Season Update: The MIC
In this article:
The featured image is of Mary Wilson Mary Wilson 5'10" | SF Center Grove | 2021 State IN of Center Grove 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. Widely considered one of the best, if not the best, conferences in the state is the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (also known as “the MIC”). With the MIC being founded in 1996, it’s eight original members included Ben Davis, Carmel, Center Grove, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis), Terre Haute North Vigo, Terre Haute South Vigo, and Warren Central. In 2013, however, Terre Haute North Vigo and Terre Haute South Vigo moved to Conference Indiana, while Lawrence Central and Indianapolis Pike entered from Conference Indiana. The Terre Haute schools were the only schools with less than 2,000 students. Now Lawrence Central is the smallest school with around 2,300 students.
Ben Davis has been the semi-dominant force in girls’ basketball so far, winning 11 of the 24 conference titles (three were shared titles). Lawrence North is second, having won their seventh title last season, along with the 2020 Class 4A State Championship. No one else holds or shares anymore than three MIC titles at this time. Currently six of the teams are above .500, one team is at .500, and one team is under .500 in terms of overall record, but it’s a wide open race as to who can win the 2020-2021 MIC crown. What’s impressive about this conference is that on any given night, any team can beat any other team. They all play outstanding non-conference schedules, so they are prepared for the spotlight, and all of these teams have college prospects on their rosters.
School | Record | Conference | Schedule Strength |
North Central | 5-1 | 1-0 | 21 |
Lawrence Central | 4-1 | 1-0 | 93 |
Ben Davis | 3-1 | 1-0 | 5 |
Warren Central | 4-3 | 2-1 | 17 |
Lawrence North | 5-4 | 1-1 | 8 |
Carmel | 4-1 | 0-1 | 3 |
Center Grove | 4-4 | 0-1 | 27 |
Pike | 2-5 | 0-2 | 25 |
Schedule strength is figured out of 400 qualifying schools in the state, regardless of classification.
North Central (Indianapolis)
North Central might have the most talented roster top to bottom in the state. They have started the season strong at 5-1, with their only loss coming just before Thanksgiving to Bedford North Lawrence, 65-57. They already have nice wins over Westfield, Brownsburg, and MIC opponent Lawrence North, but the schedule gets much tougher just before Christmas, as they travel to Ben Davis (12/8) for the first round of the Marion County Tournament, then travel to Carmel (12/18), before hosting Mount Vernon (Fortville) (12/19). The Second half of the season doesn’t get any easier for the Panthers either. They have gotten strong play from Senior forward
Meg Newman
Meg
Newman
6'3" | PF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2021
State
#84
Nation
IN
, Senior forward
Nakaih Hunter
Nakaih
Hunter
5'11" | PF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2021
State
IN
, Junior guard
Tanyuel Welch
Tanyuel
Welch
5'10" | PG
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2022
State
IN
, and Sophomore wing
Ava Couch
Ava
Couch
5'10" | SF
Indy North Central | 2023
State
IN
. The return of Junior forward Ramiah Elliott has been big. She’s an elite track star with height and length.
Lawrence Central
Lawrence Central is trying to put together just their fourth winning season in the 2000s, and their first back-to-back winning seasons. Out to a 4-1 start, they are well on their way. Their lone loss came in the opener at the hands of perennial Class 3A power Heritage Christian, 65-54. They got some work done right before Thanksgiving, though, picking up a nice conference win against Pike, and then knocking off a solid Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) team last Tuesday. The Bears suffered some 2020 graduation losses, but they still have some nice pieces to lean on. Senior athlete
Da’Naria Washington
Da’Naria
Washington
5'9" | SF
Lawrence Central | 2021
State
IN
(15.4p, 3.2r, 6.0a, 3.4s) and Senior guard
Madison Guyse
Madison
Guyse
5'7" | SG
Lawrence Central | 2021
State
IN
(12.2p, 3.6r) lead the team this year. Freshman guard Denyah Jacobs (9.5p, 2.0r, 2.3a, 3.0s) has been a nice surprise, and Junior transfer
Montasia McAllister
Montasia
McAllister
5'10" | SG
Lawrence Central | 2022
State
IN
(6.4p, 3.2r, 3.2s) is just starting to find her footing.
Ben Davis
Despite all of their success when this conference was first formed, the Lady Giants have taken more of the spoiler approach the last few seasons. They are always feisty and fast, and they cause a lot of problems defensively. With a “new” coach in the fold, they have seen some different players step up, and they’ve already knocked off Fishers, Brownsburg, and MIC foe Warren Central. Their one loss was at the hands of Hamilton Southeastern. They have a big game coming up with North Central (Indianapolis). Senior front-liner
Natalie Howard
Natalie
Howard
6'0" | PF
Ben Davis | 2021
State
IN
(12.0p, 4.0r) is back and leading the way so far. Athletic Sophomore front-liner
Taylor Guess
Taylor
Guess
6'1" | PF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
(8.5p, 6.3r, 2.3b) has given them great minutes, and Northwestern University softball commit Kansas Robinson (8.0p, 5.0r, 2.8a, 2.0s), a Junior wing, has given them a nice boost as well. Several other talented underclassmen also help.
Warren Central
The 2018 Class 4A State Champion, Warren Central has gotten off to an uneven start this season, though they have put several new faces on the floor early this year. Their biggest win was probably the 45-44 nail-biter they pulled out against MIC opponent Center Grove, but they also have another nice win against Cathedral. Sophomore forward
Asiah Baxter
Asiah
Baxter
5'10" | SF
Warren Central | 2023
State
IN
(13.3p, 9.7r, 2.0a, 2.0b) and Sophomore guard
Sanaa Thomas
Sanaa
Thomas
5'5" | PG
Warren Central | 2023
State
IN
(9.0p, 3.8r, 4.7a) bring back the most experience for the Warriors. Senior wing
K’La Talley
K’La
Talley
5'6" | SG
Warren Central | 2021
State
IN
(10.6p, 7.6r) and Junior guard
Le’Aije Ellington
Le’Aije
Ellington
5'6" | SG
Warren Central | 2022
State
IN
(10.3p, 4.8r) played mostly off the bench last year, but both are talented athletes who can make plays at both ends of the floor. Sophomore front-liner Imani Benson (2.3p, 4.7r) is someone whose production could increase significantly as she sees more court time.
Lawrence North
The 2020 Class 4A State Champion, Lawrence North pulled out a huge 43-40 victory Tuesday night at Carmel, as Senior guard
Jayla Smith
Jayla
Smith
5'11" | SG
Lawrence North | 2021
State
#73
Nation
IN
returned from an injury to knock down about a 27-foot hop-back jumper at the buzzer for the win. The Wildcats saw a number of 2020 graduates take a lot of production with them. Once you get past Smith, really only Sophomore wing
Monica Williams
Monica
Williams
5'10" | SF
Lawrence North | 2023
State
IN
and Senior front-liner
Sydnee Hughes
Sydnee
Hughes
5'11" | PF
Lawrence North | 2021
State
IN
have significant Varsity experience. Williams has really improved her skill and has been outstanding so far. Junior transfer
Ariel Helm
Ariel
Helm
6'0" | PF
Lawrence North | 2022
State
IN
has been strong up front for the Wildcats, while Sophomore athlete
Laniya Early
Laniya
Early
5'10" | SF
Lawrence North | 2023
State
IN
is also bringing nice energy and talent to the lineup. Senior wing Aniyjha Graves and Sophomore forward Makayla Washington-Cobb have also provided solid minutes off the bench for Lawrence North this season.
Carmel
Carmel was previously unbeaten before Tuesday’s loss to Lawrence North, and they’ll remain one of the favorites this season to win the MIC title. Their schedule is a who’s who of teams, as they’ve beaten Homestead, Heritage Christian, Zionsville, and Hamilton Southeastern already…and it remains that strong the rest of the year. Junior wing
Kate Clarke
Kate
Clarke
6'1" | SF
Carmel | 2022
State
#56
Nation
IN
(18.4p, 2.8r) is shooting at a 36% clip from 3-point range, to go along with 86% from the free throw line. Senior forward
Bridget Dunn
Bridget
Dunn
6'3" | PF
Carmel | 2021
State
IN
(13.6p, 6.2r, 2.8a, 2.2s) has been steady each time out, providing a little something at both ends of the floor. Senior forward
Riley Pennington
Riley
Pennington
5'9" | PF
Carmel | 2021
State
IN
(5.6p, 3.6r) and Junior post
Emily Roper
Emily
Roper
6'0" | PF
Carmel | 2022
State
IN
(3.8p, 5.4r, 2.0a) have been huge off the bench for the Greyhounds, while Sophomores
Hannah Lach
Hannah
Lach
5'10" | SF
Carmel | 2023
State
IN
(3.8p, 3.4r, 2.2a) and
Mackenzie Thomas
Mackenzie
Thomas
6'1" | C
Carmel | 2023
IN
(2.0p, 3.8r) have flashed nice potential.
Center Grove
The Trojans are a very intriguing team, because they like to control tempo, they are usually very sound defensively, and they like to knock down a lot of long-range jumpers. They have been on kind of an emotional roller-coaster so far, having started 1-3 with a couple of heartbreakers, then following that up with yet another Johnson County title. Their loss in the MIC was 45-44 to Warren Central. Senior wing
Mary Wilson
Mary
Wilson
5'10" | SF
Center Grove | 2021
State
IN
(17.1p, 3.4r, 2.3s) is the heart and soul of this year’s team. She has already buried 24 3-pointers in just eight games. Sophomore guards
Ella Hobson
Ella
Hobson
5'4" | PG
Center Grove | 2023
State
IN
(7.9p, 3.5r, 2.5a) and
Emily Karr
Emily
Karr
5'6" | CG
Center Grove | 2023
IN
(4.1p, 4.1r, 2.9a) have really stepped up into much more critical roles this season, and Freshman guard
Aubrie Booker
Aubrie
Booker
5'8" | CG
Center Grove | 2024
State
IN
(7.0p, 2.8r) has been big early in her rookie campaign. They’ll need someone to give them improved play along the frontline in order to compete against MIC competition.
Indianapolis Pike
It wasn’t until their tenth game last season that Pike won it’s second game, before falling to 2-19 overall on the year. Having won two of their first three games this season, and being much more competitive each time out, the Red Devils are hoping to approach double-digit wins again, though their schedule is as tough as anyone’s on this list. Their next big opportunity is in their rivalry game with North Central (Indianapolis) tonight. Junior wing
Jaelynne Murray
Jaelynne
Murray
5'11" | SF
Pike | 2022
State
IN
(16.7p, 6.7r, 2.0a, 3.0s) has turned the proverbial corner in the last six to eight months and really become a star. She’ll need to continue being big for them these next couple of months. Senior guard
Joslynn Spears
Joslynn
Spears
5'7" | CG
Pike | 2021
State
IN
(12.0p, 4.0r, 2.0a) has also played well. Getting back Senior post
Arial Ford
Arial
Ford
6'1" | C
Pike | 2021
State
IN
(6.3p, 6.0r) definitely helps inside, plus Junior guards Lauren Horton (7.7p, 3.3r, 2.7s) and Jordyn Payton (5.0p, 6.0r) give them an offensive boost outside.