When the Southmont Sectional Tournament opens tonight, Putnam County boys basketball teams will be looking to cut down the nets when it is all said and done. 

At 11-10, South Putnam drew the bye and will take on the winner of Greencastle (7-16) and Parke Heritage (15-9) Friday at 6 p.m. in the first semifinal (Tonight, coverage at 6:40 p.m. on GIANT fm Sports).

The Tiger Cubs and Parke Heritage open the sectional tournament tonight at 7 p.m. 

North Putnam (14-9) will open play Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Southmont (15-7), while Cloverdale (2-21) will entertain Riverton Parke (9-14) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

South Putnam ready for sectional

According to South Putnam coach Kyle Swafford, his team is a "big underdog" in any game they play in the sectional. That feeling can be traced to the fact South Putnam had a "very up and down year," according to Swafford. 

"Unfortunately, we got hit with the injury bug, which really threw us for a loop and we lost some good momentum. Playing short-handed has been difficult to say the least, and it's not going to be any easier as we approach sectional play. Our season has been mostly successful, and I am extremely proud of my team and how they have handled some of the adversity that we've endured," Swafford told The Putnam County Post. 

The Eagles knocked off Greencastle, 38-37, earlier this season and lost 63-59 to Parke Heritage in December. 

Swafford said he has seen several players step up in big moments this year.

"At this point, I am very happy with our seven man rotation moving forward into sectional play," he said. 

Swafford said despite getting the bye, he was wasn't "concerned or excited" about drawing it. 

"I think we are a pretty big underdog in any game we play in the sectional. It's very tough to win a sectional, and I just hope our team competes at a very high level and we give our team a chance to win," Swafford admitted.

So what does South Putnam need to do to win a title?

"We have to play almost perfect games to win the sectional. We have to shoot a high percentage from the field and then, most importantly, we have to defend at a very high level. We just don't have much room for error, and because of that, it makes things more difficult than they already are. With that said, I am confident my guys will be up for the challenge," Swafford said. 

Greencastle competitive despite issues

Much like South Putnam, the Tiger Cubs of Greencastle have had their fair share of adversity this season, according to coach Bryce Rector, who enters the sectional tournament at 97 wins. 

"This season has been a season of ups and downs. We play a very young roster, and then on top of that, we were riddled by injuries and sickness during the months of January and early February. Despite all of this, we were able to be very competitive in almost all of our games," Rector said. 

The veteran coach admitted he has seen a bit of a change in his program the last few weeks. Greencastle enters the postseason on a four-game win streak and has won five of six to finish the season.

"We have found a way to start winning some of those close games, which has been great to see as the season has progressed. I was not surprised at all with how this season has gone so far, although I would have been hopeful to win a few more of those close games in January, but with the obstacles we've faced, it's easy to see why we did not," Rector admitted. 

Leading the way for Greencastle has been Cole Hutcheson, who has played "about as well as he could possibly play this year," according to Rector. 

"He has had an excellent senior season for us. I also think that Sam Gooch has been a solid player for the Tiger Cubs all year long. For a young guard, he plays well beyond his years of experience and has a great freshman season, one in which he has hardly ever come off the floor. Recently, Cody Evans has been scoring the ball well, which has been nice to see," Rector said. 

The Tiger Cubs suffered a 52-38 loss to Parke Heritage in December, and are an opponent Greencastle is "familiar with," Rector said. 

"They have some great shooters and a couple really solid guards that are going to be a load to handle. I don't think we will take too much from our first game with them. That was our third game in three days and it was a late morning/early afternoon game, which both gave us odd circumstances that we don't have this time. With that said, they were able to do some things to us the first time that we can't allow this time around. We must execute well vs their press and zone defenses and then must get out to shooters a touch better this time around," Rector acknowledged. 

What will the Tiger Cubs have to do to cut down the nets at Southmont?

"Obviously, in order to win the sectional, we have to take care of business on Tuesday evening versus Parke Heritage. In terms of the bigger picture, I think our ability to take care of the ball, get great shots and hit them on a consistent basis and then limit easy buckets for our opponents and limit offensive rebounds are going to be keys for us to win the sectional," Rector said.