HILLARY SMITH: Shake the champions out of the IHSAA bracket tree

Picking out the cream of the crop, the top of the heap, the best of the best is as much a crap shoot as it is skill and girls basketball intelligence.

There's too much luck — or lack thereof — involved to be a guaranteed science. Who can predict a regional-round injury, or a team-wide sectional-week flu? The crystal ball can only take the everyone-remains-healthy information and assess which team will emerge from the postseason — which begins today — hoisting the spoils of victory.

Class 4A

Munster Sectional

After Lowell squeaks past Lake Central to split the season series, and West Side does the same against E.C. Central, the Cougars-Red Devils battle will mark a test of height against speed. The older Red Devils will win their first girls basketball sectional title since 2000.

Portage Sectional

Crown Point surprises the field and reaches the sectional final after beating Chesterton. Merrillville surprises no one and beats Michigan City in the semifinal. In a battle of former coach vs. former point guard, the Pirates give Amy Govert her second sectional title in three years and remain unbeaten.

Class 3A

Griffith Sectional

The sectional championship will be determined Friday night when Griffith meets Roosevelt. The Griffith Panthers' defense is too much for the Roosevelt Panthers' offense as Griffith keeps home court to win its fourth consecutive championship against Hammond.

Kankakee Valley Sectional

Class 3A newbie Hanover Central takes Kankakee Valley to two overtimes in an epic Friday semifinal, before the host team emerges with a win. The Kougars top Knox for the sectional crown and reach the regional for the first time since 2005.

Class 2A

River Forest Sectional

Wheeler and Bowman reach a sectional final to pit defending sectional champions against each other in the Saturday showdown. The Bearcats put up a fight before the Eagles take a foul-line stand and their first Class 2A sectional title.

North Judson Sectional

Boone Grove and Rochester tire each other out on Tuesday, but not so much that the Wolves don't then put up a fight against Winamac for the sectional title. Boone Grove will win its first championship since 2008 and hit the road for the Rochester Regional.

Class A

Washington Township Sectional

Kouts takes the much-needed rest with the first-round bye and uses it to wipe up the competition. The Fillies face fellow Porter County Conference foe Morgan Township in the finale and win their eighth Class A sectional crown with ease.

Oregon-Davis Sectional

Triton gives host Oregon-Davis a fair fight in the first half of the sectional final, but the Bobcats don't falter. O-D tackles the hump of having lost last season and wins yet another sectional trophy.

State finals

Class 4A

Merrillville reaches the regional final, but can't pass the Penn test after the Kingsmen knock off Lowell. Penn then falls to Hamilton Southeastern in the semistate as the Royals beat beat South winner Brownsburg for the state title.

Class 3A

Neither K.V. nor Griffith can solve Benton Central, which captures the regional title at Rensselaer. Norwell takes the North semistate then beats Mount Vernon as the Knights win their first state championship.

Class 2A

Bowman Academy wins the rematch against Boone Grove, but the Eagles don't have an answer for Bishop Luers. Winning the North semistate, Luers then goes on to fall to Evansville Mater Dei in the title game.

Class A

Oregon-Davis handles Kouts for the regional semifinal, but can't squeeze past Fort Wayne Canterbury. The Cavaliers win their fourth state title in five years when they hand Barr-Reeve its first loss of the season in the championship game.

This column solely reflects the writer's opinion. Reach her at hillary.smith@nwi.com.