State Tourney Preview: Class 2A North

The IHSAA State Tournament begins this evening, weather pending, for many schools across the Hoosier state. With that in mind, I wanted to offer a brief preview of each Sectional in the North for Class 2A, which incorporates Sectionals #33 through #40. Below is a look at the teams in each of those Sectionals, along with some general comments and analysis. I will continue previewing the IHSAA State Tournament throughout the course of the day, with eight articles posting in total.   (SAG = Current 2018-2019 Multiclass Sagarin Rating; SOS = Current 2018-2019 Strength of Schedule)   Sectional #33 at Bowman Academy Hammond Bishop Noll (18-6) SAG 104; SOS 175 Andrean (14-10) SAG 156; SOS 124 Lake Station Edison (15-6) SAG 235; SOS 369 Whiting (15-8) SAG 279; SOS 346 Gary Bowman Academy (7-14) SAG 342; SOS 353 River Forest (2-19) SAG 369; 324 Gary Roosevelt (1-15) SAG 386; SOS 359 Like in most recent years, everyone will be chasing Bishop Noll for the Sectional #33 title. Bishop Noll boasts a trio of Sophomores in Courtney Blakely, Rose Fuentes, and Laila Rogers who provide a nice balance of ball handling, shooting / scoring, and rebounding. Andrean is back to another winning season this time around, and Karli Miller (2019) and Julia Schutz (2021) lead the Fighting 59ers. Lake Station and high-scoring guard Taylor Austin (2021) look to contribute at least one upset to the tournament in their first game against Bishop Noll. Championship Game Prediction: Bishop Noll over Bowman   Sectional #34 at North Judson-San Pierre North Judson-San Pierre (19-3) SAG 26; SOS 150 Winamac (17-6) SAG 107; SOS 252 Hebron (15-7) SAG 160; SOS 265 Boone Grove (14-8) SAG 244; SOS 348 North Newton (11-9) SAG 313; SOS 365 A rarity at the small school level, but Sectional #34 consists of five teams who all have winning records. North Judson is still the class of the Sectional, and the duo of Lilliann Frasure (2021) and Madeline Schumacher (2019) will cause opposing coaches nightmares this week. Winamac has put together a nice season, and do-everything wing Laini Joseph (2021) has been solid each time out. Hebron looks to cause an upset or two behind the play of Katlyn Cherry (2019) and Allison Hano (2019). Championship Game Prediction: North Judson-San Pierre over Winamac   Sectional #35 at Central Noble Central Noble (22-0) SAG 21; SOS 143 Bremen (17-6) SAG 69; SOS 133 Westview (14-8) SAG 171; SOS 167 Prairie Heights (7-15) SAG 233; SOS 192 Whitko (5-17) SAG 289; SOS 170 LaVille (5-17) SAG 319; SOS 190 Sectional #35 is home to the 2018 Class 2A State Champion Central Noble Cougars. What have they done for an encore? How about a 22-0 regular season? The dynamic duo of Sydney Freeman (2019) and Meleah Leatherman (2019) has once again proven to be virtually unstoppable, but they’re getting more help this time around. Their toughest competition, Bremen, Central Noble beat 68-48 back around Christmas. Look for the Cougars to again run through Sectional #35 with some ease. Other top players here include Karlee Feldman (2019) and Erin Coffel (2020) of Bremen, and Ashya Klopfenstein (2019) of Westview. Championship Game Prediction: Central Noble over Bremen by a dozen   Sectional #36 at Bluffton Adams Central (12-10) SAG 168; SOS 259 Bluffton (10-11) SAG 180; SOS 195 Eastside (6-15) SAG 251; SOS 183 South Adams (10-12) SAG 264; SOS 214 Churubusco (5-16) SAG 288; SOS 191 Fort Wayne Canterbury (0-9) SAG 378; SOS 326 Adams Central won just five games a year ago, but they inserted a new Head Coach and a transfer from Leo High School, and suddenly they’re one of the Sectional #36 favorites. Point Guard McKenna Dietsch (2021) has been a welcome addition for the Flying Jets. Bluffton won the Sectional a season ago, and they knocked off Adams Central 51-31 earlier this year, so they could be a tough matchup for Adams Central to deal with. Emme Boots (2021) is their top player this season. Eastside and South Adams look to be the ‘fly in the ointment’ this year, and either team is feisty enough and capable of winning the title. Championship Game Prediction: Bluffton over Adams Central in a nail-biter   Sectional #37 at Manchester Oak Hill (18-3) SAG 33; SOS 210 Manchester (15-7) SAG 162; 201 North Miami (15-6) SAG 211; SOS 313 Wabash (9-13) SAG 250; SOS 254 Rochester (8-13) SAG 284; SOS 279 Lewis Cass (1-21) SAG 353; 269 This is Oak Hill’s Sectional to win or lose, plain and simple. They have been a dominant force for a long time running now, and this season in particular they are 3-0 against the other Sectional teams, with no game being closer than 30 points. Taylor Westgate (2020), Adrianna Trexler (2019), Jenessa Hasty (2019), and Kaela Robey (2019) have been a strong nucleus for three years now, and they are looking to do big things to finish this season. Kennedy Fierstos (2019) and Eva Bazzoni (2021) of Manchester, Bailey Keim (2020), Hannah Hall (2020), and Maryann Freeman (2020) of North Miami, and Alivia Short (2021) of Wabash are a few other top players in Sectional #37. Championship Game Prediction: Oak Hill over Manchester   Sectional #38 at Lafayette Central Catholic Lafayette Central Catholic (17-6) SAG 62; SOS 75 Clinton Prairie (17-5) SAG 166; SOS 314 Seeger (18-3) SAG 167; SOS 357 Covington (13-8) SAG 254; SOS 345 Delphi (12-9) SAG 285; SOS 360 Rossville (6-16) SAG 326; SOS 331 Fountain Central (3-19) SAG 352; SOS 325 Lafayette Central Catholic continues to put together strong seasons, and they’ve done so against what is essentially the equivalence of a Class 4A schedule. Lexi Thompson (2019) is their star, but Karsyn Cherry (2022) and Caitlin Dineen (2022) are the de facto stars-in-waiting. Clinton Prairie does have a nice perimeter player as well in Tatum Neal (2019), and Seeger looks to be strong too with guard Kiley White (2020) leading the way. Championship Game Prediction: Lafayette Central Catholic over Clinton Prairie   Sectional #39 at Madison-Grant Tipton (18-5) SAG 82; SOS 221 Taylor (12-7) SAG 174; SOS 263 Eastbrook (12-10) SAG 243; SOS 300 Eastern-Greentown (12-9) SAG 247; SOS 304 Alexandria-Monroe (10-12) SAG 305; SOS 323 Carroll-Flora (3-18) SAG 349; SOS 294 Madison-Grant (3-19) SAG 364; SOS 229 Sectional #39 will see Tipton as a somewhat heavy favorite. They are 3-0 against Sectional competition, with the closest game being a late-November win over Taylor 67-38. Cassidy Crawford (2019) and Kelsey Mitchell (2019) pace the Blue Devils. Taylor went from 3 wins last year to 12 this time around due to the addition of a transfer and a couple of talented Freshmen. Taylor Boruff (2019) was the third leading scorer on last year’s Class 3A State Champion Northwestern team, while Kelsi Langley (2022) and Emma Good (2022) have been consistent all year. Eastbrook has good team balance, but Kylie Standfest (2019) is their top player, while Eastern looks to Juniors McKenzie Cooper, Lexi James, and Jeanie Crabtree for production. Jenna Reece VanBlair (2021) of Alexandria is another nice player. Championship Game Prediction: Tipton over Eastbrook   Sectional #40 at Sheridan Monroe Central (17-5) SAG 65; SOS 155 Lapel (15-7) SAG 145; SOS 240 Frankton (12-11) SAG 165; SOS 198 Wapahani (14-8) SAG 177; SOS 208 Sheridan (12-10) SAG 271; SOS 322 Elwood (4-19) SAG 350; SOS 268 One year ago, Monroe Central entered Sectional #40 play 23-0 and primed to make a run. But they ran into a buzz saw that week by the name of Frankton. This time around, Monroe Central might actually be a heavier favorite, and they should come out on top with a title. Jordyn Barga (2019) and Hannah Bolton (2020) are once again their top performers. Lapel has had a solid season, as Kylie Rich (2019), Morgan Knepp (2020), Makynlee Taylor (2020), and Delany Peoples (2020) have all stepped into prominent roles this year. Frankton and Wapahani have each had their moments this season, and both schools could definitely play the role of spoiler this year. Addie Gardner (2020), Sierra Southard (2019), and Bailey Tucker (2020) star for Frankton, while Madison Thompson (2021), Sydney Cook (2019), and Carlie Boggs (2019) have all produced double-figures for Wapahani. Championship Game Prediction: Monroe Central over Frankton in a rematch from last year   Header photo of Central Noble celebrating their 2018 Class 2A State Championship; photo courtesy of news-sentinel.com.