The Seymour Basketball season has come to an end, and the Owls can say that for the first time in more than 20 years, they made the sectional championship. While the ending wasn’t what the Owls were hoping for, it was still a great ending to a gritty season.

The Owls started off the season 2-8, and it looked like the season was already over. Then the Owls got hot, winning six straight games, bringing their record back to .500. After a 2-3 end to the season, the Owls finished the regular season with a 10-11 record. Considering how the Owls started off the season 2-8, ending the season 10-11 was a pretty successful season for them. But now it was sectional time.

The Owls received a first-round bye, awaiting the winner of the Jeffersonville vs Floyd Central first-round matchup. After a dominant performance, Jeffersonville was ready to beat Seymour for the 5th straight time in sectional play.

Jeffersonville had just won the 4A state championship the year prior, but Seymour showed them what they were about, defeating the Red Devils by a final score of 45-41 to advance to the sectional championship for the first time since the 2004-2005 season.

Coach Manns has had a pretty successful tenure at Seymour up to this point, leading the Owls to a combined 88-71 (.553) record over seven seasons. But there was still one thing that he hadn’t done yet, and that was make it to the sectional championship.

While the championship didn’t go the Owls’ way, there is still a lot to be proud of. These players will never forget that moment of defeating the reigning 4A state champion to advance to the sectional championship. These players will never forget celebrating with the students in the hallway by chucking water and yelling in pure joy. These players will never forget this season.

Thanks to seniors Evan Unterseher and Nate Fritsch for giving everything they had for this team; it has been a joy to watch them play over the last 10+ years. That sectional game was one of the best moments in Seymour basketball history, and we got to witness it.

The Owls will be back next year, and now it will be their goal to top this team’s accomplishment. They will have their eyes set on winning that championship.

Thanks for a great season and a great ending.

Owls Will.