Pilgrims prepare for a challenging sectional

PLYMOUTH — With the regular season in the rearview mirror Plymouth’s Pilgrims begin to prepare for a sectional field that will be at least as challenging as the schedule they just completed.
“No matter who we have it’s a tough match up,” said Plymouth head coach Joel Grindle. “Our field is exceptionally good.”
South Bend Riley would look to be the favorite in the field with a 21-4 record and a perfect 5-0 against sectional opponents. They drew a first-round bye and will play the winner of Tuesday’s Plymouth vs. Michigan City game on Friday.
If you look at the Sagarin ratings the second favorite, close behind Riley is Plymouth’s first-round opponent Michigan City who has an 11-11 record.
South Bend Adams (9-13) drew the other first-round bye and will take on the winner of Mishawaka vs. LaPorte the other Tuesday night game. By Sagarin rating, Adams is slightly ahead of Plymouth.
But the Pilgrims will have to get past Michigan City before worrying about any other team.
“They are a typical Michigan City team; incredibly quick, incredibly athletic,” said Grindle. “They are going to pressure you, they are going to trap you, they are going to try to be physical with you.”
“Michigan City is going to be a huge challenge and if you get through that one you are staring at South Bend Riley who is a state-ranked team and another huge challenge.”
“No matter how it worked out, no matter who we had it was going to be a challenge. It’s kind of nice to play somebody different that we haven’t seen all year but it’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to.”
Plymouth comes in at 8-14 with losses during the regular season to sectional opponents Riley, Mishawaka (15-7), and LaPorte (10-12).
While Grindle’s focus is on Tuesday’s game with the Wolves, he and his staff have taken a peek at the other teams in the lineup.
“As you prepare you always prepare for that first game and don’t look too far ahead but Friday looks like it would be a similar ball game to Tuesday night,” he said.
“Riley and Michigan City have a lot of similar characteristics,” said Grindle. “They played each other to a tight ball game early on. Both are athletic, physical, they want to play up and down, looking to score, looking to get it into the paint but they have guys who can shoot.”
“LaPorte and Mishawaka (the other Tuesday night game) might be a little more of a contrast to the others. They might be a little bit more like us. More physical, slow it down kind of basketball team,” said Grindle. “I think LaPorte would like to get up and down but Mishawaka will be running their stuff and they hang their hat on their defense.”
“Adams is kind of a wild card,” he said. “They’ve had an up and down kind of year but they are very dangerous with coach (Chad) Johnston up there.”
“They are all very well coached and no matter who it is or where when you are talking a 4A sectional, you are talking a lot of talent, a lot of physicality, and, you’re talking a lot of good teams.”
Grindle’s team has had its ups and downs over the season and comes into sectional play after a loss to South Bend St. Joe.
“We don’t have the record that we wanted to have at this point. We knew we were going to have some growing pains,” said Grindle. “It seems like our guys have been around forever but we are breaking in four new starters and we were playing against teams that had a lot of guys back.”
“Our kids have stepped up and they are competing well. We feel like we have a group that is first and foremost competitive and second has the desire to get after it and play.”
“From wins and losses (the season) isn’t anything that you would want but I think it’s a year where we’ve seen a lot of growth and we’ve been in a lot of games,” he said. “I like our chances with anybody if our guys come out and play to their ability.”
Grindle likes his team’s grit, something that is essential for any tournament run.
“I think one of the staples of this team is that they battle and they don’t quit and we’ve given a lot of good teams everything they can handle,” he said. “We are capable of beating anybody in our sectional.”
“We are going to have to handle the basketball and play really well no matter who we play. We are hoping to see shots go in and play defense and see what happens.”