They had to wait a couple extra days to get their chance.
Monday night, four local teams will vie for three sectional titles, spread across three classes. Each game has a different profile, a different sense about it, but all three are united by the snow and wind Saturday that pushed them off their usual schedule.
An area team will claim a Class 3A title in Blackford, as the host Bruins will get another shot at defending champion Central. The Bearcats knocked off Yorktown to reach the finals and are looking for back-to-back sectionals for the first time since 1994-95.
Central (18-5) will be a prohibitive favorite after knocking off Blackford (14-9) by 17 points in the regular season. Three Bearcats scored in double-digits that day, led by athletic post Jayla Scaife, who averages 21 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
Aiming to slay a defending champion will also be the mission for Monroe Central, only the hosts at Class A Southern Wells have a bit more history. The Raiders (11-13) have won eight titles in a row, knocking off the Golden Bears on the way to the last three.
The game will pit a more guard-oriented Southern Wells group against a Monroe Central (12-12) that heavily features a frontcourt of Abigail McGrath (13.3 points, seven rebounds per game), Mikaela McGrath (11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists) and Emmarae Roberts (7.8 points, 29 3s this season). The Raiders are certainly down from their usual level, but their history and building brings a bit of mystique.
And far to the north, Jay County will face one of the state’s heavyweights in host Homestead at the 4A sectional. The Patriots (20-5) have posted a strong season thus far, and knocked off a comparable Fort Wayne South team to reach the final.
But the Spartans (22-2) are ranked fourth in the state, with only one loss to an Indiana school and an IPFW commit in Josie Fisher leading the way. They are winning games by an average of 34.2 points per game.
Delayed title games
4A
Homestead Sectional: Jay County vs. Homestead, 7 p.m.
3A
Blackford Sectional: Central vs. Blackford, 7 p.m.
A
Southern Wells: Monroe Central vs. Southern Wells, 7 p.m.