Today, I break down the girls basketball sectionals that affect teams from the Fort Wayne area. Tomorrow starts the State Tournament, and for the next five days, over 400 teams will play for a right to hoist a sectional championship.
As they say, you can’t win state without first winning sectionals, and getting over that hump isn’t as easy as it sounds. Without further ado, let’s talk about these small school sectionals!
1A 53 @ Southern Wells
16-5 Southwood
14-6 Lakeland Christian
7-14 Southern Wells
5-14 Northfield
2-17 Canterbury
Offense
Southwood 51.5
Lakeland Christian 48.4
Northfield 48
Southern Wells 35.9
Canterbury 28.9
Defense
Lakeland Christian 36.1
Southwood 43.6
Southern Wells 45.6
Canterbury 53.4
Northfield 57.3
Players to Watch
- Ella Haupert Senior Combo Guard Southwood
- Hannah Holmes Junior Center Northfield
- Avah Miner Senior Combo Guard Southern Wells
- Mattie Stonebraker Senior Guard Lakeland Christian
- Reese Stonebraker Freshman Guard Lakeland Christian
- Aleia Sweet Senior Small Forward Southwood
- Alaina Winer Senior Combo Guard Southwood
With Class 1A, I’m going to keep them straightforward because there isn’t a lot I like about these two sectionals. Starting with the Southern Wells sectional, it’s a 3-horse race between the three best teams statistically.
The draw was very kind to Southwood, and to me they are the big favorites to come out of this as sectional champions led by a stud senior in Ella Haupert who averages 20 points, 4.3 boards , and 2.5 steals per game. Haupert currently has 1,284 career points.
In theory, Lakeland Christian has a chance, but as you’ll see in my final verdict of the sectional draw, I have this being an upset on their side of the bracket (which is just Lakeland Christian vs Southern Wells in the semifinals). Northfield shouldn’t be completely overlooked as the Holmes girl averages a double-double per game 16.1 points and 14.3 boards.
Final Verdict:
I have Southwood winning their first sectional in 20 years.
Sectional Prediction
Tuesday
Southwood over Canterbury
Friday
Southern Wells over Lakeland Christian
Southwood over Northfield
Saturday
Southwood over Southern Wells
1A 51 @ Blackhawk Christian
#7 Bethany Christian 19-3
Blackhawk Christian 13-10
Lakewood Park 8-13
Elkhart Christian 6-13
Hamilton 2-11
Offense
Blackhawk 47.1
Bethany 45.6
Lakewood Park 36.3
Elkhart Christian 31.3
Hamilton 25.7
Defense
Bethany 31.8
Elkhart Christian 39.4
Blackhawk 42.5
Lakewood Park 43.1
Hamilton 46.4
Players to Watch
- Allie Boyer Junior Center Blackhawk
- Jade Carnahan Junior Guard/Forward Lakewood Park
- Ava McGrade Sophomore Guard Lakewood Park
- Mariah Stoltzfus Junior Combo Guard Bethany
- Ali Vereda Sophomore Guard Hamilton
- Zoe Willems Junior Combo Guard Bethany
There isn’t too much to say about this sectional other than that semifinal matchup between Blackhawk and Bethany. These two met on Jan. 12 where Bethany prevailed in a 42-26 win. They’ve met seven times in past playoffs where Bethany has won in four of these matchups. For Bethany, Zoe Willems has 1,038 points in her career coming into the playoffs after averaging 16.9 points and 8.2 boards per game. Stoltzfus is the program’s career leader in career steals and can be an impactful player with her range and playmaking abilities. This is a team that will crash the paint hard.
Final Verdict:
If Bethany can contain Boyer inside, the Bruins will be in a good spot to make it to Saturday’s championship game. No offense to the other teams in this field, but the winner of the Bethany-Blackhawk game should win the sectional. I pick Bethany to win their first sectional in seven years.
Sectional Prediction
Tuesday
Lakewood Park over Hamilton
Friday
Bethany over Blackhawk
Lakewood Park over Elkhart Christian
Saturday
Bethany over Lakewood Park
2A 37 @ Bluffton
South Adams 12-10
Bluffton 10-10
Bishop Luers 9-13
Whitko 9-13
Adams Central 6-15
Manchester 6-16
Offense
Bishop Luers 50.7
Adams Central 44.1
Manchester 43.8
Whitko 41.6
South Adams 41.5
Bluffton 40.8
Defense
Bluffton 41.3
South Adams 42.6
Adams Central 48.4
Bishop Luers 49
Whitko 49.1
Manchester 53.3
Players to Watch
- Brookelynn Buzzard Sophomore Point Guard Manchester
- Annika Davis Junior Combo Guard Luers
- Haley Gibson Junior Point Guard Bluffton
- Kloe Krieg Junior Combo Guard Whitko
- Macy Pries Junior Combo Guard SA
- Peyton Pries Senior Combo Guard SA
- Maryn Schreiber Junior Combo Guard Bluffton
- Athena Schwartz Junior Combo Guard AC
- Addie Shank Junior Power Forward/Center Luers
2A 37 is a very interesting sectional because it’s one not many truly know what will happen. If you’re looking for which team has the most potential to win this sectional, it’s Bishop Luers.
Luers plays in the always brutal SAC, and this is a team that’s been a second half team this season. After a disastrous December, they finished the regular season winning five of their last eight games.
What will help Luers is the fact they have the best frontcourt in the entire sectional by a country mile and that SAC talent will give them an advantage on paper. They’re led by one of the best power forwards in the state in Addie Shank, who averages 13.3 points, 9.4 boards, and a block per game.
Contenders in this sectional likely come from the ACAC with Bluffton and South Adams. The Tigers with their scrappy zone defense gives them to being the biggest threat to Bishop Luers. Bluffton has historically thrived as an underdog in the playoffs. Haley Gibson and Maryn Schreiber are the 1-2 punch they need to compete with Luers’ skill. Bluffton also crashes the boards well at 26.6 boards per game.
However, Bluffton isn’t invincible as their lackluster shooting numbers bring concern to whether they can survive the first two rounds. Manchester and Adams Central are not as easy as their records show. Both teams gave Bluffton some challenge in the regular season: 50-43 Bluffton over AC and 55-42 Bluffton over Manchester.
Brookelynn Buzzard is the most talented player in the sectional averaging 16.4 points and 2 steals per game. When Manchester and Bluffton met, Buzzard had 29 points and shot 6-16 from 3. It all comes down to can they defend the paint well? Bluffton had 35 boards and shot the ball very well inside.
AC is a wild card of all wild cards because on paper they shouldn’t be considered an upset team based on the record. But their streaky and efficient shooting gives the Jets a chance in this sectional. It’ll come down to a few things: Scoring Depth, taking care of the basketball, and being able to defend the paint.
While I like South Adams in the sectional, I don’t like this draw for the Starfires, and they lack a true post player to slow down Shank and Rhodehamel. Don’t overlook Whitko either as Kloe Krieg is a capable shooter with high IQ for the Wildcats (Krieg currently sits 7th in program history in scoring at 772).
Final Verdict:
Despite the record, I expect Luers to win their first sectional in a decade.
Sectional Predictions
Tuesday
Bluffton over Manchester
South Adams over Whitko
Friday
Bluffton over Adams Central
Luers over South Adams
Saturday
Luers over Bluffton
2A 36 @ Lewis Cass
#10 Pioneer 19-3
North Miami 17-5
Wabash 15-7
Cass 7-16
Winamac 4-19
Offense
Pioneer 57
North Miami 51.6
Wabash 50.7
Winamac 32.5
Cass 32.2
Defense
Cass 39.3
Pioneer 39.8
North Miami 42.7
Wabash 46.6
Winamac 48.6
Players to Watch
- Kylie Attinger Junior Combo Guard Pioneer
- Ashlynn Brooke Senior Combo Guard Pioneer
- Kaiden Hanley Junior Combo Forward North Miami
- Kaitlynn Honeycutt Sophomore Combo Guard Wabash
- Kierra Wilson Junior Guard/Forward Wabash
This is one of those sectionals that I don’t have a ton of familiarity, but I do know that Pioneer is one of the big girls of Class 2A, and Pioneer is a juggernaut in Northern Indiana.
Future Ball State Lady Cardinal, Ashlynn Brooke, comes into the state tournament averaging 24 points, 6 assists, and 5.2 steals per game on 47% shooting. Brooke currently has 1,464 points in her high school career. Pioneer has some decent depth throughout the lineup, but they go when Brooke gets hot.
Wabash is the only team that played Pioneer in the regular season from this sectional as the Panthers won 70-60. Wabash has 3 players in double figures led by Honeycutt and Wilson and they average 32 boards per game as a team.
Another team to watch is North Miami who shoots 47% from the floor and 33% from 3. Kaiden Hanley and Logan Mouser combine for 28.4 points per game this season. The key question is can they slow down the Pioneer superstar? That seems to be the bottom line with this sectional.
Final Verdict:
This could be a tricky Secfional to forecast, but I have Pioneer winning their 3rd sectional in 4 years.
Sectional Predictions
Tuesday
Pioneer over Wabash
Friday
North Miami over Winamac
Pioneer over Lewis Cass
Saturday
Pioneer over North Miami
2A 35 @ Central Noble
#3 Central Noble 21-2
Eastside 15-8
Fremont 8-14
Westview 8-14
Churubusco 5-17
Prairie Heights 1-21
Offense
Central Noble 51.3
Eastside 47
Churubusco 38.8
Westview 36.5
Fremont 34.4
Prairie Heights 32.4
Defense
Central Noble 30.6
Eastside 39.3
Westview 42.6
Fremont 44.5
Churubusco 48.1
Prairie Heights 51.5
Players to Watch
- Hope Bortner Junior Combo Guard Westview
- Meghan Kiebel Senior Guard/Forward CN
- Grace Kreischer Senior Combo Forward Eastside
- Mykayla Mast Freshman Shooting Guard Westview
- Addy Parr Sophomore Combo Guard Fremont
- Brooklyn Sinclair Sophomore Combo Guard Busco
- Paige Traxler Sophomore Combo Guard Eastside
- Madison Vice Senior Combo Guard CN
This is also known as the all-NECC sectional. I’m not going to drag this too long, because in all honesty, it truly comes down to do we get Central Noble or Eastside in the sectional finals. Barring a huge upset, the odds of anyone else winning this sectional is very low.
Central Noble and Eastside are the two most complete teams on paper to win the sectional. The Lady Cougars have been a team that’s dominated the regular season thanks to a physical defensive combo of the 1-3-1, zone, and full court press and a strong shooting clinic.
Going into sectional play, CN is shooting 43% from the floor and 34% from 3. However the last 3 weeks have seen CN tested in a big way with two separate meetings against Fairfield and Eastside in a 2-week window. CN has won both games against Eastside, but the last one was quite the challenge compared to the first one as CN won that last meeting 44-37.
A key stat to note is rebounding as CN averages over 27 boards per game. Led by Grace Swank in the paint, that’s a huge focus to box out Grace Kreischer and Kaylie Hertig inside. This CN team is led by the sensational senior duo of Madison Vice and Meghan Kiebel.
Both of these kids combine for 31.5 points, 10.2 boards, 7.2 assists, and 5.2 steals per game. They’re great offensively and equally great on defense. But the team will need strong contribution from players like Abby Hile, Kierra Bolen, Makenna Malcolm, and maybe some Taylor Custer to get CN far in the state tournament.
The tough thing with this sectional is Eastside is such a dangerous team because when their offense is consistent and taking care of the basketball, they can be beat anyone on the floor. The one thing they have that this version of the CN girls basketball team doesn’t have right now is a sectional championship, and knowing how to win in those moments.
Grace Kreischer averages 12.6 points per game, but it’s only a sample size for what she brings as she’s a kid that dominates the paint and is a disruptor in the post. With that 6’1 frame, that’s a big deal when playing teams of this class, and I just wonder what will be the plan to use her best in sectional play. She cannot afford to be in severe foul trouble or foul out because she’s vital to their success.
The guards of Paige Traxler, Sydnee Kessler, and Jayci Kitchen are a huge storyline going into sectionals as that resounding chemistry is key to success. If those kids can find some confidence with the 3-ball, that can be crucial. That being said, CN is so good at on-ball pressure, so it’s important to not get frustrated and take care of the ball. Same should be said for CN! But this is why I love that matchup in theory.
It’s nothing against ‘We the Heights’, who does play hard, but that’s a terrible draw for the Panthers. As far as the other side of the bracket goes, that’s more of a coin toss for me, it doesn’t move the needle on the sectional as a whole on paper. We’ll see if that pans out that way or not.
Final Verdict:
I have Central Noble winning a close one against Eastside and find their way to win their first sectional in four years.
Sectional Predictions
Tuesday
Westview over Busco
Central Noble over Prairie Heights
Friday
Westview over Fremont
Central Noble over Eastside
Saturday
Central Noble over Westview
