Class 2A Season Preview: Preseason Polls & Awards
Now that we’ve spent this past week previewing the 2019-2020 season for Class 2A in Indiana, I wanted to have a little fun. So, I took a look back at those articles, and I’ve attempted to predict what this season…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNow that we’ve spent this past week previewing the 2019-2020 season for Class 2A in Indiana, I wanted to have a little fun. So, I took a look back at those articles, and I’ve attempted to predict what this season might hold in Class 2A. Taking some ideas from college preview magazines of years past, I’ve assembled this article with a variety of things, like a preseason team poll, preseason awards, and preseason all-state teams.
PRESEASON POLL
The preseason poll is based solely on how I think teams will stack up this season in Class 2A. Past success isn’t meaningless, but year-in and year-out rosters change, and teams can slide up or down the scale in terms of competitiveness. In Class 2A that’s magnified even greater, as just one top player can typically shift the balance of power in a Sectional, Regional, or even Semi-State. This season, it just so happens that Oak Hill and Winchester Community have been moved up to Class 3A due to the tournament success factor (both were State Finalists in 2019; Winchester also in 2018). Central Noble moved up as well. That leaves Class 2A with a few “usual suspects”, but we will also see different state finalists than those three for the first time in a couple of years.
Obviously, there are favorites to win state, but I count no fewer than 15 schools who could legitimately make it to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, if things go their way. So, needless to say, Class 2A is WIDE open. I chose Triton Central to begin the season #1 because they simply have one of the most talented groups in Class 2A, plus they return everyone of note from a team that was strong in 2018-2019. Linton-Stockton has a three-headed monster with their Junior class, and they’ll be fun to watch again. North Judson-San Pierre returns one of the best players in Northern Indiana, while Hammond Bishop Noll returns their own Junior trio who are incredibly tough to stop. Vincennes Rivet & University, freshly up from Class 1A, look to prove their mettle to their Class 2A counterparts. Eastern-Pekin looks to get back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, after winning the title in 2017. WOW…2A might be the deepest class from top to bottom.
PGH Indiana Class 2A Preseason Top-10 (2018-2019 record):
1. Triton Central (23-2)
2. Linton-Stockton (22-4)
3. North Judson-San Pierre (22-4)
4. Vincennes Rivet (29-1)
5. Hammond Bishop Noll (21-7)
6. University (24-3)
7. Eastern-Pekin (21-7)
8. Monroe Central (19-6)
9. Covenant Christian (18-9)
10. Lafayette Central Catholic (20-7)
PRESEASON AWARDS
These preseason awards are an attempt at honoring girls who I think stand out in Class 2A. There are multiple candidates for each award, and every award is easily debatable, but I chose them based on who I thought filled the description the best. Each award is determined through different criteria, as some awards are based primarily on opinion, while others are decided with a heavy influence from statistical merit.
Class 2A Preseason Individual Awards:
Lilliann Frasure – NJSPMost Valuable Player: Lilliann Frasure, 2021, North Judson-San Pierre
Most Outstanding Player: Courtney Blakely, 2021, Bishop Noll
Toughest Player: Tenleigh Phelps, 2021, Triton Central
Best Motor: Tia Tolbert, 2020, Vincennes Rivet
Best Shooter: Jocelyn Duncan, 2020, Eastern Hancock
Best Scorer: Lilliann Frasure, 2021, North Judson-San Pierre
Best Passer: Taylor Heath, 2021, Triton Central
Best Rebounder: Erikka Hill, 2021, Shenandoah
Best Shot-Blocker: Lindsey Syrek, 2020, University
Best Defender: Christian Haggard, 2020 Gary Bowman
Best Athlete: Rylie Stephens, 2020, Triton Central
Most Versatile: Natalie Boesing, 2020, Our Lady of Providence
PRESEASON ALL-STATE TEAMS
Like the preseason awards, this was another attempt to honor girls who stand out in Class 2A. These teams were selected based on equal parts talent, skill, potential, statistical accomplishments, and team accomplishments. While we can debate who should be where, I do think it’s easy to understand why each of the girls listed below were at least selected to be honored.
Class 2A Preseason 1st Team All-State:
Courtney Blakely – Bishop NollLindsey Syrek, 2020, 6-2 F, University
Courtney Blakely, 2021, 5-7 PG, Hammond Bishop Noll
Lilliann Frasure, 2021, 5-9 W, North Judson-San Pierre
Tenleigh Phelps, 2021, 5-10 F, Triton Central
Vanessa Shafford, 2021, 5-9 W, Linton-Stockton
Class 2A Preseason 2nd Team All-State:
Natalie Boesing, 2020, 5-10 F, Our Lady of Providence
Maya Chandler, 2020, 5-7 PG, Triton Central
Rylie Stephens, 2020, 5-11 W, Triton Central
Tia Tolbert, 2020, 5-9 W, Vincennes Rivet
Ilani Williams-Harris, 2020, 5-7 G, Covenant Christian-Indy
Class 2A Preseason 3rd Team All-State:
Tenleigh Phelps – Triton CentralIsabell Claywell, 2020, 5-4 PG, Eastern-Pekin
Kiley White, 2020, 5-7 G, Seeger
Amber Wolf, 2020, 5-10 F, South Central-Union Mills
Taylor Austin, 2021, 5-4 G, Lake Station Edison
Madison Gray, 2021, 5-10 F, Union County
Class 2A Preseason 4th Team All-State:
Hannah Bolton, 2020, 5-4 G, Monroe Central
Aubrey Burgess, 2021, 5-6 PG, Linton-Stockton
Samantha Shrum, 2020, 5-9 F, Cloverdale
Kathryn Perry, 2021, 5-1 PG, Shenandoah
Myah Montgomery, 2022, 6-0 W, Southridge
Class 2A Preseason 5th Team All-State:
Tia Tolbert – Vincennes RivetErin Coffel, 2020, 5-7 G, Bremen
Christian Haggard, 2020, 5-8 W, Gary Bowman
Aleiah Thomas, 2020, 5-7 G, Switzerland County
Rose Fuentes, 2021, 5-7 W, Hammond Bishop Noll
Erikka Hill, 2021, 5-9 F, Shenandoah
Class 2A Preseason Honorable Mention:
Cionna Bailey, 2020, Milan
Maci Brown, 2020, Rochester
Mykayla Couchenour, 2020, South Knox
Jocelyn Duncan, 2020, Eastern Hancock
Lauryn Florey, 2020, Western Boone
Addie Gardner, 2020, Frankton
Alexis German, 2020, Prairie Heights
Caroline Herman, 2020, Vincennes Rivet
Carly Holley, 2020, Adams Central
Allison Horn, 2020, Henryville
Morgan Knepp, 2020, Lapel
Katy Larson, 2020, Park Tudor
Lydia Loshe, 2020, South Adams
Taylor Pinkerton, 2020, Union County
Maddi Sears, 2020, University
Lillie Smith, 2020, Delphi Community
Kyra Stater, 2020, Hebron
Makynlee Taylor, 2020, Lapel
Sydney Van Meter, 2020, Rensselaer Central
Lexi Vanihel, 2020, South Putnam
Sarah Weston, 2020, Westville
Jamie Will, 2020, North Newton
Faith Zazzetti, 2020, Forest Park
Eva Bazzoni, 2021, Manchester
Emme Boots, 2021, Bluffton
Lily Crumpton, 2021, Eastern-Pekin
Mariah Dickerson, 2021, Evansville Mater Dei
McKenna Dietsch, 2021, Adams Central
Sarah Foulk, 2021, Eastbrook
Taylor Heath, 2021, Triton Central
Reiley Hiser, 2021, Alexandria-Monroe
Bonnie Lew Ludlow, 2021, Covenant Christian-Indy
Jenna McFarland, 2021, Northeastern
Gloria Miller, 2021, Westview
Madison Miller, 2021, Rossville
Treasure Nickelson, 2021, Crawford County
Bree Noland, 2021, Perry Central
Hallie Rogers, 2021, Hagerstown
Laila Rogers, 2021, Hammond Bishop Noll
Haley Rose, 2021, Linton-Stockton
Julia Schutz, 2021, Andrean
Alivia Short, 2021, Wabash
Bailey Stamper, 2021, Triton Central
Chloee Thomas, 2021, Frankton
Madison Thompson, 2021, Wapahani
Jenna Reece VanBlair, 2021, Alexandria-Monroe
Jasmine Walker, 2021, Clarksville
Karsyn Cherry, 2022, Lafayette Central Catholic
Kennedy Kugler, 2022, Prairie Heights
Kelsi Langley, 2022, Taylor
Abigail Parker, 2022, Tipton
Graycie Poe, 2022, North Knox
Grace Ramsay, 2022, Parke Heritage
Jessie Ringen, 2022, Rensselaer Central
Halle Shelt, 2022, Park Tudor
Ella Shields, 2022, Frankton
Abigail Tomblin, 2022, South Central-Union Mills
Kyla Willis, 2022, North Putnam
Ella Wolfe, 2022, Tipton
Lydia Betz, 2023, Forest Park
Kelsey DuBois, 2023, University
Taylor Farris, 2023, Northeastern
Peyton Pries, 2023, South Adams
Sydney Warren, 2023, Cascade
Feature photo of the Oak Hill Golden Eagles celebrating their 2019 Class 2A State Championship. Photo is courtesy of the IHSAA Twitter account.