2025-26 Season Preview: Class 1A, Sectional 49

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='999408' first='Hillary' last='Labis'] (2028) of Westville High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've always enjoyed offering preseason coverage of each of the 64 Sectionals in Indiana high school basketball, and last year I felt like I got a little behind and didn't finish with the previews until after Thanksgiving. With that said, as we come up on September, I wanted to get out in front of it this year and offer you a glimpse at what the 2025-26 season could hold with a preview of each of the state's 64 Sectionals once again. During the Spring of 2024, 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 has been more competitive, but the bigger classes have fewer teams than the smaller classes. This article serves as the first previewing each Sectional in the state. In this specific article, I will take a look at Class 1A, Sectional #49. Below is a look at the teams in that Sectional, along with some general comments and analysis.<br><small>(<em>SAG = Final 2024-2025 Multiclass Sagarin Rating (398 teams); SOS = Final 2024-2025 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 #49 at Gary Bowman</font></strong><br>Marquette Catholic (23-5), SAG 51, SOS 169<br>Westville (21-3), SAG 98, SOS 270<br>Washington Township (13-10), SAG 181, SOS 206<br>Kouts (12-10), SAG 233, SOS 300<br>Tri-Township (12-11), SAG 240, SOS 272<br>Gary Bowman (8-12), SAG 260, SOS 252<br>Morgan Township (14-11), SAG 276, SOS 288</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marquette Catholic will still be one of the top teams in Class 1A, and coming off an overtime loss in the Semi-State in February, they are going to want to redeem themselves this time around. The Blazers return some very talented pieces to their backcourt, however, they did graduate most of their size, so that could be a major factor in their style of play, especially defensively. 5-8 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486528' first='Laniah' last='Davis']</strong> (<em>19.4p, 8.3r, 2.9a, 3.4s</em>), 5-6 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751101' first='Marissa' last='Pleasant']</strong> (<em>8.0p, 2.3r, 1.9a, 1.4s</em>), and 5-5 Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486479' first='Addison' last='Penziol']</strong> (<em>6.6p, 2.3r, 1.7a, 1.7s</em>) all return and were their top three scorers a season ago. Davis is an absolute star and a walking bucket. She is able to affect the offensive end of the floor in so many different ways that she opens up other teammates by just checking into the game. Pleasant and Penziol are tough as nails and make winning plays for the Blazers. 5-11 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751113' first='Olivia' last='Hazzard']</strong> (<em>1.1p, 1.5r</em>) looks to take on a much bigger role inside of the arc, while 5-9 Sophomore wing <strong>Aggie Pezzuto</strong> (<em>1.5p, 1.2r</em>) also strives for more opportunity. Following their play throughout June, I would anticipate Freshmen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1219778' first='Loyalty' last='Scott']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1219780' first='Allison' last='Zolvinski']</strong> will get their chances as well. Scott is a 5-6 point guard, while Zolvinski is a crafty 5-7 shooter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westville looks to be strong once again and could challenge Marquette for the Sectional #49 title, but the Blackhawks also graduated some size. Returning, however, is 5-10 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999408' first='Hillary' last='Labis']</strong> (<em>20.9p, 8.3r, 2.3a, 2.5s, 1.7b</em>), who is coming off of an incredible rookie season. She has length, skill, and physical talent. She can initiate the offense or create for herself and teammates, plus she has some touch outside. 5-7 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137316' first='Ava' last='Fenters']</strong> (<em>7.6p, 3.6r, 4.1a 3.7s</em>) was solid when I was able to see her this Spring, and I'd expect her to step into a more aggressive scoring role. She is a tough-nosed, energy kid. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>Kierstin Vargas</strong> (<em>5.6p, 5.8r, 1.6a, 1.9s</em>) and 5-7 Senior guard <strong>Ella Fortune</strong> (<em>1.5p, 1.5r</em>) hope to take their experience and play bigger minutes for Westville this Winter. From there, depth will be mostly newbies, so that could be the team's biggest hill to climb.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The surprise team to watch out for this year could be the Kouts Fillies. After going through a youth movement, they finally have a nice group of experienced players who possess skill and talent alike. 5-4 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137299' first='Bella' last='Birky']</strong> (<em>10.5p, 3.7r, 2.3a, 3.0s</em>) and 5-7 Senior sharp-shooter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489207' first='Ellah' last='Young']</strong> (<em>5.7p, 2.4r, 1.3a, 1.2s</em>) are each in their third year starting. Birky is a crafty, heady guard who can create for herself and teammates, while Young is a nice athlete who can get into hot-shooting rhythms. 5-11 Junior forward <strong>Ellie Nemeth</strong> (<em>9.8p, 9.1r, 1.1a, 1.6s</em>) and 6-1 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137353' first='Elizabeth' last='VanKley']</strong> (<em>7.8p, 9.4r, 1.4s, 2.4b</em>) offer Kouts experienced size, and both ladies hit the boards hard at the defensive end of the floor. 5-6 Junior guard <strong>Alyssa Twedt</strong> (<em>3.5p, 2.7r, 1.5a, 1.6s</em>) has also played some critical minutes in the past and looks to contribute more this year. But likely the most important newcomer in the Sectional is 5-10 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1147726' first='Avery' last='Elijah']</strong>. She is a skillful player who can fill it up, create, and play multiple positions. Look for her to even potentially lead them in scoring as a rookie.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Gary Bowman: 5-6 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1226196' first='Amariee' last='Thurman']</strong> (<em>5.1p, 3.9r</em>) and 6-1 Senior post <strong>Laniece Smith</strong> (<em>3.6p, 5.3r</em>); Morgan Township: 5-5 Senior forward <strong>Abby Wasz</strong> (<em>8.3p, 7.8r, 1.6s</em>) and 5-5 Senior guard <strong>Isabella Bryan</strong> (<em>3.4p, 2.8r, 1.6s</em>); Tri-Township: 5-9 Senior forward <strong>Addison Hendrixson</strong> (<em>11.3p, 8.3r, 1.6s, 1.0b</em>) and 5-10 Senior guard <strong>Emma Armentia</strong> (<em>5.0p, 4.9r, 1.0a, 2.6s</em>); Washington Township: 6-0 Senior post <strong>Brooklyn Campbell</strong> (<em>10.8p, 8.9r, 1.2b</em>) and 5-11 Senior forward <strong>Madilyn Winchip</strong> (<em>2.6p, 1.6r</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->