Semi-State Preview: Class 2A North

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of Butler University commit [player_tooltip player_id='486521' first='Laniah' last='Wills'] (2026) from Lapel High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- 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 North in Class 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+3">at Frankfort</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">10:00a - Lapel (22-4) vs. Bremen (23-2)</font></strong><br>After beginning the year 11-0, Lapel dropped 3 of 4 around Christmas, and they have since responded by winning 10 of their last 11. The Bulldogs are also nearing the end of one of the best careers in program history, as 6-1 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486521' first='Laniah' last='Wills']</strong> (<em>26.7p, 12.6r, 1.6a, 2.3s</em>) continues to leave her mark. Yes, there have been other nice players over the last four seasons, but Wills' contribution has been record-breaking for the Bulldogs. She has scored nearly 2400 points and hauled in just under 1400 rebounds throughout her career, while the team has won 84 games, 3 Sectional titles, 3 Regional titles, and a Semi-State title (<em>their last Sectional title was during the 2006-2007 season</em>). And despite losing a lot of production in each of the last two graduating classes, they've still managed to succeed at a high level. This year, 5-9 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='721513' first='Sophie' last='Goodwin']</strong> (<em>8.2p, 2.6r</em>) has shown improved play around the perimeter as a skillful and athletic wing guard. From there, the addition of 5-6 Sophomore point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='990165' first='Serenity' last='Conyers']</strong> (<em>8.5p, 3.7r</em>) has been welcomed. She is a quick, fast, and explosive athlete who can get into the defense and cause breakdowns. She transferred in from Liberty Christian, where she averaged 24.5 points per game last year as a Freshman. The Bulldogs aren't terribly deep, but they do have five more ladies who play regular minutes and figure out ways to contribute with hustle plays, rebounds, and effortful defense. All are Juniors. 5-6 wing <strong>Addie Bodenhorn</strong> (<em>3.5p, 2.7r, 1.8a</em>), 5-5 guard <strong>Layla Dawson</strong> (<em>3.0p, 2.6r, 3.5a</em>), 5-6 guard <strong>Jane Armington</strong> (<em>2.3p</em>), 5-6 guard <strong>Sam Sears</strong> (<em>2.2p</em>), and 5-7 guard <strong>Bella Roland</strong> (<em>1.0p</em>) have each played in more than 20 games and could end up being the core of next year's squad as well. Bremen is a Senior-laden team who has been gearing up for this season, and they have been nearly flawless, dropping two games by a total of 10 points. The Senior backcourt trio of 5-7 point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='434719' first='Eliana' last='Grubbs']</strong> (<em>14.4p, 5.4r, 4.4a, 2.9s</em>), 5-5 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131960' first='Emma' last='Kincaid']</strong> (<em>14.2p, 4.0r, 3.6a, 2.2s</em>), and 5-7 guard <strong>Emma Lawmaster</strong> (<em>10.4p, 3.7r, 2.5a, 2.4s</em>) have been collectively strong. They can all shoot/score the ball from different spots on the floor, they are all willing distributors, and they all get after it defensively. 6-1 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1657595' first='Teagan' last='Feathers']</strong> (<em>6.1p, 7.3r, 2.6b</em>) and 6-0 Sophomore forward <strong>Skylee Feathers</strong> (<em>6.2p, 5.4r</em>) round out the first five and provide back-end defense and rebounding. They are nice, long, bouncy athletes who protect the paint. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='892512' first='Natalie' last='Harmon']</strong> (<em>2.9p, 3.8r</em>) is another long, wiry forward who helps on the interior, while 5-7 Freshman guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1234694' first='Lola' last='Bender']</strong> (<em>1.0p</em>) has offered the Lions at least a little depth around the perimeter. This is a very intriguing matchup of two teams built entirely different. For Lapel, they will play inside-out, using Wills' talents inside the arc for their offense, while Bremen will likely want to force tempo, allowing their Seniors to get out in transition, create havoc, and apply a lot of pressure to the Bulldog perimeter players. The wildcard here could be Conyers. If she's able to up her output and provide a solid second option for Lapel, she could become a handful for the Lions. Either way, this should be a fun watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">12:00p - Whitko (25-1) vs. Oak Hill (22-3)</font></strong><br>Whitko has been sitting atop the ICGSA Class 2A poll for much of the year, and they haven't disappointed. They utilize a strong and balanced perimeter group to control tempo, find offense, and put pressure on opponents defensively. 5-6 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1221113' first='Reese' last='Stonebraker']</strong> (<em>12.9p, 4.7r, 3.0a, 3.2s</em>) and 5-4 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890886' first='Jayma' last='Stonebraker']</strong> (<em>12.2p, 3.0r, 4.0a, 4.2s</em>) lead the way for the Wildcats. Reese is a good perimeter shooter, she'll go inside and rebound, plus she's a solid ball-handler who can initiate the offense when necessary. Jayma is a quick, fast, and feisty playmaker at both ends of the floor. She does a nice job of attacking the paint for scores or assists, and she is a problem for opposing ball-handlers when she defends. 5-8 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834952' first='Kyra' last='Lowe']</strong> (<em>9.4p, 2.2r, 3.2a, 3.0s</em>) transferred in from South Bend Washington this year, and she has brought a toughness and athletic versatility to the backcourt. She can create offense for herself or others, she has good vision, and she can defend multiple positions equally well. 6-2 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259573' first='Ally' last='Brown']</strong> (<em>9.3p, 5.6r</em>) continues to improve each time she takes the floor. She has tremendous length, runs the floor well, and she creates quite an obstacle in the paint for opponents to shoot around/over. The sisterly effect is everywhere throughout their roster, as the Lueckes and Leffers also help the four players above. Junior guard <strong>Jocelyn Luecke</strong> (<em>6.3p</em>) and Freshman guard <strong>Ady Luecke</strong> (<em>3.6p</em>), plus Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1228338' first='Hazel' last='Leffers']</strong> (<em>6.2p, 3.0r, 1.9a, 2.3s</em>) and Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229461' first='Jules' last='Leffers']</strong> (<em>3.8p, 2.4r</em>), lend a great deal of perimeter support, athleticism, defense, and some rebounding despite their size. Also look for 5-7 Junior <strong>Willow Osborn</strong> (<em>2.6p, 1.6r</em>) to help a little all over the floor. The Wildcats aren't very tall (<em>other than Brown</em>), but they are feisty and deep with good guard play. Oak Hill has had an outstanding year themselves. Despite beginning 1-2, they have won 21 of their last 22 games and knocked off recent favorite Alexandria-Monroe in the Regional. While she might not lead them in scoring, 5-6 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137326' first='Landri' last='Hardman']</strong> (<em>6.2p, 3.8r, 5.1a, 3.1s</em>) is as huge as it comes for the Golden Eagles. She is a nice athlete, a poised, high IQ lead guard, she can run offense, keep her team calm, and she's a tenacious defender as well. Most of the time, they go as she goes. 6-1 Sophomore post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678159' first='Brianna' last='Dailey']</strong> (<em>15.8p, 6.2r, 1.6b</em>) is also a major force for Oak Hill, and she controls the interior. Whether it's a variety of low post or mid-post scores, or her utilizing her size and length at the defensive end, she's easily noticeable and impactful each time out. The Golden Eagles have good size, in fact, and 5-10 Junior <strong>Morgan Cates</strong> (<em>7.5p, 4.6r, 1.5a, 1.6s</em>) plus 6-0 Senior <strong>Lydia Trexler</strong> (<em>2.3p, 1.6r in 8 games</em>) bring great experience to the frontcourt. Cates has skill in the mid-post, she's a solid athlete, and she can battle a little inside. Trexler is more of an interior rebounder and defender. She missed most of the season but has returned for the last couple of games. Guard <strong>Kora Pond</strong> (<em>7.2p, 2.7r, 2.2a, 2.5s</em>), guard <strong>Lilly Edwards</strong> (<em>5.8p, 2.0a, 1.6s</em>), and 5-8 wing <strong>Erika Newhouse</strong> (<em>4.2p, 5.8r, 2.7a, 2.2s</em>) are a trio of Juniors who can help around the perimeter. Newhouse also has some versatility and can offer them another athlete inside when they want to play small. This game is a curious matchup of styles. Whitko will want to get out and go, use their speed and guard play, and Oak Hill has had a history of throwing different defensive looks at you, forcing you into your own mistakes, and they do a nice job of slowing things down and using their size. Whitko will likely be a solid favorite going in, but don't be surprised if Oak Hill keeps this in the 30s and makes it a single digit outcome.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">8:00p - Winner @ 10:00a vs. Winner @ 12:00p</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->