By JESSE TEMPLE
jtemple@muncie.gannett.com

DALEVILLE — The sweat hadn’t even dried on Jimmy Sandberg’s Daleville jersey back in March when he began turning his attention toward his senior campaign.

All the elation he’d felt with a second straight trip to the regional basketball playoffs was over. In its place, the misery of a 74-57 defeat against Monroe Central in the regional opener had begun to creep in.

“When we lost at regionals last year, it was seriously in the locker room when I was thinking, ‘What can we do to be here again at this time next year?’ ” Sandberg said.

Sandberg and senior guard Zach Tumulty, the only players on this year’s Broncos unit to play significant minutes on both sectional championship teams, are quite familiar with both the highs and lows that tournament hoops brings.

This time around, they’d like the rest of their teammates to share in some of those joys by capturing a third straight sectional crown.

“It’s one of those things you don’t even understand fully until you’re there,” Sandberg said. “Hopefully we can give them that chance this year and we can all get that one more time.”

Much of the team’s hopes will be pinned on Sandberg’s shoulders. As a junior, the forward averaged 17.9 points per game on 58 percent shooting from the field to go with 4.7 rebounds. Tumulty, the team’s point guard, averaged 4.5 points and 3.6 assists a contest.

“Any time you can have guys who know what it takes to win, they can lead by example,” Daleville coach Corey Scott said. “They can explain to the other guys what that feeling is and why maybe coach is on them that particular day.”

Of course, the two veterans need some help if the Broncos are to make a run at a sectional three-peat.

Senior forward Jarrod Kaelin should provide some scoring to aid Sandberg and Tumulty. Kaelin tallied 3.5 points a game last season. Junior forward Tyler Harris also could see time at the forward spot.

Rounding out Scott’s lineup are players that played mostly junior varsity minutes last season. Guards Jake Peters, Clint Haisley, Shane Anthony and Craig Roberts, as well as forward Aaron Morris make up the remainder of the Broncos’ rotation, and all are upperclassmen.

Tumulty said the Broncos would combat their relative inexperience on the court by sharing a willingness to learn and get better behind Scott’s teachings.

“The past few years, even in the first week, we’d have bickering and fighting,” Tumulty said. “This year, everybody always has their eyes on coach when he’s talking. Nobody’s dribbling balls. I think that’s going to help us out a lot down the line because it brings us together as a team.”

Sandberg, for one, is hoping things fall into place just in time to make another run at regionals.

“When you can see what it’s like to hold the trophy and come home and have more pep rallies and go to regionals and all the fun stuff along with that,” Sandberg said,  “it just makes it that much more special and you want to get there again.”

Contact prep sports reporter Jesse Temple at 213-5807.