2025-26 Season Preview: Class 4A, Sectional 9

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='840811' first='Zoey' last='Wood'] (2028) of Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Indiana.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the previews for Classes 1A, 2A, and 3A are complete, it's time to complete the previews for Class 4A. We are now halfway through the Class 4A Sectionals, and since the season is into December, 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 #9. 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 #9 at Pendleton Heights</font></strong><br>Pendleton Heights (19-7), SAG 9, SOS 30<br>Greenfield-Central (16-8), SAG 60, SOS 71<br>Mount Vernon (18-7), SAG 69, SOS 54<br>Richmond (12-12), SAG 105, SOS 62<br>Anderson (3-22), SAG 236, SOS 48<br>Muncie Central (8-14), SAG 264, SOS 158</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pendleton Heights was dominant in Sectional #9 last season, and despite graduating their leading scorer and best all-around player from a year ago, they return a great deal of talent, plus they add a pair of solid transfers to the mix. Likely to become their leading scorer moving forward is 6-3 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750718' first='Adah' last='Hupfer']</strong> (<em>13.5p, 13.6r, 1.7a, 1.0s, 1.2b</em>). She is a big, strong, physical front-liner who also possesses nice skill and touch from around the perimeter. She is quite the matchup problem because of her ability to score it from all three levels at her size. 5-9 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486495' first='Olivia' last='Jones']</strong> (<em>7.5p, 6.3r, 3.7a, 2.2s</em>) has long been a favorite of mine to watch. She plays with incredible effort and toughness, and she does so many different things to help her team(s), that if she isn't scoring it well, she's contributing in other ways. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1006203' first='Aubree' last='Warfel']</strong> (<em>4.2p, 2.8r, 1.3s</em>) is the next in a line of Warfel sisters, and she brings a dangerous perimeter shooting presence to the court. 5-6 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486475' first='Mamie' last='Trout']</strong> (<em>3.8p, 2.0r, 1.5a, 1.6s</em>), plus 5-5 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992374' first='Sophia' last='Bruce']</strong> (<em>0.4p in 10 games</em>), have seen some time in the backcourt as well, and both will look to provide great depth this season. The Arabians also welcome a trio of newcomers to the mix. Junior point guard <strong>Sami Brunk</strong> could find an immediate role after playing for the Northside Lions Homeschool team the last couple of seasons. She has nice length, speed &amp; quickness, and she plays with a good motor as well. 5-8 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751297' first='Grace' last='Lee']</strong> (<em>9.1p, 4.2r, 1.9a, 3.4s</em>) transferred in from Shenandoah High School this Fall, and she adds length and athleticism to the rotation. She had some nice moments during the Spring &amp; Summer grassroots season. Then there is 5-8 Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1263968' first='Ellie' last='Warfel']</strong>. As she gets familiar with the speed &amp; size of the Varsity game, look for her to play a vital role for the Arabians moving forward. She is another nice, long, fast, athletics playmaker. Utilizing Hupfer's size advantage, and taking on an inside-out approach, could afford these guards a lot of easy scoring opportunities. Look for Pendleton Heights to once again be a strong favorite in this field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Marauders of Mt. Vernon (Fortville) always seem to be ready come tournament time, and they return a great deal of young talent, especially in their backcourt. 5-5 Sophomore point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840811' first='Zoey' last='Wood']</strong> (<em>15.9p, 5.2r, 3.6a, 2.7s</em>) is the heart &amp; soul of this squad. She is tough, she plays extremely hard, and she has some craftiness to her game. She can create offense for herself or teammates, she can make open shots, plus she's a capable on-ball defender. 5-6 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1223008' first='Gabby' last='Thomas']</strong> (<em>10.7p, 3.0r, 1.5a, 2.2s</em>) is a nice complement to Wood, as she has past experience handling the ball, plus she is a nice athlete and a solid multilevel scorer. 5-6 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144658' first='Delani' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>7.9p, 3.0r, 1.2s</em>) had a strong Freshman year along with Wood, and Williams is a really nice wing athlete. She plays hard, uses her athleticism to get her places, and she's tough in and around the paint. 5-5 guard <strong>Alaya Baxter</strong> (<em>5.7p, 2.4r, 1.6a, 1.9s</em>) and 5-10 post <strong>Katherine Simmons</strong> (<em>1.1p, 2.8r in 18 games</em>) are two additional 2028s who offer a bright future for the Marauders when it comes to depth and experience. The biggest addition for Mt. Vernon this year is likely to be 6-1 Sophomore forward/post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992360' first='Kendra' last='Ash']</strong>, who comes over from nearby Fishers High School. Ash has skill and athleticism at her size, so she can play an inside-out role, and she should step onto the floor immediately for the Marauders. Additionally, 5-4 Freshman point guard <strong>Taylor Greulich</strong> will add more talent, skill, and depth to an already strong MV backcourt. The Marauders aren't huge, but if they can control tempo, make shots, and be feisty defensively, they could cause opponents problems in February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye on:</strong> Anderson: 5-10 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751300' first='Ariah' last='Scott']</strong> (<em>8.6p, 5.1r, 1.0s, 1.0b in 9 games</em>), 5-8 Junior forward <strong>Cambre'Anna Austin</strong> (<em>5.5p, 5.2r, 1.2s</em>), 6-0 Sophomore post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215319' first='Amiya' last='Fleming']</strong> (<em>4.9p, 4.0r</em>), and 5-7 Junior guard <strong>LaMarriea Turner</strong>; Greenfield-Central: 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736459' first='Izzy' last='Silcox']</strong> (<em>10.1p, 4.0r, 2.3a, 2.0s</em>), 5-5 Freshman guard <strong>Lexi Kerkhof</strong>, and 5-10 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225056' first='McKenzie' last='Lisenby']</strong> (<em>1.4p, 1.4r in 17 games at Warren Central</em>); Muncie Central: 5-8 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215316' first='Kei'Maija' last='Hickey']</strong>, 5-9 Junior forward <strong>Kyleigha Thomas</strong>, 5-8 Sophomore forward <strong>Kimora Hawkins</strong>, and 5-5 Freshman guard <strong>Sarai Baldwin</strong>; Richmond: 5-6 Junior guard <strong>Jazlyn Diamond</strong> (<em>2.4p, 1.3r</em>), 5-8 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256482' first='Jayden' last='Johnson']</strong> (<em>2.0p, 2.4r</em>), 5-11 Freshman forward <strong>R'sirae Nunn</strong>, and 5-9 Freshman forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1315981' first='Kalia' last='Madison']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->