Class 1A Season Preview: Sectionals #57-#60
The beginning of the high school season is right around the corner, as we are just two weeks away from the first official games. With that in mind, I wanted to begin our thorough preview of the 2019-2020 season. I…
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Continue ReadingThe beginning of the high school season is right around the corner, as we are just two weeks away from the first official games. With that in mind, I wanted to begin our thorough preview of the 2019-2020 season. I will continue by taking a look at the first Class 1A South Regional, which incorporates the winners of Sectionals #57 through #60. Below is a look at the teams in each of those Sectionals, along with some general comments and analysis. I will continue previewing the upcoming season over the next couple of weeks, with my final preview articles likely posting the first week of games.
(SAG = Final 2018-2019 Multiclass Sagarin Rating (403 teams); SOS = Final 2018-2019 Strength of Schedule)
Sectional #57
Bloomfield (14-11) SAG 171; SOS 222
North Central-Farmersburg (16-9) SAG 201; SOS 230
White River Valley (9-14) SAG 219; SOS 212
Shakamak (7-16) SAG 321; SOS 251
Clay City (6-19) SAG 334; SOS 257
Eminence (3-19) SAG 391; SOS 380
Last season, the Thunderbirds of North Central-Farmersburg finished the season winning seven of their final nine games and advancing to the Regional. While five girls dominated the rotation with a limited bench, the scary part for opponents is that their top four scorers all return. Junior guard Averi Davidson (18.8 ppg, 2.6 apg) led the way as the top scorer last season, and she can score it in bunches. Junior forward Jocelyn Cox (13.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 apg) is the main catalyst up front, while Junior guard Courtney Williams (12.6 ppg, 4.5 apg) provides backcourt help for Davidson while running the show. Senior forward Brinley Stone (5.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) adds to the frontline, but North Central will need a few others to step up early this season to round out the rotation and provide depth.
Bloomfield’s Kylee Shelton (14.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.7 spg), a versatile Junior wing, might be the best returning prospect in the entire Sectional. But this season she’ll have to step it up more due to the graduation losses of Malea Toon (14.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.1 bpg), Kayla Pinnick (5.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg), and Nicole Kilzer (2.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg). Hopefully Sophomore forward Gracie Lowry (5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Junior guard Violeta Crespo (2.4 ppg), Senior guard Hannah Walls (2.3 ppg), and Senior forward Emily Neighbors (2.0 ppg) can provide a boost. White River Valley looks to be relevant once again, but the graduation of guard Addison Graves will be tough to replace. Look for Senior guard Claire Hostetter and Junior forward Mattie Thrasher to play bigger roles this season. Other top players in Sectional #57 include Sophomore forward Jaylee Hayes (11.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Sophomore guard Jaci Stone (6.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.7 spg) of Shakamak, Senior guard Lauryn Myers of Clay City, and Junior forward Emma Manion of Eminence.
Sectional #58
Bethesda Christian (13-10) SAG 243; SOS 369
Indiana School for the Deaf (15-9) SAG 308; SOS 388
International (5-12) SAG 383; SOS 382
Metropolitan (5-18) SAG 394; SOS 393
Traders Point Christian (2-19) SAG 399; SOS 392
Indiana Math & Science (2-15) SAG 403; SOS 403
Riverside; new to the IHSAA
You would think everyone would be breathing a sigh of relief now that University has moved up to Class 2A, but I feel like this is probably a two-horse race this season. Bethesda Christian should be the favorite on paper to begin the season, and it all starts with dynamic Senior point guard Maddi Fulks (21.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.5 apg, 5.0 spg). She can fill it up or create for others. Senior guard Rachel Shafer (15.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.8 spg) put together a strong Junior season as well, and she’s a nice compliment to Fulks offensively. From there, production falls off quite a bit, but Senior forward Brooke Dodson (3.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), Sophomore wing Jessica Dodson (3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg), and Senior wing Lena James (3.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.7 spg) do bring back a lot of Varsity experience.
The team who I think could surprise some people and potentially upset Bethesda Christian is the Indiana School for the Deaf. The Deaf Hoosiers return an experienced and offensively sound group. Senior forward Hannah Puent (15.6 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.1 bpg) and Senior post Anya Pothorski (12.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 5.2 bpg) are both double-double machines who can absolutely control the glass. Senior guard Kalena Bumbala (14.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.6 spg) nearly doubled her scoring average in a year’s time, but they will have to play without graduated point guard Courtney Skjeveland (13.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.2 apg, 4.6 spg). Maybe Junior forward Caitlyn Smith (7.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) can make that same jump from her Sophomore to Junior year that Bumbala did last year.
International returns Junior guard Nadia Kimbrough and Sophomore guard Lauren Reddington. Metropolitan turns to Senior guard Zoey Lewis, while Traders Point leans on Senior post Jillian Algate. Indiana Math & Science looks to build around a lot of youthful inexperience. The one wildcard here could be IHSAA newcomer Riverside. They already have a solid backcourt consisting of Junior guard Ayriana Clay and Sophomore guard Terrah Taylor.
Sectional #59
Greenwood Christian (17-11) SAG 198; SOS 292
Tindley (16-9) SAG 260; SOS 387
Indianapolis Lutheran (6-18) SAG 311; SOS 295
Providence Cristo Rey (11-12) SAG 380; SOS 396
Christel House Academy (9-12) SAG 392; SOS 400
Central Christian (5-16) SAG 398; SOS 384
Indianapolis Lighthouse South (2-14) SAG 402; SOS 397
For the first time in seven years, Tindley was not the Sectional Champion, as Greenwood Christian proved to be the toughest in this bunch last season, rolling through the Sectional all the way to the Regional final. They did so behind a trio of players, and virtually everyone of note returns this season. Junior forward Isabella Reed (21.1 ppg, 15.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.4 spg) used her versatility to put together one of the more impressive stat-lines throughout Class 1A last season. Senior wing Alexis Mead (15.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.3 spg) is their sniper from the perimeter. And Junior forward Savannah Frye (12.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.9 spg), a transfer from Greenwood Community last year, does a little of everything for them. That three-headed monster is tough to stop, but look for Sophomore guard Ellie Bigelow (5.6 ppg) and Junior forward Katie Potter (5.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg) to step up their production this year.
Speaking of Tindley, they actually had quite an impressive season, considering they graduated two 2,000-point scorers and two 1,000-point scorers in their 2018 class. The Tigers responded with 16 wins, and their pressure defense continues to cause problems for opponents. They did graduate three of their top six scorers in Sanaila Turner (10.6 ppg), Sammera Anthony (9.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.2 spg), and Imani Buntin (5.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg). However, dynamic Junior guard Aniya Washington (16.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 spg), plus Sophomore point guard Darryn Hood (12.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg) return to lead the charge for the Tigers. Look for Senior forward Kloe Crenshaw (8.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.3 spg), Sophomore wing Jayda Shannon (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and Junior forward Kelis Cobb (3.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg) to play much bigger roles this season.
Indianapolis Lutheran was in a minor rebuild last year after the loss of a pair of nice 2018 graduates, but now they have to deal with the loss of 2019 do-everything graduate Rylee Morris (18.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 3.4 spg), who contributed so much versatility and productivity. Junior forward Anna Castor, Senior wing Chloe Andre, Sophomore forward Jocey Sneed, Senior guard Autumn Robson, Junior guard Katie McKinley, and Junior point guard Quinn Johnson will all have their chance to be more impactful this year. Other top players in Sectional #59 include Junior post Alexcia Thorpe (14.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.7 bpg) of Providence Cristo Rey, Senior guard Brooklynn Justin (10.7 ppg) of Christel House, Senior forward Ali Lance and Junior guard Asia Van Rhoon of Central Christian, and Junior guard LaTasha Hatchett of Indianapolis Lighthouse South.
Sectional #60
Jac-Cen-Del (21-6) SAG 129; SOS 198
Waldron (16-7) SAG 153; SOS 229
Oldenburg Academy (15-8) SAG 183; SOS 248
Morristown (16-8) SAG 188; SOS 235
Southwestern-Shelbyville (15-9) SAG 197; SOS 245
Hauser (5-18) SAG 296; SOS 197
Rising Sun (4-18) SAG 326; SOS 247
Jac-Cen-Del continues to be the class of this Sectional, but they needed FIVE overtimes to knock off Waldron in the Sectional final last season. For the second consecutive year, the Eagles will be trying to replace a key member of their 2016 State Championship team, as athletic wing Mariah Day (18.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.2 spg) has graduated. Now, they’ll look to Junior front-liner Paige Ledford (11.1 ppg, 11.4 rpg) as their primary offensive option. Nearly everyone else returns as well, and that includes help from Sophomore Annabelle Williams (6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg), Junior Kadee Kuhn (4.9 ppg), Junior Anna Hubbard (4.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg), Senior Regan Carroll (4.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg), and Sophomore Jalee Rider (2.9 ppg). JCD is one of the better defending and rebounding teams in Class 1A, so if they can figure out a way to make up for Day’s point production, I’d look for them to be the favorite once again.
Waldron was a tough out last season, and now they’ll have to replace the production of graduates Morgan Wood, Victoria Shaw, and Hannah Sullivan. Senior forward Lexi Vorhies, Senior forward Paige Fewell, and Junior guard Lauryn Thomas are the likely candidates to see an increased role this season. Additionally, Waldron has picked up a transfer in Junior guard Keira Zeigler, who came over from Southwestern-Shelbyville, plus a solid Sophomore class could see immediate opportunities, as they waited their turn last season. Morristown is always a threat to compete for the Sectional #60 crown as well. They will, however, have to overcome the loss of seven 2019 grads, most notably Cambie Poole (9.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.9 spg), Kenzie Logan (8.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg), Raegan Butcher (7.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 spg), and Brooklyn Langkabel (7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg). Junior forward Rylee Kleine (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is a solid inside-out player, plus Senior guard Emma Theobald (4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Senior wing Maecy Coates (2.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg) have Varsity experience.
Oldenburg put together a nice 2018-2019 season, but they lost five players, including their top two scorers in Katie Kinker (20.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 spg) and Hanna Hurm (6.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg), to graduation. Sophomore forward Katie Johnson (6.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.5 spg) is a do-everything type of player who could have a breakout season, while Senior forward Harlee Massavge (6.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Senior post Gigi Dreyer (3.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) should step it up some as well. Southwestern is always a solid program, and they have a nice piece to build around in Junior sharpshooter Lexi Wilkins. They will have to replace forward Madison Van Gorden and point guard Shelby Sipes, who left via the diploma. But Junior guard Maggie Correll, Junior wing Trinity Tatlock, and Sophomore forward Lily Kerber all have some experience. Hauser will be looking for answers, as graduation has hit them hard each of the last two seasons, while Rising Sun will turn to a pair of Junior front-liners in Lindsey Montgomery (11.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and Maddi Wilson (9.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) to help them turn their fortunes around.
Feature image is of the Greenwood Christian Academy team celebrating their Sectional Championship. Image was taken by Nathan Pace of TheSouthsiderVoice.