2025-26 Season Preview: Class 2A, Sectional 37

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that Class 1A has been previewed and is posted online, it's time to turn our attention to Class 2A. With official IHSAA practices starting this week, 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 2A, Sectional #37. 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 #37 at Benton Central</font></strong><br>Rensselaer Central (26-3), SAG 29, SOS 108<br>Benton Central (17-8), SAG 96, SOS 166<br>Seeger (10-13), SAG 224, SOS 302<br>North Montgomery (16-10), SAG 252, SOS 339<br>Western Boone (8-15), SAG 282, SOS 237<br>Delphi (8-15), SAG 303, SOS 303</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Bombers of Rensselaer Central had a magical ride in 2024-2025, making it to the Class 2A Championship game. And while they lost a pair of skilled and sizeable 2025 graduates, they still return four of their six-player rotation from last season. 5-8 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492323' first='Kamri' last='Rowland']</strong> (<em>14.9p, 7.2r, 2.4a, 3.1s</em>) and 5-10 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756244' first='Courtney' last='Mathew']</strong> (<em>11.9p, 4.5r, 3.7a, 2.8s</em>) should once again be standouts for Rensselaer Central. Rowland can handle the ball and initiate the offense, but she's a strong, physical, multilevel scorer, and she'll likely be asked to score closer to 20 points per game this season. Mathew is their primary ball-handler, she has nice size, length, and athleticism, and she is an excellent defender. Look for her to also increase her scoring while maintaining her playmaking for others. From there, 5-8 Senior forward <strong>Brodie Radtke</strong> (<em>7.8p, 4.5r, 1.6a, 1.4s</em>) and 5-7 Junior guard <strong>Alivia Cain</strong> (<em>2.6p, 2.8r, 1.3a, 1.6s</em>) add toughness and a defensive mindset to the mix. Dealing with size could be an issue for the Lady Bombers this season, but they should remain one of the better teams in Class 2A all season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benton Central is typically a "regular" when it comes to advancing in the postseason, but last season they saw several younger ladies take the floor and earn their stripes. Now, the Bison look to challenge Rensselaer once again for the Sectional #37 crown. 5-10 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1092447' first='McKenna' last='Yadon']</strong> (<em>10.6p, 6.7r, 1.2a, 1.7s</em>) is the lone returning double-figure scorer, but the inside-out, versatile forward has some help. 6-2 Junior post <strong>Azlee Reynolds</strong> (<em>5.8p, 3.1r</em>) looks to be a bigger presence in the paint this season, especially defensively. 5-6 Sophomore point guard <strong>Khloe Goodman</strong> (<em>4.8p, 3.0r, 2.1a, 2.0s</em>) saw quality time as a rookie, and now she could step into the full-time lead guard role for the Bison. Junior guards <strong>Madison Minniear</strong>, <strong>Emma Hinds</strong>, and <strong>Violet Hardebeck</strong> all strive for a bigger opportunity this year as well, and a couple of people will be needed to round out the starting lineup. As these youngsters settle in and figure out their roles, look for Benton Central to only trend up as the season wears on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Delphi: 5-7 Junior wing <strong>Payton Morrow</strong> (<em>9.2p, 5.8r, 1.6a, 1.9s</em>) and 5-7 Senior wing <strong>Abby Brown</strong> (<em>8.0p, 4.0r, 1.0a, 2.0s in 2 games</em>); North Montgomery: Senior wing <strong>Macee Norman</strong> (<em>8.8p, 6.1r</em>) and Junior guard <strong>Lilly Graham</strong> (<em>5.1p, 1.6r</em>); Seeger: 5-7 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137356' first='Cadence' last='White']</strong> (<em>14.6p, 4.0r, 1.0a, 3.0s</em>), 5-7 Sophomore forward <strong>Lorelei Lanie</strong> (<em>9.0p, 6.4r, 1.1a, 2.3s</em>), and 5-6 Senior guard <strong>Caleigh Purcell</strong> (<em>8.2p, 5.4r, 2.8a, 4.3s</em>); Western Boone: 5-7 Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834948' first='Ally' last='Lewis']</strong> (<em>14.1p, 7.0r, 1.0a, 2.6s</em>) and Senior point guard <strong>Ila Stokes</strong> (<em>6.1p, 2.7r, 2.5a, 2.3s</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->