2025-26 Season Preview: Class 3A, Sectional 20

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the previews for Classes 1A and 2A are complete, it's time to turn to Class 3A. These should come almost two to a day over the next week, because the season is a week underway, and 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 3A, Sectional #20. 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 #20 at Tippecanoe Valley</font></strong><br>Columbia City (24-5), SAG 16, SOS 24<br>NorthWood (17-7), SAG 65, SOS 107<br>Fairfield (18-7), SAG 117, SOS 148<br>Tippecanoe Valley (13-11), SAG 134, SOS 106<br>Wawasee (13-10), SAG 143, SOS 151<br>West Noble (3-20), SAG 297, SOS 139</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Columbia City Eagles had one of the best seasons in school history, making it to the Class 3A Final Four. The only time they've made it farther was during the 1999-2000 season when they appeared in the State Finals, falling to Indianapolis Cathedral, 58-44. This year, they must deal with the graduation of an Indiana All-Star, along with a couple other important 2025 classmates. At the same time, the Eagles have some under-the-radar prospects/players who could very well surprise this season in leadership roles. 5-8 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486514' first='Anisa' last='Tonkel']</strong> (<em>9.7p, 3.3r, 1.9a, 1.6s</em>) is a really nice talent. She is strong, athletic, extremely hard-working, and skillful. She didn't play grassroots ball this Spring or Summer, so she's somewhat under-recruited, but she does have Crossroads League (<em>NAIA</em>) interest/offers, and she could be a high teens scorer for the Eagles. Joining her with significant experience is 5-9 Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256475' first='Torah' last='Holler']</strong> (<em>9.9p, 4.0r, 1.4a, 1.2s</em>). Holler is another nice, versatile athlete who can play at all three levels. She could also be a teens scorer for CCHS, and she has committed to Bethel University. Those two should play a major role in the 2025-2026 season, especially from a leadership aspect. Another intriguing prospect who could play a much bigger role this year is 5-11 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992133' first='Claudia' last='Strack']</strong>. She is a nice athlete who can defend &amp; rebound inside, plus she has some skill facing the basket. Beyond those three is a lot of opportunity for some younger players to step into major minutes, so consistent depth could be an issue early this season. But if they can get everyone on the same page sooner rather than later, they could be a problem for opponents all season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think the team who has the best chance to challenge Columbia City this season is Fairfield. The Falcons have the most talented duo in Sectional #20 in 5-11 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='567137' first='Eva' last='Herbert']</strong> (<em>10.7p, 3.5r, 4.0a, 2.4s</em>) and 5-11 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751296' first='Madison' last='Jones']</strong> (<em>12.1p, 4.1r, 1.3a, 1.5s</em>). Both bring height, length, and a lot of versatility to the perimeter. Herbert plays sort of a point forward role for the Falcons, while Jones is a nice mid-range shooter and finisher inside. Add to them 5-11 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='773840' first='Mykayla' last='Mast']</strong>, and Fairfield has one of the most impressive backcourts from a size standpoint in the state. Mast is another fluid, athletic, and versatile wing who does a little of everything. 5-7 Senior forward <strong>Macy Worthman</strong> adds another upperclassman with experience, while Sophomores <strong>Paige Park</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231860' first='Jenna' last='Fought']</strong> could help build depth for the Falcons. Fairfield returns much of the same roster from a year ago, so I would expect similar if not improved results from their 18-7 season a year ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Additional Players to Keep an Eye On:</strong> NorthWood: 6-1 Junior forward <strong>Addie Davis</strong> (<em>4.0p, 1.6r</em>) and 5-7 Senior guard <strong>Ella Balasa</strong> (<em>1.3p, 1.0r</em>); Tippecanoe Valley: 5-4 Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='928922' first='Gaby' last='Gonzalez']</strong> and 5-11 Senior wing <strong>Dalynne Bussard</strong>; Wawasee: 5-7 Senior forward <strong>Emerson Krull</strong> (<em>2.0p, 2.1r</em>) and Freshman guard <strong>Addison Barger</strong>; West Noble: 5-9 Sophomore wing <strong>Elyse Mead</strong> (<em>4.8p, 3.1r, 1.6a, 2.7s</em>) and 5-10 Sophomore forward <strong>Ava DeLong</strong> (<em>3.4p, 6.8r</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->