What to know for each IHSAA girls basketball regional in Southwestern Indiana

EVANSVILLE — This weekend puts us one step closer to Indianapolis.

The IHSAA girls basketball state tournament continues with the regional round on Saturday. Only six teams in Southwestern Indiana advanced beyond the opening weekend. And for the second straight year, only one victory is required to move beyond this stage.

Here's a look at each regional matchup involving Evansville-area teams. All times are in CST.

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Class 4A: North (16-10) vs No. 8 Franklin (23-3)

Where: Bedford North Lawrence, 3 p.m.

Players to Watch: Libby Blythe, North (12.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Erica Buening, Franklin (12.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Scarlett Kimbrell, Franklin (8.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg); Maddy Knies, North (8.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg); Brooke Silva, North (9.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Brooklyn York, Franklin (11.7 ppg).

Outlook: The Huskies were the surprise winner from the Harrison sectional. Don't mistake that for undeserving. North was 13-3 at one point and found that form again last week. The key was good defense, particularly in the championship, and outside shooting. Replicate it again, who knows what happens?

North also understands it remains the underdog. Franklin doesn't have one true star but a balanced lineup – six players average 6.4 points or more. Its only losses are to some of the best teams in 4A. But in the Huskies' mind, all of the pressure is on the Grizzly Cubs.

North coach Tyler Choate: "They've beaten some really quality teams. The balance is what makes them so good. What we should bring is being free and no pressure on us. When you get into the Sweet Sixteen and you're Franklin, Center Grove or Bedford, there is a lot on the line. What we've sold to our kids is they are good enough to win and they shouldn't feel any pressure."

Class 3A: No. 3 Gibson Southern (22-4) vs No. 10 Washington (22-4)

Where: Crawford County, noon

Players to Watch: Kenna Garland, Washington (9.2 ppg); Chloey Graham (17.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg); Shay Hawk, Washington (8.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg); Katie Reed, Washington (13.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Paige Schnaus, Gibson Southern (9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg); Gabby Spink, Gibson Southern (19.5 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.8 rpg).

Outlook: This is arguably the top matchup involving area teams with two Pocket Athletic Conference heavyweights.

Gibson Southern was a 62-42 winner on Jan. 13 but needed a strong fourth quarter to pull away. It expects a tougher rematch but showed against Memorial on Friday it has the pieces. Gabby Spink and Chloey Graham form one of the top backcourts in Southern Indiana. The key may be secondary options like freshman Paige Schnaus or junior Nola Ravellette.

The same can be said of Washington. It navigated multiple potential pitfalls in the sectional with three competitive wins. The Hatchets have depth and never feel out of the game. If looking for an X-factor, how about senior Hayleigh Cummins (4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds) and every intangible she brings to the lineup?

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Gibson Southern coach Kyle Brasher: "One thing you know about them is they'll be hard-nosed. They're going to compete. They're tough-minded because that's who Gretchen (Miles) is as well. It might be like the Memorial game. Whoever has the ball last has the best chance. We know once tournament time, it will come down to those final few minutes."

Washington coach Gretchen Miles: "Our kids played very tough and did not get rattled in the sectional. Gibson Southern is such a great team. They can score so many different ways and with different players. We have to take care of the basketball a lot better than we did the first time. We cannot go through a scoring drought, we have to be able to put points on the board and we need to get off to a good start."

More: Gibson Southern girls clinch third consecutive 3A sectional. 'All of it feels amazing.'

Class 2A: South Spencer (14-11) vs No. 15 Brownstown Central (17-9)

Where: Charlestown, noon

Players to Watch: Alexis Harris, South Spencer (10.6 ppg, 3.0 apg); Jenna Kolsterman, Brownstown; Molly Schulte, South Spencer (16.4 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.3 rpg); Kendalyn Shourds, South Spencer (8.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Harley Toppe, Brownstown; Sophie Wischmeier, Brownstown.

Outlook: The Rebels are another playing their best at the opportune time. South Spencer is 8-3 since Christmas with each loss being competitive. Much of its slow start can be attributed to injuries with only one player seeing the floor in every game. What you see now is a much different team led by an experienced lineup that sensed an opportunity with no dominant team in the sectional this year.

This is the fifth straight regional trip for Brownstown. The Braves required a rally to beat Austin on Saturday with Toppe scoring a team-high 16 points. A good shooting and rebounding team despite their size. This is the first regional appearance for the Rebels since 2006.

South Spencer coach Rob Schulte: "We got healthy right after Christmas, finally, and stayed that way. You could see us getting better. Even when we were going through that bad stretch in November, we said, 'The goal is still in hand.' We felt like we had as good a chance as anybody in our sectional. (Brownstown) is extremely aggressive. They seem to get to the foul line a lot. Rebounding and defending the three will be key."

Class 1A: No. 12 Wood Memorial (15-10) vs Trinity Lutheran (14-11)

Where: West Washington, noon

Players to Watch: Joran Brewer, Trinity Lutheran (8.9 ppg); Liza Froedge, Trinity Lutheran (12.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg); Josie Page, Wood Memorial; Addy Phillips, Wood Memorial; Katie Sevier, Wood Memorial; Marley Warren, Trinity Lutheran (14.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg).

Outlook: It wasn't a shock to see the Trojans here. They returned four starters from last year's sectional title team with size and athleticism. Phillips, a freshman who scored 16 against Evansville Christian, has been a solid addition to the lineup. The record took a knock in December and January against good teams. That, and last year's regional loss, only strengthened Wood Memorial's resolve as it won three sectional games by an average of 28.3 points.

This is the sixth trip in seven years to the regional for Trinity Lutheran. The Cougars have three double-digit scorers but are likely without junior Madison Keith (15.3 ppg, 12.0 rpg) with a knee injury. The rest of the lineup stepped up in her absence to give Trinity more options.

Wood Memorial coach Johnnie Bartley: "We play a pretty tough schedule. It was just a hard time getting the end result. I felt like we were coming together and a lot of that had to do with the freshmen and sophomores. I think our kids were overwhelmed (last year). They were much more comfortable as the season went. I think in a lot of ways (Trinity and us) are similar than different. It will be a really good game."

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Class 1A: Barr-Reeve (13-12) vs No. 1 Lanesville (25-1)

Where: Crawford County, 3 p.m.

Players to Watch: Shelby Allen, Lanesville (11.1 ppg 6.4 rpg); Hannah Bledsoe, Barr-Reeve (10.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg); Ava Carter, Barr-Reeve (5.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Hadley Crosier, Lanesville (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 4.2 spg); Ava Kerr, Lanesville (10.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.7 spg); Willow Thompson, Barr-Reeve (6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

Outlook: The Vikings were possibly the biggest surprise from sectional week with wins over No. 9 Springs Valley and No. 4 Orleans. Their strength lies on defense (35.0 points allowed) and the frontcourt. Bledsoe is a potential double-double each night but will need help from the perimeter. Barr-Reeve also gets the toughest assignment against defending state champion Lanesville. It returned a good portion of that group with three double-figure scorers.

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What to know IHSAA girls basketball regional Southwestern Indiana