Are you ready for the return of Hoosier Hysteria?

The Indiana High School Athletic Association has announced its girls basketball sectional pairings, setting the stage for an exciting postseason. The state tournament is set to begin on February 3 and will conclude on February 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Southwestern Indiana could be in for another successful run, with eight teams receiving votes in the latest coaches’ polls.

National Signing Day:

Here are the SW Indiana athletes for the 2025-26 school year.

What are the immediate takeaways for teams in the Evansville area? Let’s dive in.

Sectional 16

Sectional 16 might be the deepest field in Southwestern Indiana. My immediate reaction to the bracket? Solid work, ping pong balls.

Harrison awaits Castle or North in the semifinal. The other Friday night game is No. 13 Reitz vs. Gibson Southern. You can argue who would deserve the top seed (sadly the IHSAA still uses a blind draw) between Reitz or Castle. But since the Knights beat the Panthers by 10 on January 8, they’d earn it in my opinion.

I’d switch opponents between one game, but the bracket is solid otherwise. Reitz-Gibson Southern will be among the best semifinal matchups in this corner of the state. This should be a fun weekend in Newburgh with a number of interesting storylines.

More:

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I can’t say the same for Sectional 32. This is a rough draw with the top three teams on one side of the bracket. No. 8 Central hosts Heritage Hills on opening night (potentially a championship-level matchup) with Boonville waiting in the semifinal. It happens to someone every year and assuredly elsewhere in Indiana too. Should make for a fun opening round.

The beneficiary of that draw might be Memorial or Mount Vernon on the other side of the bracket.

No. 6 Washington is arguably the favorite in Sectional 31 and received the toughest path. The Hatchets start with 16-win Jasper with the victor getting host Vincennes Lincoln. Princeton, who beat Washington in overtime on January 10, is the clear winner from this draw.

No. 7 Mater Dei is also required to win Sectional 48 the hard way. The Wildcats face 12-win Forest Park in the opening round before likely facing a surging South Spencer (seven straight wins) in the semifinal. Not only do the Rebels have dependable perimeter options — Butler commit Rylee Canaan recently made her debut after transferring midseason from Memorial.

The top half of the bracket is pretty even with host Tell City, Perry Central and defending champion North Posey.

Other thoughts around Southwestern Indiana: they might be lining up for the potential No. 3 South Knox vs. No. 4 North Knox semifinal in Sectional 47 already. The defending state champion Spartans certainly received a difficult path, starting with 11-win Sullivan.

Sectional 64 is set up for a No. 9 Evansville Christian vs. No. 11 Springs Valley championship, but keep an eye on Wood Memorial against the former in the semifinal. The semifinals in Sectional 62 could be No. 3 Orleans-Loogootee and North Daviess-Barr-Reeve.

Below are the brackets for every SW Indiana sectional. Exact dates and times determined by the host schools.

IHSAA girls basketball sectional pairings

Class 4A at Castle

• Game 1: Castle (17-4) vs North (9-11)
• Game 2: Reitz (17-2) vs Gibson Southern (15-6)
• Game 3: Harrison (8-13) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 4: Championship

Class 3A at Vincennes Lincoln

• Game 1: Jasper (16-8) vs Washington (17-4)
• Game 2: Princeton (15-7) vs Southridge (3-18)
• Game 3: Vincennes Lincoln (7-13) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 4: Championship

Class 3A at Central

• Game 1: Bosse (1-17) vs Mount Vernon (7-16)
• Game 2: Heritage Hills (14-5) vs Central (13-10)
• Game 3: Memorial (4-16) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 4: Boonville (10-11) vs Game 2 winner
• Game 5: Championship

Class 2A at Eastern Greene

• Game 1: West Vigo (5-14) vs Eastern Greene (6-12)
• Game 2: South Knox (17-3) vs Sullivan (11-11)
• Game 3: Linton-Stockton (13-7) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 4: North Knox (15-5) vs Game 2 winner
• Game 5: Championship

Class 2A at Tell City

• Game 1: Tell City (10-10) vs North Posey (12-10)
• Game 2: Pike Central (2-19) vs South Spencer (15-5)
• Game 3: Forest Park (12-9) vs Mater Dei (16-4)
• Game 4: Perry Central (12-7) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 5: Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner
• Game 6: Championship

Class 1A at North Daviess

• Game 1: Orleans (17-3) vs Shoals (2-18)
• Game 2: Vincennes Rivet (8-12) vs Loogootee (14-5)
• Game 3: Washington Catholic (2-17) vs North Daviess (15-5)
• Game 4: Barr-Reeve (12-7) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 5: Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner
• Game 6: Championship

Class 1A at Tecumseh

• Game 1: Cannelton (2-12) vs Springs Valley (15-6)
• Game 2: Northeast Dubois (5-13) vs Evansville Christian (15-6)
• Game 3: Tecumseh (2-18) vs Game 1 winner
• Game 4: Wood Memorial (9-12) vs Game 2 winner
• Game 5: Championship

Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.