Fort Wayne Luers leads Brownstown Central 10-5 at the end of the first quarter in the Class 2A State Finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Braves and Knights continue their warmups with about eight minutes to go on the clock.

Cheers erupted ad the Brownstown Central Braves huddledin the walkway and took the Consesco Fieldhouse court just now.

The Beaves, 20-6, take on Fort Wayne Luers, 22-4, in the Class 2A State Finals.

Tipoff is in about 18 minutes.

Brownstown Central’s Braves should be taking the court at Conseco Fieldhouse soon for warmups before the Class 2A State Finals against Fort Wayne Luers.

Jac-Cen-Del just defeated Triton Central 66-55 in the Class 1A final.

Those teams will be receiving their awards on the floor before the Braves and Knights take to the court.

Gov. Mitch Daniels is watching Hoosier Hysteria up close and personal this morning.

Daniels is attending the Class 1A and Class 2A State Finals.

The Brownstown Central Braves take on Fort Wayne Luers Knights in Class 2A, with an estimated game time of 12:30 p.m.

More red shirts are starting to fill the Brownstown Central section at Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Braves take on Fort Wayne Luers in the Class 2A State Finals.

At the half, Jac-Cen-Del leads Triton Central, 25-13 at the half.

Early rising Braves fan occupied many of the Brownstown Central section as Conseco Fieldhouse when I arrived about midway through the first quarter of the Class 1A State Finals between Jac-Cen-Del and Triton Central.

I passed the Braves’ buses along Interstate 65 south of Columbus.

Many of the players and managers are watching the second quarter of the game now, from chairs behind the visiting team’s goal.

After a slow start — no scoring in the first quarter’s four minutes, I’m told — Jac-Cen-Del has piulled away to a 21-9 lead with about 2:30 to go in the second period.

I’ll continue to blog on the Braves throughout the afternoon.

Brownstown takes on Fort Wayne Luers in the Class 2A State Finals with an estimated tipoff time of 12:30 p.m.

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SOUTHPORT - Southport’s fieldhouse was rocking with the sounds of the Brownstown Central High School pep band Saturday afternoon.

Richard Branaman’s crew was tucked away near one basket as fans decked out in red and black - the colors of the Braves  - and gold and black - those of the Winchester Community High School Golden Falcons - filtered in and took their seats in the storied gymnasium.

The crowd roared as Southport’s announcer introduced the Class 2A contestants in the afternoon’s first game, Brownstown and Winchester.

Then the Braves’ pep band played “The Star-Spangled Banner” as tipoff approached and the Braves’ basketball team started its latest drive to the State Finals, the last coming in 2004.

It had been probably 30 years since I last ventured inside the Cardinals’ nest, when the Emmerich Manual Redkins took on a sectional opponent there in 1979. I was a senior.

Manual played at Southport every other year during the regular season, and of course our season ended there every spring with a sectional loss. We weren’t too good then, but we competed.

Then, Southport and Perry Meridian, and occasionally Wood, were the teams to beat as schools from across the southside of Indianapolis and Marion County gathered for what seemed like night after night during sectionals week.

Saturday’s matchups at Southport between Brownstown and Winchester and Bloomington South and Franklin Central in the Class 4A action packed the fieldhouse, stirred memories and made me wonder why I hadn’t yet watched “Hoosiers” this year.

The games, won by the Braves and the South Panthers, were a comforting reminder that Hoosier Hysteria remains exciting.

Brownstown’s players, coaches, managers, parents and fans should be in for an exciting week. Don’t know about you, but I’ll likely pull our copy of “Hoosiers” out of the cabinet between now and Saturday when the Braves take on No. 2 Fort Wayne Luers.