2025-26 Season Preview: Class 1A, Sectional 56

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='761158' first='Haileigh' last='Allen'] (2026) from Randolph Southern 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 #56. 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 #56 at Union City</font></strong><br>Monroe Central (20-7), SAG 141, SOS 337<br>Randolph Southern (14-9), SAG 286, SOS 373<br>Union City (6-15), SAG 318, SOS 317<br>Union (Modoc) (6-16), SAG 346, SOS 366<br>Blue River Valley (4-19), SAG 359, SOS 330<br>Cambridge City Lincoln (5-17), SAG 360, SOS 358</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite three significant graduation losses from their starting lineup, the Golden Bears of Monroe Central will still be a team to beat in a weakened field, if you want to win Sectional #56. Three rookies in total saw tremendous playing time a year ago, and they should be ready to slide into the rotation this season. 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>Aberee Ervin</strong> (<em>10.4p, 4.6r, 2.7a, 3.9s</em>) saw time both on and off the ball last year, and she could be used as a double-digit scorer once again, or she can become the primary point guard and create offense. 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992343' first='Brynlee' last='Patterson']</strong> (<em>7.1p, 2.6r, 1.3a, 1.9s</em>) is another nice, young guard who has starting experience. She can also score but has ball-handling capabilities if needed in that role. 5-9 Sophomore forward <strong>Oaklei Davis</strong> (<em>2.3p, 2.4r</em>) helped with interior rebounding and defense off the bench last year, but she is primed for a starting role and could approach double-double numbers in her second year. 5-4 Senior guard <strong>Avery Thomas</strong> (<em>4.1p, 2.0r, 1.3a, 1.5s</em>) should add upperclassman leadership, along with even more ball-handling and defense. While the Golden Bears will be somewhat perimeter oriented, they should be able to limit turnovers and be able to apply pressure defense because of it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If anyone is to challenge Monroe Central, I would consider Randolph Southern to be the primary challenger this season. They suffered their own graduation losses, but they also returned the Sectional's best player in 5-11 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='761158' first='Haileigh' last='Allen']</strong> (<em>18.3p, 6.9r, 1.9a, 2.8s, 2.9b</em>). Allen is extremely long and wiry, fluidly athletic, and skilled, she can shoot it to the 3-point line, she's highly effective in the mid-post, and she looked much more aggressive inside this Spring &amp; Summer. 5-8 Junior Wing <strong>Joselyn Smith</strong> (<em>6.3p, 4.6r, 2.3a, 3.1s</em>) gives them a sizeable perimeter player who can score it a little, she'll get inside to rebound, plus she can handle and find open teammates, and she creates turnovers. The Rebels could really use 5-1 Senior point guard <strong>Aubrey Mills</strong> (<em>2.9p, 4.8r, 3.8a, 3.8s</em>) and 5-3 Senior guard <strong>Brooklyn Gerber</strong> (<em>1.3p, 2.3r, 1.3s</em>) to add some scoring to the lineup. Mills is a creator and tough-nosed defender, but if she and Gerber could combine to add 10 more points per game, it would really help the Rebels continue their winning ways in 2025-2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Blue River Valley: Sophomore post <strong>Daisy Souther</strong> (<em>4.1p</em>) and 5-8 Senior forward <strong>Taylor Shelton</strong> (<em>3.7p</em>); Cambridge City Lincoln: 5-5 Junior guard <strong>Paige Pitcock</strong> and 5-8 Senior front-liner <strong>Allison Clayton</strong>; Union (Modoc): 5-9 Junior forward <strong>Kenzy Ogden</strong> (<em>10.6p, 9.4r, 1.0a, 2.9s, 2.0b</em>) and 5-4 Junior guard <strong>Melissa Schmucker</strong> (<em>2.4p, 3.4r, 1.3a, 1.3s</em>); Union City: 5-1 Junior guard <strong>Novah Mote</strong> (<em>5.6p, 2.4r</em>) and 5-8 Senior forward <strong>Campbell Kerns</strong> (<em>5.1p, 5.2r</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->