The Thanksgiving Third: Class 1A
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The featured image is of Linzie Wernert Linzie Wernert 5'8" | PF Lanesville | 2023 State IN (2023) of Lanesville High School. There are 13 weeks of regular season games scheduled during the IHSAA girls’ basketball season each year, and…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Linzie Wernert Linzie Wernert 5'8" | PF Lanesville | 2023 State IN (2023) of Lanesville High School.
There are 13 weeks of regular season games scheduled during the IHSAA girls’ basketball season each year, and Thanksgiving weekend represents roughly the first third of the season by weeks. Most teams have played six, eight, even ten or more games at this point, so it’s time to look back at the first third of the 2021-2022 season and look at which teams are hot, who’s trending up, and who’s playing unexpectedly, along with some additional notes from Class 1A.
The Usual Suspects
Just about every year you can count on Lafayette Central Catholic, Lanesville, and Jac-Cen-Del to be counted on near the top of the rankings, and this year is no different. The Knights of Central Catholic actually moved back to Class 1A after a few years at the 2A level. They are 6-2 to begin the year, with their losses coming at the hands of tough 3A Benton Central and 4A West Lafayette Harrison. However, they have taken care of an improved Western team, West Lafayette, Pioneer, and McCutcheon. A perimeter group that includes Seniors Karsyn Cherry Karsyn Cherry 5'7" | CG Lafayette Central Catholic | 2022 State IN and Caitlin Dineen Caitlin Dineen 5'7" | SG Lafayette Central Catholic | 2022 State IN , Juniors Tori Thompson Tori Thompson 5'7" | CG Lafayette Central Catholic | 2023 State IN and Kendal Rider Kendal Rider 5'7" | SG Lafayette Central Catholic | 2023 IN , plus talented Freshman Carley Barrett Carley Barrett 5'9" | SG Lafayette Central Catholic | 2025 State IN will be tough to match up with for most opponents. All are college prospects at some level, and each displays a different type of versatility where they can handle, shoot/score, and defend from different positions. If the Lady Knights can get any consistency from their frontcourt throughout the state tournament, I would put them against anyone in Class 1A to make it to Indianapolis in late-February.
Lanesville lost all-everything forward Gracie Adams who left via the diploma, but they’ve remained one of the top teams in Class 1A because of their depth and sense of “team”. Junior forward Linzie Wernert Linzie Wernert 5'8" | PF Lanesville | 2023 State IN (15.8p, 8.3r, 2.9a, 3.0s) has taken the leadership reins and run with them, and her toughness and competitive fire is tough to match. She gets a lot of help from Freshmen guards Hylton Brumley Hylton Brumley 5'8" | SF Lanesville | 2025 IN (8.5p, 2.0r, 1.4a, 2.0s) and Hadley Crosier Hadley Crosier 5'9" | CG Lanesville | 2025 State IN (6.9p, 3.4r, 3.8a, 4.4s), plus Junior classmate Morgan Sonner (7.3p, 5.3r, 1.3s, 1.5b) has stepped up along the frontline as well. Senior forward Kennedy Gordon (6.2p, 4.3r, 2.4a, 2.3s), Sophomore guard Ava Kerr (5.9p, 1.5r, 2.2s), and Senior wing Emma Campbell (3.7p, 2.1r) round out the rotation for the Eagles. At 10-1, Lanesville has only fallen to a much-improved Class 3A Corydon Central squad, but the Eagles have also knocked off Mitchell, Evansville Reitz, New Albany, and Paoli. They will likely contend to be the South representative this season.
Jac-Cen-Del suffered their own significant graduation losses as well, but that program can only be described as machine-like. Year after year they are in contention, they battle bigger programs, they are well-coached, and they play with great energy and effort. This year is no different. These Eagles are led by four Seniors who bring a lot of experience to the table. Point guard Annabelle Williams Annabelle Williams 5'8" | PG Jac-Cen-Del | 2022 State IN (11.7p, 5.0r, 5.6a, 2.7s) has been a Varsity mainstay throughout her career, and she is as steady as they come. Desiree Sparks (9.7p, 7.1r) offers JCD a presence inside, while Aundrea Cullen (9.4p, 2.0r, 1.7a) and Jalee Rider (7.8p, 1.3r, 1.1a, 2.9s) bring scoring and defense from the wings. Five more ladies give the Eagles a nice, deep rotation, so someone is always available to step up. Despite a recent 51-48 loss to a very strong Waldron group, Jac-Cen-Del is 8-1 right now with solid wins over Greensburg and Batesville. They will have to go toe-to-toe with Waldron in Sectional #60, and that could be a tremendous rematch in early February.
Don’t Be Surprised…
Watch out for Waldron, North White, and Caston come tournament time. All three have put together strong seasons thus far and look to be as competitive as anyone in Class 1A and capable of making tournament runs. Waldron has one of their best teams in school history, and the Mohawks boast seven Seniors on their 2021-2022 roster. The most notable of the bunch are forward Bella Larrison Bella Larrison 5'9" | SF Waldron | 2022 State IN , guard Megan Bogemann, and wing Nichole Garner, but all-in-all it’s a balanced effort most nights. I saw Larrison a few times over the Summer, and she has grown, gained strength, and has become much more consistently productive. Waldron is off to a fast start at 9-0, but they haven’t exactly had it easy, defeating strong programs like Blue River Valley, Tri, Greenwood Christian, Triton Central, and Jac-Cen-Del along the way. By the time the state tournament rolls around, they will certainly be battled tested, and I would look for them and JCD to meet at some point in Sectional #60 and fight it out for that title.
North White has had the unenviable task of dealing with a number of injuries/issues already this season, most notably the loss of Senior wing Lynzi Heimlich Lynzi Heimlich 5'10" | SF North White | 2022 State IN to a knee injury during volleyball season. But the Vikings make no excuses, and they’ve jumped out to an impressive 7-1 start. Their lone loss is to a strong 2A team in Rensselaer Central, but North White has otherwise taken care of business along the way. A matchup with Pioneer this evening could be a nice barometer as to where they are at this point in time. Junior forward Tessa Robertson (14.6p, 7.4r, 1.4a, 1.3s) is a strong presence along the frontline, plus she’s a capable mid-post scorer. Senior forward Caitlin Conn (13.0p, 8.8r, 1.2a, 2.0s) missed three games in late-November, but she returned to post games of 13 and 21 points since. Junior guard Abigale Spry (10.5p, 3.9r, 3.6a, 1.8s) is a solid perimeter shooter and a capable ball-handler. And Senior point guard Hannah Cosgray (4.3p, 2.9r, 6.1a, 3.5s) is the willing facilitator of the group and makes things go. This Vikings team will only grow more and more confident as they experience success through adversity.
The Caston Comets put together a nice 2020-2021 season, and with a Freshman leading the way. Now a Sophomore, wing Isabel Scales Isabel Scales 5'8" | SF Caston | 2024 State IN (13.6p, 5.3r, 3.4a, 3.4s) hopes to lead the Comets to a Sectional #52 title, though they will have to knock off North White (7-1) and Frontier (5-2) to do so. Caston is out to a 6-2 start this year, with nice wins over Argos and Rochester. Their most recent loss was a narrow, 59-55 defeat at the hands of Pioneer, so the Comets are starting to show their potential this season. Aiding Scales this year are Senior Maddi Smith (12.1p, 4.7r, 1.3a, 3.9s), Junior Bailey Harness (6.3p, 5.4r, 1.1a, 1.9s), and Senior Abby Williamson (5.3p, 5.0r, 1.9a, 2.3s). The Comets have the potential to better last year’s 15-7 record, their most wins this century, and approach the 20-win mark for the first time. They will need to stay healthy, solidify their depth just a little more, and possibly find a third scoring threat, but they have some nice pieces to get through Sectional #52 and make a run in 2021-2022.
Keep An Eye On…
Watch out for the trio of Tecumseh, Blue River Valley, and Triton come state tournament time. All three have suffered multiple losses, but all three are talented and have played some tough competition. Tecumseh, for example, is just 4-4 at this point in time. However, they have fallen to quality 4A teams like Evansville North and Castle, they lost a 66-60 overtime thriller to a strong 3A Washington team, and they battled a top 2A team in Forest Park tough throughout. If they played a “normal” Class 1A schedule, they might be 8-0 right now. The Lady Braves look to Senior forward Kaybree Oxley Kaybree Oxley 5'9" | PF Tecumseh | 2022 State IN (16.3p, 10.6r, 2.3a, 2.7s) for leadership. She is a nice athlete who plays with good versatility, plus she has a great deal of Varsity experience. Sophomore forward Jenna Donohoo (12.4p, 6.3r, 1.7a, 1.7s) has been a nice compliment to Oxley this year, as the versatile front-liner can play inside or out opposite of Oxley. Junior point guard Karsyn Flowers (10.9p, 3.1r, 5.6a, 2.7s) handles the ball and runs the show for Tecumseh, while Senior forward Morgan Wilson Morgan Wilson 5'11" | PF Tecumseh | 2022 State IN (7.9p, 1.3r, 1.1s) and Senior wing Ashtyn Green (6.1p, 1.1r, 1.3a) round out a strong and sizeable Class 1A lineup.
Blue River Valley is off to a 5-2 opening, with their two losses coming at the hands of Waldron (59-41) on opening night and Blackford (50-49) around Thanksgiving. The Vikings lean heavily on the inside-out tandem of Senior post Ally Madden Ally Madden 6'1" | C Blue River Valley | 2022 State IN (21.1p, 12.3r, 2.1a, 2.7s, 5.6b) and Junior guard Maci Chamberlin Maci Chamberlin 5'7" | SG Blue River Valley | 2023 State IN (14.9p, 4.0r, 5.1a, 2.6s). Madden is a strong, rugged, aggressive, high-energy post who can do a lot of things inside of 15-feet. She is committed to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne. Chamberlin is a knockdown shooter who you must chase, but she can also handle the ball and create for others. Senior Samantha Loveless (9.2p, 3.5r, 1.0a, 1.7s) adds another capable scorer to the fold to balance out the lineup. Freshman Charlee Gibson (5.3p, 5.3r, 1.7s) has also gotten some quality minutes early in her career. Blue River has a recent history of making deep tournament runs, and having a strong inside-out presence like they do, the Vikings are primed for another successful postseason.
The Triton Trojans have handled the unexpected reasonably well this season. After changing head coaches just a couple of weeks before the first official practices started, their 7-4 record is three games better than last year’s 4-7 start through 11 games. They have knocked off bigger schools like John Glenn, Wawasee, NorthWood, and Knox, plus all but one of their four losses are to schools outside of Class 1A. That lone loss…Argos…was a 36-34 defeat and can be avenged in Sectional #50 in February. Junior point guard Kinsey Atkins isn’t very tall, but she’s quick, fast, and athletic, and she is a playmaker off the bounce, plus she can cause havoc defensively. Sophomore front-liner Addyson Viers adds good size inside, and she has developed her game nicely in year-two. If the Trojans can continue improving and adapting to a new system over the next month or so, I look for them to compete with the aforementioned Argos and a very good LaCrosse team for Sectional #50 honors.