Northview, Beech Grove tangle in regional opener

Last week, during its three-game sectional championship run through West Vigo, Brownstown Central and Edgewood, Northview never played its best brand of basketball for an entire 32-minute stretch, coach Michael Byrum said.

The Knights did, however, come up big in key situations in each of the three games, which proved to be vital in their wins.

Northview now heads to the Greencastle Regional that features four teams – Northview (17), Beech Grove (18), Guerin Catholic (19) and Greencastle (21) – with win totals of 17 or more and are ranked in Sagarin’s top 21.

Northview takes on Beech Grove in the regional opener Saturday at 10 a.m.

The Hornets, in the midst of seven-game winning streak, eeked out their sectional opener in double overtime. They bounced back with an 18-point sectional semifinal win and a 17-point sectional championship win.

Byrum has studied their tape all week and implemented different tactics for the pressurized defense the Knights are sure to see, but noted his group is going to have to play well to advance to Saturday night’s regional championship game.

“They’re athletic and they’re really going to pressure us from a defensive perspective. They’ll press us in the full court and in the half court. They’re very balanced offensively. They’re athletic,” said Byrum of the Hornets. “We’re going to have to play well and we’re going to have to go make plays on both ends of the court.”

Beech Grove coach Mike Renfro has done his fair share of film work on the Knights, as well.

His main takeaways? The Knights can shoot the ball.

“What a great opportunity to play such a good team that Northview has. They seem to be well-coached and play very hard,” he said. “They have some very good shooters, so they will test our perimeter defenders for sure. Caleb Swearingen will be a handful, but they also have [Drew] Cook and [Brevin] Cooper who are capable scorers and playmakers. We hope to be able to stay up with them and give them a good game.”

Both teams have shown they can put up points in a hurry, as each is averaging 60 points scored per game.

So, what will be the key to have the chance to play for another championship?

“Rebounding,” Byrum stated.