2025-26 Season Preview: Class 1A, Sectional 53

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='486491' first='Cadence' last='Dunham'] (2026) of North Vermillion 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 one of many previewing each Sectional in the state. In this specific article, I will take a look at Class 1A, Sectional #53. 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 #53 at North Vermillion</font></strong><br>Lafayette Central Catholic (25-5), SAG 50, SOS 124<br>Fountain Central (20-5), SAG 164, SOS 346<br>Faith Christian (9-13), SAG 254, SOS 249<br>North Vermillion (16-9), SAG 274, SOS 323<br>Riverton Parke (12-11), SAG 310, SOS 370<br>Attica (9-16), SAG 331, SOS 372<br>Covington (4-20), SAG 347, SOS 338</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following a 25-5 season and yet another appearance in a State Championship game, the Knights of Lafayette Central Catholic graduated a strong 2025 class. Make no mistake about it, however, as they will remain in contention for a Sectional #53 title. Now, the Lady Knights will likely look to 5-8 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='730754' first='Casey' last='Schuessler']</strong> (<em>10.6p, 3.2r, 1.4a, 2.4s</em>) for leadership. She is a scrapper who does a little of everything to help her team, from score the ball, to defend, and she'll even handle it from time to time. 5-10 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1264854' first='Brooke' last='Thompson']</strong> (<em>9.8p, 3.8r, 1.9a, 1.7s, 1.8b</em>) got a lot of playing time as a rookie, and she could quickly turn into the team's leading scorer and offensive focal point in 2025-2026. From there, experience is thin. 5-5 Senior wing <strong>Lyla Gosnell</strong> (<em>1.4p</em>) and 5-9 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229679' first='Kylie' last='Schuessler']</strong> (<em>1.1p, 1.4r</em>) each saw action in 20 or more games. Knowing Central Catholic, though, they've typically played a short bench, and they seem to have a "next lady up" mentality, so I fully expect someone to step into a key role and help them approach 20 wins once again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fountain Central Mustangs experienced something similar to Central Catholic, in that they saw a nice group of Seniors leave in the Spring via the diploma. Still, there is enough talent on this roster to compete for the Sectional #53 crown. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992535' first='Henley' last='Good']</strong> (<em>8.4p, 3.0r, 2.1a, 3.0s</em>) has flashed a great deal of potential in the past, but they'll likely need her to be a double-figure scorer moving forward. She might also become their primary ball-handler. 5-8 Junior wing <strong>Bella Bacon</strong> (<em>7.0p, 4.8r, 1.5s</em>) adds length and versatility at both ends of the floor. She is a solid defender, plus she is a nice rebounder for the Mustangs. Junior wing <strong>Aubrey Ashwill</strong> (<em>2.8p, 2.4r</em>) could also be an option inside the arc. Keep an eye on Senior guard <strong>Halen McBride</strong> (<em>4.8p, 1.1r, 1.3s in 11 games</em>) and Sophomore forward <strong>Cassandra Wildman</strong> (<em>1.1p in 11 games</em>) to potentially step into more critical roles. Both played well in spots last year when they saw opportunities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The group who could be making moves is the Falcons of North Vermillion High School. following a 16-9 record, they have their entire roster eligible to return, as they carried no Seniors a season ago. 5-8 Sophomore wing <strong>Nora Thomann</strong> (<em>12.8p, 10.3r, 2.0a, 3.4s</em>) did a lot of everything for the Falcons as a rookie, and this time around, I would anticipate she'll figure out a way to do even more. Twin 5-6 Senior guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486491' first='Cadence' last='Dunham']</strong> (<em>9.4p, 3.9r, 2.6a, 2.8s</em>) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131952' first='Kera' last='Dunham']</strong> (<em>6.8p, 2.5r, 2.9a, 1.8s, 1.0b</em>) are athletic, feisty, and versatile. Kera is a slasher and creator, while Cadence is a multi-positional ballplayer who can score or distribute as well. 5-6 Junior forward <strong>Reagan Bean</strong> (<em>5.1p, 3.6r, 1.5s</em>) plays much bigger than she is and helps to defend/rebound inside the arc. 5-6 Senior wing <strong>Kayanna Smith</strong> (<em>4.2p, 4.4r, 1.0s</em>), 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>Breanna Tryon</strong> (<em>3.8p, 2.3r</em>), and 5-4 Junior guard <strong>Laney Walters</strong> (<em>2.3p, 2.4r, 1.4a, 1.8s</em>) don't necessarily add any size, but they do bring quality Varsity experience. Be on the lookout, as the Falcons could soar to the top of Sectional #53.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Attica: 5-3 Sophomore point guard <strong>Mallory Pierce</strong> and 5-3 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1052803' first='Kendyl' last='Nolan']</strong>; Covington: 5-9 Junior post <strong>Karlee Drollinger</strong> (<em>4.9p, 3.0r</em>) and 5-5 Sophomore guard <strong>Preslei Lazzell</strong> (<em>4.7p, 3.1r, 1.1s</em>); Faith Christian: 5-7 Junior wing <strong>Johanna Haste</strong> (<em>12.1p, 10.4r, 3.4a, 3.4s</em>) and 5-10 Sophomore forward <strong>Allison Caplinger</strong> (<em>9.3p, 8.0r</em>); Riverton Parke: 5-7 Senior wing <strong>Corinne Loomis</strong> (<em>7.8p, 6.4r, 1.2a, 2.5s</em>) and 5-3 Senior point gaurd <strong>Jaylynn Nelson</strong> (<em>7.4p, 2.6r, 1.6a, 2.4s</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->