Semi-State Preview: Class 4A
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The featured image is of sisters Hailey Smith Hailey Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN (2023) and Olivia Smith Olivia Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN (2023) of Fishers High School. Following an exciting…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of sisters Hailey Smith Hailey Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN (2023) and Olivia Smith Olivia Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN (2023) of Fishers High School.
Following an exciting round of Regional games Saturday afternoon and evening, the Semi-State fields are now set. This season, the IHSAA decided to make the Regional a one-game affair to win a title, with two Regional championship games at the same host site, similar to past Semi-States. Therefore, there were two Regional winners at each site. The Semi-States are now four-team, three-game events this Saturday, where teams in each class must win twice to advance to the State Finals. Below is a look at the two Semi-State locations in Class 4A, one taking place in the North, and one taking place in the South.
.
Huntington North Semi-State:
Game-1: Fort Wayne Snider (21-4) vs. Fishers (24-2), 10:00 a.m. ET
Game-2: South Bend Washington (27-0) vs. Lake Central (22-5), 12:00 p.m. ET
Game-3: Winner Game-1 vs. Winner Game-2, 8:00 p.m. ET
Game-1: Snider and Fishers met back around Thanksgiving, and it was the Snider Lady Panthers prevailing, 74-63. This time around, I expect it to be much closer, regardless of who wins. This game includes some of the state’s best backcourt playmakers. Jordyn Poole Jordyn Poole 5'6" | PG Fort Wayne Snider | 2024 State IN is the top Junior point guard, while classmate Joh’nea Donahue Joh’nea Donahue 5'8" | SG Fort Wayne Snider | 2024 State IN also holds multiple Division-I offers/interest. They are both really nice athletes who can take over games. Junior wing Ciara Sims Ciara Sims 5'8" | SF Fort Wayne Snider | 2024 State IN had a 24-point, 10-rebound (8 offensive boards) effort in the Regional round, and she is another nice athlete who is kind of a sleeper on this team. For the Lady Tigers of Fishers, it all starts with Senior twins Hailey Smith Hailey Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN and Olivia Smith Olivia Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN . They are tough-nosed, aggressive, and defensive-minded. They are joined in the backcourt by Juniors Talia Harris Talia Harris 5'8" | PG Fishers | 2024 State IN and Joirdyn Smith Joirdyn Smith 5'4" | CG Fishers | 2024 State IN . This game will likely be decided by ball security, quality possessions, and who can play a cleaner, more efficient game. Fishers has rattled off 18 wins in a row since their first matchup, so I’ll take the Tigers this time around, but by a much narrower, 51-48 margin.
Game-2: These teams also met earlier this season in a 51-35 victory for South Bend Washington during the first weekend of November. These Lady Panthers are talented, tall, and explosive. They put up points in bunches, and they can take over a game at any moment. Last weekend, the Panthers trailed Valparaiso at halftime, only to erase that lead quickly and win by 19 points. Sophomore Kira Reynolds Kira Reynolds 6'4" | PF South Bend Washington | 2025 State IN has had a tremendous year inside the arc, while Senior RaShunda Jones RaShunda Jones 5'7" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State IN and Sophomore Ryiah Wilson Ryiah Wilson 5'8" | CG South Bend Washington | 2025 State IN are two of the toughest backcourt defenders in the state. Lake Central will try to learn from the first matchup and see if they can counteract enough of what Washington does in order to be the first team to beat the Panthers this year. Juniors Aniyah Bishop Aniyah Bishop 5'10" | SF Lake Central | 2024 State IN and Riley Milausnic Riley Milausnic 5'7" | CG Lake Central | 2024 State IN have consistently led the Lady Indians in scoring this year, and they’ll need to have big games Saturday. Sophomore Ayla Krygier Ayla Krygier 6'0" | SF Lake Central | 2025 State IN has also had explosive moments and can erupt for 20+ points at any time. Honestly, this game comes down to Washington’s pressure. If Lake Central can handle it, attack it, and get easy scores early and often, it will make the Panthers reconsider their own strategy. At the same time, that’s typically easier said than done against Washington. There will be a moment when they turn Lake Central over, and if the Indians can limit that to a couple of possessions instead of a couple of minutes, this could get very interesting. I will still take South Bend Washington, but I think the outcome will be a bit closer. Let’s say South Bend Washington 58, Lake Central 47.
Players to Watch:
Fishers –
Hailey Smith
Hailey
Smith
5'10" | SG
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 11.9p, 6.8r, 2.7a
Fishers –
Olivia Smith
Olivia
Smith
5'10" | SG
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 10.9p, 3.8r, 2.6a
Fishers –
Talia Harris
Talia
Harris
5'8" | PG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 9.4p, 4.2r, 2.2a, 2.3s
Fishers –
Alycia Triplett
Alycia
Triplett
5'11" | PF
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 7.2p, 5.2r
Fishers –
Joirdyn Smith
Joirdyn
Smith
5'4" | CG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 7.0p
Fishers –
Kate Thomas
Kate
Thomas
6'1" | PF
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 3.9p, 3.2r
FW Snider –
Jordyn Poole
Jordyn
Poole
5'6" | PG
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 16.1p, 3.5r, 4.0a, 3.5s
FW Snider –
Joh’nea Donahue
Joh’nea
Donahue
5'8" | SG
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 12.2p, 4.6r, 4.0a 5.6s
FW Snider –
Ciara Sims
Ciara
Sims
5'8" | SF
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 9.4p, 4.7r
FW Snider –
Tia Phinezy
Tia
Phinezy
6'3" | C
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 8.2p, 6.7r, 3.9b
FW Snider –
Kyra Parker
Kyra
Parker
5'9" | SF
Fort Wayne Snider | 2025
IN
, 2024 – 5.2p, 2.2r
Lake Central –
Aniyah Bishop
Aniyah
Bishop
5'10" | SF
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 9.9p, 5.9r, 2.1a
Lake Central –
Riley Milausnic
Riley
Milausnic
5'7" | CG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 9.6p, 55 made 3s
Lake Central –
Ayla Krygier
Ayla
Krygier
6'0" | SF
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 8.5p, 4.5r
Lake Central –
Vanessa Wimberly
Vanessa
Wimberly
5'5" | PG
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 7.2p, 3.8r, 2.8a, 3.1s
Lake Central –
Nadia Clayton
Nadia
Clayton
5'7" | SG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 7.0p, 3.1r, 2.1a, 2.2s
Lake Central –
Kennedie Burks
Kennedie
Burks
5'3" | PG
Lake Central | 2024
IN
, 2024 – 5.0p
South Bend Washington –
RaShunda Jones
RaShunda
Jones
5'7" | PG
South Bend Washington | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 20.1p, 3.7r, 4.6a, 4.2s
South Bend Washington –
Kira Reynolds
Kira
Reynolds
6'4" | PF
South Bend Washington | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 15.7p, 12.0r (5.2 off.), 2.9a, 5.9b
South Bend Washington –
Monique Mitchell
Monique
Mitchell
5'11" | SF
South Bend Washington | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 13.5p, 3.3r, 2.9s
South Bend Washington –
Ryiah Wilson
Ryiah
Wilson
5'8" | CG
South Bend Washington | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 11.6p, 3.6r, 4.1a, 6.3s
South Bend Washington –
Zion Belcher-Arill
Zion
Belcher-Arill
6'2" | PF
Campbell Hall | 2025
CA
, 2025 – 5.3p, 3.2r
South Bend Washington –
Ayanna Nicholson
Ayanna
Nicholson
5'11" | PF
South Bend Washington | 2025
IN
, 2025 – 2.5p, 3.1r
.
Southport Semi-State:
Game-1: Bedford North Lawrence (24-3) vs. Center Grove (22-4), 10:00 a.m. ET
Game-2: Lawrence North (18-9) vs. Ben Davis (18-9), 12:00 p.m. ET
Game-3: Winner Game-1 vs. Winner Game-2, 8:00 p.m. ET
Game-1: Unlike the other three matchups in Class 4A, Bedford North Lawrence and Center Grove haven’t met in four years. There is obvious familiarity with a number of these girls playing grassroots basketball, but not so much between the two high school teams. Bedford leans heavily on a strong starting group, led by Senior point guard Karsyn Norman Karsyn Norman 5'7" | PG Bedford North Lawrence | 2023 State IN and Junior guard Chloe Spreen Chloe Spreen 5'10" | SG Bedford North Lawrence | 2024 State IN . Junior guard Madisyn Bailey Madisyn Bailey 5'9" | PG Bedford North Lawrence | 2024 State IN and Senior wing Mallory Pride Mallory Pride 5'9" | SF Bedford North Lawrence | 2023 IN also contribute, but those four are collectively responsible for more than 85% of their offensive output. Center Grove is also backcourt-oriented, however they don’t have that scorer pushing 20 points per game, and they play with a lot more depth and balance throughout their roster. Junior Audrey Annee Audrey Annee 5'9" | SF Center Grove | 2024 State IN has really stepped up to help lead this group of Lady Trojans, averaging 13.0 points per game, but then their next five scorers all average between 5.6 and 6.6 points per game. Not knowing where the production will come from makes them tough to match up with. Bedford will need to stay out of foul trouble, continue to get big performances from Norman and Spreen, and hope someone else steps up each game. For Center Grove, they just need to stay the course. They are on an 18-game winning streak due to their balance and teamwork within their system. I give a slight edge to Bedford, but I think the Lady Stars will have their hands full in a low-scoring affair. Give me Bedford North Lawrence over Center Grove 41-37.
Game-2: Lawrence North and Ben Davis are very familiar with each other. They are Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference rivals, they are Marion County Tourney rivals, and they occasionally cross paths this time of year. For the 2022-2023 season, this will be just the second time they’ve matched up. Lawrence North took the first meeting, 63-62, on January 21st. It helped the Lady Wildcats tie for the MIC title. The Wildcats have a nice mix of experience and youth, talent and skill, and they get strong play from the wing. Seniors Monica Williams Monica Williams 5'10" | SF Lawrence North | 2023 State IN and Laniya Early Laniya Early 5'10" | SF Lawrence North | 2023 State IN have been solid all year, while Junior Kamara Mills Kamara Mills 5'8" | SG Lawrence North | 2024 State IN knocked down 10-10 shots from the charity stripe and scored 18 points in the Regional. Ben Davis is loaded with Seniors, they have great size, and they control the halfcourt along with the boards. 6-3 Senior Cristen Carter Cristen Carter 6'3" | C Ben Davis | 2023 State IN and 6-1 Senior Taylor Guess Taylor Guess 6'1" | PF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN have nice size, they’re athletic, and they impact the game at both ends of the floor. Junior Zoe Wheeler Zoe Wheeler 5'9" | SF Ben Davis | 2024 State IN and Senior Kaleah Toomer Kaleah Toomer 5'10" | SF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN give them scoring from the wings, plus they are both effortful defenders. If I had to guess, I think Lawrence North will try to speed up the Lady Giants, and it will be a game of contrasting styles. If it’s a halfcourt game, I think it benefits Ben Davis, but if the Wildcats are able to get out in transition, I think that really helps them. I’m going to lean towards Ben Davis here, because I think last year’s Regional loss has them motivated. Though it will be very close, I’ll take the Lady Giants, 47-45.
Players to Watch:
Bedford N. Lawrence –
Chloe Spreen
Chloe
Spreen
5'10" | SG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 18.7p, 5.4r, 3.3a, 2.8s
Bedford N. Lawrence –
Karsyn Norman
Karsyn
Norman
5'7" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 16.5p, 4.2r, 4.4a, 2.5s
Bedford N. Lawrence –
Mallory Pride
Mallory
Pride
5'9" | SF
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
IN
, 2023 – 11.0p, 7.1r
Bedford N. Lawrence –
Madisyn Bailey
Madisyn
Bailey
5'9" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 7.7p, 4.1r, 3.6a, 2.8s
Bedford N. Lawrence – Emma Brown, 2023 – 4.9p
Ben Davis –
Cristen Carter
Cristen
Carter
6'3" | C
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 18.4p, 12.6r
Ben Davis –
Taylor Guess
Taylor
Guess
6'1" | PF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 11.9p, 7.2r
Ben Davis –
Zoe Wheeler
Zoe
Wheeler
5'9" | SF
Ben Davis | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 9.9p, 4.0r, 2.3a
Ben Davis –
Kaleah Toomer
Kaleah
Toomer
5'10" | SF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 8.7p, 3.0r, 3.7a
Ben Davis –
Scottlynn Johnson
Scottlynn
Johnson
5'11" | PF
Ben Davis | 2024
IN
, 2024 – 2.9p, 4.0r
Ben Davis –
Kirsten Clark
Kirsten
Clark
5'9" | SG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 2.7p, 2.0r, 2.4a
Center Grove –
Audrey Annee
Audrey
Annee
5'9" | SF
Center Grove | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 13.0p, 2.5r
Center Grove –
Lilly Bischoff
Lilly
Bischoff
5'8" | PG
Center Grove | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 6.6p, 3.1r, 2.1a
Center Grove –
Aubrie Booker
Aubrie
Booker
5'8" | CG
Center Grove | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 6.5p, 3.1r, 2.3a
Center Grove –
Ella Hobson
Ella
Hobson
5'4" | PG
Center Grove | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 6.1p, 2.1r, 3.7a
Center Grove –
Rachel Wirts
Rachel
Wirts
6'3" | C
Center Grove | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 6.1p, 5.1r
Center Grove –
Savanna Bischoff
Savanna
Bischoff
5'9" | SG
Center Grove | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 5.6p, 3.0r, 2.7a
Lawrence North –
Monica Williams
Monica
Williams
5'10" | SF
Lawrence North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 13.8p, 3.9r, 2.5a, 2.8s
Lawrence North –
Laniya Early
Laniya
Early
5'10" | SF
Lawrence North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023 – 9.0p, 4.8r
Lawrence North –
Kamara Mills
Kamara
Mills
5'8" | SG
Lawrence North | 2024
State
IN
, 2024 – 8.3p, 2.7r
Lawrence North –
Jamaya Thomas
Jamaya
Thomas
6'1" | C
Lawrence North | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 7.9p, 4.7r
Lawrence North –
Kya Hurt
Kya
Hurt
5'7" | PG
Lawrence North | 2025
State
IN
, 2025 – 7.5p, 4.5r, 2.3a, 2.0s