State Tourney Preview: Class 2A South

The IHSAA State Tournament begins this evening, weather pending, for many schools across the Hoosier state. With that in mind, I wanted to offer a brief preview of each Sectional in the South for Class 2A, which incorporates Sectionals #41 through #48. Below is a look at the teams in each of those Sectionals, along with some general comments and analysis. I will continue previewing the IHSAA State Tournament throughout the course of the day, with eight articles posting in total.   (SAG = Current 2018-2019 Multiclass Sagarin Rating; SOS = Current 2018-2019 Strength of Schedule)   Sectional #41 at Union County Winchester (21-3) SAG 47; SOS 188 Union County (18-4) SAG 178; SOS 272 Northeastern (15-7) SAG 187; SOS 299 Hagerstown (9-12) SAG 262; SOS 266 Cambridge City Lincoln (10-11) SAG 270; SOS 298 Centerville (6-15) SAG 309; SOS 288 Winchester has overcome adversity and beaten the odds to put together another impressive season, and they are a heavy favorite in Sectional #41. Despite ACL injuries at the end of the 2018 season to two of their best players, both Madeline Lawrence (2020) and Shelby Miller (2019) returned to the floor this season and have contributed big-time. If you can manage to slow them, Becca Chamberlin (2020) and Hannah Graft (2019) get going, and don’t forget about Kira Robinson (2019) protecting the paint. Union County and Northeastern are probably the toughest competition, and both are utilizing younger players to win ballgames. Madison Gray (2021) and Taylor Pinkerton (2020) lead the Patriots of Union County, while Jenna McFarland (2021) and Willow Runyon (2021) are the top scorers for Northeastern. Hallie Rogers (2021) of Hagerstown, and Emmie Pugh (2019) and Allie Owens (2019) of Cambridge City are some other nice prospects in Sectional #41. Championship Game Prediction: Winchester over Northeastern   Sectional #42 at Shenandoah Triton Central (21-1) SAG 32; SOS 179 Shenandoah (18-4) SAG 112; SOS 312 Eastern Hancock (12-10) SAG 191; SOS 226 Knightstown (3-18) SAG 81/341; SOS 199 Thomas Carr Howe (12-6) SAG 372; SOS 402 Irvington Prep (2-15) SAG 402; SOS 394 Sectional #42 will likely come down to Triton Central and Shenandoah like it did a year ago, but this time Shenandoah plays host. Triton Central has an impressive collection of talent, led by Maya Chandler (2020), Rylie Stephens (2020), and Tenleigh Phelps (2021). Shenandoah counters with Sophomores Kathryn Perry and Erikka Hill, though Perry did not participate in last year’s matchup due to an injury. Eastern Hancock hopes to upset Triton Central, despite falling to TC 65-45 back in early November. Jocelyn Duncan (2020), Haley Best (2019), and Jenna Smith (2019) are the Royals’ standouts. Championship Game Prediction: Triton Central over Shenandoah on free throws with seconds left   Sectional #43 at Speedway Covenant Christian-Indianapolis (15-8) SAG 114; SOS 142 Speedway (16-5) SAG 212; SOS 368 Park Tudor (14-7) SAG 239; SOS 340 Scecina Memorial (5-17) SAG 345; SOS 303 Shortridge Magnet (14-8) SAG 347; SOS 386 George Washington (4-15) SAG 397; SOS 389 Sectional #43 is looking more and more like Covenant Christian’s for the taking, but don’t count out Speedway or Park Tudor. Speedway is at home and has improved their record significantly from a year ago, and Park Tudor is a scrappy bunch with good athleticism. Bailey Everett (2019), Ilani Williams-Harris (2020), and Bonnie Ludlow (2021) star for Covenant Christian, while Speedway is led by Maddie Barnes (2021) and Karly Smith (2019). Jayla Rogers (2019) is a tremendously productive player to keep an eye on for Shortridge. Championship Game Prediction: Covenant Christian over Shortridge   Sectional #44 at Cloverdale Western Boone (14-9) SAG 79; SOS 76 Cloverdale (21-3) SAG 109; SOS 197 South Putnam (15-7) SAG 175; SOS 237 Monrovia (12-10) SAG 215; SOS 215 North Putnam (13-9) SAG 236; SOS 281 Cascade (4-17) SAG 252; SOS 108 Western Boone’s Madison Jones (2019) has been putting up ridiculous numbers lately, with two games in the 40s earlier this season and two games in the 50s just last week. She’ll need help in the tournament though, but hopefully WeBo’s strength of schedule will help them with much-earned experience. Cloverdale will be comfortable at home, and they have an experienced cast themselves. Tori Combs (2019) and Sammie Shrum (2020) are their top two players. South Putnam also has a balanced squad, led by Alex Bratcher (2020) and Lexi Vanihel (2020), but they, along with the other remaining teams, will look to be upset artists in order to maneuver through Sectional #44. Championship Game Prediction: Cloverdale over Western Boone in overtime   Sectional #45 at South Decatur South Ripley (15-7) SAG 152; SOS 256 North Decatur (13-9) SAG 208; SOS 207 Switzerland County (11-11) SAG 240; SOS 280 Milan (10-11) SAG 267; SOS 278 Southwestern-Hanover (8-16) SAG 292; SOS 276 South Decatur (6-17) SAG 325; SOS 287 Sectional #45 has had a solid season once again, and they are led by outstanding post player Elexah Roepke (2019). North Decatur is likely the best challenger, and they look to Maddy Day (2019) and Olivia Bohman (2020). Switzerland County has improved from just five wins a year ago. Championship Game Prediction: South Ripley over North Decatur   Sectional #46 at Eastern-Pekin Eastern-Pekin (17-6) SAG 122; SOS 126 Crawford County (20-3) SAG 133; SOS 246 Paoli (14-10) SAG 186; SOS 217 Austin (11-13) SAG 188; SOS 211 Our Lady of Providence (10-13) SAG 282; SOS 253 Henryville (7-17) SAG 320; SOS 319 Clarksville (0-24) SAG 390; SOS 227 This has oftentimes been a very enjoyable and underappreciated Sectional. This year it again looks to be very competitive at the top. Eastern put together another nice season, and Isabell Claywell (2020) and Lily Crumpton (2021) are two very nice players for them. Crawford County took the next step this season and reached the 20-win plateau. Addy Simpson (2019) is an outstanding guard for the Wolfpack. Paoli advanced to the Semi-State in 2018, but they’ve hit the occasional speedbump this time around. Still, though, they have good experience and a nice pair of forwards in Jacqlyn Rice (2019) and Keaton Chastain (2019). Also keep your eye on Providence’s Natalie Boesing (2020), as she’s had a fine season. Championship Game Prediction: Eastern-Pekin over Crawford County by a half dozen   Sectional #47 at North Knox Linton-Stockton (20-3) SAG 66; SOS 185 North Knox (16-7) SAG 143; SOS 203 South Knox (13-11) SAG 172; SOS 220 Mitchell (7-15) SAG 207; SOS 162 Eastern Greene (9-15) SAG 303; SOS 297 North Daviess (6-18) SAG 344; SOS 273 Linton-Stockton is reaping the rewards of several talented youngsters right, most notably Vanessa Shafford (2021), a smooth wing who can do a little of everything. Aubrey Burgess (2021) and Haley Rose (2021) join Shafford in a good Sophomore class for them. North Knox has experience on its side, as well as 2018 Junior All-Star Makinzi Meurer (2019). But Freshman Graycie Poe has played a big role in the lineup as well. South Knox and Mykayla Couchenour (2020), and Mitchell with Macy Robbins (2019), look to be a pair of teams looking to ruin someone’s day with an upset. Championship Game Prediction: Linton-Stockton over South Knox   Sectional #48 at Forest Park Evansville Mater Dei (12-10) SAG 141; SOS 140 Forest Park (11-12) SAG 194; SOS 189 South Spencer (11-11) SAG 222; SOS 274 Tell City (13-10) SAG 245; SOS 277 Perry Central (4-18) SAG 333; SOS 235 North Posey (1-21) SAG 357; SOS 209 Evansville Mater Dei usually rolls the dice and plays a tough schedule, but it typically prepares them for the rigors of the state tournament. This year is no exception, and the inside combo of Jossie Hudson (2019) and Mariah Dickerson (2021) is quite imposing for Class 2A opponents. Hannah Wininger (2019) is a nice guard prospect for Mater Dei. Forest Park looks to provide the stiffest competition, and Faith Zazzetti (2020), Macie Zink (2020), and Ali Welp (2022) lead the charge for the Rangers. South Spencer gets solid play from Averi Myers (2019) and Kelsey Bowlds (2019). Championship Game Prediction: Evansville Mater Dei over South Spencer   Header photo of Winchester celebrating their 2018 Regional win; photo courtesy of pressroompass.com.