Jasper Semi-State Preview

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="130346" first="Brooklynn" last="Jones"] of Loogootee High School. With just 16 teams remaining in Indiana’s state tournament, four schools in each classification, Hoosier hoop fans now turn their attention to the Semi-State round. Below is a look at one of the South Semi-States hosted by Jasper High School, breakdowns and analysis of those two games, plus predictions on who we think could be the South representative for their classification on February 26th or 27th at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This will be an intriguing weekend of high school girls’ basketball, as the Regionals last Saturday produced a number of upsets and surprises. (All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.)   1:00 PM - CLASS 1A SOUTH SEMI-STATE 16-6 Greenwood Christian Academy (Greenwood, IN) Since their addition to the IHSAA during the 2006-2007 season, the Cougars of Greenwood Christian Academy have gone from zero Sectional titles during their first 12 seasons, to Regional finalist in 2018-2019, to the Semi-State each of the last two seasons. The next step for the Cougars is to make that trip to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but to do so, they must avenge last year’s 57-40 Semi-State loss to the same Loogootee Lions. They seemed to step up their schedule quite a bit this year, with what losses they had being against quality competition. They also had good wins against Triton Central, Park Tudor, and Union City. Yesterday, I spoke about how valuable [player_tooltip player_id="35021" first="Lilliann" last="Frasure"] has been to the North Judson-San Pierre team/program. Well, Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="35057" first="Isabella" last="Reed"] (23.3p, 13.5r, 4.4a, 2.3s) has been that same type of influence for this Greenwood Christian team/program. Ironically, she too will be attending Indiana Wesleyan University next Fall. Reed is a high-motor, wiry strong athlete with a competitive fire. At the Class 1A level, she can dominate down low or in the mid-post, but throughout the Springs and Summers she has shown the ability to play comfortably around the perimeter as well, and for all intents and purposes she is a wing at the next level. Plus, her shooting percentages across the board are at an all-time high. What’s scary for Loogootee this season is, Reed has as much help around her as she ever has. That statement was made more valid by the addition of Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="62575" first="Brooklyn" last="Stubblefield"] (16.2p, 3.0r, 2.9a, 3.7s), after her transfer from Greenwood Community High School. Stubblefield is a long, quick/fast, and high-energy guard who flies around the floor at both ends. She loves to play fast and push the ball in transition, often finding easy baskets, and she can turn opposing guards over with regularity. She was something the Cougars were possibly lacking last year, and should help them match up with the Lions better this time around. And that’s not to take away from the contributions of Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="184244" first="Savvanah" last="Frye"] (11.8p, 5.7r, 4.6a) or Junior guard Ellie Bigelow (10.3p, 2.0r, 2.2a, 2.1s). They have each contributed from their first moments on campus as well. Frye is a tough-nosed, somewhat strong, but skilled wing who plays sort of a point forward position for them. She is also a threat from downtown. Bigelow is more of a slasher type, and she uses her long, gliding frame to slice to the basket. 19-4 Loogootee High School (Loogootee, IN) I mean this with the utmost respect, but this Loogootee Lion group is just steady and dependable. They aren’t going to overwhelm you with flash and pizzazz, they are much tougher than they look, competitive, and they just understand how to play and how to play together. It’s a product of the right pieces coming together at the right time in Loogootee and just clicking. After their 2020 Class 1A State Championship, the experienced Lions got back to work this season. They suffered a couple of early season losses to teams they haven’t fallen to for a few years, but they have won 13 of their last 14 games, including two huge wins last weekend over Trinity Lutheran and Tecumseh. The Lions returned all five starters from last season, which includes four Seniors and a Junior. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="35070" first="Kalea" last="Fleming"] is as tough-nosed and gritty as they come. She plays with a lot of energy, she takes care of the basketball, and she can make shots outside or get to the basket. She was the main catalyst against Greenwood Christian a year ago, as she made several huge defensive plays down the stretch for Loogootee. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="130346" first="Brooklynn" last="Jones"] is their best athlete. She can run and jump, she has length, and she too can affect the game at the defensive end of the floor. She can break down defenders and attack the basket, she’s a capable perimeter shooter, but she’s outstanding in transition. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="245975" first="Makenzie" last="VanHoy"] is a versatile inside-out threat who hurts you when you pay too much attention to Fleming and Jones. Makenzie can knock down the open jumper, and as deep as 3-point range, she can take it two to three dribbles to the basket and score, she’s an active rebounder, and she is a versatile defender. Junior forward Kylie VanHoy is a bit stronger than her older sister, plus she’s much more comfortable inside. She will play on the block and in the mid-range game, she plays with a nice motor, and she’s a very active rebounder and a solid interior defender. Senior guard Isabelle Waggner is the perfect compliment to those four, as she understands her role, she takes care of the ball, defends, and does a nice job of finding teammates when they’re open. Class 1A Prediction: Because this is a rematch of last year’s Semi-State game, I am very interested in seeing how much improved Greenwood Christian looks, and if they can turn the tables against Loogootee. I think the Lions experience and success in the State Finals last year will keep them calm throughout, while the Cougars will be playing on adrenaline trying to avenge last year’s loss. Loogootee will need to send two and three people at Reed when she has the ball and force Greenwood Christian’s other players to make plays. With Stubblefield, Frye, and Bigelow all capable, that’s not as easy as it sounds. The Cougars, on the other hand, will need to take care of the ball and value possessions more than they did a year ago. If they get caught being sloppy, especially down the stretch, Loogootee is capable of running a lot of clock and taking control of this game. I’m going to go with my gut here and take Greenwood Christian in a nail-biter, 51-49.   4:00 PM - CLASS 2A SOUTH SEMI-STATE 12-3 University High School (Carmel, IN) University High School is just one of two private schools remaining in the 16-team field (Greenwood Christian). The Trailblazers are no stranger to postseason success, having been to the Class 1A Regional in 2018 and the Class 1A Semi-State in 2019. Now in Class 2A, they find themselves as an underdog against a dominant Miners group. However, University does have a lot of talent, not to mention quality wins against teams like Danville, Covenant Christian, Triton Central, and South Putnam. The 15 games is not a typo, as they struggled mightily with COVID stoppages this year. But they are healthy and strong now, winners of all four tournament games after not having played since January 16th. Still, though, the Trailblazers are young, with only one Senior and four Sophomores being a part of their seven-player rotation. 6-1 Sophomore front-liner [player_tooltip player_id="59743" first="Kelsey" last="DuBois"] (16.5p, 12.0r, 2.3a, 2.1s, 2.4b) is a matchup problem at the Class 2A level, and she will need to be huge for University tomorrow. She is big and strong, but she is also a deceptive athlete with some length, plus she is tremendously skilled. She is a really nice high-post passer, she can put it on the floor a little and create, and she has nice touch in the mid-post that can extend to the 3-point line on occasion. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="59772" first="Payton" last="Seay"] (14.3p, 8.7r, 2.8a, 2.8s) was outstanding last weekend, scoring 37 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and collecting seven steals in their two Regional wins. She is such a strong and physical combo guard, she is an aggressive attacker getting to the basket, plus she can defend the ball with toughness. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="130336" first="Sierra" last="Hinds"] (14.5p, 4.9r, 2.9a, 2.7s) is kind of their smooth and steady perimeter player. She is long, fluidly athletic, and she can get to the basket or knock down perimeter shots consistently. She is really good off the ball defensively and gets a lot of deflections. Sierra is headed to Trine University to play next season. Sophomore guards [player_tooltip player_id="241194" first="Jordan" last="Patterson"] (7.0p, 4.5r, 2.1a, 2.1s) and [player_tooltip player_id="59787" first="Kamryn" last="Washington"] (3.9p, 2.4r, 2.1a) give University two more athletic playmakers. Patterson is a wiry strong kid who, like Seay, is great attacking the basket. Washington is a longer, quicker, more of a water-bug type who likes to create off the bounce. She transferred in from Warren Central this year. 25-1 Linton-Stockton High School (Linton, IN) The Linton-Stockton Miners look for a repeat of their 2020 postseason performance, in which they won the Class 2A State Championship in comfortable fashion. So far this year, they have looked even more impressive, especially considering they lost five games a year ago, and their lone loss this season is to Bedford North Lawrence. In fact, dating back to last year, the Miners have won 33 of their last 34 games. Since late-December, they’ve even beaten Heritage Christian, Evansville Memorial, and Loogootee. Like the Loogootee Lions, the Miners returned all five starters from a season ago, and they start an experienced group of three Seniors and two Juniors. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="10685" first="Vanessa" last="Shafford"] (19.0p, 7.5r, 4.6a, 3.8s) does a variety of things for this group, and all at a high level. She is a strong, physical wing, she can attack the basket and score it, but she’s also a talented perimeter shooter with range. She can handle it and create offense, she’s a willing passer, a pursuing rebounder, and she plays with a motor and competitive fire unlike most kids. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="99363" first="Aubrey" last="Burgess"] (13.6p, 2.7r, 3.5a, 3.5s) is another high-energy, competitive guard who flies around the floor making plays. She can play on or off the ball, she’s a capable perimeter shooter as well, but she’s best in transition attacking the basket, plus she’s a nice on-ball defender who can turn over opposing guards. Both Shafford and Burgess are headed to play at the University of Southern Indiana next season. 6-0 Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="35069" first="Haley" last="Rose"] (13.2p, 4.2r, 3.1a, 2.6s) has transformed her game as much as anyone throughout her four-year career. She is now a fluidly athletic and somewhat smooth inside-out threat. She actually prefers facing the basket and playing in the mid-post or around the perimeter. She can shoot the ball to the 3-point line, but she can also slice to the basket. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="157175" first="Jaylee" last="Hayes"] and Junior front-liner Gentry Warrick give the Miners two more players you must respect, or they will hurt you themselves. Hayes is a long, fluid, and fairly smooth shooter who can get to the basket on occasion as well. Warrick is a hard-working forward/post who will hustle for rebounds, plus she’s an opportunistic scorer who feeds off of other’s penetration. Class 2A Prediction: I think University has a chance to compete here, because they have a post who is tough to match up against, plus they have talented, athletic guards/wings. But a lot of things must go right for the Trailblazers if they want to survive and advance. They must feed DuBois for the duration of the game and use her size and power inside. They also must take care of the basketball and value every possession, which means taking great shots. They are known to really pressure the ball and get out in transition, but Linton-Stockton isn’t easy to turn over. University will need to take advantage of any and every opportunity they get in transition, because points will be tough to come by in the half-court. For the Miners, they just need to be true to who they are. If they deviate at all from their typical style of play, then it opens the door for University. Linton-Stockton must also double down on DuBois inside and make everyone else on University beat them. I like the Miners in this one, as they are a heavy favorite, but I think University gives them a good run, at least for a half to three quarters. I’ll take Linton-Stockton by a final of 59-45.