State Tourney Preview: Class 3A North

NOTE: Due to weather / internet complications, this article did not post on 1/29 as intended, therefore all content was written and prepared prior to any Tuesday night games. I have chosen to stick with my original picks and material instead of updating it based on Tuesday’s results. The IHSAA State Tournament began last night for a few schools across the Hoosier state. With that in mind, I wanted to offer a brief preview of each Sectional in the North for Class 3A, which incorporates Sectionals #17 through #24. 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 today, with eight articles posting in total (1A and 2A posted yesterday).   (SAG = Current 2018-2019 Multiclass Sagarin Rating; SOS = Current 2018-2019 Strength of Schedule)   Sectional #17 at Griffith Gary West Side (17-7) SAG 134; SOS 177 Gary Lighthouse CPA (8-10) SAG 217; SOS 216 Griffith (11-11) SAG 280; SOS 327 Hammond Gavit (11-8) SAG 304; SOS 367 Hammond (4-8) SAG 368; SOS 354 Hammond Clark (2-20) SAG 383; SOS 342 Gary West Side enters Sectional play having defeated everyone except Griffith (who they didn’t play), with no game being closer than 19 points. That would make me consider West Side as a strong candidate to repeat as Sectional #17 Champs. Junior guard Dash Shaw is absolutely explosive for them, but she gets good help from talented Freshman Trinity Barnes. Lighthouse had a string of three consecutive Sectional Championships, and they are probably the toughest challenger, led by Prentciss Gates (2021) and Iatia Poston (2022). Also keep an eye on Hammond Gavit’s Darlisha Reed (2019), as she posted averages of 25.1 points and 15.4 rebounds during the regular season. Championship Game Prediction: Gary West Side over Griffith   Sectional #18 at Hanover Central Knox (18-4) SAG 83; SOS 206 Rensselaer Central (12-7) SAG 136; SOS 251 Twin Lakes (7-16) SAG 286; SOS 186 Calumet New Tech (10-11) SAG 291; SOS 332 Hanover Central (7-15) SAG 297; SOS 262 Wheeler (7-15) SAG 324; SOS 333 Sectional #18 looks like it could be decided on opening night, as Knox takes on Rensselaer Central right out of the gate. Knox took care of Rensselaer by 16 back in early November. Lindsey Simpson (2019) and Remi Jordan (2021) form a nice inside-out duo for Knox. Rensselaer has a couple of nice players of their own, in Bianca Radtke (2019) and Sydney VanMeter (2019). Championship Game Prediction: Knox over Twin Lakes   Sectional #19 at South Bend Washington Mishawaka Marian (19-3) SAG 27; SOS 113 John Glenn (13-9) SAG 96; SOS 130 South Bend Washington (10-12) SAG 202; SOS 127 Culver Academy (11-7) SAG 234; SOS 245 New Prairie (4-18) SAG 295; SOS 92 Jimtown (1-21) SAG 363; SOS 184 Mishawaka Marian has had an outstanding season, aided by the transfer of McKenzie Hudgen (2021), who played at John Glenn last season. Marian has an experienced and deep team, led by Makayla Weaver (2019) and Anija Payne (2019), and they will be tough to match up with for many opponents. Glenn is well-coached, and they have a very nice guard in Bethany Hayden (2019) as well. Also keep an eye on South Bend Washington Freshman Mila Reynolds. Championship Game Prediction: Mishawaka Marian over John Glenn by 5   Sectional #20 at Frankfort Northwestern (21-3) SAG 2; SOS 32 West Lafayette (13-10) SAG 117; SOS 129 Western (11-11) SAG 249; SOS 248 Peru (9-11) SAG 278; SOS 311 Maconaquah (9-12) SAG 302; SOS 316 Frankfort (8-15) SAG 307; SOS 306 Let’s be honest, everyone is chasing Northwestern in Class 3A, not just in this Sectional. The Tigers are in control of their own destiny, at least in Sectional #20, and the combination of Madison Layden (2020) and Kendall Bostic (2020) is just scary for opponents. Throw in the solid play they’ve gotten from Katie Neher (2019) and Klair Merrell (2020) this year, and I think they’ll get into the Regional with little trouble. At the same time, most of the teams in this Sectional are improved from a year ago, and West Lafayette is well-coached and could cause them trouble for a quarter or half. Alaina Omonode (2020) has been strong inside for the Red Devils and can match up physically with Bostic. Championship Game Prediction: Northwestern over Western   Sectional #21 at West Noble NorthWood (16-7) SAG 37; SOS 46 West Noble (15-5) SAG 75; SOS 135 Tippecanoe Valley (15-6) SAG 90; SOS 132 Lakeland (14-7) SAG 126; SOS 165 Fairfield (6-15) SAG 195; SOS 112 Wawasee (4-17) SAG 275; SOS 77 This Sectional has seen a lot of balance over the years, and a lot of shift in who the Champion is from year to year. This season, NorthWood has shown good balance throughout their lineup, but Kate Rulli (2020) and Maddy Payne (2020) have probably stood out the most. West Noble looks to Lillian Mast (2021) and Madison Schermerhorn (2019) for production, while Tippy Valley leans heavily on Sophie Bussard (2019). Also keep an eye on Bailey Hartsough (2021) of Lakeland, as she has had a strong season. At the end of the day, this Sectional simply comes down to who is hottest and can put together two or three wins in a row at the right time. Championship Game Prediction: NorthWood over Tippecanoe Valley in overtime   Sectional #22 at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (15-6) SAG 61; SOS 82 Angola (17-6) SAG 74; SOS 139 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (11-9) SAG 124; SOS 96 Garrett (12-8) SAG 151; SOS 172 Woodlan (15-7) SAG 169; SOS 212 Leo (7-15) SAG 227; SOS 145 New Haven (3-19) SAG 316; SOS 160 Fort Wayne Concordia started the season strong, but then they encountered some speed bumps down the road. Angola, on the other hand, started a little slower, but really turned it on late. I would anticipate seeing those two potentially doing battle in the Championship Game. Carissa Garcia (2019) leads Concordia, while Angola turns to the guard combination of Hanna Knoll (2021) and Aly Lorntz (2020). Dwenger, Garrett, and Woodlan could play spoiler, and keep an eye on Addie Bayman (2020) of Woodlan, as she can put up points in a hurry when she gets hot. Championship Game Prediction: Angola over Fort Wayne Concordia in an upset (?)   Sectional #23 at Norwell Norwell (19-3) SAG 30; SOS 78 Bellmont (19-2) SAG 44; SOS 125 Marion (18-4) SAG 52; SOS 117 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (13-7) SAG 84; SOS 62 Columbia City (13-10) SAG 86; SOS 84 Mississinewa (13-9) SAG 127; SOS 169 Heritage (16-5) SAG 179; SOS 270 Sectional #23 could be…well, brutal. You have Norwell, and Bellmont, and Marion, and former power Luers, and an improved Columbia City team, plus then you have a Mississinewa team who can cause problems for any of them, and a Heritage team who put together a nice record. You can’t blink in Sectional #23 or you might miss something, and these coaches have to watch a lot of film to prepare for every game. Norwell has had a strong season because of balance throughout their lineup, while Bellmont leans heavily on Indiana All-Star candidate Grace Hunter (2019). Marion causes matchup problems with 6-5 Ra’Shaya Kyle (2020) and 6-1 athlete Jazmyn Turner (2019). Luers has a very good perimeter shooting team, and Lydia Reimbold (2020) is a really nice player for them. Also keep an eye on 6-0 Alaina Rongos (2019) of Columbia City and 6-5 Caily Bolser (2020) of Mississinewa. Championship Game Prediction: (rolling the dice) Bellmont over Marion   Sectional #24 at New Castle Jay County (16-7) SAG 67; SOS 122 Hamilton Heights (12-10) SAG 70; SOS 27 New Castle (13-9) SAG 95; SOS 57 Yorktown (12-8) SAG 129; SOS 119 Delta (12-11) SAG 173; SOS 146 Muncie Burris Laboratory (7-12) SAG 340; 350 Blackford (1-20) SAG 366; SOS 289 Sectional #24 is another one with good balance at the top, and most of the teams here are improved from last season. Jay County has a really nice player in Shelby Caldwell (2019), while Hamilton Heights is led by guard Bayleigh Runner (2020). New Castle has an explosive scorer in Cameron Tabor (2019), and they have beaten Jay County, Yorktown, and Delta this season, while losing narrowly to Hamilton Heights at Heights. Yorktown has played the season without injured star guard Carley Culberson (2021), and Delta has a nice mix of Freshmen and upperclassmen. This is another Sectional that could go several different ways depending on foul trouble, injuries, hot shooting, etc. Championship Game Prediction: Hamilton Heights over New Castle in overtime   Header photo of Northwestern celebrating their 2018 Class 3A State Championship; photo courtesy of the IHSAA Twitter account.