Guerin Catholic cruises past Frankfort 81-36 in Sectional opener; Carter Murans 11-for-11

Guerin Catholic opened its 2026 IHSAA Class 3A sectional run in emphatic fashion, beating host Frankfort 81-36 at historic Case Arena Wednesday night. Carter Murans was 11-for-11 from the floor and the Golden Eagles never trailed in a game that finished as a blowout.

Guerin Catholic outscored the Hot Dogs in every quarter, building a 17-9 edge after one and turning a 41-20 halftime advantage into a 81-36 final. The quarter-by-quarter line read Guerin Catholic 17-24-19-21, Frankfort 9-11-8-8, according to the official box score totals for the game.

The result underscored the season-long gap between the programs. The sectional schedule lists Guerin Catholic at 18-5 entering the bracket while MaxPreps shows a 20-5 record and a 61.0 points-per-game team average; Frankfort entered with just two wins on its ledger, listed as 2-19 on the sectional posting and 2-22 on MaxPreps. MaxPreps season aggregates also show Guerin Catholic with 1,526 points for and 1,241 points against, while Frankfort’s season totals sit at 1,056 points for and 1,562 points against.

The victory advances Guerin Catholic into Game 5 of Sectional 25 on Friday, March 6, where the Golden Eagles will face the winner of Danville Community vs Crawfordsville. The sectional bracket at Case Arena continues Friday with Winner of Game 1 vs Lebanon and then moves to the championship on Saturday, March 7, with the winners of Game 4 and Game 5 meeting for the title.

Program history and coaching context deepen the significance of the win. Guerin Catholic is pursuing its ninth sectional championship in school history, with the athletic department noting a 47-17 all-time postseason mark and state titles in 2012 and 2015. Head Coach Sam Gardner is in his first postseason after compiling the most wins for a first-year coach in program history, and a 2026 sectional crown would extend a string of recent dominance that the program traces back to previous coaches Bobby Allen and Pete Smith.

Frankfort, branded the Hot Dogs on the game roster, will regroup after the home playoff loss at Case Arena; their season included a 70-30 loss to Heritage Christian earlier in January, while Guerin beat Heritage Christian 68-51 on Jan. 10. Guerin Catholic now turns its attention to Friday’s matchup and the two-day path to a sectional championship on Saturday.