Season Update: Hoosier Hills
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The featured image is of Chloe McKnight Chloe McKnight 5'8" | SG Bedford North Lawrence | 2021 State IN of Bedford North Lawrence High School. Periodically throughout the season, I want to take the time to look in on several…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Chloe McKnight Chloe McKnight 5'8" | SG Bedford North Lawrence | 2021 State IN of Bedford North Lawrence High School.
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 Hills Conference was established back in 1972 with four original schools. They were Bedford, Columbus East, Jennings County, and Madison Consolidated. When Bedford consolidated with Fayetteville, Heltonville, Needmore, Oolitic, Shawswick, and Tunnelton in 1974, it became Bedford North Lawrence. Bloomington North opened its doors in 1974 as well and immediately joined the conference, but the Cougars left in 1983. Also joining the Hoosier Hills Conference over the years were Floyd Central (1976), Jeffersonville (1979), New Albany (1979), and Seymour (1997) to make eight teams as of today. However, at the end of this season, Madison Consolidated will be leaving the conference, giving the Hoosier Hills Conference just seven teams moving forward.
I haven’t had much success finding girls’ basketball conference championships prior to 2001, but in the 20 years since then, Jeffersonville leads the way with nine titles (four shared). Bedford North Lawrence has five (one shared), Columbus East has four (two shared), Jennings County and Seymour (one shared) each have two, while Floyd Central and New Albany have each shared a title at one time or another. Bedford North Lawrence has won girls’ basketball state championships four times, in 1983, 1991, 2013, and 2014. New Albany came claim the 1999 title, while Jeffersonville won in 2011, so there is a lot of pride and history in Hoosier Hills girls’ hoops. So far this season, three of the eight schools sit above .500, one is right at .500, while four are under .500 in terms of overall record. I would say Bedford North Lawrence is a favorite this year, however Madison Consolidated, Columbus East, and Jennings County have gotten off to good starts as well. Six of the schools have schedules currently rated in the Top-30 in the state, one more is in the Top-60, while the eighth one sits right at #100, so they are used to playing good competition on a nightly basis, helping them become tournament ready come February. All of these schools produce college talent, with several of them having a Division-I prospect or two on their rosters most seasons.
School | Record | Conference | Schedule Strength |
Bedford North Lawrence | 8-1 | 4-0 | 20 |
Madison Consolidated | 4-4 | 3-0 | 59 |
Columbus East | 7-4 | 2-0 | 24 |
Jennings County | 5-2 | 1-1 | 28 |
New Albany | 2-7 | 0-1 | 25 |
Floyd Central | 3-4 | 0-2 | 100 |
Seymour | 4-5 | 0-3 | 19 |
Jeffersonville | 1-7 | 0-3 | 18 |
Schedule strength is figured out of 400 qualifying schools in the state, regardless of classification.
Bedford North Lawrence
The IBCA #6 Stars have had a nice run of success throughout the 2000s, and they were no slouch a year ago, posting a 21-6 record and making it to the Semi-State. But even last year’s group wasn’t 8-1 at this point in their season. Their lone loss was by one point at Brownsburg, but they have beaten Indianapolis North Central, and they’ve rattled off four consecutive conference wins in December to begin the conference season 4-0. They travel to Madison this Saturday, they host a nice holiday tournament on December 22 that includes Forest Park, Heritage Christian, and Linton-Stockton, plus they still play East Central, Castle, Columbus East, Salem, and Martinsville in January. Four perimeter players lead the way for Bedford North Lawrence, topped by star Freshman guard
Chloe Spreen
Chloe
Spreen
5'10" | SG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2024
State
IN
(15.7p, 5.3r). Senior wing
Chloe McKnight
Chloe
McKnight
5'8" | SG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2021
State
IN
(14.9p, 4.2r, 2.3a, 3.0s) is a sharpshooter, Senior wing
Irye Gomez
Irye
Gomez
5'9" | SG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2021
State
IN
(11.6p, 3.8r, 3.4a, 3.1s) is a playmaking athlete, and Sophomore point guard
Karsyn Norman
Karsyn
Norman
5'7" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
State
IN
(9.3p, 2.4s, 3.0a, 2.3s) is a true floor general who already holds Division-I offers. Senior
Jenna Louden
Jenna
Louden
5'3" | CG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2021
State
IN
(3.3p, 3.3r, 3.1a) is another savvy, experienced guard. If the Stars have a weakness, it’s along the frontline, where they just don’t possess the size they’ve had in recent years. Senior forwards Haley Deckard (3.7p, 4.4r) and Makena Moore (2.4p), plus Junior forward Carlee Kern help inside, but none are taller than 5-10.
Madison Consolidated
The Madison Cubs have started the conference season 3-0 (4-4 overall record), with wins against Jeffersonville, Floyd Central, and Seymour, but their first big test comes this Saturday afternoon when they host Bedford North Lawrence. As for tough non-conference games, they play in the Plainfield tournament January 2, plus they still have Brownstown Central, Silver Creek, North Harrison, and Trinity Lutheran on the schedule. Additionally, 2020 saw the graduation of several significant pieces, including forward Paige Young. However, for at least the rest of this season, the Cubs have probably the best interior player in the Hoosier Hills Conference in Senior forward
Jade Nutley
Jade
Nutley
6'0" | PF
Madison Consolidated | 2021
State
IN
. She has the strength and physicality to play at the basket, plus she is highly skilled facing the basket all the way out to the perimeter. When Senior guards Daesja Jay and Lundun Perry are in unison and stay away from foul trouble, it just improves Madison’s chances that much more.
Columbus East
With a 2-0 record already in the Hoosier Hills Conference, and the size to disrupt a lot of what opposing teams want to do on a daily basis, the Olympians have a chance to really challenge Bedford North Lawrence this season for the title. They have also scheduled a strong non-conference schedule, with all four of their losses coming to teams like Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, East Central, and Martinsville. Also, they have an afternoon date this Saturday at Indianapolis North Central, not to mention a January 2 appointment at Eastern (Pekin). But the Olympians have one of the Hoosier Hills’ best guards in Junior
Koryn Greiwe
Koryn
Greiwe
5'7" | PG
Columbus East | 2022
State
IN
(16.8p, 4.9r, 5.0a, 3.9s), who passed the 1000-point mark in their fourth game this season. Something to make note of this season…her rebounds, assists, and steals have increased significantly, and her turnovers continue to fall, so she’s being more efficient and producing at a high level in all areas of the game. And she has to enjoy having 6-4 Sophomore post Gabrielle Dean (8.8p, 7.8r, 4.3b), 6-0 Sophomore forward
Leah Bachmann
Leah
Bachmann
6'0" | C
Columbus East | 2023
State
IN
(8.5p, 6.1r), 6-0 Sophomore forward
Saige Stahl
Saige
Stahl
6'1" | PF
Columbus East | 2023
State
IN
(7.4p, 3.8r, 2.0a), and 6-1 Junior post Kaitlyn Carothers (3.1p, 2.9r) rotating up front. Sophomore guard Maeleigh Roberts (7.4), Junior guard Albany Speer (4.8p, 2.6a), and Sophomore forward Emma Jenkins (4.6p, 5.5r) also give Columbus East big minutes.
Jennings County
The Panthers are off to their best start since the 2015-2016 season, and they’re doing so with an interesting mix of veteran upperclassmen and a strong 2024 group. While they didn’t have an opportunity to start their season until November 21, they have now played seven games, with their two losses being hard-fought, single-digit road defeats to #6 Bedford North Lawrence and #7 East Central. They still have a conference matchup with Madison before Christmas, as well as a tough one against Class 3A power Greensburg. With additional non-conference matchups against Salem, Brownstown Central, Trinity Lutheran, and Franklin Community in January, the road doesn’t get much easier. Senior guard
Addyson Kent
Addyson
Kent
5'7" | CG
Jennings County | 2021
State
IN
(15.6p, 3.6r, 3.3a, 2.6s) has been the steady driving force for the Panthers the last couple of seasons. Junior forward Lily Ernstes (10.9p, 5.0r, 2.3a) also brings a great deal of productivity. But Freshman front-liner
Juliann Woodard
Juliann
Woodard
6'1" | PF
Jennings County | 2024
State
IN
(14.4p, 11.6r) has played above her years thus far, giving them a nice spark on the interior. Junior Kali Thompson (6.0p, 3.7a), Senior Brooke Mowery (5.3p), and Senior Kenna Maschino (2.7p) add a veteran perimeter presence, helping them compete each night out. But Freshman guard
Alivia Elmore
Alivia
Elmore
5'8" | SF
Jennings County | 2024
State
IN
(4.8p, 2.0r) and Freshman forward Charlee Barlow (2.0p) should continue to get opportunities, as both are a big part of this program’s future, along with Woodard, Ernstes, and Thompson.
New Albany
New Albany has been transitioning the last couple of years, and while they’re trying to find the right mix between upper and underclassmen with their current group, they have proven they can compete on any given night, as evidenced by their narrow two-point loss at North Harrison two weeks ago. Looking ahead, they still have several opportunities to push towards eight to ten wins, starting tonight as they host Providence. The veteran presence on the team is Senior forward
Layne Burke
Layne
Burke
5'11" | PF
New Albany | 2021
State
IN
. She has been a Varsity regular the last couple of years, and she can score it inside or out, plus she plays with a nice motor. Junior point guard
Taylor Treat
Taylor
Treat
5'5" | PG
New Albany | 2022
State
IN
is a quick and athletic playmaker off the bounce. Junior guard
Maleea Roland
Maleea
Roland
5'6" | SG
New Albany | 2022
State
IN
is another explosive athlete when healthy. Junior wing Vanessa Burns is a capable perimeter shooter, and Sophomore guards Alaina Walker and Journey Howard add backcourt depth.
Floyd Central
Floyd Central is another team trying to find their rhythm. They started the year 2-1, but then they missed a three-week stretch due to COVID-related postponements. They lost three straight following the restart but nearly beat Bloomington North last week, then did knock off Crawford County on the road this Tuesday, so hopefully things are pointed up for the Highlanders moving forward. Their schedule doesn’t do them any favors, as they play three games over the next six days (four in eight if you count Tuesday’s win), as they host Seymour tonight, then play at Salem Saturday, before hosting North Harrison next Tuesday. They were dealt a tough blow when Junior guard
Keegan Kaiser
Keegan
Kaiser
5'9" | PG
Floyd Central | 2022
State
IN
injured her knee in early July, so that slowed their progress a bit, but she is back playing. Senior wing Grace Suer, Senior guard Sophia Gasaway, and Junior wing Kendall Brown are a nice veteran group on the perimeter as well. Wing Mandy Hess and front-liner Callie Jo Celichowski are a pair of Sophomores who offer the Highlanders a lot of hope for the future.
Seymour
The Seymour Owls always have really nice, well-coached teams, but they also play a brutal schedule every year. For example, they have already taken on Salem, Silver Creek, Bloomington South, Brownstown Central, and Bedford North Lawrence, plus they still have Columbus North, Rushville, North Harrison, Center Grove, and Franklin Community remaining on their non-conference schedule. Considering that, a 4-5 record looks respectable, though I’m sure they’d like to be a little better overall and in the Hoosier Hills standings right now. Senior forward
Grace Meyer
Grace
Meyer
5'9" | PF
Seymour | 2021
State
IN
(13.3p, 7.7r) has really blossomed into quite the player for the Owls the last couple of seasons. She plays with a lot of energy every time out. Junior forward
Grace Schrader
Grace
Schrader
5'11" | PF
Seymour | 2022
State
IN
(8.9p, 5.7r) is another high-motor frontline forward who plays with great physicality. Freshman wing
Kendall Sterling
Kendall
Sterling
5'10" | SF
Seymour | 2024
State
IN
(8.6p, 5.0r, 2.4a) has done a nice job of handling Varsity pressure as a rookie. Senior Alyssa Perry (4.7p, 3.0r, 2.6a) and Sophomore Brooke Trinkle (3.7p) help Sterling on the perimeter.
Jeffersonville
It’s been a rather tough start for the tradition-rich Red Devils. They have a new coach, they’ve seen their season interrupted several teams with postponements, and they just can’t find much continuity right now. They began the season with their lone victory, then played two tough opponents on the road. The second of those games was on November 7. They didn’t see the scoreboard light up again until December 1 when they had to come back and face 9-0 #8 Silver Creek. They last played Saturday (12/12) against Columbus East, and currently don’t have another game scheduled until the Cathedral tournament on December 29, so the fact they’ve played eight games is kind of a win in itself. Once they do finally return in full, the Red Devils have a lot of potential. Junior wing Nevaeh Bates (9.3p, 4.7r, 3.0s), Sophomore post
Cadence Singleton
Cadence
Singleton
5'11" | PF
Jeffersonville | 2023
State
IN
(9.3p, 7.7r), Sophomore guard
Tatum McFarland
Tatum
McFarland
5'8" | SG
Charlestown | 2023
State
IN
(9.3p, 4.7r, 2.0a), Senior forward
Aija Estes
Aija
Estes
6'0" | PF
Jeffersonville | 2021
State
IN
(8.7p, 6.3r, 3.3b), and Sophomore guard
Sophia Reese
Sophia
Reese
5'5" | PG
Jeffersonville | 2023
IN
(8.0p, 2.0s) bring a lot of balance to the lineup. Unfortunately, Senior wing
Alexis Gibson
Alexis
Gibson
5'9" | SF
Jeffersonville | 2021
State
IN
(6.6p, 4.2r in 2019-2020) and Sophomore point guard Kiela Phillips are both dealing with knee injuries, and both would be a huge help to the lineup/depth.