INDIANAPOLIS – After many school corporations in Indiana, including most in the Times-Union coverage area, the IHSAA and its commissioner, Bobby Cox, announced the boys basketball regionals scheduled for today have been postponed.

The plan, as of late Thursday, was to limit each participating school to 75 complimentary tickets. But as more schools began implementing plans for an extended shutdown, Cox made the move.

The IHSAA released a statement shortly after noon Friday that read: “Due to the number of schools closing after (Friday) for an extended period of time, it has become apparent the IHSAA boys basketball tournament series cannot be completed as scheduled. Subsestly, the boys basketball tournament is postponed indefinitely.”

In a statement made Friday on Twitter, Cox said “Despite our best efforts to continue our beloved tournament, it simply is not feasible at this time. We will continue to evaluate in the days and weeks to come and perhaps restart the tourney at a later date.”

The girls gymnastics state finals at Ball State’s Worthen Arena in Muncie will continue as scheduled, with no spectators in attendance, a 1 p.m. today.



Area schools

shuttering programs

As of Friday evening, Grace College, Manchester University and high school programs at Manchester, Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee and Whitko will. hold no practices or compete until, minimally, April 13. Triton and Lakeland Chrsitian Academy had made a public announcemnt regarding athletics as of press time, but each administration has plans in place. Every puvlic school’s plans are in a story on page 1B of today’s Times-Union, and Lakeland Christian has its plan posted on its web site, lcacougars.com.

Wawasee also cancelled its winter sports awards, scheduled for Wednesday,

In the cases of the area colleges, thoise decisions were made at the conference level, with both the Crossroads League (Grace) and Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (Manchester) making the call.

Next week’s National Christian College Athletic Association men’s and women’s national basketball tournaments, to have been hosted at Grace, was cancelled Thursday. It is scheduled to return to Winona Lake after each of the nest three seasons.