Semi-State Preview: Class 4A 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 today'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 4A. <em>Since LaPorte is in the Central Time Zone, times below are Central Time.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+3">at LaPorte</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">10:00a - Northridge (20-7) vs. McCutcheon (22-5)</font></strong><br>As I get into Class 4A, the four teams here in the North have a few standout players, but this group on the whole is a group of four "teams" who, for the most part, identify with their system. They are disciplined, and they typically win because of it and not someone averaging 25 points per game every night. When they do have someone erupt, they are only that much better. Northridge is a great example of this. They work together about as well as any team in the state. They buy into what they are doing, and they utilize defense and the "little things" often to succeed. 5-10 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834963' first='Lily' last='Scholl']</strong> (<em>18.0p, 6.9r, 3.3a, 3.0s</em>) is outstanding in what they do, and when she gets going, they are tough to beat. She is strong, tough, physical, and she can knock down open shots or put it on the floor and finish through contact. 5-9 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1228391' first='Allison' last='Ambers']</strong> (<em>12.4p, 5.4r, 2.5a, 2.6s</em>) really started to come on last year, then again throughout the Spring &amp; Summer, and she has been much-improved this season as a Junior. She is a fluid and smooth athlete, she can create a little, and she is an active defender. 5-11 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1006209' first='Zoe' last='Yeater']</strong> (<em>9.7p, 4.8r</em>) gives the Lady Raiders a presence inside. She is strong, willing to be physical, and she is a nice all-around athlete as well. Northridge also has a pair of scrappy little guards who fly around the floor. They can really get after it defensively, and offensively they are able to get into the defense and find open teammates. They are 5-3 Senior <strong>Macey Riegsecker</strong> (<em>4.4p, 2.8r, 4.0a, 2.7s</em>) and 5-3 Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231136' first='Jada' last='Walker']</strong> (<em>3.7p, 1.6r, 1.5a, 1.7s</em>). Also look for 6-0 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1262613' first='Morgan' last='Gorball']</strong> (<em>1.7p</em>) to maybe get an opportunity off the bench. She is long, bouncy, and fluidly athletic, and she has some skill facing the basket. As I turn to McCutcheon, they are about as "veteran" as it gets, with four Seniors and three Juniors playing a majority of their minutes, and most of those seven ladies have been on Varsity for the duration of their careers. 6-1 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751095' first='Lillie' last='Graves']</strong> (<em>17.0p, 6.9r, 5.7a, 3.3s</em>) remains our top prospect in the 2027 class in Indiana, and she can be a handful. She is long, athletic, smooth, and skilled. She has become a much better ball-handler and facilitator this year, while stilling showing flashes of explosive scoring, plus her shooting has improved. Additionally, she's willing to sit down and defend. 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890800' first='Keara' last='Lipscomb-Allen']</strong> (<em>14.8p, 4.4r, 3.2a, 2.9s</em>) has been a nice running 'mate for Graves, as she can also create for others, get to the rim with a burst, or knock down open shots consistently. If people are too focused on Graves, Lipscomb-Allen can explode for 30 points at any time. 5-9 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751038' first='Ameria' last='Gibson']</strong> (<em>9.9p, 5.8r, 1.7s</em>) has really stepped up as a Junior, after playing sparingly as a Sophomore. She has also been a really nice athlete, but now she's figuring out how she can contribute consistently, and that can cause problems for opponents. 5-5 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486538' first='Trinity' last='Wilburn']</strong> (<em>7.7p, 3.5r, 2.8a, 3.2s</em>) has finished her career strong, and she can be a blur out there at times. She is shorter but strong, compact, physical, and explosive. She has a first step that's hard to guard, and she can finish before the defense reacts. She's also an outstanding on-ball defender. 5-9 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='553262' first='Chloe' last='Finney']</strong> (<em>6.8p, 4.3r, 1.7s</em>) gives the Mavericks a strong wing who can really shoot it from outside, but also who is willing to rebound. 5-8 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626869' first='Braelyn' last='Williams']</strong> (<em>3.6p, 3.4r</em>) is a powerfully strong inside-out player who can defend &amp; rebound inside or step out and help facilitate, while 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486526' first='Marley' last='Dale']</strong> (<em>1.7p, 2.5r</em>) is a hard-working, tough, physical forward with some touch in the mid-post. This should be a fun one because it's two really good teams who are different enough to make it interesting. McCutcheon will likely take more chances than Northridge, especially in transition, so it could simply come down to whether or not they make enough shots doing so. At the same time, the Lady Raiders will play faster if they are guaranteed layup opportunities. Each team has a player to slow, which is where Lipscomb-Allen comes in. Northridge is usually sound defensively, and they took out Warsaw a couple of weeks ago, so they have experience handling two stars on one team. Look for this to be a wire-to-wire single digit game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">12:00p - Crown Point (23-4) vs. Norwell (23-4)</font></strong><br>When the Crown Point group that included girls like <strong>Jessica Carothers</strong>, <strong>Lilly Stoddard</strong>, and others graduated, there was a short period of time at the high school level where the Bulldogs were just going to have to survive a couple of average seasons. But these girls on the roster now were dominating the middle school ranks, and you could see the talent was coming. Now that they have arrived, they have figured it out this year and been a problem for most people on their schedule. 5-7 Sophomore point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999415' first='Ava' last='Richie']</strong> (<em>16.6p, 4.7r, 2.8a, 3.5s</em>) is quickly turning into a star, and she's only going to get better. She is long, fluid, and smooth, and she can rip it from the outside or create off the dribble for others. 6-4 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756234' first='Ivy' last='Henderson']</strong> (<em>10.7p, 5.7r</em>) gives the Bulldogs a huge presence inside. She has broad shoulders, long arms, strength, and she can play with physicality at the rim or knock down a 15-foot jumper. From there, Crown Point is another one of those "sum-of-their-parts" team, with everyone understanding their role, and several people contributing in small ways for a big result. Seniors like 5-8 wing <strong>Aaliyah Menchaca</strong> (<em>2.8p</em>) and 6-0 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='761164' first='Sophie' last='Hart']</strong> (<em>1.5p, 1.5r</em>) have talent and skill, but they do a nice job of leading the younger players because they've been a part of all types of teams at Crown Point. 5-11 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137332' first='Ava' last='Punak']</strong> (<em>7.7p, 4.8r, 1.9a, 2.9s</em>) continues to improve and can give them a third scoring option, while 5-8 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='909900' first='Rheanna' last='Grzych']</strong> (<em>2.1p</em>) has flashed potential, especially with her play during the grassroots season. And that Sophomore class possesses more than just Richie, as 5-7 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229433' first='Sidney' last='Hale']</strong> (<em>6.5p, 4.3r, 2.2a, 2.1s</em>), 5-8 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229331' first='Addison' last='Seibert']</strong> (<em>3.3p, 2.0a</em>), and 5-6 guard <strong>Amiyah Menchaca</strong> (<em>2.0p</em>) are the future of the program but already contribute regularly for the Lady Bulldogs. Then there is Norwell. When I mentioned above about system teams, etc., no one might better represent that than the Lady Knights. They are a problem because they do things their way extremely well, and they've learned to play that way since they were all in elementary school. Now that they have talent, they are scary good. The Knights were the 2024 Class 3A State Runners-Up and the 2025 Class 3A State Champions. This year, in Class 4A, they were lumped into the same Sectional as Homestead, so few people gave them a chance. But they have beaten the Spartans twice, including a 1-point Sectional thriller. 5-10 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='732354' first='Vanessa' last='Rosswurm']</strong> (<em>23.1p, 5.8r, 2.6a, 3.3s</em>) is their monster. She is extremely long, very athletic, but she also plays harder than anyone on any floor. She never stops moving. She is out on top of their 1-3-1 defense, constantly getting steals and deflections, disrupting everything the opponent wants to do offensively. She can shoot it from outside, get to the rim in a hurry, and finishes well through contact. Plus, she is one of the most vocal players in the state, whether it's encouraging teammates or holding them accountable. 5-8 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137282' first='Macie' last='Saalfrank']</strong> (<em>15.2p, 4.7r, 1.3a, 3.7s</em>) continues to be one of the state's most dangerous shooters, as she hides on the wings ready to pull the trigger. More than 60% of her field goal attempts have been from outside, and she has buried 81 of them this year. 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1623388' first='Addison' last='Norris']</strong> is a bulldog of a player. She is strong, compact, tough-nosed, and aggressive. She absorbs contact well when attacking, she's a willing passer, plus she's an assertive defender as well. 5-9 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231135' first='Ashley' last='Waldman']</strong> and 5-8 Senior wing <strong>Jada Dale</strong> are both long, wiry, fluidly athletic players who can shoot it a little, they'll rebound, and they do a nice job of using their length in their 1-3-1 defense. Juniors <strong>Alivia Green</strong> and <strong>Isabella Swineford</strong> are both around 5-11 to 6-0 and offer them some size inside when necessary, and both are just solid, fundamental, and hard-working. 5-5 Senior <strong>Larkin Smith</strong> and 5-4 Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='952497' first='Haley' last='Williamson']</strong> are both feisty little guards who defend and facilitate off the bench. As for this matchup, I really like Crown Point, and they very well could be a Top 5 team to start the 2026-2027 season. But it will take a lot for them to knock off Norwell. The Lady Knights are a buzzsaw, and because their defense is tough to dissect, they can frustrate teams who know them well, let alone a Bulldog squad who has never faced them. Sure, Crown Point has played against some 1-3-1 zone in their area, but it isn't anything like what they are about to see. I think Norwell is a solid favorite, and that's no disrespect to Crown Point; Norwell is just finishing a strong 3-year run of success for their program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">8:00p - Winner @ 10:00a vs. Winner @ 12:00p</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->