Forest Park Rangers Claim Fifth Straight 2A Sectional Title, 54-41

The Forest Park Rangers entered Saturday's Class 2A Sectional 48 championship at Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium with a losing record and a roster that had weathered injuries all season. They left with their fifth consecutive sectional title, beating Evansville Mater Dei 54-41 on March 7.

The Courier & Press called it an upset, noting the Rangers finished 13-13 on the season and were "peaking at the right time following multiple injuries this season." A year earlier, Forest Park had edged the same Mater Dei program in the 2025 sectional final, 69-67. This time, the margin was more comfortable.

No individual championship-game stat lines have been released, but balanced scoring carried Forest Park through, according to a social media roundup of the night's sectional results. The Rangers had built momentum the night before with a 54-40 semifinal win over South Spencer, a performance powered largely by junior Kamdon Partenheimer.

Partenheimer dominated the South Spencer game in the post, finishing with 21 points and 22 rebounds. Junior guard Luke Meunier fed him repeatedly from the perimeter, and the damage started early. South Spencer senior forward Ashton Rhoades jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead for the Rebels, but sophomore Talan Blessinger answered with a three to make it 4-3, then scored again on an inbounds play to give Forest Park a 5-4 lead with 4:42 left in the first quarter. From there, the Rangers closed the period on an 11-1 run, with Partenheimer accounting for seven of those points on his own, outscoring the Rebels 7-5 in the frame. Forest Park led 16-5 after one.

The title game, broadcast live on WQKZ 98.5 FM with Chris James on the call, gave Forest Park its fifth straight sectional crown, a streak that began when the program was a consistent winner and has continued through a rebuilding season that tested the roster's depth.

Dubois County had plenty to celebrate beyond Forest Park. In Class 1A, No. 2 Barr-Reeve rolled past No. 5 Orleans 54-36 at Loogootee, with Kierson Lengacher pouring in 28 points for the Vikings, who improved to 24-1 and will face No. 14 West Washington in the regional. Coach Heath Howington claimed his second sectional title, having won his first last year at Memorial. Northeast Dubois also won in Class 1A, defeating Wood Memorial 49-36 on the Jeeps' home floor to claim their third championship in the last four years. Now 17-8, Northeast Dubois will face No. 11 Bloomfield in the next round.

In Class 3A, Princeton defended its sectional title with a 54-36 win over Jasper at Washington, finishing on a 10-0 run. DeMarcus Newson led the Tigers with 15 points, followed by Edwin Holmes with 13, Zen Coomer with 11, and Quintyn Voltz with 10.

WITZ posted a full replay of the Forest Park championship broadcast on March 10 for anyone who missed Chris James's call of the title game.