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Vikings learn split not good enough to advance in sectional
- The Posey County News
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Chris Morlan
Opening night of the Indiana High School Athletic Association Sectional for the North Posey boys’ basketball team was last Wednesday evening at Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium against the Perry Central Commodores.
This was the second meeting between the two schools this season. These two schools first played against each other on February 14 at Perry Central where the Vikings won 51-34. During this second meeting, North Posey escaped with a much closer matchup by the score of 50-44.
With the win, North Posey improved their season record to ten wins and thirteen losses. Perry Central’s season ended with nine wins and fifteen losses. Over the last forty years, these two schools have played against each other twenty-two times. North Posey has won eighteen of those meetings. On another note, when North Posey scores fifty or more points in a game. The Vikings have seven wins and one loss.
Back to this game, North Posey started off this matchup a little slow. Perry Central led by as many as six points on three occasions in the first and second quarters. The Commodores led 14-10 at the end of the first period.
Perry Central boosted their lead back up to six points at 16-10 at the start of the second quarter. Then North Posey took over with an 11-0 run to then lead 21-16. Leading that scoring run for the Vikings was senior Trey Buecher making three three-point baskets during this stretch of the game. At the end of the second quarter, North Posey led 22-18.
In the third quarter, North Posey built their biggest lead of the game at eight points 26-18. Perry Central refused to back down and cut the deficit of this game down to two points at 28-26. At the end of the third period, Perry Central tied the game 31-31. North Posey regained the lead to end the third quarter by the score of 34-31.
The fourth quarter of this game was still close between the two teams. North Posey led the entire final eight minutes of the game. Two key offensive rebounds by Carter Schickel and Tyler Arnold helped North Posey secure this win by six points. With the victory, North Posey will play Evansville Mater Dei in the sectional semifinal from Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium.
North Posey had three players scored double digits led by Brayden Compton with 13 points. Tyler Arnold finished with 12 points and Trey Buecher with 11 points. Gage Clark led Perry Central by scoring a game-high 15 points.
(Sectional) Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium
North Posey 10 12 12 16 — 50
Perry Central 14 4 13 13 — 44
NORTH POSEY (50): C. Clowers 2 4-6 8, C. Schickel 2 0-0 4, B. Compton 5 3-3 13, T. Buecher 4 0-1 11, T. Arnold 5 2-5 12, B. Fehn 0 0-0 0, C. Wilzbacher 0 0-0 0, C. Crane 1 0-0 2, R. Kihn 0 0-0 0, J. Embrey 0 0-0 0, H. Lilly 0 0-0 0, W. Barton 0 0-0 0.
PERRY CENTRAL (44): G. Clark 5 4-5 15, L. Stumler 1 2-2 5, Z. Mitchell 2 1-4 5, R. Litherland 2 2-5 6, O. Hubert 1 1-2 4, L. Zellers 4 0-0 9, L. Knieriem 0 0-0 0, B. Hubert 0 0-0 0, B. Brubaker 0 0-0 0.
Field Goals: North Posey 19-47, Perry Central 15-32; 3-point field goals: North Posey 3-16 (T. Buecher 3), Perry Central 4-13 (G. Clark 1, L. Zellers 1, O. Hubert 1, L. Stumler 1); Free Throws: North Posey 9-18, Perry Central 10-18; Rebounds: North Posey 26, Perry Central 22; Turnovers: North Posey 7, Perry Central 11; Total Fouls: North Posey 16, Perry Central 19; Fouled Out: North Posey (T. Arnold), Perry Central (O. Hubert).
The Vikings were back on the basketball court last Friday evening in the second sectional semifinal game against the Evansville Mater Dei Wildcats. Going into this sectional, the Wildcats were favored to win this bracket. One bad quarter hurt the Vikings from having a chance in this game. Mater Dei walked away with a 61-45 victory over North Posey.
This loss ended North Posey’s season with ten wins and fourteen losses. Mater Dei will advance to the sectional championship to play against the Forest Park Rangers. In the early game, Forest Park beat South Spencer 54-40. Mater Dei never allowed North Posey the lead in this entire game. The Vikings stayed with Mater Dei in the first quarter and only trailed 18-13. In the second quarter, things were disastrous for the Vikings, only scoring two second quarter points. At the halftime break, Mater Dei led 32-15.
If you could only count the second half of this game. North Posey won the second half 30-29 but high school basketball consists of four, eight-minute quarters. The Vikings flat out could not overcome the huge deficit from the first half. Mater Dei cruised to a sixteen-point win over North Posey.
Brayden Compton scored a game-high 23 points for the Vikings. North Posey senior Trey Buecher played his heart out, scoring 10 points in his final game. Cole Breeden of Mater Dei led the Wildcats with 22 points. Tate Mallory scored 13 points and Spencer Schiff with 10 points for Mater Dei.
(Sectional Semifinal) Friday, March 6, 2026, at Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium
North Posey 13 2 18 12 — 45
Mater Dei 18 14 19 10 — 61
NORTH POSEY (45): C. Clowers 2 0-0 5, C. Schickel 0 0-0 0, B. Compton 10 2-3 23, T. Buecher 4 0-0 10, T. Arnold 2 0-0 4, B. Fehn 0 0-0 0, C. Wilzbacher 0 0-0 0, C. Crane 0 0-0 0, R. Kihn 0 0-0 0, J. Embrey 1 0-0 3, H. Lilly 0 0-0 0, W. Barton 0 0-0 0.
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (61): T. Mallory 5 2-5 13, W. Hoffman 0 0-2 0, D. Branson 1 0-4 2, C. Breeden 8 2-2 22, J. Overton 3 1-2 8, R. Happe 1 0-0 2, S. Schiff 4 0-0 10, D. Minnette 0 0-0 0, T. Foreman 0 0-0 0, W. Frazier 0 0-0 0, L. Richardson 1 0-0 2, B. Hiester 1 0-0 2.
Field Goals: North Posey 19-39, Mater Dei 24-47; 3-point field goals: North Posey 5-10 (T. Buecher 2, C. Clowers 1, B. Compton 1, J. Embrey 1), Mater Dei 8-24 (C. Breeden 4, S. Schiff 2, T. Mallory 1, J. Overton 1); Free Throws: North Posey 2-3, Mater Dei 5-15; Rebounds: North Posey 19, Mater Dei 25; Turnovers: North Posey 12, Mater Dei 7; Total Fouls: North Posey 12, Mater Dei 10.
