State Tourney Preview: Class 4A 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 4A, which incorporates Sectionals #1 through #8. 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 #1 at Lowell Crown Point (23-0) SAG 8; SOS 72 Lake Central (9-13) SAG 77; SOS 23 East Chicago Central (13-9) SAG 123; SOS 111 Munster (14-8) SAG 149; SOS 148 Highland (9-12) SAG 184; SOS 173 Lowell (9-12) SAG 259; SOS 241 Hammond Morton (3-16) SAG 355; SOS 232 How times have changed…last season Crown Point posted just 13 wins, and to this point this season, they are off to a 23-0 start. That’s a pretty big turn-around, and they are one of only four unbeaten teams left in the state (Penn, Central Noble, Vincennes Rivet). The stellar play of Jessica Carrothers (2022), along with consistent contributions from Ellie VanDeel (2019) and Abby Stoddard (2020), have the Bulldogs primed to make a deep tournament run. Sara Zabrecky (2020), Taylor Jaksich (2020), and Lake Central would like to make a statement, as would twins Tai-Yanna and Tiara Jackson (2019) at East Chicago Central, but Crown Point has beaten everyone in this Sectional by 23 or more points already this year. If anyone can upset the Bulldogs, I would think Lake Central, East Chicago, and maybe Munster would be the favorites at that point. Championship Game Prediction: Crown Point over Munster   Sectional #2 at Merrillville Michigan City (18-4) SAG 31; SOS 120 Kankakee Valley (17-4) SAG 35; SOS 107 Chesterton (11-11) SAG 108; SOS 88 Valparaiso (9-13) SAG 115; SOS 45 Merrillville (11-11) SAG 116; SOS 53 Portage (11-13) SAG 130; SOS 58 Hobart (3-19) SAG 317; SOS 161 I have a feeling Sectional #2 will be a 2-horse race featuring Michigan City and Kankakee Valley, and KV has already beaten Michigan City by 14 earlier this season. Michigan City brings a lot of size with 6-4 Hannah Noveroske (2019), 6-1 Janicia Anderson (2019), and 6-0 Trinity Thompson (2021). Kankakee Valley has a really nice perimeter player in Sarah Martin (2019). Championship Game Prediction: Kankakee Valley over Michigan City   Sectional #3 at Mishawaka Penn (21-0) SAG 6; SOS 51 South Bend St. Joseph (15-7) SAG 60; SOS 95 LaPorte (15-7) SAG 64; SOS 70 Mishawaka (7-16) SAG 157; SOS 69 South Bend Riley (5-16) SAG 241; SOS 99 South Bend Adams (5-16) SAG 248; SOS 65 South Bend Clay (6-16) SAG 330; SOS 222 Penn joins Crown Point as the only other undefeated Class 4A team at the start of the tournament season. They have beaten every team in Sectional #3 this season, with the closest margin being 11 points over LaPorte at the beginning of the season. Penn is led by Sophomores Trinity Clinton and Jordyn Smith, as well as Junior sharpshooter Reganne Pate. South Bend St. Joseph is a fine team, and they won a Class 3A State Championship two seasons ago. They are led this year by talented wing Keegan Sullivan (2020). LaPorte has a talented pair of sisters in Riley (2019) and Ryin Ott (2021). Championship Game Prediction: Penn over LaPorte   Sectional #4 at Northridge Elkhart Central (16-6) SAG 24; SOS 37 Northridge (17-6) SAG 36; SOS 47 Warsaw Community (14-8) SAG 42; SOS 41 Plymouth (17-5) SAG 71; SOS 68 Concord (14-8) SAG 76; SOS 136 Goshen (14-8) SAG 80; SOS 104 Elkhart Memorial (6-16) SAG 255; SOS 102 Apparently 14-8 was a popular record this season in Sectional #4. Elkhart Central has had its ups and downs this season, but its highs have been really high, and they have the potential to play with anyone. Guards Kaitlyn Costner (2021) and Trinitee Harris (2019) lead the Blue Blazers into battle. Northridge is the one team in the Sectional who has beaten Elkhart Central this year, and Morgan Litwiller (2019) looks to lead Northridge to another Sectional title before she graduates. Warsaw is playing several younger players, but Maddie Ryman (2019) is their leading scorer this season. Also keep an eye out for Plymouth, Concord, and Goshen possibly pulling upsets. Plymouth just beat Northridge last week, and they open up the Sectional against each other. Championship Game Prediction: Northridge over Elkhart Central on late free throws   Sectional #5 at DeKalb Carroll-Fort Wayne (11-10) SAG 105; SOS 42 Fort Wayne Snider (8-11) SAG 138; SOS 39 Fort Wayne Northrop (11-9) SAG 142; SOS 134 East Noble (4-19) SAG 246; SOS 97 DeKalb (2-19) SAG 281; SOS 103 Fort Wayne North Side (5-16) SAG 293; SOS 144 Only two teams in Sectional #5 have records above (.500)…and barely. Still, though, this Sectional could turn out to be very competitive between Carroll, Snider, and Northrop. Carroll graduated several starters, but Olivia Hoeppner (2020), Malia Williams (2020), Emily Parrett (2021), and Delane Sheets (2021) form a versatile backcourt. Snider counters with an explosive player of their own in Da’Leshia Davis (2019). And Northrop has Treva Datcher (2019), Tiana White (2021), and Destiny Jackson (2021) forming a tough-nosed frontline. Championship Game Prediction: Carroll over Northrop   Sectional #6 at Homestead Homestead (22-3) SAG 5; SOS 18 Fort Wayne South Side (14-7) SAG 39; SOS 34 Huntington North (7-14) SAG 189; SOS 80 Muncie Central (5-17) SAG 242; SOS 114 Fort Wayne Wayne (1-19) SAG 359; SOS 131 Homestead and South Side have had their share of success in recent years, and this season it looks like Sectional #6 will come down to Homestead being solid or South Side using its speed and athleticism to create an upset. Homestead has a variety of stars to call upon, including Ayanna Patterson (2022), Sylare Starks (2019), Sydney Graber (2020), Kara Gealy (2019), and Rylie Parker (2020). South Side counters with Jaci Jones (2020), Olivia Smith (2022), and Alaya Chapman (2020). It should be a feisty matchup if and when these two teams meet. Also keep an eye on Huntington North’s Madalyn Robrock (2019) and Muncie Central’s DaKoyta Sloss (2019). Championship Game Prediction: Homestead over South Side   Sectional #7 at Zionsville Community Zionsville Community (15-8) SAG 16; 12 West Lafayette Harrison (17-5) SAG 23; SOS 98 Lafayette Jefferson (14-9) SAG 45; 33 McCutcheon (16-7) SAG 92; SOS 90 Logansport (10-12) SAG 181; SOS 174 Kokomo (3-19) SAG 268; SOS 74 Sectional #7 has a new dynamic, as Maddie Nolan (2019) returned from an ACL injury last week to help Zionsville knock off Brownsburg to finish the regular season. While they are definitely better with her, she isn’t quite 100% just yet, but they still are a favorite here and have a chance to make another deep tournament run. Zionsville has also gotten solid contributions all season from Katey Richason (2021), Delaney Richason (2019), and Kaiti Huber (2020). West Lafayette Harrison and Lafayette Jeff have a lot of talent of their own, and they both look to clinch the Sectional title this season. Harrison is led by do-everything guard Sydney Jacobsen (2020), Tasi Kukobat (2020), and twins Anna & Emma Henderson (2021). Jeff has the powerful Kiara Lewis (2020), and a plethora of guards like Kyrstin Green (2020), Teresa Maggio (2022), Nykela Haskins (2019), and Brandi Norton (2019). McCutcheon is always solid as well, and Olivia Dowden (2019) is a talented player few people talk about. Also keep an eye on Elle Deardorff (2020) and Taylor Pasquale (2019) of Logansport. Championship Game Prediction: Zionsville over West Lafayette Harrison in an overtime thriller   Sectional #8 at Hamilton Southeastern Hamilton Southeastern (21-1) SAG 1; SOS 11 Carmel (12-10) SAG 11; SOS 2 Fishers (14-9) SAG 22; SOS 13 Westfield (15-7) SAG 43; SOS 21 Noblesville (9-13) SAG 68; SOS 16 Anderson (9-13) SAG 93; SOS 25 Carmel has been a dominant force in recent years, and they have haunted Hamilton Southeastern along the way, among other schools. Hamilton Southeastern has been on a mission this year, and their only loss comes at the hands of a non-Indiana school. I look for Hamilton Southeastern to take that next step and move deep into the tournament, possibly all the way to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, behind the play of Sydney Parrish (2020), Amaya Hamilton (2019), Malea Jackson (2019), and many others. Carmel’s young duo of Kate Clarke (2022) and Bridget Dunn (2021) have had moments of brilliance, and Reagan Hune (2019) has been solid all year for the Greyhounds. Fishers’ Katie Burton (2021) and Westfield’s Alyssa Crockett (2022) are a couple of other impactful young players drawing a lot of college attention. One sleeper to enjoy is Anderson guard Staisha Hamilton (2019), who can go for 30 on any given night. Championship Game Prediction: Hamilton Southeastern over Westfield   Header photo of Zionsville after the 2018 Class 4A State Championship game; photo courtesy of the IHSAA Twitter account.