2024-25 Season Preview: Class 2A, Sectionals 33 & 34

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='295727' first='Victoria' last='Velez'] (2025) of Whiting High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we are in the middle of Thanksgiving week, I wanted to take the time to continue previewing the season Sectional by Sectional. In the past, I have typically started in Class 1A and moved up, but this season I started with Class 4A instead. Additionally, during the Spring, the IHSAA moved to a traditional enrollment-based format, realigning all classes with hard enrollment cutoff lines per class instead of taking nearly 400 schools and simply dividing them into four equal classes. With that said, each class should be more competitive, but the bigger classes will have fewer teams than the smaller classes. This article serves as the 17th of 32, previewing each Sectional in the state. In this specific article, I will take a look at Class 2A, Sectional #33 and Sectional #34. Below is a look at the teams in each of those Sectionals, along with some general comments and analysis.<br><small>(<em>SAG = Final 2023-2024 Multiclass Sagarin Rating (394 teams); SOS = Final 2023-2024 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 #33 at Boone Grove</font></strong><br>Andrean (14-15), SAG 146, SOS 122<br>Wheeler (11-12), SAG 300, SOS 317<br>Whiting (8-14), SAG 325, SOS 341<br>Boone Grove (4-19), SAG 334, SOS 316<br>Gary 21st Century (0-2), SAG 376, SOS 212<br>Gary Lighthouse CPA (0-9), SAG 389, SOS 382<br>Hebron (<em>no team in 2023-2024</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Team:</strong> Sectional #33 for all intents and purposes is Andrean's to win or lose. They have the most talent, the most depth, they play the toughest schedule, and they are well-coached. 5-9 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295810' first='Lindsay' last='Arcella']</strong> (<em>11.1p, 4.6r, 2.0a, 2.3s</em>) and 6-1 Senior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626935' first='Maddie' last='Walton']</strong> (<em>11.2p, 6.6r</em>) stand out for the 59ers. Arcella is a point forward with shooting touch, plus she has committed to play at IU South Bend. Walton is an athletic defender/rebounder type who has continually improved offensively. 5-5 Junior guard <strong>Lailoni Staten</strong> (<em>2.0p, 2.2r</em>) should add backcourt support, plus keep an eye out for 5-8 Freshman forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='886942' first='Charlee' last='Murray']</strong>. She should be able to step in and play/start right away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Boone Grove: 5-3 Sophomore guard <strong>Lauren Voudrie</strong> (<em>3.8p</em>); Hebron: 5-11 Sophomore forward <strong>Evelyn Menn</strong>, 5-7 Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1250688' first='Megan' last='Balas']</strong>; Wheeler: 5-10 Sophomore post <strong>Izabela Schumacher</strong> (<em>4.2p, 6.4r</em>), 5-6 Freshman guard <strong>Kylie Simpson</strong>, 5-9 Freshman wing <strong>Grace Renn</strong>; Whiting: 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295727' first='Victoria' last='Velez']</strong> (<em>11.6p, 4.1r, 5.2s</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">Sectional #34 at Knox</font></strong><br>Bremen (16-12), SAG 147, SOS 156<br>Jimtown (9-14), SAG 200, SOS 193<br>Winamac (14-10), SAG 219, SOS 282<br>LaVille (12-12), SAG 236, SOS 294<br>Knox (7-17), SAG 273, SOS 226<br>SB Career Academy (1-15), SAG 391, SOS 374</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Teams:</strong> The Bremen Lions will be a team to beat in Sectional #34. They return their top three scorers, all with double digit scoring averages, plus they should be able to comfortably go about seven or eight deep in their rotation. 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='570388' first='Kila' last='Foster']</strong> (<em>17.3p, 3.6r, 2.2s</em>) returns for her final year. She is a quick athlete with a nice outside shot, and she can fill it up in bunches. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='434719' first='Eliana' last='Grubbs']</strong> (<em>11.1p, 6.5r, 3.1a</em>) is strong for her position, she has a nice all-around feel for the game, and she is selfless and likes to find others. 5-5 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131960' first='Emma' last='Kincaid']</strong> (<em>10.1p, 4.3r, 2.1a</em>) is another capable ball-handler, but she's also a nice scorer as well. She can knock down an open jumper, but she's better when on attack. 5-6 Junior guard <strong>Emma Lawmaster</strong> (<em>1.0p in 11 games</em>) is another potential backcourt candidate. The combination of 5-10 Senior post <strong>Naomi Moyer</strong> (<em>2.0p, 5.1r</em>), 6-0 Sophomore post <strong>Teagan Feathers</strong> (<em>1.9p, 2.5r</em>), and 5-11 Freshman forward <strong>Skylee Feathers</strong> offer the Lions nice size not often seen at the Class 2A level. Winamac has played several younger players each of the last two seasons, and that could pay off big-time this year. They return their top two scorers, plus seven total players with quality Varsity experience. 5-6 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486524' first='Kandace' last='Kroft']</strong> (<em>9.9p, 5.5r, 4.0a, 2.4s</em>) does it all for the Warriors. She can handle, create offense, plus she's a nice athlete and defender. 5-8 Junior forward <strong>Marissa Iverson</strong> (<em>9.9p, 5.9r</em>) does a lot of work in the paint and should have a handful of double-doubles recorded this year. 5-5 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751117' first='Sadie' last='Popejoy']</strong> (<em>7.0p, 4.5r</em>) is a nice, young scorer who can get to the basket. I'd expect for her scoring numbers to rise in her second season. Those three will likely do a bulk of the scoring, so look for anywhere from three to five others to fill in around them and offer defensive and rebounding support. If the Warriors stay healthy, they could cause problems for Bremen here. LaVille will look to keep up with the above two teams, and returning their top three scorers is a good beginning. 5-8 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1218593' first='Brooke' last='Edison']</strong> (<em>10.5p, 7.7r, 2.0a, 4.7s</em>) is a great starting point. She has solid size &amp; strength, and she is able to score, create, and get inside to find "scraps" baskets around the paint. 5-8 Senior forward <strong>Jasmine Foster</strong> (<em>6.3p, 5.3r in 11 games</em>) missed the first half of the season in 2023-2024, so it will be nice to have her battling inside for the duration. 5-6 Junior guard <strong>Ava Weil</strong> (<em>5.5p, 3.7r</em>) is a third player with good experience. 5-8 Sophomore forward <strong>Denni Markin</strong> did not play a season ago, but she adds a strong interior presence for the Lancers. LaVille has some balance, so if they're able to build depth as well, they could compete for Sectional #34.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Jimtown: 5-5 Sophomore guard <strong>Lily Gaugler</strong>; Knox: 5-6 Senior guard <strong>Portland Minix</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->