Class 2A

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THE HERALD ■ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

SECTIONAL ■ PAGE 17

Class 2A @ Jasper High School

Forest Park Rangers Record: 17-5 Coach: Jeff Litherland (49-30 in four seasons) Opponent: vs. Tell City (7-16) or Perry Central (4-19), 6:30 p.m. Friday Postseason history: 10 sectionals, 5 regionals, 3 semistates, 2 state titles Probable starters: G David Lusk (6-2 Sr.); G Daniel Lusk (6-0 Soph.); F Ben Wendholt (6-4 Sr.); F Jaxon Cronin (6-4 Sr.); F Sam Englert (6-4 Soph.) Team tidbits: Forest Park rolled in both regular-season matchups against potential

Ev. Mater Dei Wildcats Record: 11-11 Coach: Kurt Wildeman (114-96 in nine seasons) Opponent: vs. North Posey (6-18), 8 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 10 sectionals, 5 regionals, 2 semistates, 1 state title Probable starters: G Ben Wolf (5-7 Sr.); G Sam Oliver (5-8 Sr.); G Rob Bow (5-9 Sr.); G Devan Straub (6-2 Sr.); F Sam Fulton (6-4 Soph.) Team tidbits: Mater Dei has reached the sectional championship or beyond in seven of Wildeman’s eight prior seasons as

North Posey Vikings Record: 6-18 Coach: Heath Howington (37-58 in four seasons) Opponent: vs. Evansville Mater Dei (11-11), 8 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 1 sectional Probable starters: G Jacob Sanford (5-9 Soph.); G Austin Graves (5-9 Sr.); G/F Ethan Morlock (6-0 Jr.); F Noah Scheller (6-1 Jr.); F/C Grant Scheller (6-6 Sr.) Team tidbits: Grant Scheller (10.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) shoots 58 percent from the floor, but the Vikings as a group connect on 43

sectional semifinal foes, handling Tell City 70-39 and Perry Central 58-37. ... Englert (14.2 ppg) tops the Rangers in scoring while Wendholt (4.3) is the top rebounder and David Lusk leads in assists (4) and steals (2). Keep an eye on: The seniors. The Rangers are well-stocked for the future with a sturdy sophomore group, but the team’s elders have been motivated ever since letting last year’s sectional title get away in a loss to Mater Dei. Moment to remember: The Rangers picked up a signature win in late February in building a 12-point lead and finishing a 57-51 win over a Pike Central team ranked in 3A’s top 10. It also clinched the Rangers’ 11th conference title in basketball.

Tell City Marksmen

coach. ... The Wildcats staged a mini-surge at the end of the regular season, with wins over Forest Park and Jasper plus city rivals Central and Memorial. ... Fulton, the only non-senior starter, averages just over 10 points and almost seven rebounds. Keep an eye on: Straub. The last time he visited Jasper’s gym in early February, he dropped 41 points. He averages 20 and is a threat from anywhere while being shifty and creative enough to deal with heavy defensive coverage. Moment to remember: The entire last month may qualify. The Wildcats are 6-2 since Jan. 30 against a slate of solid competition that always has them tournament-tested.

Perry Central Commodores

percent of their shots. ... Graves (11.5 ppg is the top scorer for the Vikings, who went 0-13 until Jan. 15 but are 6-5 since then. ... North Posey’s first and only sectional crown came in 1966. Keep an eye on: Graves. He owns North Posey’s school’s career record for 3-pointers in a career (143) and season as he drilled 72 of them as a junior in 2014-15. He’s near that pace again with 71 this season as he shoots 33 percent from beyond the arc. Moment to remember: Graves’ 3-pointer at the buzzer pushed the Vikings past Tell City 47-45 on Feb 20. as part of their lateseason rise. The Vikes also have a regularseason win over South Spencer.

South Spencer Rebels

Record: 7-16 Coach: Greg Arnold (11-35 in two seasons) Opponent: vs. Perry Central (4-19), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 34 sectionals, 5 regionals, 1 semistate Probable starters: G Gant Miller (5-11 Sr.); G Hunter Rowe (6-1 Sr.); G Reed Goffinet (6-2 Sr.); G Tretter Lyons (5-7 Fr.); C Braedon Beard (6-4 Fr.) Team tidbits: One more win will give Tell City its most victories since 2008-09. The Marksmen, though, have not pieced

Record: 4-19 Coach: Matt Carter (11097 in 10 seasons) Opponent: vs. Tell City (7-16), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday Postseason history: 4 sectionals Probable starters: G Trey Mullis (5-9 Sr.); G Ty Mullis (5-8 Soph.); G Luke Hubert (5-10 Jr.); F Lane Lynch (6-1 Sr.); F Jacob Kelly (6-3 Jr.) Team tidbits: Perry Central went 57-16 in a three-year run from 2011-12 through 2013-14 that included a pair of sectional titles and a regional runner-up finish. The

Record: 15-8 Coach: Tyler Phillips (29-17 in two seasons) Opponent: vs. North Posey (6-18) or Evansville Mater Dei (11-11), 8 p.m. Friday Postseason history: 8 sectionals, 3 regionals Probable starters: G Kobe Stephens (5-11 Sr.); G Dylan Kelly (5-9 Soph.); G Matthew Embry (6-3 Jr.); F Trey Toler (6-2 Sr.); F Jesse Stallings (6-5 Sr.) Team tidbits: South Spencer’s 5-0 start to the season featured a 76-47 blowout of potential Friday-night opponent Evansville

JUST TO BE ASKING: DYLAN BUECHLER MINUTES AFTER FOREST PARK SENIOR DYLAN BUECHLER CHECKED INTO HIS FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON JAN. 23 AGAINST TECUMSEH, HE WAS POPPED IN THE MOUTH BY A SWINGING ELBOW WHILE PLAYING DEFENSE. BUECHLER WIPED AWAY THE BLOOD WITH A TOWEL AND STAYED IN THE GAME. CONSIDERING THE ACL TEAR HE SUFFERED IN JUNE, ONE LITTLE SCRATCH WASN’T GOING TO KEEP HIM DOWN. What was that like against Tecumseh? You finally get back into a game, you’re super excited you’re back in, and immediately... Well I guess it was a welcome back. It didn’t feel too good. It is what it is. Obviously, getting a bloody mouth wasn’t fun, but after all you went through, going through rehab, what was that moment like? It was surreal because right when I tore it and I heard about it, I was like, “OK, am I going to be able to play basketball this year or not?” So I was like, “I’m going to work my butt off and try to be back in five months.” Well, I came back in 51⁄2, back to practice. And I was like, “OK, I hit my goal pretty well. Now it’s time to get into the game.” I worked my butt off to be able to play. What specifically did you have to do to get back? Well, it was a lot of stuff. Let’s start with that. (laughs)

Pretty much up until the threemonth mark, it was non-weight bearing so I just did like leg lifts. Around the two or three (month) mark I could start doing weightlifting but I had to be cautious about it. After the three-month mark, they put me on a jumping program which started to gain my strength back. And 51⁄2 months is pretty quick, right? Standard is like six months for ACL recoveries. Any concern about coming back too early? There was a little bit, it didn’t feel great at first, but then you’ve got to get back into the rhythm of it. It was tough, but it was worth it. Do you feel comfortable on it yet, or is that still a problem? It comes and it goes. I have my good days and my bad. It’s usually after a really tough practice, I’m sore the next day or two, but overall it’s pretty good now. You mentioned before about the teammates being behind you. What were they saying to you during that process of trying to get back? They motivated me as well as the coaches. Coach (Jeff Litherland) was always like, “You going to be back for the (PSC) Holiday Tournament?” I was like, “Well, I’m trying.” I’d always come back toward the end of practice, usually from working out my leg, and everyone seemed upbeat and it just helped motivate me to come back.

together two straight wins since early in the 2010-11 season. ... Rowe’s scoring average (13.3 ppg) is down slightly from last season, but he has a little more help from Miller (9.2) and Beard (11.8 ppg, 9 rpg), who is one of seven freshmen on the roster. Keep an eye on: Defense. In its sectional losses over the last seven seasons, Tell City has allowed an average of 73.3 points. Moment to remember: Behind 20 points from Rowe and 13 from Ty Smith (Fr., F), the Marksmen crept past Perry Central 5752 three days after Christmas in the PSC Holiday Classic. It broke a string of nine consecutive losses to the county rival Commodores, who topped Tell City 50-43 in the regular-season opener.

Commodores were 9-14 last season, and this year, they enter the postseason with an 11-game losing skid. ... Trey Mullis accounts for 10.8 ppg and poured in 24 in a recent defeat to North Posey. Keep an eye on: Finding enough firepower. The Commodores have scored more than 52 points just three times this season, and they shoot 37 percent from the field and 58 percent at the foul line. Moment to remember: It came early for Perry Central, which opened the season with road wins at county foes Tell City (5043) and Cannelton (69-36). Ty Mullis and Lynch combined for 29 points in the Tell City game as the Commodores ended on a 19-10 spurt in the fourth quarter.

Mater Dei, a game in which Stallings netted 31 points and the Rebels were up 23-2 after one quarter. ... South Spencer has bowed out in its sectional opener in eight of the last nine seasons. Keep an eye on: Which Rebels show up. They’ve been touted as a promising group but have been a bit uneven, and they’ll need Stallings to be more consistent to be a sectional threat. They’ve found momentum entering the postseason, winning eight of their last nine. Moment to remember: The Rebels earned a season sweep of county foe Heritage Hills, rallying 56-52 on Dec. 28 and then winning 62-60 on Jan. 30 thanks to Stephens’ three-point play in the final moments.

Rangers (Concluded from Page 16) handshakes. This year, the players reopened the leg sleeves issue, and they’ve yet to disappoint. “It’s kind of a superstitious thing,” Wendholt explained. Litherland is yet to become more lenient on other accessories: head bands and arm sleeves are out of the question unless for medical purposes. He’s only come to peace with one fad. “Whatever, somebody makes a lot of money of them,” Litherland joked about the leg sleeves. It hasn’t been a difficult deal, though. This year’s group has been diligent in their work habits, Litherland said. Practices from the start of the season have been crisp and intense. Litherland said the seniors have been quick studies in learning and then employing weekly gameplans — from the starters all the way to the last man on the bench. “We’ve got one senior, Aaron Meyer, that sits over there and he screams out more stuff than I do on the bench,” Litherland said. “He knows every set the other team does.” The sophomores as well have come along and quickly bought

into a goal that’s now spanned a season and a half. The Rangers may look posh in their white leg sleeves, but they’re all business. Since taking a 35-point beating against Jasper last season at the end of January, the Rangers (17-5) have dropped only six contests heading into the Class 2A sectional, which coincidentally moves to the Jasper High School gymnasium this season. With a first-round bye, the Rangers are one win away from revisiting the same stage their season ended a year ago, when they reached the sectional championship before falling 69-64 to Evansville Mater Dei. So, with leg sleeves on display, Forest Park aims to reach that level again. “The Jasper game really motivated a big run toward the end of last year, and that ran short,” Wendholt said. “The Jasper game still burns on this year, but for me, it’s definitely that championship game; how we lost that (17-point) lead and that’s in my memory pretty good. I think that’s one of the main things for us to motivate us, because we were so close last year we could smell it.”