2025-26 Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional 3

<!-- 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 #3. 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 #3 at Penn</font></strong><br>South Bend Washington (24-2), SAG 17, SOS 66<br>Penn (19-6), SAG 23, SOS 58<br>South Bend Riley (16-10), SAG 192, SOS 257<br>Michigan City (7-17), SAG 214, SOS 152<br>South Bend Adams (6-13), SAG 267, SOS 147<br>LaPorte (0-23), SAG 312, SOS 173<br>Mishawaka (2-21), SAG 313, SOS 141</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Penn Kingsmen are once again somewhat young and inexperienced this season, but they've been dealt a tough blow. While they graduated their leading scorer from last year, their second and third leading scorers are currently missing due to serious injuries. They are 6-0 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999403' first='Addison' last='Hummel']</strong> (<em>10.5p, 8.0r, 1.5s, 1.0b</em>), who was also their leading rebounder, plus 6-1 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='670343' first='Anna' last='Sachire']</strong> (<em>7.9p, 2.7r, 1.9a, 1.9s</em>). Obviously, they provide size, but Sachire is also a skillful face-up forward who can knock down outside jumpers. There is still plenty of talent on-hand, however, for them to be a heavy favorite in Sectional #3. 6-0 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898485' first='Alexis' last='Werner']</strong> (<em>7.3p, 3.7r, 1.6a</em>) is a really nice athlete, she has some strength and size to her, but she is also a nice perimeter forward who can shoot and handle it a bit. 5-4 Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624880' first='Macy' last='Little']</strong> (<em>5.4p, 2.4r, 2.8a, 2.6s</em>) and 5-8 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='911978' first='Alivia' last='Dawson']</strong> (<em>4.9p, 1.4r, 1.2a, 1.0s</em>) are experienced players who bring stability to the backcourt. Little is a tough-nosed, feisty, pass-first team player who also defends with great energy. Dawson does a little of everything. She can handle, create, shoot, score, and defend multiple positions. 5-10 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834954' first='Anna' last='McCullough']</strong> (<em>2.8p, 2.7r in 17 games</em>) is also in her third year of Varsity action. She is another talented, versatile, inside-out athlete. She can give them minutes at multiple spots. The big news is the arrival of 5-9 Freshman point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1166593' first='Jillian' last='Sanderson']</strong>. She moved in from Tennessee over the Summer, and she arrives already possessing Division I offers/interest. She can shoot/score it, plus she has good size, strength, and high-level experience at her age. Look for her to potentially be a top scorer for the Kingsmen most nights. Also keep an eye out for 5-10 Freshman wing <strong>Makenzie Juszczak</strong>. She is another nice young talent who can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter effectively. Penn will likely have their speedbumps early this season, but as they come together, gain experience, and potentially get either injured player back in action, they could rattle off a few postseason wins, without question.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If anyone can keep pace with Penn come February, why not look at the Eagles of John Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana. The Eagles have had their ups &amp; downs over the past few seasons, but they have some size, a youthful energy this year, plus several newcomers who fall into the unknown category. 5-4 Junior guard <strong>Amya Henry</strong> returns to the lineup, and she is a playmaker. She can create for others, but she can also be an explosive scorer capable of putting up 20 points on most nights. 5-5 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1052809' first='Lundon' last='Schindler']</strong> is the more natural floor general of the group, as she is a selfless passer and solid defender. 5-11 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225059' first='Destiny' last='Perry']</strong> saw a little action as a Freshman last season, and she has nice length, athleticism, and really nice upside to make a much bigger impact on the program moving forward. 5-10 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357825' first='Zeya' last='Alexander']</strong> (<em>5.8p, 2.7r, 1.5s</em>) transferred into Adams after spending three years with the Washington Panthers. She is an extremely long, gliding athlete, and while she can score it from different spots, she is an exceptional defender. Adams also welcomes the Freshmen trio of wing <strong>Kylah Kendall</strong>, wing <strong>Brayah Williams-Winston</strong>, and front-liner <strong>Mariyah Parker</strong>. All three are close to 6-feet tall, with Parker being just over the mark. Again, the Eagles have traditionally been competitive, even if their record doesn't always reflect it, and this year's group could be big enough and talented enough to surprise many opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye on:</strong> LaPorte: 6-0 Senior post <strong>Keilaeyah Roundtree</strong> (<em>10.0p, 8.4r, 2.0s</em>), 5-8 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992372' first='Siona' last='Ohime']</strong> (<em>9.2p, 4.3r, 2.2a, 1.3s</em>), and 6-1 Freshman post <strong>Keianah Hart</strong>; Michigan City: 5-5 Senior guard <strong>Maliayah Peoples</strong> (<em>4.1p, 3.7r, 2.5a, 1.8s</em>), 5-7 Senior wing <strong>Simaya Mitchell</strong> (<em>3.9p, 2.8r, 1.1s</em>), and 5-9 Junior forward <strong>Iyanhi Grinston</strong> (<em>3.5p, 6.5r, 1.4s</em>); Mishawaka: 5-2 Junior guard <strong>Millie Mammolenti</strong> (<em>6.0p, 2.9r, 1.7s</em>), 5-3 Senior guard <strong>Reese Brugh</strong> (<em>4.4p, 2.8r, 1.1a</em>), and 6-0 Senior forward <strong>Grace Matherly</strong> (<em>3.6p, 7.6r, 1.0a, 1.9s, 1.5b</em>); South Bend Riley: Senior forward <strong>Lafaye Gibson</strong> (<em>8.0p, 7.2r, 1.2s</em>), 5-10 Junior wing <strong>D.J. Sumayah</strong> (<em>1.8p in 9 games</em>), and 5-8 Junior guard <strong>Tinayja Summers</strong> (<em>6.1p, 4.5r, 2.7s in 17 games at Mishawaka</em>); South Bend Washington: 5-10 Sophomore forward <strong>Isis Robbins</strong> (<em>2.2p, 1.9r in 19 games</em>), 5-8 Junior guard <strong>ZaKaela Walker</strong> (<em>0.6p in 18 games</em>), and 5-5 Senior guard <strong>Ariyah Wells</strong> (<em>0.6p</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->