Two defending state champions and five first-time sectional winners are among the field of 64 teams that advanced to regional play in the 89^th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament with victories Friday night. The sectional champions will play again next Friday (March 12) at 32 regionals across the state.

Evansville Mater Dei, Indianapolis Ritter, Morgan Township, Southwestern (Shelbyville) and Tecumseh cut down the sectional nets for the first time. All have been IHSAA member schools for at least 30 years or more. Morgan Township waited the longest for its first sectional crown, having been an IHSAA member school since the 1923-24 school year.

Triton ended a sectional drought of 34 years with its 61-48 triumph over Argos at the Class A Triton Sectional. Triton's only other sectional championship came at 1965 at Plymouth on its way to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Bluffton won its 27^th sectional crown but first since 1977 with a 46-43 victory over Adams Central at the Class 2A South Adams Sectional.

Other schools ending droughts of 10 or more years and the year of their last sectional championship were:

• Angola (1985 at DeKalb).
• Austin (1986 at Madison).
• Carroll of Fort Wayne (1985 at Columbia City).
• Milan (1985 at East Central).
• North Montgomery (1984 at North Montgomery).
• North Vermillion (1987 at Fountain Central).
• Perry Meridian (1984 at Southport).
• West Central (1987 at North Judson).
• West Lafayette (1989 at Lafayette Jefferson).

Defending state champions Alexandria (Class 2A) and Lafayette Central Catholic (Class A) won their second consecutive titles. Alexandria cruised past Tipton 79-52 at the Alexandria Sectional. Lafayette Central Catholic nipped Rossville 62-60 at the Sheridan Sectional on two free throws from freshman Tyler Best with six seconds left.

The championship round's biggest drama came at the Class 4A Seymour Sectional where Bedford North Lawrence knocked off Hoosier Hills Conference rival Jeffersonville 84-83 in four overtimes. Joey Ray scored a season-high 40 points for the winners. Brendan Pickens delivered the winning shot with three seconds left on a 15-footer from the wing. It was the only bucket of the game for Pickens.

All four of the teams that finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press media polls won sectional titles.

In Class A, Blue River Valley topped Park Tudor 71-49 at the Tri Sectional and will face Wapahani at the New Castle Regional.

In Class 2A, Winchester defeated Centerville 75-67 at the Hagerstown Sectional and will meet Indianapolis Ritter at the New Castle Regional.

In Class 3A, Plainfield eliminated Brebeuf 78-67 and will Mt. Vernon (Fortville) at the Shelbyville Regional.

In Class 4A, Bloomington South downed Columbus North 84-58 at the Columbus North Sectional and will get a major showdown with No. 2-ranked Lawrence North at the Columbus North Regional. Those teams all finished the season ranked 1-2 in the unified Indiana Basketball Coaches Association poll.

In top individual performances:

• Senior Jon Holmes of Bloomington South bombed eight three-pointers on the way to a career-high 34 points.

• Senior Kevin Grieger of Morgan Township hit all 13 free throw attempts on his way to a 25-point performance in helping the Cherokees win their first sectional title by defeating LaCrosse 58-52 at the Kouts Sectional.

• Senior Ricky Jones, playing his game at the New Castle Fieldhouse, made it count with a career-high 30 points and nine rebounds to help New Castle past Richmond 63-49 at the Class 4A New Castle Sectional. Jones hit 11 of 14 shots, including six of eight three-point attempts.

• Sophomore Sean Kline contributed 24 points and 20 rebounds to lead Huntington North over Fort Wayne Wayne 60-54 at the Huntington North Sectional.

Only three of the 1998 state finalist teams survived 1999 sectional semifinals play as the original field of 381 teams was trimmed to 128 in the 89^th IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament. They will play for sectional championships Friday night at 64 sites across the state.

Defending state champions Pike (Class 4A) and Indianapolis Cathedral (Class 3A) were eliminated, as were 1998 state runner-up teams Marion (Class 4A), Yorktown (Class 3A) and Southwestern of Hanover (Class 2A).

Host Noblesville defeated Pike 62-50 behind 19 points from Justin Anderson. Pike, ranked sixth among all 381 teams in the unified Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) poll and sixth in the Associated Press Class 4A media poll, also was the 1998 Tournament of Champions winner.

Plainfield, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A in the AP poll and No. 3 by the IBCA, ousted Indianapolis Cathedral 66-53 in the Plainfield Sectional. Indianapolis Cathedral was ranked 10^th in the AP's Class 3A poll.

Marion, rated 12^th by the IBCA and eighth in the Class 4A AP rankings, fell to Huntington North 72-59 at the Class 4A Huntington North Sectional.

Southwestern (Hanover) suffered a 64-45 setback to fourth-ranked (AP) Austin in the Class 2A Southwestern (Hanover) Sectional.

Alexandria, the 1998 Class 2A state champion, won its second game of the 1999 tournament in a 55-47 triumph over No.8-ranked (AP, Class 2A), Shenandoah at the Alexandria Sectional.

Lafayette Central Catholic opened defense of its Class A title by eliminating host Sheridan 62-53. The Knights, ranked ninth in the AP Class A poll, meet fifth-ranked Rossville for the title. Rossville stopped Clinton Prairie 56-53.

Bloomington South, ranked No. 1 in the IBCA poll and No. 1 in the AP Class 4A rankings, opened tournament play with a 71-61 victory over Conference Indiana rival Martinsville at the Columbus North Sectional. The Panthers will face Columbus North, an 82-77 upset winner of East Central. It was only the second loss of the season for the Trojans.

In a Class 4A field of four former state champions, host New Castle eliminated defending sectional champion Anderson 50-27 at the New Castle Sectional. The Trojans will face Richmond, a 59-50 winner over Connersville.

Other ranked teams to fall included:

• Indianapolis Arlington (No. 4, IBCA; No. 4 AP in Class 4A) to host Franklin Central, 72-68. The Flashes will play Lawrence North (No. 2 IBCA, No. 2 AP in Class 4A) for the sectional title. Lawrence North stopped Lawrence Central 63-54.
• Benton Central (No. 4, AP in Class 3A) at the Kankakee Valley Sectional to the No. 7-ranked (AP) host Kougars, 50-37.
• Attica (No. 2, AP in Class A) to Riverton Parke 81-68 at the Attica Sectional. Riverton Parke's Jeremy Bettis contributed 33 points and 14 rebounds.

In other highlights:

• State scoring leader Brody Boyd of Union (Dugger) scored 42 points, but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell to host White River Valley 68-64. The junior guard finished the season with 723 points in 23 games, an average of 31.4.
• Sam Gensic of Carroll (Fort Wayne) scored a season-high 41 points as the Chargers downed ninth-ranked (AP, Class 3A) Peru 88-86 in overtime at the Class 3A Whitko Sectional. The senior guard tallied 19 points in the fourth quarter, including 11 of Carroll’s 15 points in the overtime period.
• Joey Davidson ripped eight three-point goals to lead No. 5-ranked (AP, Class 3A) Sullivan to a 79-47 victory over Owen Valley at the Edgewood Sectional.
• Josh Grant of Taylor posted a triple double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. But the Titans still fell to third-ranked (AP, Class 2A) Northwestern 45-44 at the Cass Sectional.
• Aaron Jillson of Munster hit six three-pointers and scored a game-high 31 points in a 74-47 loss to Crown Point at the Merrillville Sectional.
• Senior guard Timmy Chapman scored a school-record 44 points to lead the Hornets past South Central (Elizabeth).
• Northfield outlasted Manchester 42-41 in three overtimes at the Class 2A Maconaquah Sectional.
• Huntington North defeated Marion for the first time in tournament play with a 72-59 victory over the Giants at the Class 4A Huntington North Sectional. Marion had won all 11 IHSAA tournament meetings between the schools since Huntington North opened in the 1966-67 school year.
• Loogootee won its second straight overtime decision, 23-21, over Vincennes Rivet at the North Daviess Sectional.
• Tipton won its first game of the season, defeating Muncie Burris 60-47 at the Class 2A Alexandria Sectional.
• Senior Matt Poynter scored 28 points to help Lafayette Jefferson to a 77-69 victory over Logansport at the Class 4A Lafayette Jefferson Sectional.
• Bellmont used two overtimes to oust Norwell 57-55 at the Class 3A New Haven Sectional.
• Dirk Rhinehart hit six three-pointers and scored 23 points to help Valparaiso past Michigan City 72-70 in two overtimes at the Michigan City Sectional. Junior center Laroy Blake hit two free throws with eight seconds left to provide the victory margin.
• Timmy Chapman of Henryville set a school record with 44 points as the Hornets defeated South Central (Elizabeth) 91-76 at the Henryville Sectional.
• Matt Rolph's 12-footer with one second showing gave Perry Meridian a 55-53 victory over former state champion Ben Davis at the Decatur Central Sectional. Perry Meridian goes for its first sectional title since 1984 when it meets Decatur Central.

David Hanger of North Newton scored a state season high of 57 points -- all in regulation -- as North Newton withstood a three-point barrage from River Forest and won a 116-112 double overtime thriller at the Class 2A North Newton Sectional.

The combined 228 points is an IHSAA state tournament high for any level of the tournament. It breaks the record of 219 points scored at the 1998 Tournament of Champions semifinals when Class A champion Lafayette Central Catholic outlasted Class 2A champion Alexandria 113-106 in double overtime.

River Forest and North Newton were tied at 95 as regulation ended. Hanger, a junior who entered the game averaging 22.4 points a game, fouled out with two seconds left in regulation. Two free throws by North Newton's Derek Iseminger with 12 seconds left in the second overtime clinched the victory. North Newton will play Boone Grove, a 75-65 winner over Wheeler in Thursday's semifinals.

River Forest hit 15 three-point goals, including nine by Mike Domsic. North Newton countered with 13, with nine of those coming from Hanger.

Hanger's performance was one point short of tying for the state's highest single-game total during the 1990s. That distinction is shared at 58 points by Michael Allen of Shakamak against Cloverdale on Feb. 16, 1990 and Chad Peckinpaugh of McCutcheon against Fountain Central on Feb. 11, 1995.

The highest game individual total in 1998-99 prior to Hanger's outburst was a 54-point performance by Alan Holt of Fountain Central in a triple overtime loss to North Putnam on Feb. 13.

Hanger is the first player to score more than 40 points in a state tournament game at any level since Jasper's Michael Lewis tallied 45 points against North Harrison on March 9, 1996 in the Washington Regional. It is believed to be the highest single-game scoring effort in the tournament since 1983 when New Castle's Steve Alford scored 57 points against Indianapolis Broad Ripple in the 1983 Indianapolis Semi-State semifinals.

Elsewhere:

Peru and Tippecanoe Valley hooked up in another scoring barnburner at the Class 3A Whitko Sectional with Peru prevailing 111-107 in two overtimes. Peru's Brandon Jones scored 10 of his 21 points in the second overtime.

Brett Snodgrass of East Central hit a game-tying free throw with 14 seconds left to put the game into overtime and finished with 34 points as the Trojans eliminated 1997 state champion Bloomington North 57-48 at the Class 4A Columbus North Sectional.

Logansport ended a 17-game losing streak to North Central Conference rival Kokomo with a 48-47 triumph at the Class 4A Lafayette Jefferson Sectional. Ryan Osborn led the way with six three-pointers and 28 points. Kokomo entered the 1999 state tournament with the state's longest sectional championship streak at eight titles.

Borden senior Justin Cavins scored 42 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Lanesville as the Eagles prevailed 79-68 at the Class A Henryville Sectional.

Jared Peterson of Austin hit four three-pointers and ran his career total to a school-record 111 as the Eagles downed Brownstown Central 79-39 at the Class 2A Southwestern (Hanover) Sectional.

Bremen used a 29-point, 24-rebound performance from junior Adam Mark in eliminating Knox 79-78 in double overtime at the Class 2A Winamac Sectional

Wawasee won its first game of the season, upsetting Lakeland 51-48 at the Class 3A NorthWood Sectional.

Among the defending state champions:

• Pike, the Class 4A champion and Tournament of Champions victor in 1998, withstood a Carmel rally to eliminate the Greyhounds 55-53 at the Class 4A Noblesville Sectional.
• Indianapolis Cathedral held Danville to a pair of fourth-quarter field goals as it successfully opened its Class 3A title defense with a 62-50 victory at Plainfield. The host Quakers, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by the Associated Press media poll, downed Indianapolis Chatard 98-58 in the second game.
• Alexandria, the Class 2A champion in 1998, took out Frankton 78-62 in the first game of the Alexandria Sectional. The Tigers hit 11 of 17 three-point attempts, including five of seven by Daniel Lustig.
• Lafayette Central Catholic, the Class A champion in 1998, begins its title defense Thursday against Sheridan at the Sheridan Sectional.

Among other teams ranked in the Associated Press media poll, three fell in their opening tournament games:

• Evansville Bosse, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, was upset 58-57 by Evansville Memorial at the Boonville Sectional.
• South Spencer, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A, fell 64-60 to Evansville Mater Dei at the Southridge Sectional despite 33 points from senior Brad Ayer.
• Heritage, ranked No. 10 in Class 2A, lost 54-48 to Fort Wayne Luers at the Garrett Sectional.

In Class 4A, top-ranked Bloomington South opens Thursday against Martinsville at the Columbus North Sectional. The Tuesday winners were Lawrence North, Merrillville, Pike, Gary West Side and Marion.

In Class 3A, the Tuesday winners were top-ranked Plainfield, Benton Central, Sullivan, Kankakee Valley, Plymouth, Peru and Indianapolis Cathedral.

In Class 2A, the Tuesday winners were top-ranked Monrovia, Winchester, Northwestern, Austin, Westview and Eastern (Bloomfield). Also, Perry Central was a winner on Monday night.

In Class A, top-ranked Blue River Valley opens Thursday against Lapel at the Tri Sectional. Tuesday winners were Attica, Union (Dugger), Rossville, Tecumseh and Loogootee. South Central (Union Mills) was victorious on Monday night.

Among teams in the unified (no class distinctions) poll by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, only one was eliminated. Center Grove, ranked 19^th, fell to No. 17-ranked Ben Davis 73-44 at the Class 4A Decatur Central Sectional. The Ben Davis victory reversed a 30-point setback to Center Grove in January.