2025-26 Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional 7

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='814715' first='Jhordyn' last='Brown'] (2028) from Kokomo 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 continue the previews in Class 4A. We are now more than a quarter of the way through the Class 4A Sectionals, and since the season is just past Thanksgiving, I wanted to finish offering you a glimpse at what the 2025-26 season could hold with a preview of each of the state's remaining Class 4A Sectionals. 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 #7. 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 #7 at McCutcheon</font></strong><br>McCutcheon (24-4), SAG 26, SOS 27<br>Lafayette Jefferson (18-7), SAG 58, SOS 110<br>Kokomo (16-8), SAG 83, SOS 181<br>West Lafayette Harrison (7-17), SAG 115, SOS 25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McCutcheon had a great year in 2024-2025, advancing to the Semi-State round, and they return their top four scorers from that team, plus seven of their top ten. Most importantly back is 6-1 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751095' first='Lillie' last='Graves']</strong> (<em>18.9p, 4.5r, 3.4a, 4.0s</em>), arguably the top prospect in Indiana's 2027 class. She is long, athletic, and smooth, plus she is a multilevel scorer and a versatile, positionless defender. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890800' first='Keara' last='Lipscomb-Allen']</strong> (<em>12.1p, 2.6r, 1.8a, 2.3s</em>) transferred in last year and was the Mavericks' only other double-digit scorer. She brings speed &amp; quickness, she's a playmaker off the bounce, and she can score it or find open teammates consistently. 5-9 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751038' first='Ameria' last='Gibson']</strong> (<em>3.4p, 1.7r</em>) is the one other non-Senior likely to see significant playing time this year. She's another nice athlete who can find buckets at each level, plus she defends hard. Surrounding Graves &amp; Lipscomb-Allen as well will be a quartet of highly experienced Seniors. All have seen multiple letters go on their jackets, and all bring something a little different to the table. 5-9 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='553262' first='Chloe' last='Finney']</strong> (<em>7.1p, 3.1r, 1.1a, 1.2s</em>) is a strong but skillful shooter who defenses must locate in transition, otherwise she is going to make them pay from the wings and deep corners. 5-5 point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486538' first='Trinity' last='Wilburn']</strong> (<em>3.1p, 1.7r, 1.3a, 1.2s in 9 games</em>) could be a real difference-maker, almost like a newcomer, as she has missed significant time in the past due to injuries. When she returned last year, she gave them a bit of a jolt they hadn't had, and this season she should be back closer to herself. She is extremely fast, feisty defensively, and she can get into the lane and create for others. 5-8 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626869' first='Braelyn' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>5.0p, 2.9r, 1.1s</em>) and 5-10 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486526' first='Marley' last='Dale']</strong> (<em>2.1p, 2.1r</em>) help some around the paint, but they can also play facing the basket. Williams is kind of a jack-of-all-trades type who can handle it a little, shoot it a little, plus use her strength to defend &amp; rebound inside. Dale actually averaged more points &amp; rebounds as a Freshman &amp; Sophomore, but she gave way last year to a couple of transfers and saw her minutes diminish a bit. However, she is tough-nosed, hard-working, and should be able to bring her three years of experience to the rotation. The Mavericks are definitely a Top 20 team in the state, and a standout compared to Sectional #7's field. If they simply work together and continue being themselves, they could make another nice state tournament run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The team I think could challenge McCutcheon the most, and they are much improved and can be problematic themselves, are the Bronchos of Lafayette's Thomas Jefferson High. They return most of their production from a season ago, and they have several athletic, talented, and skillful guards who come at you in waves. 5-8 Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486509' first='Maya' last='Layton']</strong> (<em>17.8p, 8.0r, 4.2a, 3.9s, 1.1b</em>) is the leader of the bunch, and her arrival last year really sparked the Bronchos offense. She is long, fluid, and smooth, she is a facilitator first, but she can shoot/score it in bunches as well when needed. Layton is also a talented on-ball defender who uses her length and quickness to turn opponents over. 5-7 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='886667' first='Shaylee' last='Barrett']</strong> (<em>10.0p, 3.6r, 1.0a, 2.0s</em>) really benefitted from the arrival of Layton. Barrett didn't have to carry the load, and she was able to find scores much easier. She is another talented athlete, she can lock up as well, and she plays with a nonstop motor. 5-7 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131959' first='Da'Niyah' last='Johnson']</strong> (<em>6.2p, 4.9r, 1.6s</em>) is another tough-nosed, effortful wing who can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter some. She is a nice rebounder &amp; defender, and she's mostly a slasher type offensively. 5-5 Junior guard <strong>Cambria Marcus</strong> (<em>4.4p, 2.8r</em>) looks to be more impactful this time around. She is a quick, feisty shooter who can also create for others. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992522' first='Aaliyah' last='Coney']</strong> (<em>2.6p, 1.6r</em>) had a really nice grassroots season, and she too will battle for an expanded role. She showed flashes of being able to score it in bunches from all three levels, plus she defends well with her length. And 5-10 Senior post <strong>Janeal Capers</strong> (<em>0.5p</em>) is the lone frontline player returning with experience. She should see a major uptick in minutes and will help bring rebounding and paint defense to the mix. The Bronchos want to play fast, and they could definitely cause problems for McCutcheon. As long as Lafayette Jeff takes care of the ball, makes scoring easier on themselves, and uses their talented defenders to consistently turn over opponents, the Bronchos could be a surprise Sectional #7 winner in February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye on:</strong> Kokomo: 5-8 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256517' first='Eliana' last='Stewart']</strong> (<em>8.9p, 6.9r, 1.2a, 3.0s, 2.3b</em>), 5-4 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751119' first='Satyra' last='Scott']</strong> (<em>8.7p, 2.8r, 2.2a, 2.1s</em>), and 5-9 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814715' first='Jhordyn' last='Brown']</strong> (<em>6.2p, 3.1r, 2.4s</em>); West Lafayette Harrison: 5-11 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='932694' first='Aleah' last='Szymanski']</strong> (<em>8.5p, 5.0r, 2.1s</em>), 5-8 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='932690' first='Sadey' last='Ringler']</strong> (<em>5.7p, 2.6r, 1.2a, 1.7s</em>), and 5-4 Freshman point guard <strong>Mallori McColley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->