Way Too Early Look at Class 2A

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="127241" first="Tori" last="Thompson"] (2023) of Lafayette Central Catholic School and Indiana Elite Lightning 16U. As I have done to preview the past three high school seasons, I will provide subscribers with a much more thorough and in-depth look at each of Indiana’s four school classifications at some point in mid to late October. But in the meantime, I wanted to take a quick glimpse into five Class 2A teams who I felt, on the surface without a great deal of research, stood out as teams to watch during the 2021-2022 high school season.   THE TOP THREE 1. Tipton (20-8 in 2020-2021, Class 2A State Runner-Up) There are three key things going for Tipton this season. (1) They made a deep tournament run a year ago and have experience. (2) They graduated no one and return literally everybody. And (3), they have three talented, double-figure scorers back in the fold. 6-3 Junior post [player_tooltip player_id="127234" first="Ashlee" last="Schram"] (13.9p, 12.6r, 2.6b) has gotten better each time she’s stepped on the court for the Blue Devils. She has good size and strength, she has very good balance and coordination, and she’s tremendously skilled for a traditional post. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="61070" first="Ella" last="Wolfe"] (13.9p, 3.3r, 2.7a, 2.6s) is a talented athlete with good speed and quickness. She has some touch around the perimeter, but she’s a jet getting to the basket, and she can hound opponents defensively. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="61076" first="Abigail" last="Parker"] (11.0p, 3.9r, 2.1a) is a really nice mid-range forward who has some touch at 15 to 17-feet, but she’s also a solid finisher at the basket, and she will get inside and rebound a little. From there, Sophomores Kaiya Money and [player_tooltip player_id="264121" first="Hallie" last="Wolfe"] saw good minutes for Tipton throughout the season...Money up until she was injured in January, and the younger Wolfe was instrumental at times during the state tournament. Senior wing Olivia Spidel was also a nice, versatile, hard-working player who made big shots at times for the Blue Devils. 2. Lafayette Central Catholic (13-3 in 2020-2021) In a shortened season due to a couple of COVID related breaks, the Knights still found a way to gut out wins against schools like Northwestern, Benton Central, and Hamilton Heights. They look to avenge a shortened Sectional appearance last year and make a deeper run. That could be very possible with their top four scorers back. [player_tooltip player_id="128133" first="Karsyn" last="Cherry"] (15.9p, 8.9r, 4.1a, 2.7s) has been vital to their success the last three seasons, and she again looks to lead the Knights. She is a nice athlete with a balanced skillset, and she could very well play scholarship basketball somewhere, but she has already committed to the University of Louisville for soccer. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="127241" first="Tori" last="Thompson"] (12.6p, 2.9r) just continues to improve each time I see her, and I look for her to take another step forward this Winter. She can handle it and run offense, but she’s also a capable shooter/scorer. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="128204" first="Caitlin" last="Dineen"] (11.2p, 3.1r) is another double-digit scorer, and she is a nice, long, athletic wing who gets to the basket with relative ease. Junior Kendal Rider and Sophomore Lizzie Cochran bring youthful experience back, but look for Freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id="295785" first="Carley" last="Barrett"] to make an immediate impact as well. 3. University (12-4 in 2020-2021) University grew quickly into a force at the Class 1A level, but they have held their own the last couple of years in Class 2A, reaching the Semi-State one season ago. Despite the graduation loss of double-figure scorer [player_tooltip player_id="130336" first="Sierra" last="Hinds"], the Trailblazers might actually be better this time around. 6-1 Junior front-liner [player_tooltip player_id="59743" first="Kelsey" last="DuBois"] (16.3p, 11.9r, 2.2a, 2.1s, 2.4b) is a real problem for opposing "bigs", because she is strong and physical at the rim, but she also has wing skill and the ability to knock down the occasional 3-pointer. That versatility at her size is difficult to defend. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="59772" first="Payton" last="Seay"] (13.7p, 8.3r, 2.8a, 2.7s) has developed into a capable scoring threat at all three levels, but as she’s gotten much stronger, I like her toughness and physicality, whether it be defensively, attacking the basket, or battling for boards. I also think Junior guards [player_tooltip player_id="241194" first="Jordan" last="Patterson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="59787" first="Kamryn" last="Washington"] could each step into bigger shoes this year, helping to replace Hinds’ output from last season. Patterson is a wiry-strong, athletic, high-motor kid who does a little of everything. Washington is a long, wiry, quick/fast, water-bug type who is dynamic off the bounce. Seniors Arrion Sherrod and Abby Hannon were valuable role players a season ago who return good experience.   SLEEPER Z...Z...Z... Triton Central (20-4 in 2020-2021) It seems odd calling Triton Central a sleeper coming off of a 20-4 season, especially considering their recent past success as well. At the same time, they lost point guard [player_tooltip player_id="99430" first="Taylor" last="Heath"] and post [player_tooltip player_id="130351" first="Bailey" last="Stamper"] to graduation, and they weren’t terribly deep last season. Moving into the forefront for the Tigers is Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="96081" first="Lizzie" last="Graham"] (13.4p, 5.1r). She is a tough-nosed, strong, high-motor kid who will do whatever it takes to help her team win. She has also improved her skill, and she shot it very well from the perimeter all Spring and Summer. Juniors Jenna Cox, Maddy Brown, and Hallie Schweitzer all saw some key minutes a year ago, and they should each have an opportunity to really impact the Varsity this season. But the biggest addition is that of Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="128141" first="Olivia" last="Faust"] (10.7p, 4.6r). Faust transferred in from Franklin Central over the Summer, and the 6-0 shooter flashed a much more aggressive offensive game during the grassroots season. She turned that into an early commitment to Marian University. Unfortunately Tiger opponents must worry about Triton Central a bit longer.   UP-AND-COMING Carroll (Flora) (15-7 in 2020-2021) The Cougars graduated a pair of Varsity regulars in forwards [player_tooltip player_id="245973" first="Megan" last="Wagner"] and Morgan Viney, but they also saw three Sophomores play major minutes during their rookie campaign last season. Guard [player_tooltip player_id="201873" first="Alli" last="Harness"] (22.0p, 5.5r, 5.3a, 3.7s) stole the show on many nights with her ability to shoot/score it in bunches. She can bury shots with deeeep range, and she can break down defenders when they get too close. Wing [player_tooltip player_id="239358" first="Madison" last="Wagner"] (13.5p, 6.3r, 2.3a, 2.2s) brought her versatility and energy to the court every night, and she looks to continue contributing in as many ways possible. Laney Johnson is the third 2024 who saw major action, and she should see an increase in minutes and production due to the graduation losses. From there, Senior front-liner Maryn Worl is a capable rebounder and defender, and Junior Allison O’Brien could see more opportunity in the post. The Cougars will rely heavily on their Sophomore stars, but they could make some noise again this year, especially if they can figure out a way to get past Pioneer and others in their seven-team Sectional.