The Opening Drive: Week 8

“The Windup:” “The Opening Drive” Week 8 Script

We start “The Windup” today with a brand new edition of our “Opening Drive” segment.  This is where we highlight some of the sport stories making news in the Grant County area from the past week. 

We start the drive today with college basketball as the #1ranked Indiana Wesleyan University Lady Wildcats hosted the eighteenth ranked Bethel Pilots for the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament Championship.  The night did not start well for the Wildcats as they did not score a field goal for the first seven and half minutes.  However, the Bethel Pilots could not gain much momentum as the score was tied at seven halfway through the first half.  The IWU offense finally woke up as it outscored the Pilots thirty to fifteen in the final ten minutes of the half to go up thirty-seven to twenty-two at halftime.  Bethel could not make any major comeback as the lead was never smaller than 11 in the second half as IWU went on to win the game, sixty-eight to fifty-six.  Senior Center Krystal Stoneking led the Wildcats with sixteen points and nine rebounds.  Her partner in crime, Junior Forward Paige Smith, racked up a double-double with eleven points and ten rebounds.  The win was also extra special for IWU Head Coach Steve Brooks as it marked his three-hundred and fiftieth career win as IWU’s head man in thirteen seasons.  The Lady Wildcats are now preparing for the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament which starts on Wednesday.

In high school hoops, the 102nd IHSAA StateTournament for Boys Basketball got underway on Tuesday night with sectional action.  It wasn’t a pretty night for Grant County though as all four local teams lost their first round games.  In Class 4A, the Marion Giants lost, 72-62, to Lafayette Jeff.  In Class 3A, the Eastbrook Panthers and Mississinewa Indians lost games to Whitko and Norwell respectively.  The Central Indiana Conference Co-Champion Madison-Grant Argylls also lost in Class 2A action to Tipton, 81 to 62.  There is still some hope left for Grant County as the Oak Hill Golden Eagles do play tonight in a sectional semifinal.  Oak Hill received the bye in the sectional draw and will now play Northfield at Manchester High School at 6 pm tonight.  You’ll get to hear from Oak Hill Coach Kevin Renbarger a little bit later in the show of what he thinks it will take for his team to get the win. 

We end the drive today with an update on the athletic director search going on in the Marion Community School District.  The Chronicle-Tribune is reporting that Superintendent Steve Edwards hopes to have a replacement by the end of this month.  Out of 50 applicants, only 12 remain with hopes of getting the spot once held by Bennett Summersett resigned in early January.  Edwards is looking for a replacement that can improve participation across the board in all sports, handle money effectively, and all practices are meeting all safety requirements that the IHSAA puts in place. 

That does it for the drive today.  Make sure you listen for the Fortress Sports Update airing throughout the week updating you on all the local Grant County high school sporting events.  

(A special thanks to the Chronicle-Tribune, the IHSAA, and the IWU Athletic Department for providing stats and information for each story.)