Semi-State Preview: Class 1A South

<!-- 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 this coming Saturday'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 South in Class 1A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+3">at Charlestown</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">10:00a - Evansville Christian (19-6) vs. Borden (22-4)</font></strong><br>Evansville Christian is in just its fourth year as an IHSAA member school, they won their first Sectional and Regional titles this season, and they have a strong Senior class. You could say they've been ramping up for this season with this group. After three wins by single digits during Sectional play, they won their Regional game by 41 points, 73-32. 5-8 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256469' first='Hannah' last='Higgs']</strong> (<em>18.0p, 3.9r, 3.4a, 4.4s</em>) is the main catalyst around the perimeter. She can handle it in transition, initiate the offense, plus she's a multilevel scoring threat. She is strong, physical, and plays hard. 5-9 Senior front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256458' first='Bella' last='Hall']</strong> (<em>13.8p, 8.7r, 2.9s</em>) is the biggest problem for opponents inside. She can play forward or center, she is strong, physical and aggressive, and she plays with a great motor. Senior <strong>Peyton Geer</strong> (<em>8.1p, 1.5r, 2.8a, 3.3s</em>) was more of a scorer earlier in her career, but the last couple of years she has really excelled at being a distributor and a nice on-ball defender. She has speed, quickness, and some grit to her as well. Hannah's twin <strong>Hallie Higgs</strong> (<em>7.9p, 8.9r</em>), a Senior front-liner, is another forward/post who doubles with Hall to protect the paint, control the boards, and provide an interior scoring presence. Senior guard <strong>Sammi Holzmeyer</strong> (<em>4.4p, 1.7r, 1.9a, 1.8s</em>) rounds out the starting backcourt and gives them a scrappy hustle player who does a nice job of complementing the others. The Eagles don't go deep at all, and their primary sub is the only non-Senior playing major minutes...5-9 Sophomore wing <strong>Lindey Schaefer</strong> (<em>2.1p, 2.6r</em>). She has enough size to spell Hall or Hallie Higgs, but she also possesses enough skill to play some around the perimeter in spurts. Then there is Borden. For everything Evansville Christian is in terms of experience, multiply that by about 10 for the Lady Braves. They also have an entirely Senior-led starting five, they have won 82 games over the past four seasons, and yes, they are the defending Class 1A State Champions back for more. I almost feel like, with all of the upsets throughout the state, regardless of class, Borden has been flying under the radar this postseason. They are kind of the "status quo" team, and I feel like almost too much is expected of them. While they are a favorite again, everyone just expects them to win without considering how difficult it is to maneuver a state tournament. Regardless, their starting five could compete with nearly all of the 392 teams in the state. 5-11 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486522' first='Ava' last='Wheeler']</strong> was their leader a season ago, but she injured her knee last Spring and missed a good portion of this season. She is back, however, and they are only stronger because of it. When fully healthy, she is a smooth and fluid athlete, she has point forward skill, plus she can play inside the paint if needed. 6-0 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486550' first='Riley' last='Rarick']</strong> has always been a favorite of mine because of her length, fluidity, and her ability to play any of four positions. She has a solid handle, good vision, and she almost passes up shots at times to get others involved. 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486552' first='A.J.' last='Mallad']</strong> is a great piece to fit alongside those two, because she's able to hide on the wings and get open shots off of their penetration. She is a knockdown shooter, a high IQ basketball player, and she competes like crazy as well. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797505' first='Emma' last='Hart']</strong> is a nice athlete with length, she does a lot of work inside of 15-feet, and if she weren't such a good softball player, she'd likely be a scholarship basketball player. 5-7 Senior wing <strong>McKenna Mullen</strong> adds to their toughness. She plays with a nice motor, makes a lot of hustle plays, but she can get 18 points or a dozen rebounds on occasion, when people focus on her teammates. She's also an effective defender. Their primary rotation player is also a Sophomore, and she is 5-7 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='973276' first='Saylor' last='Schleicher']</strong>. Because of Wheeler's and Rarick's versatility, Schleicher can come in, play point or a scoring role, and the Lady Braves still have size and the ability to defend all five positions. I really like what Evansville Christian has done the last four seasons, but this game comes down to matchups, and I think Borden presents a lot of problems. If the Lady Braves execute as usual, take care of the basketball, and make open shots, I think they can win by double figures. If the Eagles get hot, however, this could be a nail-biter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">12:00p - Greenwood Christian (16-10) vs. Tindley Accelerated (17-5)</font></strong><br>This season has been quite the rollercoaster ride for the Greenwood Christian Cougars. They began the season 1-4, then they won six in a row. They followed that by losing five of their next six games, but they have since won eight of their last nine contests. Whew! Their Sectional wasn't uber-strong, but they did beat a really nice Tri High program last Saturday to advance to this Semi-State. And they did so without any Seniors on the roster and two Sophomores leading them in scoring, so they could see similar results in 2026-2027. 6-1 Sophomore post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1327395' first='Myra' last='Finnity']</strong> (<em>12.5p, 10.9r, 1.8a, 3.1s, 2.0b</em>) kind of does a little of everything. She is a solid all-around athlete, she has tremendous length, and she is still growing. She's most comfortable near the basket, but she can also play effectively in the mid-post, and she is 9-17 from 3-point range, so she can keep defenses honest. 5-11 Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1327396' first='Molly' last='Hunter']</strong> (<em>9.1p, 6.5r, 1.7a, 2.2s</em>) is a really nice multisport athlete who also plays with some versatility on the basketball court. Her length and athleticism allow her to defend multiple positions, but offensively she is more of an attacker looking to get to the basket. 5-2 Junior guard <strong>Kate Reed</strong> (<em>6.5p, 2.5r, 2.8a, 2.6s</em>) is one of their primary ball-handlers, and she does a nice job of playing "small" and using her quickness to get by defenders. 5-2 Sophomore guard <strong>Annani Stoltz</strong> (<em>4.5p</em>) is another perimeter player who uses her athleticism and quickness to bother opponents. 5-9 Junior forward <strong>Norah Herndon</strong> (<em>6.2p, 3.2r, 2.0s</em>) and 5-6 Junior wing <strong>Reagan Willis</strong> (<em>3.0p, 2.3r, 1.5s</em>) add more versatility and can play on the perimeter or in the mid-post, while 5-10 Sophomore front-liner <strong>Kaylee Edgar</strong> (<em>3.0p, 3.9r</em>) does a nice job of rotating with classmates Finnity and Hunter up front. The Cougars are intriguing, and they have a little of everything to bother opponents. The Tindley Tigers have also won eight of their last nine games, and while they lean on a strong Senior core for leadership, some of their key pieces are new to the program this season. They've blown out the bad teams they should, they've played good teams tough, and last Saturday they got a huge triple overtime win against a very good Trinity Lutheran squad. 5-6 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='917005' first='Shantel' last='Shockley']</strong> (<em>14.9p, 2.4r, 4.6a, 5.3s</em>) arrived this season by way of Warren Central, and she is a talent. She has high-level speed, quickness, and athleticism, she has a nice mid-range pull-up, or she can go by most defenders and get to the basket. She's also an elite on-ball defender at this level. 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1623379' first='Ariaunna' last='Hall']</strong> (<em>13.4p, 3.2r, 2.6a, 3.1s</em>) is another playmaker who can play on or off the ball. She can knock down open shots outside and keep defenses honest, but she can also get to the rim, and she's an effortful, pesky defender as well. 5-8 Junior wing <strong>Amyah Taylor</strong> (<em>8.6p, 2.6r, 1.8a, 3.0s</em>) adds another athletic defender who can also score the ball at all three levels. 6-3 Senior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357836' first='Kaila' last='Leath']</strong> (<em>7.9p, 7.8r, 1.6s, 1.7b</em>) is a good-sized post prospect, she has some length, and she plays hard. She's still improving skillfully, but she's a highly effective presence defensively, as she alters/blocks a lot of shots and rebounds well. She moved in this year from Scecina Memorial. 5-6 Freshman guard <strong>Shaniya Harden-John</strong> (<em>7.8p, 3.5r, 1.8a, 3.1s</em>) and 5-4 Sophomore guard <strong>Rihanna Peay</strong> (<em>5.8p, 2.8r, 1.7a, 2.5s</em>) offer the Tigers some perimeter depth, and both can score, create, and defend a little. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>Alonah Savage</strong> (<em>3.7p, 3.2r</em>) and 6-1 Junior post <strong>Zakkiya Northern</strong> (<em>3.2p, 2.7r</em>) are two additional frontline prospects who add size, defense, and rebounding to the rotation. Greenwood Christian is a bit on the younger side in this matchup, and Tindley has some dynamic, athletic guards. I'd look for the Tigers to get out and pressure the ball early. If they are able to turn GCA over, they can stretch out the lead and win by 20. But if the Cougars are able to make it a halfcourt game, it could be about ball control and execution, and that's their best chance to win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">8:00p - Winner @ 10:00a vs. Winner @ 12:00p</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->