2025-26 Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional 2

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is a 2022 throwback of [player_tooltip player_id='419439' first='Lillian' last='Barnes'] (2026) from Valparaiso High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the previews for Classes 1A, 2A, and 3A are complete, it's time to finish up all of the previews with Class 4A. This is the beginning for Class 4A Sectionals, and the season is just past Thanksgiving, so 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 4A, Sectional #2. 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 #2 at Valparaiso</font></strong><br>Valparaiso (19-8), SAG 24, SOS 32<br>Merrillville (15-7), SAG 59, SOS 61<br>Chesterton (15-9), SAG 68, SOS 84<br>Portage (10-13), SAG 270, SOS 171<br>Hobart (3-19), SAG 298, SOS 197</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The past two offseasons have seen 100% of the head coaches in Sectional #2 change. That can bring a combination of excitement and concern, but one thing remains the same...Valparaiso is really good once again. The Vikings return their top six scorers from a season ago, with the top one being 5-11 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='419439' first='Lillian' last='Barnes']</strong> (<em>21.7p, 7.3r, 5.4a, 4.7s, 1.1b</em>), who is entering her fourth year as a team leader. She is one of the most impressively skilled, cerebral, and productive players in the state. I'd anticipate nothing less from her as a Senior. Fellow Senior, 5-8 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486512' first='Cadynce' last='Clark']</strong> (<em>11.1p, 2.6r, 1.6a, 1.2s</em>) is another skillful, high IQ member of the Viking backcourt, and she is a capable shooter/scorer as well. 5-4 guard <strong>Bri Fincannon</strong> (<em>2.6p, 5.1r, 1.3a, 1.7s</em>) is a third Senior perimeter player with experience, and she'll help add depth and lead the younger guards. There is also a nice trio of Juniors who have exceeded expectations thus far in their careers. 5-8 wing <strong>Delilah Kincaid</strong> (<em>9.1p, 4.6r, 1.0a, 1.8s</em>) is the scorer of that group, and she does a nice job of attacking the basket and putting pressure on defenses. 5-10 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229598' first='Chyanne' last='Brown']</strong> (<em>7.7p, 3.9r, 1.3a, 1.3s</em>) is kind of the in-between forward. She has great strength, a nice motor, but she can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter equally well. I've also been very impressed with the progression of 6-1 post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='912544' first='Olliana' last='Hardin']</strong> (<em>2.4p, 1.4r</em>). She was great this Spring and adds a skillful post who can make shots at and inside of 15-feet, plus she's big &amp; physical, and she is imposing defensively. The Vikings won't be much deeper than those six, but the combination of Barnes, Clark, and Kincaid, with the other three helping out, should be enough against most Class 4A opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If anyone can keep pace with Valparaiso, I would bank on it being Chesterton, but they are missing their top two Seniors, both of whom have turned to other sports as their primary focus. Despite missing their significant talent and experience, the Trojans have several quality youngsters, plus they have a few who have played in several big games already. Look for 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='911979' first='Lindsi' last='McGuffey']</strong> (<em>5.7p, 1.2r</em>) to potentially lead this group into action most nights. She can shoot/score it well-enough, but she is also a solid facilitator and a strong defender. 5-9 Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='989342' first='Novea' last='Brandon']</strong> (<em>4.5p, 2.7r, 2.1a, 1.6s</em>) is another combo guard with the ability to play on or off the ball. She had a nice Summer, so I look for her to take that next step this Winter as well and potentially be a double-digit scorer. 5-9 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1132002' first='Allison' last='Van Kley']</strong> (<em>4.3p, 2.6r, 1.0a, 2.1s</em>) can shoot/score it a little as well, but she does a tremendous job of using her length and ability to create turnovers. 5-9 Sophomore forward <strong>Reese Dilbeck</strong> (<em>2.0p, 1.5r</em>) is yet another younger player who saw plenty of action last season. Those four should compete to make up the core of the Trojans lineup in 2025-2026, but also keep an eye on 5-9 Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1219785' first='Ella' last='Boyanski']</strong>. The rookie wing is a solid athlete, but she's also a capable attacker/scorer who can knock down an open rhythm jumper as well. Chesterton looks to have a couple of seasons with this core together, so this year could be important for their growth. However, if pieces fall into place quickly and they can build depth and find a little size, the Trojans could surprise some of their better opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye on:</strong> Hobart: 5-11 Senior post <strong>Riley Weber</strong> (<em>6.2p, 6.7r, 1.0s</em>), 5-8 Junior guard <strong>Kurah Krucina</strong> (<em>5.0p, 3.3r, 1.5a, 2.6s</em>), and 5-10 Freshman wing <strong>Taryn Babcock</strong>; Merrillville: 5-9 Senior forward <strong>Erin Mukes</strong> (<em>4.7p, 5.3r, 1.5s</em>), 6-0 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486503' first='Melaney' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>2.1p, 2.4r</em>), and 5-5 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1327153' first='Paityn' last='Dilosa']</strong> (<em>1.4p, 1.0s in 17 games</em>); Portage: 6-2 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='881680' first='Courtney' last='Clark']</strong> (<em>3.8p, 4.7r</em>), 5-6 Senior forward <strong>Kamryn Lockett</strong> (<em>3.6p, 3.8r, 1.2s</em>), and 5-6 Senior wing <strong>Mariah Collins</strong> (<em>3.0p, 2.0r</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->