Wheatfield IN. Culver and Wheeler matched up against each other in the second round of the Kankakee Valley sectional. Wheeler drew the bye and plays their first game of the tournament. Culver took down the hosts, Kankakee Valley on Tuesday night.
           
Culver would quickly jump ahead and never look back in their second-round blowout. Thomas Collins, Cooper Farrall, and Amir Gates participated in the opening 14 point run for Culver, with Collins making two threes, a layup, and two from the line, Farrall scoring a layup after a missed shot, and Gates scoring after stealing a pass in transition. Wheeler got a bucket for their first points of the night, but Daley Stein got to the line to get the two points back. Collins got his second trip to the line and made one of two before Wheeler got their third point from the free-throw line. Farrall scored in transition off a steal from Andrew Macheca to put Culver up at the end of the first, 19-3.
           
Culver's offense got even more efficient in the second-quarter, putting up a season best 30 points in the second. Farrall got a pair of shots from the line, which Wheeler answered with a bucket of their own. Then, Culver went on a 23-point swing with buckets from Farrall, Collins, Fola Fayemi, Colin Chupp, and Jokubas Skurdenis. Wheeler got their second basket of the quarter, but Culver scored five more from a pair of free throws via Farrall, and a three from Jadyn James. The quarter would end with Culver ahead by 42, as both teams went into the locker room. The halftime score was 49-7.
           
With a running clock for the remainder of the game, the second half went by fast. Culver went on a 15-0 run for the duration of the quarter. Stein got two buckets from inside with strong post moves, and Skurdenis scored in transition off a steal from Collins. Farrall and Fayemi connected on a high low, with Farrall scoring the layup, before James hit his second three of the night. Chupp scored from a great pass from Macheca, and Fayemi ended the third with a post score off a pass from Chupp to end the third, 64-7.
           
James opened the fourth with another three, but Wheeler got a bucket on the next possession. Josh Okorafor got a pair of scores from down low, only interrupted by a made three from Wheeler. James scored two more on a dribble drive, but again Wheeler responded with a three after a few empty possessions for both teams. James hit two more threes to end the quarter, with Wheeler getting one more bucket of their own, to give Culver the comfortable win, 79-17.
           
Culver will take on defending sectional champs New Prairie on Saturday night for the Sectional 18 championship, with the winner moving on to Regionals to face the winner of the Maconaquah sectional. Culver will look to win their sixth sectional title, as well as an opportunity to face Mishawaka Marian in a rematch in the regional final.