Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional #12
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The featured image is of Elle McCulloch Elle McCulloch 5'11" | SF Brownsburg | 2026 State IN (2026) of Brownsburg High School. As we wind down our Sectional preview articles, we will individualize the final few as one Sectional per…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Elle McCulloch Elle McCulloch 5'11" | SF Brownsburg | 2026 State IN (2026) of Brownsburg High School.
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.
(SAG = Final 2022-2023 Multiclass Sagarin Rating (395 teams); SOS = Final 2022-2023 Strength of Schedule)
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Sectional #12
Brownsburg (16-10), SAG 17, SOS 7
Avon (11-13), SAG 50, SOS 12
Plainfield (8-16), SAG 115, SOS 35
Terre Haute North Vigo (10-15), SAG 196, SOS 79
Terre Haute South Vigo (7-16), SAG 267, SOS 134
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 Kailyn Terrell (10.1p, 3.5r, 3.3a, 2.0s), Megan Eaker (6.7p, 2.5r), and Paige Kirtz (2.9p, 2.9r). 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 Avery Gordon Avery Gordon 6'6" | C Brownsburg | 2025 State IN (18.2p, 8.7r, 2.6b) is only halfway through her career, and the Purdue University commit causes problems with her size, strength, skill, and footwork. 5-8 Senior wing Emma Hendricks Emma Hendricks 5'8" | SF Brownsburg | 2024 State IN (9.3p, 5.9r, 3.3a) is a sharpshooter who plays off of Gordon well, while 5-9 Junior forward Morgan Montgomery Morgan Montgomery 5'10" | PF Brownsburg | 2025 State IN (3.6p, 2.6r) is a nice, strong athlete who works hard inside. 5-7 Senior guard Macy Twomey (1.9p), 6-2 Senior post Loria Snowden Loria Snowden 6'2" | C Brownsburg | 2024 IN (1.6p), and 5-8 Junior guard Claire Miller (1.5p) add depth and experience for the Bulldogs. One player who could surprise this season is 5-10 Sophomore wing Elle McCulloch Elle McCulloch 5'11" | SF Brownsburg | 2026 State IN (0.7p in 7 games). 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 Delaney Steers Delaney Steers 5'9" | SF Brownsburg | 2025 IN (10.2p, 5.0r, 2.1a, 2.3s), 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 Aniah Smith Aniah Smith 5'3" | PG Avon | 2025 State IN (16.5p, 3.2r, 3.6a, 4.1s). She has skill and talent, and she can be very explosive at either end of the floor. 5-4 Junior guard Nevaeh Wren Nevaeh Wren 5'4" | CG Avon | 2025 IN (7.1p) is a talented athlete who probably does her best work defending the ball, while 5-5 Junior guard Mya Thompson Mya Thompson 5'5" | PG Avon | 2025 State IN (6.0p) is a fairly smooth facilitator. 5-8 Junior forward Soryah Hart (2.1p, 3.1r) is the last returnee with significant experience, and she adds “size” to the lineup. Look for Sophomores Makaylee Butts Makaylee Butts 5'3" | PG Avon | 2026 IN (0.6p in 9 games) and Kaylii Williams Kaylii Williams 5'8" | SG Avon | 2026 IN (0.9p in 8 games), both guards, to see a greater opportunity in their second years on the team, plus 5-9 Junior wing Joyce Smiley Joyce Smiley 5'9" | SF Avon | 2025 IN (0.5 in 8 games) is a nice athlete who could add a little height to the bunch. The Orioles do play without graduates Nyla Lewis (11.5p, 2.7r, 2.7a, 2.0s), Hailey Guingrich (6.1p, 4.8r), Hadja Walker (3.7p, 5.6r), Madisyn Harris (2.3p, 2.9r), and Anna Levstek (1.4p), plus Senior guard Amya Bass Amya Bass 5'4" | PG Avon | 2024 IN (8.2p, 2.3r, 2.0a, 4.4s) will likely miss the entire season following a knee injury.
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 Payton Benge Payton Benge 6'1" | PF Plainfield | 2024 State IN (15.9p, 8.4r, 2.3a) is back and looks to follow up a strong Junior season with an even better encore. 5-6 Sophomore guard Berkeley Williams Berkeley Williams 5'6" | PG Plainfield | 2026 State IN (13.8p, 4.3r) is a ball of energy and put together a nice rookie season last year. 5-7 Junior guard Ellison Stewart (4.7p, 3.8r, 3.9a, 2.4s) plays with nice versatility, while 5-5 Junior guard Morgan Barnes (4.1p, 3.0r) plays bigger than she is. 5-8 Freshman guard Hannah Menser Hannah Menser 5'8" | CG Plainfield | 2027 State IN 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 Kara Olejnik Kara Olejnik 5'9" | SF Plainfield | 2027 IN , Abrielle Dugan Abrielle Dugan 5'7" | CG Plainfield | 2027 IN , and Bryleigh Todd, along with Sophomore Caroline Pugh, 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 Preslee Michael (15.5p, 6.6r, 2.6a). Also graduated are Ries Harmon (6.2p, 5.1r, 2.6a), Hallie Hayes (4.6p, 2.4r), Lilly Jensen (2.5p, 4.2r), plus three others, making it difficult to field an overly experienced group. 5-8 Senior guard Rebecca Gore (6.1p, 3.8r) and 5-8 Senior wing Aubrey Ervin (5.9p, 4.6r) are about the only two who enter the 2023-2024 season with significant floor time logged. Look for 5-11 Sophomore forward Charlie Walker Charlie Walker 6'0" | PF Terre Haute North Vigo | 2026 IN (0.9p in 11 games), 5-10 Junior forward Emma Martin (0.5p in 15 games), 5-7 Junior guard Cydnei Strader (0.6p in 13 games), and Sophomore guard Madison Strange 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 Katherine Sarver Katherine Sarver 5'5" | CG Sullivan | 2026 IN (6.2p, 2.6r) 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 Karizma English-Malone (5.1p, 2.1r), Breena Ireland (3.0p, 2.3r), and Avery Cassell (2.8p, 2.3r). Seniors Indiann Nichols (5.7p, 2.1r) and Presley White (4.4p, 2.1r) also saw significant time and look to lead this time around.