All IHSAA Boys Sectionals Reach Semifinals as Mishawaka Sectional Leads

Every boys basketball sectional in Indiana has advanced to the semifinal round after first-round action, and Sectional 3 at Mishawaka leads with 73 cumulative wins among its four teams. Semifinal games are scheduled through March 7 at the sectional sites, and the IHSAA lists Semi-States for March 21, 2026.

Sectional play was set across March 3, March 4, March 6 and March 7 with many semifinal games on March 6 and a heavy slate of sectional championships on March 7. The IHSAA set an entry list deadline of Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT, and the 116th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament Pairings Show was scheduled for Feb 22, 2026, 6 pm - 8 pm ET / 5 pm - 7 pm CT, presented by Pacers / Fever and hosted by Greg Rakestraw and Kyle Neddenriep. The pairings show was slated to stream exclusively on the IHSAA streaming platform and to be simulcast on affiliates of the IHSAA Champions Network.

The IHSAA has published Semi-States logistics and admission rules. “All tickets will be digital through your mobile phone and may be purchased through Eventlink (additional fees apply). Present your purchase verification on your mobile phone at the gate for admission. $12 per person per session. Children age 5 and younger admitted free.” The association also detailed the Semi-State site format: “Each site will have four teams from the same class and will play two semifinal games and a championship with the winner advancing to the state championship game.”

Pairings for the Semi-States will be determined by random draw and announced on Sunday, March 15, 2026 via the IHSAA streaming platform. The IHSAA explained the draw procedure in full: “To conduct the random drawing for the boys basketball semi-states, the IHSAA will place the four ping-pong balls representing each school in each remaining foursome (Class 1A North, Class 1A South, etc.) into a lottery-style, transparent, air mix machine. The first ball retrieved from the machine will be the visiting team in the first semifinal game with the second ball representing the home team in that game. The third ball to come out is the visitor in the second semifinal game two and the fourth ball the home team in that game. Additionally, the winner of the second semifinal game will be the designated home team in the championship.”

Representative sectional brackets and schedules published by local outlets and the IHSAA show matchups that will decide semifinal fields. At Sectional 3 in Mishawaka the posted games read: “Game 1, March 3 (Tuesday) : Mishawaka vs. South Bend Adams” and “Game 2, March 4 (Wednesday): Penn vs. Michigan City,” followed by “Game 3, March 4 (Wednesday): South Bend Riley vs. LaPorte,” “Game 4, March 6 (Friday): South Bend Saint Joseph vs. Game 1 winner,” “Game 5, March 6 (Friday): Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner,” and “Championship, March 7 (Saturday): Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner.” Other published sectional blocks include Sectional 20 at Columbia City: “Game 1, March 3 (Tuesday): Columbia City vs. West Noble,” “Game 2, March 3 (Tuesday): Tippecanoe Valley vs. Wawasee,” “Game 3, March 6 (Friday): Fairfield vs. Game 1 winner,” “Game 4, March 6 (Friday): NorthWood vs. Game 2 winner,” and “Championship, March 7 (Saturday): Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner.” Class 1A Sectional 51 at Culver lists “Game 1, March 3 (Tuesday): Trinity Academy vs. Triton,” “Game 2, March 3 (Tuesday): Oregon-Davis vs. Argos,” “Game 3, March 4 (Wednesday): South Central (Union Mills) vs. Elkhart Christian,” “Game 4, March 4 (Wednesday): Culver vs. North Judson,” “Game 5, March 6 (Friday): Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner,” “Game 6, March 6 (Friday): Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner,” and “Championship, March 7 (Saturday): Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner.” Class 2A Sectional 34 at LaVille shows “Game 1, March 3 (Tuesday): Bremen vs. LaVille,” “Game 2, March 3 (Tuesday): Winamac vs. Knox,” “Game 3, March 6 (Friday): Career Academy vs. Game 1 winner,” “Game 4, March 6 (Friday): Jimtown vs. Game 2 winner,” and “Championship, March 7 (Saturday): Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner.” Sectional 4 at Elkhart is listed as “Game 1, March 3 (Tuesday): Concord vs. Goshen,” “Game 2, March 6 (Friday): Elkhart vs. Warsaw,” “Game 3, March 6 (Friday): Northridge vs. Game 1 winner,” and “Championship, March 7 (Saturday): Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner.” Sectional 52 at Bethany Christian was published only in part: “Game 1, March 3 (Tuesday): Fort Wayne Canterbury vs. Hamilton” and “Game 2, March 4 (Wednesday): Lakewood Park vs. Smith Academy.”

Broadcast and streaming notes for sectionals reiterate that streaming is exclusive to the IHSAA platform for the Pairings Show and many sectional events. Semi-State pairings will appear March 15, and the Semi-States themselves are scheduled for March 21, presented by Pacers / Fever, with each site producing two semifinal games and a championship and the winner advancing to the state championship game.