Regional Preview: Class 3A North

Everything about the Sectional round last week was eventful…the team play, the individual play, the upsets, and even the weather. 64 total teams escaped to play another day…in the Regional round tomorrow, February 9th. Below is a look at the eight teams who represent the eight Sectionals in Class 3A in the Northern half of the bracket, along with some general comments and analysis. By the end of the day Saturday, only two of these eight teams will remain. I will continue previewing the other Regional sites throughout the day, with eight articles posting in total (Class 1A posted yesterday; Class 2A posted earlier today).   SAG = Current 2018-2019 Multiclass Sagarin Rating; SOS = Current 2018-2019 Strength of Schedule *All Game Times Are Eastern Time*   RENSSELAER CENTRAL REGIONAL Northwestern (23-3) SAG 2; SOS 45 Mishawaka Marian (21-3) SAG 31; SOS 128 Knox (21-4) SAG 82; SOS 224 Gary West Side (20-7) SAG 130; SOS 216 11:00a – Mishawaka Marian vs. Knox 1:00p – Northwestern vs. Gary West Side 8:00p – Championship Game As soon as the entire state was privy to seeing Northwestern on television last year during the Class 3A State Finals, I think we all penciled them in as the 2019 Champion as well…everyone except for the other top teams in Class 3A. With everyone in this Regional having won 20 games to this point, it could be much more competitive than people think, but Northwestern is still a heavy favorite because of the duo of Madison Layden (2020) and Kendall Bostic (2020). Katie Neher (2019) has stepped up in a big way this year for the Tigers, as has Klair Merrell (2020), plus they get additional help from Sarah Heaver (2020), Ellie Boyer (2021), Allison Miller (2019), and Novalei Loer (2019). Gary West Side will be the first team to try and dethrone the Tigers. They start with one of the state’s best guards, Dash Shaw (2020), and sadly very few people have seen her play on the statewide scope. Fortunately, this weekend she’ll be on a big stage against Northwestern. She gets help from a talented Freshman in Trinity Barnes. Look for Essence King (2019) and Tiara Payne (2020) to also be key for the Cougars. Mishawaka Marian came into the season with high hopes, stemming from a successful 2017-2018 campaign with most everyone returning. The addition of starting guard McKenzie Hudgen (2021) helped as well, but Anija Payne (2019) transferring out in mid-January definitely affected the Knights for a bit, however they bounced back to win their Sectional. Makayla Weaver (2019) is their leader, and they have great depth with Hudgen, Christina Himelick (2020), Jaiden Rangel (2020), Payton Rangel (2022), and Kiya Roby (2019) all playing vital roles. Knox is riding high after an outstanding season, and they are a team who few people know about statewide. They have a tremendous talent in Senior wing Lindsey Simpson, but there are several nice players on this roster. Remi Jordan (2021), McKenzie McIntire (2019), and Megan Bolen (2022) are solid along the frontline, while Felicity Olejniczak (2021), Preston Minix (2021), and Madison Moss (2022) are catalysts around the perimeter. Sharpshooter Makayla Richie (2020) was lost to injury early in the season. Championship Game Prediction: Northwestern over Mishawaka Marian   COLUMBIA CITY REGIONAL Marion (21-4) SAG 50; SOS 104 Angola (20-6) SAG 68; SOS 151 West Noble (18-5) SAG 75; SOS 133 New Castle (16-9) SAG 86; SOS 64 10:00a – Angola vs. New Castle 12:00p – Marion vs. West Noble 8:00p – Championship Game There is good balance in this Regional, and none of the four teams were the favorite to win their Sectional, according to Sagarin ratings. Now, one of the four will be crowned Regional Champion, and honestly it could be any of them. Marion leans on its size and strength inside to cause problems. They aren’t very deep, but the combination of 6-5 Ra’Shaya Kyle (2020) and 6-1 Jazmyn Turner (2019) cause opponents fits. Both are talented athletes as well. Ellie Vermillion (2020) has been steady for them at point guard, and Ayanna Harvey (2019) brings good physicality inside as well. West Noble is as experienced as any team in this field, and a deep Senior class that includes Madison Schermerhorn, Lauren Burns, Megan Godfrey, Angela Gross, and Tori & Tara Miller have all lettered multiple years. Lillian Mast (2021) is actually their leading scorer this season, and classmate Nichelle Phares plays a role as well. The Hornets of Angola always seem to be competitive, and they typically have a lot of lengthy athletes in that 5-5 to 5-9 range. This year is no different, and guard Hanna Knoll (2021) is actually coming off of a Division-I offer last week. Reace Peppler (2019) has been really good this year as well, but it’s their depth and versatility that make them good. Sarah Duvendack (2019), Kayla Fenstermaker (2020), Janna Fee (2019), Lauren Leach (2022), Jessica Davis (2020), and Megan Nisun (2021) are all a part of the regular rotation. New Castle has won nine of its last ten games, with a late-season addition of Northwestern being its only loss during that stretch. They will ride the hot hand of scoring guard Cameron Tabor (2019), who has put up big scoring numbers this year. Other players will have to step up in order to get through this Regional, and the best of the bunch include Cloie York (2020), Alyssa Semler (2019), Karsen Morgan (2022), Macayla McGowan (2021), Laila Smith (2021), and Molly Alspaugh (2021). Championship Game Prediction: Angola over Marion   Header photo of the 2018-2019 Marion High School starting lineup; photo courtesy of the Marion Giants Twitter account.