Semi-State Preview: Class 3A North

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The IHSAA Indiana girls' basketball state tournament is well underway. As we enter week-3 of competition, there are only 32 of 392 teams remaining in the entire state, and by the end of tomorrow's contests, the field will be whittled down to just 8 teams, 2 in each of the four classes. Below is a look at the 4 teams remaining in the North in Class 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+3">at Logansport</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">10:00a - Bellmont (22-3) vs. Culver Academy (22-5)</font></strong><br>With Norwell moving to Class 4A, it opened up an opportunity for Bellmont to make a deep tournament run this year, and that's exactly what they have done. The Lady Braves have a budding star few people are familiar with in 5-9 Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225040' first='Ashley' last='Bleke']</strong>. She is strong for her age, skilled with the ball, she can score it from all three levels, and she plays extremely hard and tough-nosed. After that, Bellmont is more of a system team, or a "sum-of-their-parts" type of program. They execute, play with poise &amp; discipline, and they run their stuff very well. Bleke's twin, 5-11 Sophomore front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1228337' first='Mary' last='Bleke']</strong>, is a skillful forward/post who can play facing the basket in the mid-post, but she doesn't mind contact and physicality around the rim. 5-5 Juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751084' first='Kate' last='Kitson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751092' first='Lanie' last='French']</strong> are feisty, hard-working guards who can penetrate and create, knock down an open jumper, and get after it defensively. 5-8 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231643' first='Kaitlyn' last='Barton']</strong>, 6-0 post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231233' first='Hadley' last='Caffee']</strong>, and 5-4 guard <strong>Onalee Krueckeberg</strong>, all Sophomores, offer the lineup good balance and versatility. It also indicates the Braves have a couple of more great years ahead of them after this one. Culver Academy went through it in the offseason. They saw their starting backcourt, both 2027 classmates, and talented, productive scorers both transfer out. Then, in came 5-10 Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1050683' first='Laine' last='Lyles']</strong> (<em>15.9p, 4.9r, 3.4a, 2.9s</em>) and they somehow got better. She is extremely talented, she's being recruited at a high level already, and while she can explode for 30 points at any moment, she is a more-than-willing passer, and she is an excellent defender as well. Now, when you take Lyles and partner her with a series of experienced Seniors &amp; Juniors, it makes for a recipe of success in 2025-2026. 5-8 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492316' first='Piper' last='Brumm']</strong> (<em>8.7p, 6.4r, 2.0s</em>) is a 4-year starter with a lot of skill. She can play around the perimeter, in the mid-post, and she's tough-nosed and hard-working. 5-8 Junior guard <strong>Mimi Smith</strong> (<em>8.0p, 3.6r, 4.2a, 3.8s</em>) is in her third year as a starter. She is a solid all-around athlete, she can act as the primary ball-handler, plus she can score it a little and defend at a high level. 5-9 Senior forward <strong>Amelia Binkley</strong> (<em>5.9p, 4.2r</em>), 5-10 Senior forward <strong>Kate Clemons</strong> (<em>4.1p, 4.7r</em>), and 5-10 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1538865' first='Sophia' last='Dickey']</strong> (<em>2.4p, 2.2r</em>) aren't necessarily towering monsters, but they do a nice job of using their length and athleticism to defend and rebound around the lane. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>Hannah Kresser</strong> (<em>4.2p, 2.4r</em>), 5-8 Junior wing <strong>Lilah Treber</strong> (<em>3.7p, 2.9r, 1.8s</em>), and 5-6 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='773895' first='Kenzie' last='Miller']</strong> (<em>2.7p</em>) provide some perimeter support for Lyles, Brumm, and Smith. On paper, it looks like Culver Academy has more upperclassmen and overall experience. However, Bellmont has quite a bit of big game experience over the past two seasons. This could be a low-scoring, defensive battle, that potentially comes down to the final three minutes of action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">12:00p - Connersville (20-7) vs. Fairfield (20-6)</font></strong><br>Connersville isn't very deep, but their starting unit is talented, they complement each other well, and they just might have the right mix of players to continue this postseason run. 5-6 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='567128' first='Ahniyah' last='Bennett']</strong> (<em>11.9p, 4.8r, 3.6a, 1.8s</em>) is an exceptional athlete who can run, jump, create, score, and defend. She has committed to Division I St. John's in New York for track &amp; field because of her athletic talent. Joining Bennett in the backcourt are two 2026 classmates. 5-5 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256502' first='Serenity' last='Pennington']</strong> (<em>12.5p, 3.0r, 2.5a, 3.2s</em>) can act as a point guard when Bennett isn't, but she's much better off the ball utilizing her quickness and ability to fill it up from all levels. The third member in their trio is 5-3 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357833' first='Addison' last='Jones']</strong> (<em>10.0p, 2.6r, 2.6a, 3.0s</em>). She is a very good shooter, she has a solid handle and can run an offense, plus she plays hard. 6-1 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999397' first='Kendyl' last='Bottomley']</strong> (<em>12.0p, 8.4r, 3.0a, 2.6s</em>) could very well be the best college prospect on the roster, with her height, length, and ability to play in different areas of the floor. That just leaves 5-9 Junior <strong>Kinze Van Meter</strong> (<em>6.3p, 5.0r</em>) as the team's fifth starter. She is a hard worker, she is physical, tough-nosed, and assertive inside, and she's willing to do a lot of the "blue collar" things for the Spartans. Fairfield is another system program that beats a lot of opponents with their style of play, discipline, and ability to rarely get frustrated or outside of themselves. They are looking for a repeat of their 2023 State Championship run, and they are so good right now because they have a Senior standout and a Junior standout who could both start at most Class 4A schools in the state. 5-11 Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='567137' first='Eva' last='Herbert']</strong> (<em>10.8p, 3.6r, 3.8a, 2.2s</em>) is a long, bouncy wing forward who handles the ball a lot for the Falcons. She initiates the offense, attacks pressure, but she's also a very smooth perimeter shooter, and she affects passing lanes well with her length. 5-11 Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751296' first='Madison' last='Jones']</strong> (<em>16.2p, 5.1r, 1.5a, 2.5s</em>) is another really nice wing forward who utilizes her athleticism and length to get to the basket for scores. She is an outstanding softball player as well, but her talents really help this group during the Winter months. Aside from those two, look for Sophomore wing <strong>Paige Park</strong>, Senior wing <strong>Macy Worthman</strong>, and Freshman point guard <strong>Delaney Garrett</strong> to potentially make an impact on Saturday's game. This game should be a battle of wills. Connersville will want to use their backcourt speed and quickness to their advantage, while Fairfield can score or play low-scoring games and control tempo. Whoever creates the tempo they want should control this game much of the way, but don't be surprised if there is a late and sudden lead change.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">8:00p - Winner @ 10:00a vs. Winner @ 12:00p</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->