Event Preview: New Castle Showcase (Part-1)
If you find yourself looking for something to do this Saturday, may I suggest heading over to New Castle to watch six quality girls’ basketball games at the New Castle Fieldhouse. There is a really nice mixture of top-tier Class…
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Continue ReadingIf you find yourself looking for something to do this Saturday, may I suggest heading over to New Castle to watch six quality girls’ basketball games at the New Castle Fieldhouse. There is a really nice mixture of top-tier Class 2A schools, as well as some solid 3A and 4A schools included in the day’s events. It all kicks off at 11:00 a.m. In this article I’ll take a quick look into the three games that pit Class 2A opponents against each other, pointing out some storylines and some prospects to keep an eye on.
Sydney Freeman of Central Noble
11:00 a.m. Class 2A #1 Triton Central vs. Class 2A #4 Central Noble
In our season preview content, I made a bold prediction that these two schools could very well see each other at the end of the season at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Both are off to 7-0 starts, so somebody is going to leave the day with their first loss. For Triton Central, their depth, talent, and versatility likely give them an upper hand in this matchup. 5-7 2020 guard Maya Chandler, 5-10 2021 forward Tenleigh Phelps, and 5-10 2020 wing Rylie Stephens are a trio most teams would struggle with. Chandler is coming off of a huge game against Morristown the other night, but Triton Central has more than just these three players. As for 2018 Class 2A State Champion Central Noble, the dynamic 2019 duo of 5-7 point guard Sydney Freeman and 6-1 front-liner Meleah Leatherman are once again a force to be reckoned with. Freeman has been shooting the lights out this year. Look for 5-5 2021 guard Bridgette Gray to also play a key role for the Cougars.
Jordyn Barga of Monroe Central
12:45 p.m. Class 2A #2 Monroe Central vs. Class 2A Linton
Linton-Stockton had an impressive 20-4 season a year ago, and they’re off to a fast start this season at 4-1. They are close to being a Top-10 team in Class 2A, but now it’s time to see if they can play with, and beat, one of the top teams in the Class. 5-8 2021 wing Vanessa Shafford offers the Miners hope, as she’s a tremendous high school player drawing a lot of college interest already. Classmate Aubrey Burgess, a 5-5 guard, is another nice prospect for Linton-Stockton. Monroe Central, however, was an impressive 25-1 last season and is sitting at 2-0 to start the year. They look to 5-11 2019 forward Jordyn Barga and 5-3 2020 guard Hannah Bolton to lead the way again this year after leading them in most statistical categories last season.
Jenessa Hasty of Oak Hill
2:30 p.m. Class 2A #3 Oak Hill vs. Class 2A #5 Winchester
This should be another outstanding game, as Oak Hill was the Class 2A State Runner-Up in 2017 and Winchester was the Class 2A State Runner-Up in 2018. Both teams have impressive frontlines, and there should be a lot of scoring around the rim in this one. Oak Hill is led by the frontline trio of 6-0 2019 forward Adrianna Trexler, 5-7 2019 forward Kaela Robey, and 6-1 2020 post Taylor Westgate. Additionally, they returned 5-7 2019 guard Jenessa Hasty from injury last weekend, as she played in her first game of the year. All four of those players started in the State Finals two seasons ago. Winchester returns pretty much everyone from last year’s State Finalist team. They too get a boost, as both 6-0 2020 forward Maddie Lawrence and 5-11 2019 forward Shelby Miller are already back in the lineup following injuries late last season. The other three starters from last year’s State Championship Game, 6-3 2019 post Kira Robinson, 5-2 2019 guard Hannah Graft, and 5-5 2020 guard Becca Chamberlin also return.
Header photo of the New Castle Fieldhouse courtesy of hammerandrails.com. Photo of Sydney Freeman courtesy of journalgazette.net. Photo of Jordyn Barga courtesy of winchesternewsgazette.com. Photo of Jenessa Hasty courtesy of grantcountysportsnetwork.com.