Preseason Top-50 Countdown: Teams #6-#10
And here we are…the Top-10 of our Top-50 teams, regardless of class. This article focuses on the teams we have ranked #6 through #10. With regards to our Top-50 teams, we took in to account several different factors, most notably,…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAnd here we are…the Top-10 of our Top-50 teams, regardless of class. This article focuses on the teams we have ranked #6 through #10. With regards to our Top-50 teams, we took in to account several different factors, most notably, but not limited to, last season’s record, Sagarin rating, and strength of schedule, graduation losses, newcomers, improvement of existing roster members, and coaching changes. Next week we will continue our Top-50 countdown, previewing the Top-5 one team at a time.
-
Katie Davidson of Lawrence North
4A Lawrence North H.S. (Indianapolis, IN)
Lawrence North was in the discussion for being the #1 team in our preseason poll. Their entire starting lineup was returning intact, all of those girls would be in at least their third year starting, they only lost one role player to graduation, and they have a budding star in the 2021 class. Then at the end of the Summer, 2019 wing Trinity Brady (20.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.0 apg) opted for prep school this season. Everything else still holds true, though, so they are still a talented team, and they are still a fairly deep team with both experience and youth. 5-11 2020 wing Katie Davidson (9.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) is a difficult matchup for opponents, because she’s strong enough to defend the interior, but she’s a nice athlete on the perimeter, she can handle it and shoot it, and she’s so strong and aggressive attacking the basket. I anticipate her having one of the biggest jumps statistically due to the loss of Brady. 5-5 2020 guard Kristian Young (7.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.1 spg) is an absolute jet and flies around the floor at both ends. She is long, feisty, and she is a pest defensively. 5-8 2020 forward Lauren Gunn (6.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg) is a versatile forward who can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter comfortably. She is very long and athletic. And 6-1 2020 front-liner Justis Odom is another talented returning starter who brings height, length, and athleticism to the lineup. The player who could surprise a lot of people this season is 5-9 2021 guard Jayla Smith. She is a pure shooter who has grown four inches in the last year, and she’s starting to pick up Division-I interest / offers. As far as depth goes, Lawrence North can look to 5-9 2019 wing Ashley Hayes, 5-10 2019 forward Maddie Howe, 5-9 2020 front-liner Mya Perry, and 5-5 2020 guard Kalyn Erwin for help. Hayes is a long athlete who is best attacking the basket, Howe specializes as a perimeter shooter but has good size and length, Perry is an extremely physical and tough-nosed kid with a good motor, and Erwin is a strong, quick little guard who can make plays off the bounce. The one graduate after last season was athletic wing Ashley Raines, but I’d still anticipate the Wildcats staring at the 20-win plateau for the sixth time in seven years.
-
Reagan Hune of Carmel
4A Carmel H.S. (Carmel, IN)
After posting a 70-12 record the last three seasons, the Greyhounds probably had the most notable offseason of any team in the state. To keep it simple, they had a very public coaching change, they graduated six Seniors, and they had a pair of key 2020 prospects decide to transfer to other area schools. Even with all of that, Carmel is the biggest school in the state with an enrollment of over 5,000 students, they have one of the best youth programs in the country, and they still have very good depth and talent and should continue to be a Top-10 team in the state. They Greyhounds did graduate 2018 Indiana Miss Basketball Amy Dilk (17.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, 3.8 spg, 39 made 3s), wing Tomi Taiwo (16.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.6 spg, 63 made 3s), forwards Blake Smith (6.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Vanessa Mullins (2.2 rpg), guard Molly Gillig, and post Molly Kracht. 5-10 2020 wing Jasmine McWilliams (9.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg) transferred to North Central H.S., and 5-7 2020 guard Maddi Sears (3.3 ppg) transferred to University H.S. So, who still remains? 5-9 2019 wing Reagan Hune (7.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is back in the starting lineup, and she’s a talented and smooth athlete. I’d anticipate her having a much bigger year statistically. 5-9 2019 forward Macy Berglund (3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and 6-1 2019 front-liner Mackenzie Wood (2.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg) are energy kids who play with some toughness. They’ll now have an opportunity to be part of the starting lineup, so both should prosper in that role. From there, the lineup gets much less-experienced, but not necessarily less-talented. 5-10 2019 wing Sophie Bair has always had nice upside as a smooth athlete with some ball skill. 5-8 2021 wing Tally Seitz got into a couple of games last year, and she’s a strong, tough-nosed, and skilled perimeter player. 6-1 2021 forward Bridget Dunn is a highly skilled face-up ‘4’ who has grown rapidly and was more of a guard / wing growing up. 6-0 2022 wing Kate Clarke is one of the more talented 2022s in the state, and she could impress early this season. She’s known as being a high-level shooter. 5-4 2020 guard Lauren Gartenhaus and 5-7 2020 guard Sarah Goddard might also carve out a role on this year’s team. When you look at this team based solely on talent, skill, and size, they’ll be in great shape. It will just depend on how quickly they come together in a new environment, because their schedule is brutal.
-
Nan Garcia of Jeffersonville
4A Jeffersonville H.S. (Jeffersonville, IN)
Jeffersonville had one of the quietest 20-win seasons in the state a year ago, and it’s likely simply because they’re on the Ohio River in the Southern part of the state. Since their 2011 Class 4A State Championship, the Red Devils have won 84 games the last five years under Coach Warren. They are talented, they have depth throughout their program, and they should have another outstanding season this year. The graduation losses of post Britney Epperson (9.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg), guard Jacinta Gibson (5.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg), and wing Jaylynn Brown (4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg), plus the transfer of 6-0 2019 forward Chelsea Gibson (4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) to Charlestown H.S. do hurt a little, but they still have some nice players on hand. 5-11 2020 forward Nangely Garcia (16.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 spg) is one of the best players in the state no one talks about. She is strong, physical, and very athletic. She can play on the block, in the mid-post, or around the perimeter, and she is drawing mid to high-major Division-I interest / offers. The strength that 5-9 2019 guard Tori Handley (8.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 44 made 3s) gained heading into last season helped her immensely, and I can see her taking even another step this season. She is long, fluid, and smooth, and she’s a very skilled combo guard. 5-6 2019 guard Jasmine Lilly (5.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.5 apg) is a steady, long, and fairly quick point guard who can really pass it. 4’10 2020 guard Kelsie James (4.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) is short, but she’s strong, quick / fast, and she’s as tough as they come. She can really play, and if she was Lilly’s size, James would likely have Division-I interest. 5-10 2020 forward Kiersten Poor (2.3 ppg) is a very nice athlete, with some smoothness and skill to her game. She has been awaiting her opportunity, and this year should be it. From there, the water gets a little murky, but 5-8 2021 wing Alexis Gibson and 5-3 2021 guard Lauren Gillenwater had good showings during the grassroots season. 5-5 2020 guard Aaliah Winford and 6-0 2021 post Asia Estes might also get a shot early this season.
-
Ally Becki (#22) of Brownsburg
4A Brownsburg H.S. (Brownsburg, IN)
Brownsburg put together a very nice season a year ago, and they did so with mostly younger players. In fact, the only two players who graduated were guards Tyon McKenzie (6.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.4 spg) and Kyla Archey (2.9 ppg). McKenzie was a starter and a big energy kid for them, but everyone else does return. The backcourt for the Bulldogs is still their biggest strength. 5-7 2021 guard Ally Becki (11.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 3.0 spg) led the Bulldogs in scoring, rebounding, steals, FG%, 3-point FG%, and FT% as just a Freshman. She is very active, athletic, quick, and feisty. She can play either guard spot equally well, and she has Division-I interest / offers already coming in. Her primary backcourt mate is 5-6 2020 guard Allison Bosse (11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 spg). Bosse is just tremendously steady and skilled. She can also play either guard spot, and she’s more naturally a point guard, but she can hit shots, get to the basket, and she defends hard. She was great during July. On the wing, 5-9 2020 small forward Mackenzie Stien (8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg) plays with a tremendous motor, she has some strength and can play physically, but she has good skill and can play with finesse as well. Up front, 6-0 2019 post Veronika Roberts (7.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) has come a long way throughout the course of her career, and I think she’ll be an even different player this year as opposed to last year. Look for her to average close to a double-double this time around. 5-8 2019 wing Naomi Hege (3.3 ppg) gives them a nice athletic option, and she’s good attacking the basket. 5-6 2019 guard Kyleigh Leaf (2.6 ppg) and 5-5 2020 guard Mackenzie Bedrick also have quality Varsity experience. Look for 5-7 2020 guard Tori Olmstead, 2019 forward Aminah Thomas, 5-7 2021 guard Logan Lewis, and 5-4 2020 guard Megan Christian to possibly be in the mix more this season as well.
-
Jorie Allen of Bedford
4A Bedford North Lawrence H.S. (Bedford, IN)
Bedford North Lawrence has been outstanding over the last seven seasons, posting 20+ wins in six of those seasons, while still putting up 19 wins in the “down” year. This year, they look to be one of the top teams in the Southern half of the state. They did graduate point guard McKenzie Messmore (7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.0 spg), and while it might not look like a big loss statistically, she was as steady as they come, and she will be missed. Guards Allie Crulo-Rood (2.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Sara Peterson also graduated. This year the strength of this team will clearly be its frontcourt. The Stars have one of the most skilled, most sizeable frontlines in the entire state. It all starts with 6-1 2019 forward Jorie Allen (17.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.5 bpg). She was a core Indiana Junior All-Star back in June, and she is one of the front-runners for the coveted Miss Basketball award. She has strength and can play inside, and she has some finesse and can play facing the basket. Throughout June this year, she was handling the ball and initiating the offense for the Stars a lot of the time. She might have to take over ball-handling duties more permanently at key times in games. 6-2 2020 front-liner Madison Webb (8.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is a skilled face-up ‘4’ who can shoot it, but she has gotten stronger and looks much more assertive around the block. 6-3 2020 post Peyton Sweet is a broad-shouldered, powerful, true back-to-the-basket post who should have a much bigger presence this year. The combination of Allen’s & Webb’s versatility, plus Sweet’s improvement, should allow the three to play together a lot. 5-8 2021 wing Chloe McKnight (8.0 ppg, 43 made 3s) had a strong Freshman season, and she is a pure 3-point shooter with the strength and toughness to also play in the mid-post. 5-4 2019 guard Jacy Hughes (7.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 48 made 3s) will take on more ball-handling duties this season, and she’s a good perimeter shooter. 5-5 2019 wing Katie Fisher (3.8 ppg), 5-9 2019 wing Allie Fugate, 5-6 2019 small forward Abby Riley, and 5-4 2020 guard Gracie Crulo-Rood all return with at least some Varsity experience. 5-8 2021 guard Irye Gomez is a talented wing guard who looks for her first Varsity opportunity this year, but also look for 5-10 2020 forwards Makena Moore and Hailey Deckard to maybe get some minutes early this season.
Header photo of Lawrence North’s Kristian Young defending; photo courtesy of northstaronline.org. Photo of Katie Davidson courtesy of the Lawrence North Wildcats Twitter account. Photo of Reagan Hune courtesy of readthereporter.com. Photo of Nan Garcia courtesy of newsandtribune.com. Photo of Ally Becki courtesy of flyergroup.com. Photo of Jorie Allen courtesy of dailyjournal.net.