2025-26 Season Preview: Class 1A, Sectional 58

<!-- 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 October, 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 #58. 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 #58 at Greenwood Christian</font></strong><br>Eminence (19-6), SAG 323, SOS 385<br>Greenwood Christian (7-18), SAG 340, SOS 328<br>Indianapolis Lutheran (8-16), SAG 343, SOS 374<br>Providence Cristo Rey (0-2), SAG 366, SOS 361<br>Central Christian (9-6), SAG 372, SOS 390<br>Traders Point Christian (5-12), SAG 381, SOS 382<br>Victory College Prep (1-12), SAG 397, SOS 389<br>Metropolitan (0-8), SAG 399, SOS 396</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a Sectional with seven private schools, Eminence was the lone public school and managed a great regular season in 2024-2025. Now, the Eels must deal with the loss of their best and tallest player, but they return a great deal of youthful experience. 5-3 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1109034' first='Khloee' last='Kirk']</strong> (<em>17.4p</em>) has more than proven herself as a scorer, but now she'll need help for the Eels to approach 19 wins once again. 5-3 Sophomore guard <strong>Emma Webb</strong> (<em>6.3p</em>) is the most likely candidate to step up as a scorer, and she could easily average in the teens following a solid rookie year of gaining experience. 5-4 Sophomore wing <strong>Emmalin Dittemore</strong> (<em>2.9p</em>) and 5-5 Senior guard <strong>Abby Dittemore</strong> (<em>2.6p</em>) should help round out a somewhat undersized roster. If the Eels can find a little depth and some interior play, they should remain a threat atop Sectional #58.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greenwood Christian went eight or nine deep most games a season ago, they were led by a pair of Freshmen who return, and they return six of their next seven scorers as well. 5-11 Sophomore forward <strong>Molly Hunter</strong> (<em>8.9p, 6.9r, 1.0s</em>) and 6-1 Sophomore post <strong>Myra Finnity</strong> (<em>6.5p, 10.8r, 1.5a, 1.4s, 1.6b</em>) return to pose a significant interior problem for Sectional #58 opponents. They have size, developing skill, and the ability to shut down the paint defensively. Junior wing <strong>Kate Reed</strong> (<em>4.0p, 4.7r, 1.6a, 1.7s</em>), Junior forward <strong>Reagan Willis</strong> (<em>3.9p, 3.7r, 1.0a</em>), and 5-10 Sophomore forward <strong>Kaylee Edgar</strong> (<em>3.7p, 4.2r, 1.0a</em>) add depth to an already strong frontcourt. Junior wing <strong>Isabelle Howell</strong> (<em>2.6p, 1.8r, 1.2s</em>), Junior wing <strong>Annaleece Jackson</strong> (<em>2.2p, 2.1r</em>), and 5-9 Junior wing <strong>Norah Herndon</strong> (<em>2.0p, 1.9r, 1.2s</em>) also return quality experience. The Cougars will need to improve their perimeter play against better teams, but in this field, they could be a favorite with their combination of size, depth, and experience.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Indianapolis Lutheran is another school who played a lot of girls last year, and all but one of them return in 2025-2026. If they can increase their scoring a bit, they can again be a Sectional #58 competitor. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>Madison Rogers</strong> (<em>9.9p, 3.1r, 1.2a, 1.7s</em>) was the leading scorer a year ago and looks to be a double-digit scorer around the perimeter this year. 5-3 Sophomore guard <strong>Shae Olson</strong> (<em>5.9p, 2.1r, 1.4s</em>) earned a lot of time as a rookie and looks to step into a leadership role as a Sophomore. Versatile Sophomore wing <strong>Amelia Hughes</strong> (<em>4.1p, 3.8r, 2.9a, 4.3s</em>) does so many things for the Saints, she could be the key to their improvement this season. She can score it a little, rebound, defend, and facilitate. 5-5 Senior wing <strong>Anjali Ramirez</strong> (<em>2.4p, 2.2r</em>) and Sophomore forward <strong>Tori Smith-Brooks</strong> (<em>2.2p, 2.7r, 1.2s</em>) help defensively and on the boards, but both will likely be asked to score a couple more points per game in 2025-2026. There are five additional returnees who played in 15 or more games a year ago as well, so the Saints could be the team on the rise in Sectional #58.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Central Christian: 5-7 Sophomore wing <strong>Olivia Mattingly</strong> (<em>20.8p, 11.2r, 2.3a, 3.2s, 1.5b</em>) and Senior guard <strong>Sophia Rodriguez</strong> (<em>5.3p, 3.9r, 1.3a, 2.3s</em>); Providence Cristo Rey: 5-8 Senior wing <strong>BeNea Daniels</strong>; Traders Point Christian: Junior forward <strong>Kira Berry</strong> (<em>4.1p, 6.5r, 1.5a</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->