2025-26 Season Preview: Class 2A, Sectional 40

<!-- 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 #40 at Wapahani</font></strong><br>Alexandria-Monroe (25-2), SAG 53, SOS 286<br>Wapahani (19-5), SAG 136, SOS 219<br>Eastbrook (8-14), SAG 248, SOS 258<br>Blackford (2-22), SAG 351, SOS 260<br>Madison-Grant (4-19), SAG 352, SOS 324<br>Muncie Burris (4-17), SAG 361, SOS 360</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sectional #40 was decimated by graduation and transfer loss, so it could be pretty wide open in 2025-2026. However, I would continue to look at the Top 3 schools from last season, as they have a history of remaining competitive, even in "down" years. Alexandria-Monroe graduated their top four players and eight Seniors in total, so the hope is that many of those younger prospects who played in blowout situations can utilize that experience to step up early this season. Sophomore forward <strong>Conleigh Davidson</strong> (<em>4.6p, 2.7r, 1.2s</em>) is the lone returning starter, and she could be more of a focal point this year. She is strong and physical, and she can play in the mid-post or around the block. 5-6 Junior guard <strong>Stella Griffin</strong> (<em>3.5p, 1.6r</em>) was a key reserve last season, but now she'll be relied upon for key starter's minutes. Senior wing <strong>Daisy Bivens</strong> (<em>1.6p, 1.4r, 1.1a, 1.0s</em>), Junior forward <strong>Brynlee Humphries</strong> (<em>1.0p</em>), and Senior guard <strong>Alexa Sarvis</strong> (<em>0.8p</em>) each saw action in 14 or more games, so they are the next most experienced Tigers on the roster. Also keep an eye out for 5-6 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1238597' first='Laela' last='Dietzer']</strong> (<em>6.0p, 3.3r, 2.5a, 2.3s</em>), a transfer from Frankton High School. She could come in and lead them in scoring almost immediately.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the ten ladies who saw playing time for Wapahani last year, six graduated and two transferred out, leaving just a pair of Lady Raiders eligible to return to the lineup. However, year to year they typically have some youngsters waiting in the wings, so I wouldn't count them out just yet. As for the returnees, 5-3 Senior guard <strong>Zoey Koger</strong> (<em>1.8p</em>) and 5-7 Junior forward <strong>Ava Cook</strong> (<em>1.2p, 1.0r</em>) are thrust into key roles. From there, much is unknown about the 2025-2026 Wapahani Lady Raiders. Similar things could be said about the Eastbrook Panthers, as they graduated four of their top five performers from 2024-2025. They too often have some nice younger players within their program they can count on to step up. 5-5 Sophomore guard <strong>Kayla Cochran</strong> (<em>2.9p, 2.8r, 1.5s</em>) could be such a player after seeing starter's minutes last season. Look for her to pursue a double-digit scoring average in her second year. 5-2 Junior guard <strong>Addison McVicker</strong> (<em>1.4p, 2.8r</em>) also played quality minutes in their rotation last season and should be a starter this time around. 5-8 Sophomore forward <strong>Khloie McVicker</strong> (<em>0.6p, 1.5r</em>), 5-11 Junior post <strong>Ava Nacke</strong> (<em>0.2p</em>), and 5-9 Senior forward <strong>Adree Payton</strong> (<em>0.1p</em>) offer the Lady Panthers some size that most Sectional #40 opponents might not have.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> Blackford: 6-1 Senior post <strong>Rylee Heiser</strong> (<em>6.1p, 3.9r</em>) and 5-7 Senior guard <strong>Raegan Ridgway</strong> (<em>5.3p, 2.8r, 1.0a</em>); Madison-Grant: Freshman forward <strong>Grace Wood</strong> (<em>8.0p, 6.3r, 1.2s, 2.1b</em>) and 5-6 Junior forward <strong>Olivia Dunham</strong> (<em>4.8p, 4.6r, 1.0s</em>); Muncie Burris: 5-8 Senior wing <strong>Sydney Jackson</strong> (<em>17.2p, 3.4r, 1.8a, 4.6s, 2.9b</em>) and 5-10 Junior forward <strong>JaMaria Jackson</strong> (<em>3.1p, 8.1r, 1.0b</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->