Hanover Central secured the Class 3A Sectional 18 championship with an 18-13 victory over Lowell, giving the Wildcats their second straight sectional title and the first under head coach Chandler Spring.
The game took place March 7 at Hanover Central High School in Cedar Lake, where the Wildcats relied on discipline and defense to grind out the low-scoring win over their Northwest Crossroads Conference rival.
Hanover Central controlled much of the early action, holding a 6-4 lead after the first quarter and a narrow 10-9 advantage at halftime. Lowell briefly grabbed the lead early in the third quarter after converting a steal into a fastbreak basket, but neither team scored again during the remainder of the period.
Entering the fourth quarter trailing 11-10, the Wildcats responded by outscoring the Red Devils 8-2 over the final eight minutes to secure the sectional crown. Senior Langdon Oldenburg paced Hanover Central with a game-high eight points, all scored in the first half.
The win marked the program’s fifth sectional championship and capped a season that tested the Wildcats through lineup changes, tough competition and several early setbacks.Up next: Hanover Central will face Columbia City on March 14 at 4:00 p.m. in regional play.
