Greenwood Christian Routs Eminence 70-51, Claims Class A Sectional Title

Baker's 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the first quarter didn't look like a turning point. Eminence still held a 15-12 lead after a Keon Gregory layup. But that shot set off a 28-3 scoring flurry that buried the Eels and sent first-year coach Tony Adragna's Greenwood Christian Academy to the Class A regional with a 70-51 sectional championship victory Saturday at Lutheran High School in Indianapolis.

The run, which stretched deep into the second quarter, was triggered by a GCA timeout after Eminence had led 10-8 midway through the first. Adragna's squad responded by dialing up full-court pressure and forcing turnovers. The lone basket to interrupt the surge came from Eminence freshman guard Eli Jones, who hit a 3-pointer with 5:49 remaining in the second quarter. That was all the Eels could muster during the stretch.

Senior forward Will Jackson, the 6-foot-5 post presence who snagged a game-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points, had some personal history wrapped up in the net-cutting ceremony afterward. When GCA won this same sectional in 2024, Jackson was a sophomore who dressed varsity but never played. Kevin Gierke, the other senior starting forward who contributed six points, wasn't even on the team that year; he was attending Center Grove.

"I dressed varsity, but I didn't play," Jackson said. "This means so much. Two years ago, the sectional championship, one of the best nights of my life. Getting here as an actual player means so much."

Taking scissors to the nets at Lutheran High School has become a recurring ritual for this program. Saturday marked the fourth time since 2019 that Greenwood Christian boys basketball has cut nets there, a streak that makes the ceremony feel less like a celebration and more like an expectation.

That expectation wasn't obvious from the regular season. The Cougars finished 11-14 overall, a record that obscures a late-season surge: eight wins in their last 10 games. Friday's semifinal, a 45-43 emotional victory over Lutheran, could have drained them heading into Saturday's final. Instead, Greenwood Christian came out and turned a one-possession deficit into a blowout inside of eight minutes.

Next up for Adragna's program is a Class A regional matchup at Greenfield-Central against Liberty Christian, which enters at 18-7.