Operation basketball sectional style for the Sparkplugs

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Madison Smith, SHS Student Media.

Junior Daniella Galvez drives to the basket during Sectional action Tuesday night against Beech Grove. The Sparkplugs play in tonight’s IHSAA Sectional Semifinal at Speedway.

Speedway’s varsity girls basketball team (11-10) hosts the first of two sectional semifinal matchups tonight at the Morris Pollard Gymnasium. Tonight’s Class 3A Sectional 28 game between Speedway and Purdue Polytech Englewood (20-5) matches
the two best team in the sectional field.

Speedway advanced to tonight’s semifinal by defeating Beech Grove 41-29 on Tuesday night.

“We did not play well offensively,” said head coach Joe Smith. “But (we) played well defensively and took care of the basketball to survive and advance to Friday nights sectional semifinal against a very good Purdue Poly team, with a chance to
advance to the championship game of the sectional for the second year in a row.”

Junior Daniela Galvez led the Sparkplugs offensively with 12 points during a 50% shooting night from the field. Galvez and classmate Alex DeLisle each average 12 points a game and their offensive production will be one of several keys to the Sparkplugs and their chances against Purdue Poly.

A win over Purdue Poly would make the Sparkplugs the prohibitive favorites in Saturday’s sectional championship game. The winner of Friday’s game will play the winner of the George Washington (9-13)/Cardinal Ritter (3-19) semifinal game. The
championship game time is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Speedway.