SOUTH WHITLEY — The Whitko girls basketball team didn’t get a bye for Class 3A Sectional 23 at Mississinewa High School, but it got the next best thing — a one-win team. In the opening game of the sectional, Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Whitko Lady Wildcats (8-12) will take on the 1-19 Mississinewa Lady Indians, but Whitko coach Brandon Bradley isn’t overlooking anyone. “You can’t take any team in the sectional for granted,” Bradley said. “At this point, it’s one game at a time. Every game is an elimination game from this point. I can speak, I’m pretty sure, for Mississinewa and Bellmont (4-16) as well, that we’re pretty happy that Norwell is on the other side of the bracket.” The Class 3A No. 2 Norwell Lady Knights (19-3) will undoubtedly enter the sectional as prohibitive favorites, and will face the winner of Eastbrook (6-14) and Heritage (12-8) Friday at 7:30 p.m.. “Norwell is the favorite in the state,” Bradley said. “(Prognost-icators) have them as a 37 percent favorite to win the 3A state. So, we’ll worry about that when it comes, if it comes.” The host Lady Indians will be Bradley’s first order of business, and despite the one win this year, he’s stressing the importance of taking them seriously. “They’ve had rough stretches, but they’ve also played some good teams well for three quarters, pretty solidly,” he said. “You can make your own fortune, just like you can make your own problems. We don’t want to come out sloppy and give them some false confidence, letting them hang around. We’ll try to focus on being focused and treating them they’re Columbia City or Warsaw or anybody we’ve played all year.” A win would pit his Lady Wildcats against Bellmont Friday at 6 p.m., and like Mississinewa, the Lady Squaws’ record may not illustrate the true competence of the team. “They play some darn good teams, so it’s not like they haven’t played a tough schedule,” Bradley said about Bellmont playing in the Northeast Hoosier Conference with Norwell, Homestead and DeKalb. “They just happen to be the little fish on a tough schedule.” A couple of wins would most likely bring Norwell in the championship, slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m., a team Whitko fell to 74-22 in Ossian on Jan. 12. Despite the loss, Bradley did see his team taking care of the ball. “The big thing we’ve been stressing, especially the second half of the year, is efficiency,” he said. “As the season has gone on, we’ve done a much better job of taking care of the basketball. Even though we didn’t play Norwell very well, we only had 17 turnovers.” Controlling the ball has fallen on the shoulders of his guards, and luckily the unit is comprised of three seniors (Karissa Olinske, Katee Reiff, Micaela Sylvester) and a junior (Cagney Craig). “People can argue back and forth about what’s more important, a point guard or a center?” Bradley said. “I feel like, in girls basketball right now, if you’ve got two - if not three or four - experienced guards who’ve been there and have ability and skill, I think that’s a very, very good advantage.” Olinske, a three-time Times-Union All-Area team member, is leading Whitko with 14.4 points, 3.0 steals and 2.8 assists a game, while Sylvester, a two-time Times-Union All-Area selection, is averaging 10.1 points, 2.2 steals and 2.7 assists a game. Guard play has been critical to the success Whitko has had this season, but in the postseason, post play will also be important. With that, Bradley has been pleased with the progression of sophomores Jordan Hall and Bailee Juillerat. “Jordan and Bailee Juillerat, the last four or five games, have increased their play,” Bradley said. “Over the course of the year, we’ve talked about them combining to reach a certain number. Right now, over the last four or five games, the two of them are combining for about nine points and 11 rebounds, and that’s huge.”
