2025-26 Season Preview: Class 3A, Sectional 17

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the previews for Classes 1A and 2A are complete, it's time to turn to Class 3A. These should come almost two to a day over the next week, because the season is a week underway, and I wanted to continue offering 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 64 previewing each Sectional in the state. In this specific article, I will take a look at Class 3A, Sectional #17. 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 #17 at Calumet</font></strong><br>Highland (15-11), SAG 193, SOS 235<br>East Chicago Central (8-14), SAG 263, SOS 256<br>Bishop Noll (8-14), SAG 278, SOS 271<br>Griffith (10-13), SAG 294, SOS 335<br>Gary West Side (5-14), SAG 319, SOS 244<br>Calumet (0-16), SAG 388, SOS 356</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Classes of 2023 and 2024 took a number of talented players from the Highland Trojans, so last season's finish might have been a bit unexpected. Add to that the fact that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624883' first='Jordan' last='Steele']</strong> (<em>26.4p, 4.9r, 1.4a, 6.1s</em>), now a Senior, played out of her mind all of last season, and the Trojans made quite the run, all the way to the first game in the Class 3A North Semi-State. Additionally, much of the core last year were underclassmen, so Highland should once again be the team to beat in Sectional #17, at least to begin the season. Steele, a 5-9 lefty guard, has always been a smooth shooter, but over the past 9 to 12 months she has used her speed and athleticism to be a much more aggressive attacker off the bounce. She has a beautiful runner/floater, and she has learned how to draw contact and use the free throw line as a weapon. As long as she's on the court, the Trojans have a chance. Surrounding her in the lineup should be 5-5 Junior guard <strong>Savannah Ballard</strong> (<em>5.4p, 3.8r, 1.7a, 1.6s</em>), 5-8 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='882905' first='Avery' last='Steele']</strong> (<em>4.2p, 3.8r, 1.5s</em>), and 5-4 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='881255' first='Addyson' last='Figueroa']</strong> (<em>3.5p, 3.7r, 1.4a, 1.1s</em>). They aren't very big, but if even just one of them could become a double-figure scorer, it would take a lot of pressure off the elder Steele most nights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest challenger to Highland could very well be the Warriors of Bishop Noll. Uncharacteristically, Noll has struggled through three consecutive seasons under .500, but last year they saw multiple kids go in and out of the lineup due to injuries and illnesses. If they can get everyone healthy and on the same page, they have four legitimate weapons who can cause problems for most teams in Class 3A. 5-8 Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131978' first='Ecrin' last='Mart']</strong> (<em>16.5p, 2.9r, 3.1a, 2.8s</em>) is very entertaining to watch. She is quick off the dribble, changes directions well, and she has a flare for the dramatic. While her numbers were good last season, I look for her to play more consistently this year. 5-9 Senior wing <strong>Jaiden Hall</strong> (<em>10.5p, 7.1r, 1.7a, 1.6s</em>) stepped up big for the Warriors last season. She is a strong athlete, she plays extremely hard, and she's great off the bounce. I would look for 6-2 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='932698' first='Giniya' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>7.7p, 8.4r</em>) to take another step forward in her development. She has improved each season, and I feel like if she can stay on the court consistently, she could become a double-double machine, because she doesn't shy away from contact, and she has solid hands in and around the paint. I would also look for 5-7 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='990955' first='M'Aliyah' last='Lewis']</strong> (<em>5.7p, 2.6r, 1.4a</em>) to make a jump this year. She is another strong perimeter player with some athleticism. She can shoot, attack, or create, and with a season of experience under her belt, I look for her to maybe become that second option to Mart moving forward. Don't let last season's record fool you; Noll could be a problem come Sectional week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Calumet: 5-10 Junior wing <strong>Layla Washington</strong> and 6-1 Sophomore post <strong>Eunice Guadarrama</strong>; East Chicago Central: 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='928916' first='Lela' last='Edmonds']</strong>; Gary West Side: 5-6 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1213774' first='Priscilla' last='Burton']</strong>; Griffith: 5-7 Senior wing <strong>Morgan Von Ogden</strong> (<em>11.6p, 5.9r, 1.1a, 2.9s</em>) and 5-7 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='882835' first='Olivia' last='Esquivel']</strong> (<em>6.1p, 3.6r, 2.5a, 2.0s</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->