2025-26 Season Preview: Class 1A, Sectional 59

<!-- 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 #59. 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 #59 at Waldron</font></strong><br>Tri (16-8), SAG 120, SOS 247<br>Morristown (15-8), SAG 147, SOS 290<br>North Decatur (17-9), SAG 182, SOS 231<br>South Decatur (16-12), SAG 203, SOS 245<br>Knightstown (11-11), SAG 284, SOS 340<br>Waldron (8-16), SAG 304, SOS 264<br>Edinburgh (10-13), SAG 321, SOS 355<br>Southwestern (Shelbyville) (3-21), SAG 377, SOS 343</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tri High Titans have been one of the more successful Class 1A teams in the state when it comes to looking at the last few years, and 2025-2026 shouldn't be much different. They return a talented scorer in 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131939' first='Jillian' last='Chew']</strong> (<em>14.5p, 4.3r, 4.8a, 4.8s</em>). She does it all for the Titans, from make big shots, to create and distribute, to lead the defensive charge as well. 6-0 Senior post <strong>Olivia Parham</strong> (<em>6.8p, 3.8r, 1.1s</em>) will team with 6-0 Senior front-liner <strong>Nakaya Cridge</strong> (<em>4.5p, 7.2r, 1.4a, 2.4s, 2.8b</em>) to present one of the most impressive frontcourt tandems in Sectional #59. They both possess good size, strength, and the ability to play in the mid-post or around the block. 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992364' first='Lia' last='Bohn']</strong> (<em>4.6p, 2.5r, 1.7a, 1.6s</em>) could be the wildcard this season. She saw quite a bit of opportunity last year as a rookie, but now she'll be relied upon to play major minutes for the Titans. If Tri can lean on its star guard (Chew) and its interior play, then build some depth around them, they should once again post a winning season and be a favorite in Sectional #59.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The field in Sectional #59 will likely be turned upside down, as Morristown, North Decatur, and South Decatur suffered major graduation losses. That opens the door for an up-and-coming program like Knightstown, who had no Seniors on the roster in 2024-2025. The Panthers haven't had much success in recent years, but they currently have about six ladies who could start this year, led by 6-1 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756232' first='Lilly' last='Drew']</strong> (<em>13.1p, 6.9r, 1.4a, 1.3s, 1.4b</em>) and 5-8 Senior wing <strong>Anna Roberson</strong> (<em>13.0p, 8.0r, 1.6a, 2.4s</em>). Drew is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and versatile, while Roberson is an athletic attacker who rebounds and defends her position well. 5-3 Senior <strong>Halleigh Lacey</strong> (<em>5.3p, 2.1r, 2.5a, 1.6s</em>) and Junior <strong>Jaycie Cole</strong> (<em>4.6p, 4.0r, 2.6a, 1.7s</em>) share point guard responsibilities for the Panthers. 5-9 Sophomore post <strong>Lyla Trigg</strong> (<em>4.2p, 4.2r</em>) looks to impact the lineup more in her second year, while Senior wing <strong>Lexi Thomas</strong> (<em>2.7p, 3.2r, 1.1s</em>) adds experienced depth to this young squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another team looking for a bounce-back year is Waldron. While they graduated their best guard from a year ago, they also played the entirety of the 2024-2025 season without their most talented prospect in 5-10 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751062' first='Grace' last='Fischer']</strong> (<em>15.3p, 6.7r, 2.1a, 2.4s, 1.1b as a Freshman in 2023-2024</em>). She does it all for them, and as a top prospect in the 2027 class, she is primed for a big season this year. Without Fischer last season, 5-6 Senior point guard <strong>Emerson Lindsey</strong> (<em>9.7p, 4.5r, 4.3a, 1.8s</em>), 5-7 Senior guard <strong>Jackie Corlett</strong> (<em>5.7p, 3.2r, 1.6s</em>), and Junior forward <strong>Brooklyn Milbourn</strong> (<em>3.6p, 3.6r</em>) gained valuable experience and offer a nice supporting cast to Fischer. With the return of their star, a new coach, and several solid returnees, Waldron could flip their record around very easily in 2025-2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Edinburgh: 5-4 Senior guard <strong>Kenna Streeval</strong> (<em>14.6p, 4.5r, 3.5a, 3.4s</em>) and Junior forward <strong>Kinzie Purvis</strong> (<em>8.3p, 6.2r, 2.1a, 2.0s</em>); Morristown: 5-6 Junior point guard <strong>Jayla Keithley</strong> (<em>5.4p, 4.0r, 4.5a, 2.5s</em>); North Decatur: 5-1 Senior guard <strong>Carmen Thackery</strong> (<em>6.6p, 2.5r, 1.9a, 2.7s</em>) and 5-8 Senior wing <strong>Jo Whitaker</strong> (<em>4.7p, 3.6r, 1.3a</em>); South Decatur: 5-10 Junior forward <strong>Taylor Somers</strong> (<em>7.2p, 6.4r, 1.8a, 1.7s</em>) and 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>Dalilah Martin</strong> (<em>4.5p, 3.0r, 1.3a, 2.2s</em>); Southwestern (Shelbyville): 5-7 Sophomore forward <strong>Maci Murray</strong> (<em>3.5p, 2.3s</em>) and 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>Hayden Ramsey</strong> (<em>3.0p, 2.5r</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->