Yorktown's glass dominance, Delta's balanced scoring set up Sectional 24 final

Yorktown demolished Connersville 63-47 behind dominant rebounding, and Delta held off Hamilton Heights 70-61, setting up a Delaware County rematch for the IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 24 championship at the New Castle Fieldhouse Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be the second time in the last three years the Eagles and Tigers play for the Sectional 24 title at the New Castle Fieldhouse.

Yorktown’s path to the semifinal win leaned on the glass and a quick adjustment after a rocky start. Connersville opened 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and jumped to a 12-8 lead in the opening minutes, but Yorktown answered with an 8-0 run to close the quarter following a timeout by coach Justin Ullom. Yorktown came into the night off a 52-46 first-round victory over a 20-win Jay County team, and the Tigers converted their second-round momentum into control through rebounding. Ullom said, “We didn't have great ball pressure, didn't have hands up and gave them some good looks,” and added, “They're good enough shooters when they start making them, they made a bunch that first half. I thought it evened out there as we went, and our rebounding picked up. They got a couple 3s off offensive rebounds early, and then we took that away.”

Delta’s 70-61 semifinal win over Hamilton Heights came by committee: all five of Delta's starters scored in double figures, a balance that allowed the Eagles to withstand late runs and close out the game. The balanced scoring sheet gives Delta multiple pathways to attack Yorktown in Saturday’s final and forces opponents to account for half a dozen consistent threats rather than one primary scorer.

The New Castle Fieldhouse, described in coverage as the world’s largest high school fieldhouse, will host Saturday’s 7:00 p.m. championship, pitting Delaware County rivals in front of a familiar crown. This meeting revives a recent sectional rivalry and places emphasis on matchups inside the paint for Yorktown and on defensive assignments for teams facing Delta’s depth.

A separate matchup between the rivals earlier in the season was reported at Yorktown High School, where Cardinal Media BSU described a 53-45 Delta victory. In that game Delta led 20-6 after the first quarter, Yorktown rallied to lead 40-39 after three, and Delta closed with a 9-0 fourth-quarter run. Cardinal Media BSU listed senior Jordan Furney with 19 points, junior Lucas Bragg with 12 and Bronson Edwards with 11. Delta coach Mark Detweiler said, “There’s about 14 minutes there where we outscored a really good basketball team. …I love what we're doing defensively on the ball.” Yorktown coach Matt Moulton reflected, “To take the lead at the end of the third quarter, that's what we're gonna focus,” and, “We just gotta finish the game in the fourth quarter.” Bronson Edwards added, “It just feels pretty awesome because we got killed in football.”

Social media also flagged the matchup: X: “@YorktownBoysBB⁩ and @DeltaEagles_ both defeated their semifinal opponents to set up a rivalry rematch in the IHSAA boys basketball Class 3A” and a separate Facebook post noted, “Lady Spartans up 38-29 over Delta at the end of the 3rd quarter in the Sectional Final at Yorktown. May be an image of volleyball.” The sectional final Saturday at 7:00 p.m. is now set; specifics such as full box scores, individual rebounding totals for Yorktown and point-by-point starters’ totals for Delta remain to be collected for a deeper look at matchups that will decide the Sectional 24 champion.