AKRON - Bill Patrick is no stranger to the state tournament.
So, believe the 41-year veteran coach with 670 wins when he says "on a given day anything can happen."
"Comparing scores doesn't mean that much," Patrick said when asked about the seven teams that make up Class 3A Sectional 21, which gets underway Tuesday at Columbia City High School. "On a given day anything can happen. It wouldn't be a fluke for any of the teams to win the sectional."The seven-team field is fairly balanced, as the teams have between eight and 13 wins each.
Sectional play gets underway Tuesday when Whitko and Wawasee square off.
On Wednesday, Lakeland and NorthWood play, followed by West Noble and Tippecanoe Valley.
Columbia City drew the bye and will play Friday against either Whitko or Wawasee, followed by Wednesday's winners.
The sectional championship game is scheduled for Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Blackford Regional to play the winner of the Fort Wayne Harding Sectional.
"Columbia City, with their record and playing at home, they could be the favorite," said Patrick. "Whitko and Wawasee will be tough to beat. It's hard to pick against Columbia City playing on their floor."
And that's the beauty of the state tournament, this one being the 100th annual IHSAA state tournament, every team gets a fresh start.
For just the second time in his Hall of Fame career, Patrick's team takes a losing record into the state tournament.
The old-school coach, however, is still optimistic his team can string together some wins and walk away with a sectional championship.
"It depends on which team shows up," Patrick said of his team, which has had an up-and-down season. "If we show up like we did in that stretch where we won five in a row, then we'll be OK. When we shoot the ball well, we're a pretty decent team, but we rely so much on shooting because of our size. We don't have a big defender in the middle. If you dribble around our guards, we don't have a big kid in the middle to stop you in the post."
After falling by 13 in the season opener to county rival Warsaw, Valley won games at Argos and Knox, and the Vikings appeared well on their way to having a better campaign than their four-win season a year ago.
The win at Knox, however, was followed by a five-game losing streak.
In roller coaster-fashion, the Vikings snapped their skid and won five games in a row.
Now, Valley enters sectional play having won just one of its last seven games.
"It's all mental for us," said Patrick. "Some games we've played really well, and other times we haven't. We've got to put it all together."
The Vikings are trying to win their first sectional championship since 2007.
Valley has played two teams from the seven-team sectional field, losing 52-45 at Whitko on Dec. 18 and losing 84-74 at Wawasee on Friday.
Seniors Anthony Tolson, Zach Owens and Taylor Burkhart lead the Vikings in scoring.
Tolson leads the way with 12 points per contest, while Owens averages 11 points per game and Burkhart chips in with nine points per contest.
