Class 4A North Regional Preview Part 2

Continuing our Class 4A Regional breakdowns, let’s turn our attention to the other Class 4A Regional in the North. This one incorporates Sectionals #5 through #8. With regards to Class 4A, there are around 40 schools in our Top-50 statewide countdown, regardless of class, so please keep that in mind if a couple of these Sectional previews might look a little thin. Below is a look at the teams in each of those Sectionals, along with some general comments and analysis. We will continue previewing the upcoming season throughout the rest of October, with our final preview articles posting on Halloween.   (SAG = Final 2017-2018 Sagarin Rating in Class 1A/Multiclass; SOS = Final 2017-2018 Strength of Schedule)   Sectional #5 Carroll-Fort Wayne (19-7) SAG 19/20; SOS 48 Fort Wayne Northrop (20-4) SAG 21/23; SOS 96 Fort Wayne Snider (8-15) SAG 75/145; SOS 31 DeKalb (11-12) SAG 83/197; SOS 106 East Noble (5-19) SAG 91/246; SOS 112 Fort Wayne North Side (6-17) SAG 93/286; SOS 141 A season ago both Carroll and Northrop were experienced, deep, and talented, but both programs suffered significant graduation losses. While they are still likely the better two teams here, this will be a much more competitive Sectional this season. Carroll graduated their top six players from a season ago, including Kelli Damman (14.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.6 spg, 47 made 3s), Laney Steckler (13.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.2 spg), Alyssa Kimes (7.5 ppg), Julia Miller (6.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 41 made 3s), Macy Miller (5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), and Emma Lubbehusen (3.8 ppg). This season it’s anyone’s guess as to who will play the majority of the minutes, but they have some good young talent. I’d expect to see 6-0 2019 front-liner Abbey Jackson, 2020 point guard Olivia Hoeppner, 2020 guard Malia Williams, 2021 point guard Emily Parrett, 2021 wing Delane Sheets, and 2021 front-liner Evy Murphy to get a crack at regular rotation minutes. Fort Wayne Northrop graduated eight Seniors of their own. Guards Arielle Thatcher, Niomi Dubé, Morgan Hughes, and Ashlyn Scott, wing Maddie Almond, forwards Bre’Anna Douglas and Mackenzie Snyder, and post Alicia Tiney-Williams have all been a part of the Varsity for multiple years. There are some really nice, young athletes in the program though, but they are limited on Varsity experience. 2019 post Markia Cardin, 2021 guard TiAuna White, and 2021 forward Destiny Jackson should all be cogs this time around, and Jackson is a tremendous athlete with good energy. Also, 2022 point guard J’Asia Scott could be in line for a starting gig. [caption id="attachment_12006" align="alignright" width="211"] Da'Leshia Davis of Snider[/caption] Fort Wayne Snider is one team who could contend this year for the Sectional #5 title. They did graduate leading scorer Hannah Barnes (14.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.1 spg, 36 made 3s), but everyone else is back. 5-6 2019 point guard Da’Leshia Davis (13.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 3.3 spg) is one of the lesser-known talents in this state. 2020 guard Payton Gorman (5.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.1 spg), 2019 water bug Nyasia Hardy (3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and 2020 power forward Delaney Rice (2.8 ppg) all return with starting experience. Snider also had a handful of 2021s get some floor time a season ago. DeKalb hasn’t had a winning season since 2013-2014, and they now must play without 2018 Indiana All-Star Leigha Brown (28.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.0 apg). Allison Marlowe (2.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Faith Lewis also graduated. Moving forward, look for 2020 guard Addison Ruby (7.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg), 2021 forward Sarah Brown (3.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg), and 2021 post Paige Pettis (2.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) to be the core of their team. East Noble struggled to just five wins last season, but a lot of that was in part to their floor general, graduated point guard Corie Jones (10.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 spg in 6 games), missing most of the season with an injury. Forward Kara Kline (10.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg) also graduated. So, the Knights now look to a younger cast to carry them into the future. Guard Avan Beiswanger (6.3 ppg), wing Karly Kirkpatrick (5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 spg), and forwards Kylie Garton (3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and Carly Turner (3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg) all played significant rotational minutes as Freshmen last season. 2019 forward Grace Erwin (3.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and 2019 guard Halle Beiswanger (2.3 ppg) were also rotational players last year. Fort Wayne North Side hasn’t had much success in recent history, but last year was a vast improvement, and they look to only get better this season. Laquisha Ruth (5.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Chanel Tyra (5.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) were the two main graduation losses, but the return of 2020 forward Ja’Shanek Brooks (8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg), 2019 guard Nya Coleman (7.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 3.4 spg), and 2019 wing Makyla Wilcher (5.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 spg) should have Legend fans excited.   Sectional #6 Homestead (19-3) SAG 12/13; SOS 18 Fort Wayne South Side (23-5) SAG 16/17; SOS 16 Huntington North (11-12) SAG 63/111; SOS 55 Muncie Central (6-18) SAG 92/266; SOS 115 Fort Wayne Wayne (2-20) SAG 100/362; SOS 149 Sectional #6 is very top-heavy, with state contenders Homestead and Fort Wayne South Side separating themselves from the pack. Both of those teams are featured in our Top-50 teams, regardless of class, so we’ll be previewing them in the next few days. Huntington North is always a competitive team, and this year they welcome the return of 6-0 2019 post Madalyn Robrock (12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg). She is a strong, physical, true post with good skill around the basket. The Vikings did graduate point guard Hollyn Anderson, forward Rileigh Johnson, guard Karmen Koch, and forward Larissa Johnson, all starters. 2019 forward Rylee Williams brings energy and rebounding, and 6-0 2020 front-liner Taylor Ruest and 6-2 2021 post Katelynn Arnold provide sizeable options inside, but they’ll need to rely on young, inexperienced guards this season. [caption id="attachment_14987" align="alignleft" width="194"] DaKoyta Sloss of Muncie Central[/caption] Muncie Central just got better and better throughout the 2017-2018 season, finishing 5-7 after a 1-11 start, including wins over Yorktown and Fort Wayne Canterbury. The one thing you could say about the Bearcats last year was that they always played with a scrappy intensity. 2019 guard DaKoyta Sloss (13.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 4.6 spg) just makes things happen at both ends of the floor. 2020 post Marisa Quiroz (7.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is a skilled big, and 2021 guard Maddison Geeslin (6.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.8 spg) had a nice Freshman season, while 2019 wing Riley Stafford (4.3 ppg), 2020 wing DeShae Johnson (4.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 spg), and 2019 forward Ayala Wilson (4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) also helped in various roles. With the return of their top three scorers, Wayne looks to improve upon their two wins from a season ago. 2019 post Mya Jackson (10.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg) is their most seasoned player.   Sectional #7 Zionsville Community (22-6) SAG 3/4; 13 Lafayette Jefferson (22-2) SAG 34/43; 108 West Lafayette Harrison (17-7) SAG 44/63; SOS 111 McCutcheon (13-11) SAG 66/120; SOS 113 Logansport (9-15) SAG 80/184; SOS 138 Kokomo (6-17) SAG 85/214; SOS 101 [caption id="attachment_14988" align="alignright" width="180"] Olivia Dowden of McCutcheon[/caption] Sectional #7 will likely be fought over by the likes of Zionsville, Lafayette Jefferson, and West Lafayette Harrison, but McCutcheon and Logansport are more than capable of pulling off an upset or two. Zionsville, Jefferson, and Harrison are all featured in our Top-50 teams, regardless of class, so be on the lookout for previews of Zionsville and Jefferson in the coming days. Harrison was featured last week. With that in mind, McCutcheon is always a competitive program, and this year they welcome back 5-11 2019 wing Olivia Dowden (13.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 3.6 spg). She’s a long and athletic wing who can score it or play kind of a point forward position. 5-11 2020 wing Bailey Burton (6.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg), 2021 forward Heather Johnson (4.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), 2019 forwards Trinity Berning (4.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Kameron Davis (2.7 ppg), and 2019 wing Maddie Rooze (2.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg) were all part of their rotation last year. Unfortunately, though, the Mavericks did graduate forward Halle Bares (9.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg), wing Anabelle Knoy (8.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 apg), forward Taryn Elliott (3.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg), and guard Brooklin Robinson (2.8 ppg). Logansport is starting to build momentum back up, and despite the graduation of point guard Olivia Pearson (16.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.8 spg) and wing Megan Benn (5.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.8 spg), the Berries look to improve their record this season. 2020 guard Elle Deardorff (12.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg) and 2019 wing Taylor Pasquale (12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) are now leaned on heavily for leadership. 2019 guard Yilian Rodriguez (3.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and 2020 forwards Emilee Cripe (2.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Justine Brown (3.1 rpg) all bring back Varsity experience. Kokomo is looking to get back to the success they had in the early 2000s, but they must deal with the loss of four graduates, including 6-1 forward Brittany Barnard (16.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 47 made 3s), forward Madison Wood (6.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg), guard Tevin Deckard (6.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.0 apg), and post Savannah Emmons (4.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg). The return of sensational athlete Tionna Brown (14.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.8 apg, 4.2 spg), a 2020 guard, as well as tough-nosed little 2019 point guard Olivia Eddington (6.5 ppg) should excite some people.   Sectional #8 Carmel (24-3) SAG 1/1; SOS 1 Hamilton Southeastern (16-8) SAG 7/8; SOS 3 Noblesville (15-8) SAG 23/25; SOS 12 Fishers (13-12) SAG 26/28; SOS 8 Westfield (14-9) SAG 40/58; SOS 39 Anderson (12-12) SAG 61/109; SOS 43 [caption id="attachment_11988" align="alignleft" width="205"] Tyra Ford of Anderson[/caption] Sectional #8 might be the deepest Sectional in the North in Class 4A, and we will be featuring Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville, Fishers, and Westfield all in our Top-50 teams, regardless of class. So, today this has essentially turned into a preview about Anderson. While Anderson might not be a Top-50 team in the state, they are extremely athletic, feisty, and competitive. They will surely upset a few teams who disrespect them this season. Athletic 2021 forward Tyra Ford (13.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.5 spg) is one of the best offensive rebounders in the entire state. 2019 combo guard Staisha Hamilton (10.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.4 apg) is a little streaky, but when she gets going, she can put up 30 points in a hurry. 2020 wing Erin Martin (4.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg) is a nice athlete as well. They had to dismiss three athletes mid-season last year, so if they can somehow find some depth and consistency from their bench, they should be a 15-win team this year.   Header photo of 2018 Sectional #7 Champion Zionsville Eagles; photo courtesy of timessentinel.com. Photo of Da'Leshia Davis courtesy of journalgazette.net. Photo of DaKoyta Sloss courtesy of munciecentralathletics.com. Photo of Olivia Dowden courtesy of jconline.com. Photo of Tyra Ford courtesy of heraldbulletin.com.