Midseason Review: Class 2A
As we approach the new calendar year, I wanted to take the time to highlight a few storylines that have begun to develop throughout the first half of the 2018-2019 high school season. Below are a handful of items in…
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Continue ReadingAs we approach the new calendar year, I wanted to take the time to highlight a few storylines that have begun to develop throughout the first half of the 2018-2019 high school season. Below are a handful of items in Class 2A that I thought stood out to me so far this season. Class 1A posted last night, while Classes 3A and 4A will follow throughout the weekend.
WHO CAN KNOCK OFF THE DEFENDING STATE CHAMPS???
Two years ago, when Seniors Sydney Freeman and Meleah Leatherman were just Sophomores, Central Noble finished 27-3, won their first Sectional title ever, and made a magical run all the way to the Semi-State round, before eventually falling to a strong Oak Hill team. Last season, the Cougars posted a 23-5 record, had a couple of speedbumps along the way, but finished it all off with the Class 2A State Title. Fast forward to this season, and they look stronger and more motivated. They’ve started this season 15-0 and already beaten maybe the best team on their schedule in Triton Central, plus they’ve knocked off arguably the two toughest Sectional opponents (Bremen & Westview) by 20+ points each. So, who does that leave? Next week they travel to a solid Garrett team (10-5), then in a week and a half they begin their conference tournament. They could run into Westview again, or possibly West Noble or Angola…two teams who they have historically had tight battles with each year. If they can navigate these next two weeks unscathed, I think they’ll enter the Regional round of the state tournament undefeated.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Jenessa Hasty of Oak HillOne of the most experienced teams in the entire state, let alone in Class 2A, are the Golden Eagles of Oak Hill High School. Seniors Adrianna Trexler, Jenessa Hasty, and Kaela Robey, as well as Junior Taylor Westgate, all started on their State Runner-Up team from two seasons ago. Additionally, Seniors Brittany McCorkle, Andrea Wilk, and Marissa Wilk all lettered on that same team as Sophomores. This season Oak Hill is off to a 12-2 start, losing only to Class 3A Marion on a last-second tip-in (without Jenessa Hasty in the lineup), and at Class 4A Fort Wayne South Side by 7 just last week. The Golden Eagles always play with energy, discipline, and poise, so I plan on seeing them potentially meeting up with a Monroe Central, Bishop Noll, North Judson, or Central Noble in the North bracket of the state tournament in February. Also of note, Oak Hill travels to Class 3A power Northwestern in a couple of weeks…a great late-season test for them.
INJURIES MAKE THE COMEBACK SWEETER
As many of you watched the Class 2A State Finals last February, the announcers mentioned at the beginning of the game that Winchester Forward Shelby Miller was playing with a heavy brace on her knee, fighting through the pain of an ACL injury suffered a couple of weeks prior, because she didn’t want to miss the State Finals. What they didn’t know, was that in that same game star forward Madeline Lawrence would injure her knee as well. Both forwards (Miller now a Senior; Lawrence now a Junior) had surgery shortly after the season, and a lot of us, me included, questioned how the two of them and this team would handle the adversity. Let’s just say “pretty good”. Both players began this season in the lineup, and the Golden Falcons ripped off six straight victories to start the season. They then ran into a good Oak Hill team, suffering their first loss, but have since rebounded with a 25-point win over a really good Monroe Central team, a 26-point win over a solid Sectional opponent in Wapahani, and a 3-point win just this week over a good Gary West Side squad. They now sit at 15-2 (with their other loss to a good Ohio team), and they are starting to round into a group who can compete with Triton Central, Linton-Stockton, and others, to come out of the Southern portion of the Class 2A bracket.
NOLL LOVE
Laila Rogers of Bishop NollLast year Hammond Bishop Noll entered the state tournament with just a 14-9 record, but they did so with a lot of younger, talented players. I was a little patient with my ranking of them because I wanted to see how they’d respond a year later, plus there are several good teams at the top of Class 2A this season. What have they done so far? Well, they are 13-0 now, with impressive wins over Class 3A Gary West Side and Class 4A South Bend Saint Joseph. They are led by a trio of Sophomores in Point Guard Courtney Blakely, Forward Laila Rogers, and Wing Rose Fuentes. Add to that solid play from Seniors Kristian Steele and Eris Harris, plus Junior Emily Sutton, and they will certainly give Class 2A opponents something to worry about come tournament time. Noll looks towards a tough January, as they host Marquette Catholic and East Chicago Central, plus they travel to Crown Point and Heritage Christian to finish the regular season.
SOPHOMORES & SENIORS
After a stretch of seven consecutive losing seasons, with the middle five years of that stretch netting them a grand total of ten wins, the Linton-Stockton Miners somewhat snuck up on everyone last season and posted a 20-4 record and played North Knox tough in the Sectional finale. This season, without a Junior on the Varsity roster, the Miners are doing it again behind spectacular play from Sophomore Wing Vanessa Shafford, Sophomore Guard Aubrey Burgess, and Senior Guard Mallory Frye. They are out to a 15-2 start, with an opening-game loss to a good North Knox team and a recent 1-point loss at Indianapolis’ Covenant Christian. They have, however, knocked off quality opponents in Monroe Central, Owen Valley, North Central-Farmersburg, Northview, Indianapolis Ritter, and North Knox in a rematch from earlier this season. If they can solve the North Knox curse, which it looks like they have, they can get through their Sectional and potentially be a problem for the likes of Triton Central, Winchester, etc., down the road in the state tournament.
Header photo of Sydney Freeman of Central Noble High School; photo courtesy of www.news-sentinel.com. Photo of Jenessa Hasty courtesy of Oak Hill’s Hudl account. Photo of Laila Rogers courtesy of www.nwitimes.com.