Semi-State Preview: Class 4A
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The featured image is of Gabby Helsom Gabby Helsom 5'11" | PF Homestead | 2026 State IN (2026) of Homestead High School. Regional weekend has concluded, and now it’s on to the 2-game Semi-State round. This is the second consecutive…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Gabby Helsom Gabby Helsom 5'11" | PF Homestead | 2026 State IN (2026) of Homestead High School.
Regional weekend has concluded, and now it’s on to the 2-game Semi-State round. This is the second consecutive year where there was a single Regional game for each team, with this coming weekend’s Semi-State requiring two wins in a day to make it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for February 24th’s State Finals. While brief, below is a look at the two Class 4A Semi-State sites…one in the North and one in the South. All player statistics below have been pulled from each school’s MaxPreps page, so if your stats are not represented here, your team’s MaxPreps page has not been updated by your coach/school. All team rankings below are provided by the updated Sagarin Ratings.
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Remaining Class 4A Teams | Record | Class Rk. | State Rk. | Schedule Strength |
Center Grove | 26-1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
Lawrence Central | 27-1 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
Noblesville | 17-8 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Franklin Community | 24-3 | 8 | 9 | 27 |
Homestead | 23-4 | 10 | 11 | 32 |
Lake Central | 24-4 | 17 | 21 | 47 |
Plainfield | 18-7 | 19 | 23 | 29 |
Valparaiso | 19-7 | 24 | 35 | 66 |
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LaPorte Semi-State
Game #1: Homestead (23-4) vs. Lake Central (24-4), 11:00 a.m. ET
Preview: Homestead and Lake Central have not met, however, these two teams match up very well, so this could be a very entertaining opening game. Neither team has a dominant post player, but both teams have tremendous guard play and nice wings/forwards as well. At the end of the day, it could come down to whether a Sophomore-laden Homestead squad has “grown up” enough this season to knock off a Lake Central team comprised primarily of Seniors and Juniors. For Homestead, it starts with Sophomores Myah Epps Myah Epps 5'10" | CG Homestead | 2026 State IN , Gabby Helsom Gabby Helsom 5'11" | PF Homestead | 2026 State IN , and Whitney Ankenbruck-Shooting Guard Whitney Ankenbruck-Shooting Guard 5'9" | SF Homestead | 2026 State IN . Carley Moellering Carley Moellering 5'9" | PG Homestead | 2026 State IN and Kendall McLaughlin Kendall McLaughlin 5'7" | SG Homestead | 2026 IN are two additional skillful Sophomores. Lake Central Seniors Aniyah Bishop Aniyah Bishop 5'10" | SF Lake Central | 2024 State IN (9.3p, 5.1r, 1.8a, 1.8s), Riley Milausnic Riley Milausnic 5'7" | CG Lake Central | 2024 State IN (8.7p, 2.2r, 1.5a, 1.9s), and Nadia Clayton Nadia Clayton 5'7" | SG Lake Central | 2024 State IN (7.7p, 2.8r, 2.0a, 2.1s) are supported by Juniors Ayla Krygier Ayla Krygier 6'0" | SF Lake Central | 2025 State IN (8.6p, 4.3r, 1.4a) and Vanessa Wimberly Vanessa Wimberly 5'5" | PG Lake Central | 2025 State IN (9.0p, 2.7r, 3.7a, 2.7s). Our Pick: Lake Central, 48-46.
Game #2: Noblesville (17-8) vs. Valparaiso (19-7), 1:00 p.m. ET
Preview: These two teams actually met back around Christmas, with Noblesville pulling out a 65-56 victory. The Millers top-ranked schedule prepares them for this time of year, and they are coming in having won 10 of their last 11 games, with the lone loss coming in overtime. Senior point guard Reagan Wilson Reagan Wilson 5'7" | PG Noblesville | 2024 State IN (16.3p, 3.2r, 2.6a, 2.9s) teams with fellow Senior Ava Shoemaker Ava Shoemaker 5'9" | SF Noblesville | 2024 State IN (12.3p, 4.6r, 2.3a, 2.5s) plus Junior Meredith Tippner Meredith Tippner 5'10" | SG Noblesville | 2025 State IN (16.2p, 10.0r, 3.3a, 3.4s) to form one of the best backcourts in the state. And as I’ve state before, Sophomore C.C. Quigley C.C. Quigley 6'3" | C Noblesville | 2026 State IN (9.9p, 5.2r, 1.0a, 1.0b) just continues to grow and improve along their frontline. Against most teams, Valparaiso’s trapping zone causes major problems, but it will be tough against Noblesville’s experience. Still, Super Soph Lillian Barnes Lillian Barnes 5'11" | SF Valparaiso | 2026 State IN (17.5p, 6.6r, 5.5a, 4.6s) is an absolute handful to deal with, and she can put her team on her back. Fellow Senior Becca Gerdt Becca Gerdt 6'0" | PF Valparaiso | 2024 State IN (15.1p, 6.4r, 2.5a, 2.0s), plus Sophomore guard Cadynce Clark Cadynce Clark 5'8" | CG Valparaiso | 2026 State IN (8.7p, 2.4r, 1.3a, 1.8s), have had nice seasons alongside Barnes. Our Pick: Noblesville, 55-42.
Game #3: Winner Game-1 vs. Winner Game-2, 8:30 p.m. ET
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Southport Semi-State
Game #1: Lawrence Central (27-1) vs. Plainfield (18-7), 10:00 a.m. ET
Preview: It seems like Lawrence Central has been on a state-bound trajectory all season, and Saturday is their chance to continue down that path. Plainfield has a couple of seasoned veterans mixed with nice youthful talent. The Bears will be a tough matchup for the Quakers, especially with their size, athleticism, and ability to get out and go. If Plainfield wants to advance, they will likely need to make tough shots and figure out a way to utilize the free throw line as a weapon. Lawrence Central is led by sisters Jaylah Lampley Jaylah Lampley 6'2" | SF Lawrence Central | 2025 State IN (18.4p, 5.6r, 1.8a, 2.1s), a 6-2 Junior, and Lola Lampley Lola Lampley 6'3" | PF Lawrence Central | 2026 State IN (10.7p, 6.1r, 2.9a, 2.2s, 1.3b), a 6-3 Sophomore. They are both skilled away from the basket and present the biggest of matchup problems. Junior point guard Laila Abdurraqib Laila Abdurraqib 5'7" | PG Lawrence Central | 2025 State IN (10.9p, 4.0r, 3.7a, 2.2s) has shown flashes of being the most impactful player on the floor at times, while Sophomore Aniyah McKenzie Aniyah McKenzie 6'0" | PF Lawrence Central | 2026 State IN (11.7p, 6.1r, 1.4a, 1.9s) and Junior Mariah Kenter-Garrett Mariah Kenter-Garrett 5'6" | PG Lawrence Central | 2025 State IN (3.4p, 2.1r, 1.8a, 1.8s) bring great effort and a defensive presence. For Plainfield, Freshman guard Hannah Menser Hannah Menser 5'8" | CG Plainfield | 2027 State IN (15.6p, 3.7r, 2.7a, 2.5s, 1.1b) has made a massive imprint as a rookie. Sophomore Berkeley Williams Berkeley Williams 5'6" | PG Plainfield | 2026 State IN (14.8p, 4.2r, 2.3a, 2.0s) and 6-1 Senior Payton Benge Payton Benge 6'1" | PF Plainfield | 2024 State IN (12.7p, 6.4r, 1.3a, 1.6b) are blue-collared, tough-nosed, and make a ton of hustle plays for the Quakers. Our Pick: Lawrence Central, 52-43.
Game #2: Center Grove (26-1) vs. Franklin Community (24-3), 12:00 p.m. ET
Preview: If I had to pick an early game to recommend, it would be this one. Both of these teams like to control tempo and shoot the 3-pointer at a high rate. They are both filled with highly skilled, talented guards and wings, and both are capable of beating anyone else in the state. In fact, the two have already split a pair of games this season, causing two of their four combined losses. Center Grove has a bit more size and interior play throughout their roster, led by Seniors Audrey Annee Audrey Annee 5'9" | SF Center Grove | 2024 State IN (13.8p, 1.7r, 1.9a, 1.6s), Rachel Wirts Rachel Wirts 6'3" | C Center Grove | 2024 State IN (12.5p, 7.3r, 1.0a), and Aubrie Booker Aubrie Booker 5'8" | CG Center Grove | 2024 State IN (8.1p, 4.1r, 4.5a, 1.8s). They get help from a pair of strong Juniors in Ava Grant Ava Grant 5'9" | CG Center Grove | 2025 State IN (11.7p, 1.2r, 3.1a. 1.4s) and Lilly Bischoff Lilly Bischoff 5'8" | PG Center Grove | 2025 State IN (11.2p, 5.0r, 5.9a, 1.9s). The Grizzly Cubs are almost entirely Seniors, and that class has provided quite a few memories for Franklin fans over the years. Erica Buening Erica Buening 5'9" | PF Franklin Community | 2024 State IN (12.1p, 3.9r, 1.8s), Brooklyn York Brooklyn York 5'11" | PF Franklin Community | 2024 State IN (11.7p, 3.0r, 1.9a, 1.4s), Scarlett Kimbrell Scarlett Kimbrell 5'11" | SF Franklin Community | 2024 State IN (8.2p, 5.6r, 2.5a, 1.4s), Emma Sappenfield Emma Sappenfield 5'8" | SG Franklin Community | 2024 IN (7.8p, 2.3r, 2.0a, 1.1s), and Lauren Klem Lauren Klem 5'1" | PG Franklin Community | 2024 State IN (7.7p, 4.8p, 4.9a, 3.2s) will look to go out on top with their second State Finals appearance in three seasons. Our Pick: Center Grove, 52-49.
Game #3: Winner Game-1 vs. Winner Game-2, 8:00 p.m. ET