a station wagon will be laughing at me next Sunday morning when I’m picking something else.