Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional #12

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='486533' first='Elle' last='McCulloch'] (2026) of Brownsburg High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we wind down our Sectional preview articles, we will individualize the final few as one Sectional per article. This article focuses on Sectional #12 in Class 4A, which feeds into one of the Southern Regionals. Below is a look at the teams in Sectional #12, along with some general comments and analysis.<br><small>(<em>SAG = Final 2022-2023 Multiclass Sagarin Rating (395 teams); SOS = Final 2022-2023 Strength of Schedule</em>)</small></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">Sectional #12</font></strong><br>Brownsburg (16-10), SAG 17, SOS 7<br>Avon (11-13), SAG 50, SOS 12<br>Plainfield (8-16), SAG 115, SOS 35<br>Terre Haute North Vigo (10-15), SAG 196, SOS 79<br>Terre Haute South Vigo (7-16), SAG 267, SOS 134</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Brownsburg Bulldogs will look to repeat as Sectional #12 Champions, but that could prove to be much more difficult than it sounds with the graduation of three Varsity mainstays. Gone are <strong>Kailyn Terrell</strong> (<em>10.1p, 3.5r, 3.3a, 2.0s</em>), <strong>Megan Eaker</strong> (<em>6.7p, 2.5r</em>), and <strong>Paige Kirtz</strong> (<em>2.9p, 2.9r</em>). At the same time, rivals won't feel so badly for the Bulldogs, as they return the biggest mismatch in the state, both literally and figuratively. 6-6 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295789' first='Avery' last='Gordon']</strong> (<em>18.2p, 8.7r, 2.6b</em>) is only halfway through her career, and the Purdue University commit causes problems with her size, strength, skill, and footwork. 5-8 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201875' first='Emma' last='Hendricks']</strong> (<em>9.3p, 5.9r, 3.3a</em>) is a sharpshooter who plays off of Gordon well, while 5-9 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626933' first='Morgan' last='Montgomery']</strong> (<em>3.6p, 2.6r</em>) is a nice, strong athlete who works hard inside. 5-7 Senior guard <strong>Macy Twomey</strong> (<em>1.9p</em>), 6-2 Senior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='331771' first='Loria' last='Snowden']</strong> (<em>1.6p</em>), and 5-8 Junior guard <strong>Claire Miller</strong> (<em>1.5p</em>) add depth and experience for the Bulldogs. One player who could surprise this season is 5-10 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486533' first='Elle' last='McCulloch']</strong> (<em>0.7p in 7 games</em>). She played sparingly a year ago but had a great Summer and Fall, and she looks to be an impact player moving forward. Also keep an eye on 5-9 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626934' first='Delaney' last='Steers']</strong> (<em>10.2p, 5.0r, 2.1a, 2.3s</em>), a move-in from Evansville Central who brings additional Varsity experience. The Avon Orioles aren't a very tall team, but they somewhat embrace that and play a fast, feisty style of basketball. It all starts with 5-3 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366801' first='Aniah' last='Smith']</strong> (<em>16.5p, 3.2r, 3.6a, 4.1s</em>). She has skill and talent, and she can be very explosive at either end of the floor. 5-4 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295814' first='Nevaeh' last='Wren']</strong> (<em>7.1p</em>) is a talented athlete who probably does her best work defending the ball, while 5-5 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='496065' first='Mya' last='Thompson']</strong> (<em>6.0p</em>) is a fairly smooth facilitator. 5-8 Junior forward <strong>Soryah Hart</strong> (<em>2.1p, 3.1r</em>) is the last returnee with significant experience, and she adds "size" to the lineup. Look for Sophomores <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='832666' first='Makaylee' last='Butts']</strong> (<em>0.6p in 9 games</em>) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='884498' first='Kaylii' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>0.9p in 8 games</em>), both guards, to see a greater opportunity in their second years on the team, plus 5-9 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='496031' first='Joyce' last='Smiley']</strong> (<em>0.5 in 8 games</em>) is a nice athlete who could add a little height to the bunch. The Orioles do play without graduates <strong>Nyla Lewis</strong> (<em>11.5p, 2.7r, 2.7a, 2.0s</em>), <strong>Hailey Guingrich</strong> (<em>6.1p, 4.8r</em>), <strong>Hadja Walker</strong> (<em>3.7p, 5.6r</em>), <strong>Madisyn Harris</strong> (<em>2.3p, 2.9r</em>), and <strong>Anna Levstek</strong> (<em>1.4p</em>), plus Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='331819' first='Amya' last='Bass']</strong> (<em>8.2p, 2.3r, 2.0a, 4.4s</em>) will likely miss the entire season following a knee injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plainfield posted a rare losing season in 2022-2023, but they played a lot of younger players who gained valuable experience, plus they welcome a strong Freshman group to campus as well. This year, they should push Brownsburg as the favorite in Sectional #12. The Quakers graduated two players, but neither averaged more than 2.2 points or 1.2 rebounds per game. 6-1 Senior front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239347' first='Payton' last='Benge']</strong> (<em>15.9p, 8.4r, 2.3a</em>) is back and looks to follow up a strong Junior season with an even better encore. 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486496' first='Berkeley' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>13.8p, 4.3r</em>) is a ball of energy and put together a nice rookie season last year. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>Ellison Stewart</strong> (<em>4.7p, 3.8r, 3.9a, 2.4s</em>) plays with nice versatility, while 5-5 Junior guard <strong>Morgan Barnes</strong> (<em>4.1p, 3.0r</em>) plays bigger than she is. 5-8 Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751064' first='Hannah' last='Menser']</strong> is the biggest addition to the roster, as she has great skill and talent, and she has drawn some fanfare since she was young. She should step into a big role immediately. Look for fellow Freshmen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751082' first='Kara' last='Olejnik']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756233' first='Abrielle' last='Dugan']</strong>, and <strong>Bryleigh Todd</strong>, along with Sophomore <strong>Caroline Pugh</strong>, to work for opportunities supporting Menser and the upperclassmen. For the second consecutive year, the Patriots of Terre Haute North graduated a high-scoring guard. This time it was <strong>Preslee Michael</strong> (<em>15.5p, 6.6r, 2.6a</em>). Also graduated are <strong>Ries Harmon</strong> (<em>6.2p, 5.1r, 2.6a</em>), <strong>Hallie Hayes</strong> (<em>4.6p, 2.4r</em>), <strong>Lilly Jensen</strong> (<em>2.5p, 4.2r</em>), plus three others, making it difficult to field an overly experienced group. 5-8 Senior guard <strong>Rebecca Gore</strong> (<em>6.1p, 3.8r</em>) and 5-8 Senior wing <strong>Aubrey Ervin</strong> (<em>5.9p, 4.6r</em>) are about the only two who enter the 2023-2024 season with significant floor time logged. Look for 5-11 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='773831' first='Charlie' last='Walker']</strong> (<em>0.9p in 11 games</em>), 5-10 Junior forward <strong>Emma Martin</strong> (<em>0.5p in 15 games</em>), 5-7 Junior guard <strong>Cydnei Strader</strong> (<em>0.6p in 13 games</em>), and Sophomore guard <strong>Madison Strange</strong> to help round out the core of the rotation this season. It could be a tough year, unless they are able to figure out a way to score early this season. Terre Haute South went through something similar as North a year ago and took their lumps with several Freshmen in the lineup. They don't graduate much production, but they also didn't post big statistical numbers a year ago. Additionally, Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='449149' first='Katherine' last='Sarver']</strong> (<em>6.2p, 2.6r</em>) was the leading scorer last year, but she has transferred to Sullivan High School. They will need to hope the "learn on the fly" approach will help their youngsters with experience. Sarver was helped most by classmates <strong>Karizma English-Malone</strong> (<em>5.1p, 2.1r</em>), <strong>Breena Ireland</strong> (<em>3.0p, 2.3r</em>), and <strong>Avery Cassell</strong> (<em>2.8p, 2.3r</em>). Seniors <strong>Indiann Nichols</strong> (<em>5.7p, 2.1r</em>) and <strong>Presley White</strong> (<em>4.4p, 2.1r</em>) also saw significant time and look to lead this time around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->