The 95th annual IHSAA Boys State Basketball Tournament tips off March 1 and the draw for the tournament took place Sunday in the first step as the six area teams prepare for the chase for a state title.

In the 1A sectional 50 at Culver Community High School, the Triton Trojans open up against rival Argos in the sectional's lone Tuesday tilt. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Triton lost to the Dragons earlier in the year by a count of 66-32.

The Trojans have drawn unwanted attention of late due to the suspension and subsequent resignation of head coach Mike McBride. Junior varsity head coach Jason Groves has stepped up to take the reins with Triton's girls head basketball coach Paul Walker sitting on the bench as well. Walker was an assistant under McBride until this past season before taking over the Trojan girls program.

Argos is one of the three teams in the seven-team field that will enter tournament play with a winning record. The Dragons defeated Triton in last year's sectional final 64-61 at Triton High School.

The 2A sectional 39 takes place at Manchester High School this year. The host Squires drew a first-round bye along with Southwood and will take on the Knights in Friday's second game. Manchester is 5-1 in the sectional field and has beaten Southwood twice this year. The Squires defeated the Knights 45-32 in the Wabash County Tournament final.

The Cass Kings enter the sectional with the best record at 11-7. Head coach Basil Mawbey knows success when it comes to tournament time. Mawbey has won three sectional titles and one that culminated in a state title in 2003.

Two local teams vie for the 3A sectional crown at Whitko. The Wildcats host with first-year head coach Larry Lael. Lael has had his work cut out for him as the Wildcats have struggled this year with just four wins thus far. Whitko does have size in Dan Rupley, Jeff Coats and Nate Alspaugh to go with the home court advantage. The Wildcats, along with the rest of the sectional field, will have their work cut out for them, with Tippecanoe Valley in the mix. The Vikings, led by head coach Bill Patrick, who recently picked up his 600th career win, are 18-1 on the season and are the only team that will enter the sectional with a winning record.

The Vikings drew a first-round bye and will play Norwell March 4 in the night's second game. The Wildcats open tournament play March 1 against 4-14 Fort Wayne Wayne.

In 3A sectional 21 at NorthWood High School, the Wawasee Warriors play in one of the state's most competitive fields. Five of the six teams in the sectional enter with winning records. Lakeland, with Iowa recruit Jon Workman, enters with the best record at 16-3. Two of the Lakers' three losses came against sectional foes in host NorthWood and Northridge.

Those two teams open up the sectional, March 1 in the night's first contest. Wawasee faces the lone losing record team in 8-11 West Noble. Wawasee beat West Noble 68-56 earlier in the year. The Warriors would face the winner of the NorthWood/Northridge game Friday.

The Warsaw Tigers enter 4A sectional 5 at DeKalb High School after two solid wins over South Bend Washington and Huntington North. The Tigers haven't won a sectional since 2000 when the team advanced to semistate. Warsaw looks to win its first sectional game for head coach Doug Ogle and have a shot against 6-13 East Noble March 1 at 7 p.m. The Tigers have been knocked out of the tournament the past two years by Columbia City and appear on a collision course with the Eagles. Columbia City enters as the sectional's hottest team having won nine straight games and 12 of its last 13. The Eagles lone loss in that time came to top-ranked in 3A Bellmont. Chris Benedict has his team playing their best ball at the right time and will look to knock out the Tigers for a third straight year. Warsaw beat Columbia City at home 47-27 early in the season.

The tournament culminates March 26 at Conseco Fieldhouse with the 1A final beginning at 10:30 a.m. [[In-content Ad]]