South Bend Area Girls Sectional Brackets Revealed; Penn Heavy Favorite

Penn arrives at sectional play as the clear favorite in the South Bend area field, a No. 14 Class 4A Kingsmen squad sitting 19-3 overall and 5-0 against its sectional opponents despite season-ending injuries to three key players. The sectional brackets were revealed Jan. 25, locking in matchups that will begin Feb. 3 with title games scheduled for Feb. 7 and a path that leads to regionals on Feb. 14, semi-states on Feb. 21 and state finals Feb. 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Penn will open its seven-team Class 4A sectional at home against Michigan City, and the Kingsmen’s combination of a Northern Indiana Conference title and a deep record makes the host school the team every opponent is aiming at. The damage from injuries will test depth and role players; how Penn’s rotation adapts in those early games will determine whether the Kingsmen can control tempo and maintain their status as a favorite.

In the other Class 4A sectional hosted by Goshen, Warsaw drew the bye in the five-team bracket and will be led by Butler commit and Miss Basketball candidate Joslyn Bricker. Bricker’s presence gives Warsaw a clear offensive engine, and Northridge, at 16-6, opens against Concord in a semifinal that could set up a Warsaw-Northridge final if Northridge can get past Concord. Those matchups carry local recruiting and scouting interest, with Bricker likely to draw college attention during sectional play.

Class 3A projects longer roads for South Bend Saint Joseph and Fairfield. Saint Joseph will face Plymouth in its opening round while Fairfield draws Wawasee, meaning both programs must navigate tougher draws to reach regional play. Mishawaka Marian and Tippecanoe Valley will host the other 3A sectionals, with regional pairings set so Marian’s sectional winner will face the Calumet sectional winner on Feb. 14 and Tippecanoe Valley’s winner will meet the Kankakee Valley sectional winner.

LaVille will host the Class 2A sectional where Bremen stands out after a 20-1 season and a Bi-County Tournament title. Bremen’s record positions it as the clear favorite in that host bracket, and the LaVille sectional winner will meet Wheeler at the regional level.

Class 1A features Michigan City Marquette as a No. 1 seed in the Morgan Township sectional; Marquette opens against Kouts. Morgan Township’s sectional winner will meet the Fremont sectional winner on Feb. 14, while Oregon-Davis’s sectional winner will play North White in the other 1A regional matchup.

Sectional hosting duties include Penn and Goshen in 4A, Mishawaka Marian and Tippecanoe Valley in 3A, LaVille in 2A and Morgan Township, Oregon-Davis and Fremont in 1A. Full brackets and schedules are posted at ihsaa.org.

For fans and local programs, the brackets crystallize storylines to watch: Penn’s bid to overcome injuries at home, Joslyn Bricker’s continued rise for Warsaw, Bremen’s push in 2A and Marquette’s top seed in 1A. With sectionals beginning Feb. 3, expect packed gyms, intensified scouting from college programs, and a compressed slog of games that will set the tone for regional play on Feb. 14 and the march toward Gainbridge FieldHouse on Feb. 28.