Regional Preview: Class 3A South

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='402337' first='Lailah' last='Hadley'] (2023) of Purdue Polytechnic High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following a pair of Sectional championship games Monday evening, the Regional fields are now set. This season, the IHSAA decided to make the Regional a one-game affair to win a title, with two Regional games at the same host site, similar to past Semi-States. Therefore, there will now be two Regional winners at each site. The Semi-States will be a four-team, three-game event next Saturday, where teams in each class must win twice to advance to the State Finals. As for the Regionals, below is a look at the two Regionals in Class 3A taking place in the Southern half of the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">Greencastle Regional:</font></strong><br>Game-1: Indian Creek (25-1) vs. Purdue Polytechnic (22-5), 1:00 p.m. ET<br>Game-2: Cascade (22-2) vs. Bishop Chatard (11-13), 4:00 p.m. ET</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game-1:</strong> Indian Creek has maybe the best prospect in Class 3A on its roster in Junior [player_tooltip player_id='201885' first='Faith' last='Wiseman']. The 6-4 forward is skilled, versatile, and a nice, fluid athlete. She is a matchup problem for most teams, but the Lady Braves are much more than just her, as they possess a deep and talented backcourt as well, consisting of Junior [player_tooltip player_id='239346' first='Lauren' last='Foster'], Senior [player_tooltip player_id='59746' first='Abby' last='Fleetwood'], and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='506021' first='Ayla' last='Lollar']. Their lone blemish was to a solid Class 4A Westfield team by just three points, and they are a team in the hunt for a Class 3A State Championship. Purdue Polytechnic is in its fourth year of existence and first year of IHSAA eligibility. As young of a program as they are, every game seems like they're setting new program standards/records. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='402337' first='Lailah' last='Hadley'] is a dynamic, quick/fast, and feisty little playmaker who brings the energy. She can score it herself or create for others. Senior <strong>Ajacia Griffith</strong> and Sophomore <strong>Taylor Denton</strong> are also double-figure scorers who have produced nice seasons for the Lady Techies. In order for Purdue Poly to have a chance in this game, they must value every possession, make a lot of big shots, and pressure Indian Creek into uncharacteristic turnovers. However, I think Indian Creek's size, depth, and experience will control this one from start to finish. Give me the Braves over the Techies, 57-33.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game-2:</strong> Cascade relies on a great deal of depth and Senior/Junior experience to outplay their opponents. They've been consistently strong all year, falling only to Triton Central early in the season and Brownsburg at the beginning of January. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='59786' first='Sydney' last='Warran'] and [player_tooltip player_id='127231' first='Abby' last='Parsons'] are versatile ballplayers who've each given four years of Varsity action to the Lady Cadets. Warran is a taller, longer, multi-positional forward who can run offense, create, or score it from all three levels. Parsons is a strong, physical forward who can play inside, but she can also handle and has nice touch around the perimeter. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='177315' first='Creedance' last='Chittenden'] is another wing who can put up good scoring numbers if people help off of her, so watch for her to potentially have a 15 to 20-point effort. Bishop Chatard did something similar a year ago to what they're doing right now. They arrived at the Sectional 14-10 and made it all the way to the Class 3A Semi-State. This season, they entered Sectional play at 8-13, then managed to beat Guerin Catholic in overtime by two points, Brebeuf Jesuit by one point, and Heritage Christian in double overtime by four points. I guess they are this year's cardiac kids, winning three Sectional games by a total of seven points, while playing 12 extra minutes as well. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='410036' first='Caroline' last='Bell'] and <strong>Anna Thompson</strong> lead them statistically, but this is a sum-of-their-parts sort of team who need balanced play and a true "team" effort to succeed. Cascade will be the favorite here, without question, but I honestly think Chatard can frustrate them and make it difficult all evening. If the Cadets can work through the ups and downs and keep focused on the prize, I think they pull this out, 51-43. But don't be surprised if the Lady Trojans pull the upset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong><br>Bishop Chatard - [player_tooltip player_id='410036' first='Caroline' last='Bell'], 2023 - 11.0p, 6.5r<br>Bishop Chatard - <strong>Anna Thompson</strong>, 2023 - 9.2p, 3.3r, 2.5a<br>Bishop Chatard - <strong>Quinn Johnson</strong>, 2024 - 6.4p, 2.7r<br>Bishop Chatard - <strong>Addison Duncan</strong>, 2024 - 5.0p, 4.0r, 2.0a<br>Cascade - [player_tooltip player_id='59786' first='Sydney' last='Warran'], 2023 - 14.5p, 7.1r, 4.0a, 2.6s<br>Cascade - [player_tooltip player_id='127231' first='Abby' last='Parsons'], 2023 - 14.4p, 5.4r, 2.0a, 2.0s<br>Cascade - [player_tooltip player_id='177315' first='Creedance' last='Chittenden'], 2024 - 9.0p, 2.7r, 2.2a<br>Cascade - <strong>Liviair Campbell</strong>, 2024 - 7.0p, 4.0r, 2.1s<br>Cascade - <strong>Madison Short</strong>, 2023 - 6.3p, 3.3r<br>Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='201885' first='Faith' last='Wiseman'], 2024 - 16.0p, 9.2r, 2.5a, 2.3b<br>Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='239346' first='Lauren' last='Foster'], 2024 - 18.9p, 3.0r, 4.2a, 2.4s<br>Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='59746' first='Abby' last='Fleetwood'], 2023 - 6.4p, 6.1r, 4.5a, 3.4s<br>Indian Creek - [player_tooltip player_id='506021' first='Ayla' last='Lollar'], 2025 - 7.2p, 2.0r, 2.2a, 2.5s<br>Indian Creek - <strong>Savannah Hall</strong>, 2023 - 5.2p, 3.6r<br>Purdue Polytechnic - [player_tooltip player_id='402337' first='Lailah' last='Hadley'], 2023 - 11.1p, 3.9r, 5.3a, 3.9s<br>Purdue Polytechnic - <strong>Ajacia Griffith</strong>, 2023 - 11.4p, 5.1r<br>Purdue Polytechnic - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1044749' first='Tayler' last='Denton']</strong>, 2025 - 10.1p, 2.6r, 2.1a, 3.7s<br>Purdue Polytechnic - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='773766' first='Madison' last='Jobe']</strong>, 2024 - 8.6p, 4.2r</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">Charlestown Regional:</font></strong><br>Game-1: Corydon Central (24-2) vs. Rushville (14-13), 4:00 p.m. ET<br>Game-2: Gibson Southern (20-4) vs. Princeton (16-10), 7:00 p.m. ET</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game-1:</strong> Corydon Central is one of the top teams in Class 3A this season, and Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='178232' first='Ava' last='Weber'] was tremendous in helping her team to their Sectional title. She is a strong athlete, she is great off the bounce, and she fits the mid-post role perfectly for them. Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='324096' first='Josie' last='Vaughn'] is a smooth, quick/fast, and feisty ball-handler who can also shoot/score. They have a lot more depth than that, because you don't typically win 24 games behind just two players. They are looking for their first Regional Championship since 2005, and the prospects of that seem very promising. Rushville is always competitive, well-coached, and great within their system. They have played a solid schedule and beat three quality programs during their Sectional run last week. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='59764' first='Briley' last='Munchel'] should give Vaughn everything she can handle, and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='570387' first='Leonie' last='Boyer'] has been strong all year. I think Rushville will do everything it can to give the Lady Panthers a game for about 20 minutes, but Corydon will be too deep and too talented for the Lady Lions. Look for Corydon Central to knock off Rushville, 56-39.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game-2:</strong> I've heard people say Gibson Southern's win over Evansville Memorial on Monday was an "upset". That might be true, since Memorial won the first game by 18 points in early December. However, the Lady Titans' second leading scorer, Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='295774' first='Gabby' last='Spink'], didn't start her season until shortly after that first matchup between the two teams, and she has been majorly influential to their success since returning. The Lady Titans are always strong, they typically have good balance, and they shoot the ball well from most positions. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='177324' first='Chloey' last='Graham'] is a dangerous threat from outside, while Spink is their creator. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='574558' first='Alexis' last='Tucker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='127243' first='Ava' last='Weisheit'] provide some rebounding and scoring inside as well. Princeton was a bit of a surprise coming out of Sectional #31. They do have talent, but a majority of it is in their Freshman and Junior classes, so they are young right now, and I'm sure most people would have leaned more towards any of three other teams from that Sectional at first glance. But give them credit, as the Lady Tigers defeated two of those three teams in the Sectional Semifinal and Sectional Final. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='825965' first='Lexi' last='Smith']</strong> is their "experienced" leader, while Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='486492' first='Ailie' last='Taylor'] has done a nice job of figuring it out during her rookie campaign. I think the Tigers will come to play Saturday, they'll be feisty/gritty and get after it defensively, but I think neighboring Gibson Southern is just too experienced, poised, and skillful to be ruffled that easily. The Titans won a mid-November matchup by 45 points without Spink, so I look for them to win this one, but by a closer margin. Gibson Southern defeats Princeton, 62-39.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong><br>Corydon Central - [player_tooltip player_id='178232' first='Ava' last='Weber'], 2023 - 21.6p, 6.1r, 2.5a, 2.8s<br>Corydon Central - [player_tooltip player_id='324096' first='Josie' last='Vaughn'], 2025 - 11.8p, 3.3r, 3.2a, 2.8s<br>Corydon Central - <strong>Bailey Orme</strong>, 2023 - 7.3p, 2.7r, 6.0a, 3.4s<br>Corydon Central - [player_tooltip player_id='404110' first='Alyssa' last='Groover'], 2025 - 6.2p, 5.3r<br>Corydon Central - <strong>Morgan Adams</strong>, 2024 - 4.2p, 3.5r<br>Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='177324' first='Chloey' last='Graham'], 2024 - 16.8p, 5.1r, 3.0s<br>Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='295774' first='Gabby' last='Spink'], 2025 - 15.4p, 2.9r, 4.6a<br>Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='574558' first='Alexis' last='Tucker'], 2023 - 12.7p, 6.8r<br>Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='127243' first='Ava' last='Weisheit'], 2023 - 7.7p, 5.6r, 2.0a<br>Gibson Southern - [player_tooltip player_id='506027' first='Nola' last='Ravellette'], 2025 - 4.9p, 2.9r<br>Princeton - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='825965' first='Lexi' last='Smith']</strong>, 2024 - 11.2p, 2.1r, 2.3s<br>Princeton - [player_tooltip player_id='486492' first='Ailie' last='Taylor'], 2026 - 10.3p, 4.8r<br>Princeton - <strong>Mallory Watt</strong>, 2026 - 6.6p, 2.4a<br>Princeton - <strong>Azaryon Wesley</strong>, 2024 - 6.1p, 4.1r, 2.3a<br>Rushville - [player_tooltip player_id='59764' first='Briley' last='Munchel'], 2023 - 13.8p, 3.7r, 3.7a, 2.6s<br>Rushville - [player_tooltip player_id='570387' first='Leonie' last='Boyer'], 2025 - 12.6p, 7.2r<br>Rushville - <strong>Belle Gossett</strong>, 2023 - 10.7p, 6.6r<br>Rushville - <strong>Kylee Herbert</strong>, 2024 - 5.1p</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->