Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional #16

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='295791' first='Kaelyse' last='Mitchell'] (2025) of Evansville's Francis Joseph Reitz 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 #16 in Class 4A, which feeds into one of the Southern Regionals. Below is a look at the teams in Sectional #16, 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 #16</font></strong><br>Evansville North (17-7), SAG 68, SOS 66<br>Castle (13-10), SAG 73, SOS 34<br>Evansville Central (15-12), SAG 79, SOS 88<br>Jasper (12-15), SAG 127, SOS 110<br>Evansville F.J. Reitz (10-11), SAG 169, SOS 146<br>Evansville Harrison (2-21), SAG 307, SOS 118</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evansville Central went from a losing record four years in a row, to Sectional #16 Champs last season. And to make Bear fans smile even bigger, they are rather young as well. One big loss is that of Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626934' first='Delaney' last='Steers']</strong> (<em>10.2p, 5.0r, 2.1a, 2.3s</em>), who moved to Central Indiana and enrolled at Brownsburg High School. Headlining the returnees is 6-1 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492324' first='Madalynn' last='Shirley']</strong> (<em>13.2p, 7.9r, 2.3b</em>). She is extremely skilled and fundamental, and she typically outthinks and outworks her matchup. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='572806' first='Mackenzie' last='White']</strong> (<em>9.3p, 4.6r</em>) has multiple years of experience, and she is a hard-working, versatile player. From there, look for Junior guard <strong>Mya Skelton</strong> (<em>6.7p, 2.9r</em>), Junior guard <strong>Avery<font color="FFFFFF">.</font>Kelley</strong> (<em>3.0p, 2.2r</em>), Senior guard <strong>Bryanna Dockery</strong> (<em>2.1p</em>), Senior guard <strong>Lindsey Laine</strong> (<em>1.7p, 3.0r</em>), and Junior guard <strong>Aubrie Durham</strong> (<em>0.9p</em>) to split backcourt minutes and take care of the basketball. 5-11 Sophomore forward <strong>Olivia Hile</strong> (<em>1.7p in 10 games</em>) will likely get an early opportunity because of her height, while 5-5 Senior wing <strong>Lilliyan Bevels</strong> looks for an expanded role as well in her final season. The Bears should be somewhat of a favorite this season, especially if they can mask the loss of Steers. It still won't be easy, but they have a solid foundation to work with. Evansville North had another strong season in 2022-2023, but now they must deal with the graduation losses of <strong>Jalyn Shelby</strong> (<em>19.1p, 6.3r, 2.6a, 2.3s</em>) and <strong>Amiyah Buchanan</strong> (<em>11.7p, 9.8r</em>), their two leading scorers, plus <strong>Leah Butler</strong> (<em>2.2p</em>). Additionally, 5-10 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='640055' first='Evie' last='Sale']</strong> (<em>5.1p, 3.3r, 2.3a</em>) is out to begin the year, and 5-11 Senior post <strong>Jill Vidoni</strong> (<em>2.4p</em>) opted not to play again. The Huskies still have talent and size in the pipeline, but they will be relying on several newcomers to fill those voids. 5-11 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='570376' first='Libby' last='Blythe']</strong> (<em>6.7p, 2.5r</em>) now looks to lead the Huskies, and she is a strong kid with sort of an "old school" inside-out game and long-range jumper. 6-1 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='828084' first='Maddy' last='Knies']</strong> (<em>2.1p, 2.3r</em>) continues to improve and should be able to fill a bigger role this season. 5-5 Senior guards <strong>Vanessa Nankwenya</strong> (<em>1.3p</em>) and <strong>Aliah Epps</strong> (<em>1.1p</em>) also fight for expanded roles in their final year. Keep an eye on 5-8 Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756251' first='Brooke' last='Silva']</strong>, as she is one of the best rookies in Southwest Indiana. She should instantly impact scoring this year. Fellow Freshmen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834934' first='Azaria' last='Finn']</strong> and <strong>Maddy Walters</strong> could also see an immediate opportunity for the Huskies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Castle Knights have one of my favorite school/nickname combinations in the area. They have had a lot of recent success in the state tournament, and they return quite a bit of production, so they should be just as competitive as anyone in Sectional #16. <strong>Devyn Barton</strong> (<em>10.1p, 4.4r, 2.0a, 2.3s</em>), <strong>Mackenzie Holderfield</strong> (<em>5.9p</em>), <strong>Daisey Lowe</strong> (<em>3.8p, 2.3r</em>), and <strong>Emma Marschel</strong> (<em>1.7p</em>) are all gone via the diploma. However, 5-9 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239354' first='Aleyna' last='Quinn']</strong> (<em>12.3p, 5.3r, 2.4s in 7 games</em>) is back after missing much of last season due to injury. She is an effective shooter/scorer. 5-6 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='324084' first='Jordan' last='Scott']</strong> (<em>11.5p, 2.1r, 2.9a</em>) is an explosive athlete and playmaker on the ball. Younger sister <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486494' first='Jayden' last='Scott']</strong> (<em>9.7p, 3.4r</em>), a 5-10 Sophomore forward, saw a lot of action last season as a rookie. So did 5-6 Sophomore point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486483' first='Paiton' last='Mitchell']</strong> (<em>3.7p, 2.1r</em>), who is as gritty and hard-working as they come. 6-1 Senior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='264112' first='Lola' last='Allen']</strong> (<em>10.0p, 6.0r in 2 games</em>) looks to help shore up the interior after missing nearly every game last season. 5-7 Senior forward <strong>Emma Sanfilippo</strong> (<em>1.5p, 2.1r</em>) can help on the boards, while 5-6 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='430958' first='Izabell' last='Grantz']</strong> (<em>1.8p in 6 games</em>) looks for more opportunity as a second-year player. Also keep an eye on 5-9 Freshman wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751080' first='Jordyn' last='Poelhuis']</strong>, who could get immediate playing time. After winning single-digit games for most of the 2000s, the Reitz Panthers have rattled off consecutive double-digit win seasons. Now, they look to get on the positive side of .500, if not be considered as one of the favorites to compete for Sectional #16. Nearly all of the production is back for the Panthers, and it starts with 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='264115' first='Norah' last='Miller']</strong> (<em>17.5p, 7.2r, 3.7s</em>). She is a dynamic playmaker and scorer on the perimeter. 5-10 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486473' first='Bailey' last='Hape']</strong> (<em>8.2p, 4.1r, 2.5a</em>) had a nice start to her career last year, and she looks to expand upon her production this time around. 6-5 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295791' first='Kaelyse' last='Mitchell']</strong> (<em>7.8p, 6.1r</em>) is a massive matchup problem, and if they can keep her out of foul trouble, she has skill and can dominate inside the paint. 5-11 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='761169' first='Kendall' last='Kaiser']</strong> (<em>2.7p, 2.4r</em>) saw minutes as a rookie, and she looks for a bigger role as a second-year player. Look for Junior <strong>Chloe Landry</strong> (<em>4.1p, 2.7r, 2.4a</em>) to potentially round out the lineup for Reitz. Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366797' first='Matea' last='Bradfield']</strong> (<em>10.8p, 3.5r, 2.9a, 2.2s</em>) and Junior forward <strong>Lindsey Bigham</strong> (<em>1.6p, 3.5r</em>) did not return this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jasper managed 12 wins a year ago, so they are another program attempting to post a winning record in 2023-2024. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='826023' first='Emma' last='Schipp']</strong> (<em>9.0p, 4.6r</em>) leads the charge for the Wildcats, and she gets help from 5-10 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1122795' first='Carlee' last='Rogers']</strong> (<em>7.7p, 4.6r</em>). The Wildcats did graduate <strong>Tori Brandt</strong> (<em>8.5p, 2.4r</em>) and <strong>Jasmin Mehringer</strong> (<em>4.6p, 2.6r, 2.0a</em>), so they will need to find backcourt help as soon as possible. Sophomore twins <strong>Emily Kleiser</strong> (<em>4.5p, 3.1r</em>) and <strong>Brooke Kleiser</strong> (<em>3.1p in 10 games</em>) add another pair of forwards to the mix. The Wildcats could look to <strong>Ella Erny</strong> and <strong>Alivia Underwood</strong>, both Junior guards, to fill perimeter spots to begin the year. Evansville Harrison has not won more than five games since the 2014-2015 season, and they could be in for another rough year in 2023-2024. The good news is, the Warriors graduated just one player who played sparingly last season, however, Senior <strong>Jannie Berry</strong> (<em>3.2p, 2.8r</em>) did not return either. The Warriors will first look to the combination of 5-6 Junior guard <strong>Anabella Thomas</strong> (<em>8.9p, 2.3r</em>) and 5-6 Senior forward <strong>Jordan Mackey</strong> (<em>7.9p, 5.7r</em>). Both have multiple years of Varsity experience and give them a little offense each night. 5-6 Senior guard <strong>Gabrielle Bushrod</strong> (<em>5.6p</em>), 5-4 Junior guard <strong>Aiyana Griffin</strong> (<em>3.3p</em>), and 5-6 Junior wing <strong>Alivia Williams</strong> (<em>2.8p</em>) are the top hopefuls to help solidify an experienced starting five this time out. 5-4 Junior guard <strong>Kyra Payne</strong> (<em>1.8p in 15 games</em>), 5-3 Senior guard <strong>Ma'khya Robertson</strong> (<em>1.3p</em>), and 5-7 Senior forward <strong>M.J. Lanier</strong> (<em>0.8p in 17 games</em>) look to earn more minutes this season as well. The Warriors aren't very tall, so they'll have to control tempo at both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->