Season Update: Hoosier Crossroads

<em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="34558" first="Ryan" last="Viele"] of Hamilton Southeastern High School.</span></em> Periodically throughout the season, I want to take the time to look in on several of the state’s conferences. I’ll take a peek at what teams are performing well, who the top prospects are, upcoming games, etc. The Hoosier Crossroads Conference has seen significant improvements over their 20+ years of existence, and they are starting to rival conferences like the MIC in girls’ basketball in terms of overall talent, competition, and success. Founded in 2000, the Hoosier Crossroads Conference began with an original eight of Avon, Brownsburg, Hamilton Southeastern, McCutcheon, Noblesville, West Lafayette Harrison, Westfield, and Zionsville Community. In 2004, Lafayette Jefferson joined to make it nine schools, then in 2006 Fishers joined when it opened its doors, making it ten programs in the conference. At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, and West Lafayette Harrison went another direction, and in the Fall of 2018 Franklin Central joined the Hoosier Crossroads Conference to give the conference an even eight teams again. I was unable to find exact numbers of girls’ basketball conference championships from the 20 seasons that have been completed, however to give you an idea of the Hoosier Crossroads’ competitive level, these schools have won 42 state championships combined in one sport or another over those 20 seasons...or roughly two state championships per season on average, including the 2019 Class 4A girls’ basketball State Championship (Hamilton Southeastern). This season, six of the eight schools sit above .500, while two schools are just under .500 in terms of overall record. I would say this year is wide open as well, as any of these teams can literally win against one another on any given night. All of them play outstanding schedules, and seven of the eight are considered to have Top-25 schedules at this point in the season, making them all tournament ready come February. All of these schools also produce college talent, and most/all of them have multiple Division-I prospects on their rosters each season. &nbsp; <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>School</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Record</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Conference</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Schedule Strength</strong></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Fishers</td> <td style="width: 25%;">9-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">11</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Noblesville</td> <td style="width: 25%;">6-2</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">9</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Zionsville</td> <td style="width: 25%;">5-3</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">12</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Franklin Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">65</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Hamilton Southeastern</td> <td style="width: 25%;">6-2</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Westfield</td> <td style="width: 25%;">4-3</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">19</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Brownsburg</td> <td style="width: 25%;">3-4</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">6</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Avon</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-3</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">24</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>Schedule strength is figured out of 400 qualifying schools in the state, regardless of classification.</em></span> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Fishers</strong></span> Last year Fishers put together maybe the best season in their short girls’ basketball history, rattling off a 23-2 record, knocking off rival Hamilton Southeastern for the Sectional, and making it to the Regional for just the second time ever. This year, however, they are looking for more. They have started the 2020-2021 campaign with a 9-1 record, as their only loss was a 71-62 defeat to Ben Davis in just their second game. They are now 2-0 in the Hoosiers Crossroad Conference, as they have beaten Zionsville and Noblesville. In addition to their remaining conference games, the Tigers are also set to face Evansville Memorial, Fort Wayne South Side, North Central (Indianapolis), Carmel, and Lawrence North later this year. The Tigers have very little size, but hardly anyone in the state can match their backcourt depth. Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35013" first="Katie" last="Burton"]</strong> (21.2p, 5.5r), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="62546" first="Audra" last="Emmerson"]</strong> (9.3p, 2.9r, 3.4a, 2.2s), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130404" first="Katie" last="Howard"]</strong> (7.7p) are the leaders of this talented group. Sophomore twins <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59776" first="Olivia" last="Smith"]</strong> (8.5p, 5.0r) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59775" first="Hailey" last="Smith"]</strong> (8.2p, 7.1r, 2.3a, 2.1s) provide strength and toughness, but even they are perimeter players. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Noblesville</strong></span> The Noblesville Millers posted two consecutive losing seasons...something rare for the black and gold. But their 6-2 start this year, coupled with the wealth of young talent they possess, give them great hope for this season and the future. The Millers have gotten big wins already against Lawrence North, Hamilton Southeastern, Mishawaka Marian, and Brownsburg, plus they played Homestead to an eight-point loss. There are more winnable games on the docket, but a trip to Northwestern, plus non-conference games against Martinsville, Carmel, Lawrence Central, and Mount Vernon (Fortville) won’t be easy. Circling back to that young talent, and you start with Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59773" first="Ashlynn" last="Shade"]</strong> (22.9p, 6.8r, 4.5a, 5.4s). She has always been a top-tier talent, but she has taken her game to another level this year. Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177361" first="Reagan" last="Wilson"]</strong> (8.8p, 2.8r, 2.2a, 2.4s) has been strong early as well, and Sophomores <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127235" first="Brooklyn" last="Smitherman"]</strong> (4.8p, 4.9r) and <strong>Kaitlyn Shoemaker</strong> (4.5p, 2.1s) are much-improved. Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178230" first="Dani" last="Mendez"]</strong> (2.5p, 3.3r) figures to be a big part of their success now that she’s back. Seniors <strong>Jayla Jones</strong> (7.0p, 2.7r), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130360" first="Emily" last="Wood"]</strong> (5.2p, 2.2r), and <strong>Mallory Miller</strong> (3.5p, 3.0r, 2.5a) bring a veteran presence to the lineup. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Zionsville Community</strong></span> Zionsville really struggled a year ago, but they were extremely limited with perimeter talent/experience, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130313" first="Katey" last="Richason"]</strong> missed a good portion of the season. This year, with several of those items improving, they have nearly matched last year’s win total already, and look to again be a 15-win type of team. They beat Avon before Thanksgiving, and they had a big 14-point win over Westfield this past Friday, pushing their Hoosier Crossroads record to 2-1. Tri-West, Castle, and Ben Davis are in their forecast, but they look like they’re turning the proverbial corner and figuring things out quickly. Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130313" first="Katey" last="Richason"]</strong> (16.4p, 6.9r, 2.3a) has definitely been big, but the improvement and play of Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59757" first="Laila" last="Hull"]</strong> (18.4p, 7.3r, 3.1a, 3.0s) has also turned some heads early this season. Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59754" first="Mallory" last="Heerdt"]</strong> (2.7p, 2.4r), Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130370" first="Katie" last="Wright"]</strong> (4.3p), and Junior forward <strong>Mya Childress</strong> (2.9p, 3.0r) also return with Varsity experience. But a strong Freshmen class is getting the opportunity to play early, and they are producing. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177313" first="Allison" last="Caldwell"]</strong> (6.6p, 2.4a), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177338" first="Faith" last="Leedy"]</strong> (5.9p, 2.0r, 2.3a), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177325" first="Emma" last="Haan"]</strong> (5.0p, 5.0r, 2.0s), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177350" first="Sophia" last="Poehlein"]</strong> (4.0p, 2.5r), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177349" first="Isabelle" last="Poehlein"]</strong> (3.3p, 2.0r) are the key rookies seeing the floor. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Franklin Central</strong></span> It’s terribly difficult to assess the Flashes at this point in the season, seeing as how they haven’t played a game since November 12 due to COVID related issues. They are scheduled to take on Franklin Community this Tuesday, but we’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, they did start 2-1 with a narrow loss to a good Center Grove team. If they can get most/all of these games rescheduled, they’re going to be looking at a busy month of January. Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34537" first="Rayah" last="Kincer"]</strong> (19.0p, 7.3r, 2.3a, 2.7s) and Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128141" first="Olivia" last="Faust"]</strong> (14.5p, 5.0r, 3.5s, 2.5b) got off to quick starts in early November, and they’ll need to continue leading this team, as there isn’t much experience back beyond the two of them. Freshman wing <strong>Carys Wilson</strong> (4.3p, 3.7r) flashed athletic potential over the Summer, and she has done the same so far during their first three games. Senior <strong>Madison Weaver</strong> (2.0p, 7.7r) at least gives them another presence on the boards in the post-<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101415" first="Rachel" last="Loobie"]</strong> era. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Hamilton Southeastern</strong></span> I knew Hamilton Southeastern had a great deal of young talent, but it was hard to tell who might step up after all of the graduations the Royals have seen these past two years. It appears that they’ve somewhat stepped up collectively, as they have started 6-2 with wins against the likes of Center Grove, Ben Davis, Columbus East, and Fort Wayne Carroll. They still have non-conference matchups against Warren Central and Lawrence North that could prove challenging, plus their rivalry game with Fishers remains on the schedule. Junior guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34558" first="Ryan" last="Viele"]</strong> (11.9p, 2.0s) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97250" first="Makayla" last="Hinshaw"]</strong> (7.9p, 4.1r, 2.3a, 2.1s) have stepped up in a big way offensively for the Royals, while Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130329" first="Lydia" last="Self"]</strong> (6.1p, 10.3r, 2.3a, 2.1s) has somehow become a rebounding machine for Southeastern. The depth of the Sophomore class is also strong, and point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="2402" first="Olivia" last="Brown"]</strong> (6.5p, 3.5r, 4.8a, 2.1s), wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96087" first="Riley" last="Makalusky"]</strong> (7.0p, 2.4r), and front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91591" first="Lauren" last="Stewart"]</strong> (4.0p) have done a nice job giving them quality minutes throughout the early portion of the 2020-2021 season. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Westfield</strong></span> Westfield is one of those sneaky good teams who might not win the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, but they will pull an upset or two throughout the year and frustrate many top teams. The Shamrocks started their season 2-1, then unfortunately missed nearly a month due to COVID issues, before returning last weekend. They are just starting to find their footing again, and they are a solid 4-3 with their best wins coming against Tri-West, Rushville, and McCutcheon (yesterday). They still have a number of tough games ahead, plus they have five postponements to figure out as well. Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="10744" first="Alyssa" last="Crockett"]</strong> (18.8p, 7.4r, 2.0a, 2.6s) is the centerpiece of what the Shamrocks want to do offensively. At 6-2, she is a shooter, a scorer, and just an all-around playmaker. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="62591" first="Jessica" last="Castor"]</strong> (7.2p) is a savvy and dangerous perimeter shooter. The Junior class has four more nice prospects in guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="182139" first="Chesney" last="Tebbe"]</strong> (6.6p, 3.2r, 2.6a) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128161" first="Olivia" last="Robey"]</strong> (5.0p, 2.6r, 2.8a, 2.6s), plus forwards <strong>Hailey Remaks</strong> (2.6p) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61046" first="Madison" last="Kerrigan"]</strong> (2.0p). Senior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130319" first="Gigi" last="Eldredge"]</strong> (2.2r), Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177334" first="Elizabeth" last="Kelleher"]</strong>, and Freshman front-liner <strong>Kiara Loveless</strong> all offer both talent and skill to the lineup. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Brownsburg</strong></span> The Bulldogs are extremely dangerous, despite what their 3-4 record might suggest. They have scored the exact same number of points as they have given up, while three of their losses have been one-possession games...all by three points, and the other loss was by just five points. They’ve even knocked off Bedford North Lawrence already. If they can correct just a couple of possessions per game, they can win any game in the second half of their season, though it does remain tough throughout. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="10665" first="Ally" last="Becki"]</strong> (17.4p, 9.3r, 3.3a, 3.4s) continues to be this team’s heart and soul, but Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59780" first="Kailyn" last="Terrell"]</strong> (11.0p) can be a Brownsburg fan-favorite with her hustle, toughness, and grit. Junior guard <strong>Miya Webb</strong> (4.4p) is the second player to move in from Illinois in the last two years, and she adds to the backcourt. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128179" first="Novalee" last="Glass"]</strong> (3.6p, 3.4r) and Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158393" first="Leah" last="Yarbrough"]</strong> (3.2p, 3.4r) have been the steadiest upfront, while Senior <strong>Destiny Thomas</strong> (4.2p, 2.6r, 2.0s) and Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128190" first="Ra’Mya" last="Milton"]</strong> play inside and out for the Bulldogs. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Avon</strong></span> Avon is another team who has seen its share of postponements already, though they have played at different times throughout November. Their last game was November 25, and the next game on the schedule for them looks to be December 15 (Tuesday). With the inconsistency in the schedule, it’s difficult to find consistency in your play. When the Orioles do finally get rolling again, look for them to use Senior front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="10679" first="Alex" last="Richard"]</strong> (14.0p, 11.6r, 3.4b) quite a bit. The 6-1 forward is a tough, physical, athletic matchup problem, which is probably why she’s headed to Butler University next year. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99383" first="Indiah" last="Kendrick"]</strong> (12.0p, 2.8r, 2.4s) has also been dynamic scoring it early this season. Juniors <strong>Zaya Adagbada</strong> (5.5p, 2.8r) and <strong>Tonai Moore</strong> (4.6p, 2.6r), plus Seniors <strong>Brileigh Cardwell</strong> (5.0p, 3.8r, 3.0s) and <strong>Cori Micou</strong> (4.6p, 3.0r, 2.0a) have been the most consistent of the supporting cast for Avon thus far this season. Hopefully the Orioles will be able to find a consistent groove at some point soon.