Season Update: Hoosier Crossroads
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The featured image is of Ryan Viele Ryan Viele 5'8" | CG Hamilton Southeastern | 2022 State IN of Hamilton Southeastern High School. Periodically throughout the season, I want to take the time to look in on several of the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Ryan Viele Ryan Viele 5'8" | CG Hamilton Southeastern | 2022 State IN of Hamilton Southeastern High School.
Periodically throughout the season, I want to take the time to look in on several of the state’s conferences. I’ll take a peek at what teams are performing well, who the top prospects are, upcoming games, etc. The Hoosier Crossroads Conference has seen significant improvements over their 20+ years of existence, and they are starting to rival conferences like the MIC in girls’ basketball in terms of overall talent, competition, and success. Founded in 2000, the Hoosier Crossroads Conference began with an original eight of Avon, Brownsburg, Hamilton Southeastern, McCutcheon, Noblesville, West Lafayette Harrison, Westfield, and Zionsville Community. In 2004, Lafayette Jefferson joined to make it nine schools, then in 2006 Fishers joined when it opened its doors, making it ten programs in the conference. At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, and West Lafayette Harrison went another direction, and in the Fall of 2018 Franklin Central joined the Hoosier Crossroads Conference to give the conference an even eight teams again.
I was unable to find exact numbers of girls’ basketball conference championships from the 20 seasons that have been completed, however to give you an idea of the Hoosier Crossroads’ competitive level, these schools have won 42 state championships combined in one sport or another over those 20 seasons…or roughly two state championships per season on average, including the 2019 Class 4A girls’ basketball State Championship (Hamilton Southeastern). This season, six of the eight schools sit above .500, while two schools are just under .500 in terms of overall record. I would say this year is wide open as well, as any of these teams can literally win against one another on any given night. All of them play outstanding schedules, and seven of the eight are considered to have Top-25 schedules at this point in the season, making them all tournament ready come February. All of these schools also produce college talent, and most/all of them have multiple Division-I prospects on their rosters each season.
School | Record | Conference | Schedule Strength |
Fishers | 9-1 | 2-0 | 11 |
Noblesville | 6-2 | 2-1 | 9 |
Zionsville | 5-3 | 2-1 | 12 |
Franklin Central | 2-1 | 0-0 | 65 |
Hamilton Southeastern | 6-2 | 0-1 | 2 |
Westfield | 4-3 | 0-1 | 19 |
Brownsburg | 3-4 | 0-1 | 6 |
Avon | 2-3 | 0-1 | 24 |
Schedule strength is figured out of 400 qualifying schools in the state, regardless of classification.
Fishers
Last year Fishers put together maybe the best season in their short girls’ basketball history, rattling off a 23-2 record, knocking off rival Hamilton Southeastern for the Sectional, and making it to the Regional for just the second time ever. This year, however, they are looking for more. They have started the 2020-2021 campaign with a 9-1 record, as their only loss was a 71-62 defeat to Ben Davis in just their second game. They are now 2-0 in the Hoosiers Crossroad Conference, as they have beaten Zionsville and Noblesville. In addition to their remaining conference games, the Tigers are also set to face Evansville Memorial, Fort Wayne South Side, North Central (Indianapolis), Carmel, and Lawrence North later this year. The Tigers have very little size, but hardly anyone in the state can match their backcourt depth. Seniors
Katie Burton
Katie
Burton
5'9" | SG
Fishers | 2021
State
IN
(21.2p, 5.5r),
Audra Emmerson
Audra
Emmerson
5'6" | PG
Fishers | 2021
State
IN
(9.3p, 2.9r, 3.4a, 2.2s), and
Katie Howard
Katie
Howard
5'7" | SF
Fishers | 2021
State
IN
(7.7p) are the leaders of this talented group. Sophomore twins
Olivia Smith
Olivia
Smith
5'10" | SG
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
(8.5p, 5.0r) and
Hailey Smith
Hailey
Smith
5'10" | SG
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
(8.2p, 7.1r, 2.3a, 2.1s) provide strength and toughness, but even they are perimeter players.
Noblesville
The Noblesville Millers posted two consecutive losing seasons…something rare for the black and gold. But their 6-2 start this year, coupled with the wealth of young talent they possess, give them great hope for this season and the future. The Millers have gotten big wins already against Lawrence North, Hamilton Southeastern, Mishawaka Marian, and Brownsburg, plus they played Homestead to an eight-point loss. There are more winnable games on the docket, but a trip to Northwestern, plus non-conference games against Martinsville, Carmel, Lawrence Central, and Mount Vernon (Fortville) won’t be easy. Circling back to that young talent, and you start with Sophomore guard
Ashlynn Shade
Ashlynn
Shade
5'10" | SG
La Lumiere Prep | 2023
State
#33
Nation
IN
(22.9p, 6.8r, 4.5a, 5.4s). She has always been a top-tier talent, but she has taken her game to another level this year. Freshman guard
Reagan Wilson
Reagan
Wilson
5'7" | PG
Noblesville | 2024
State
IN
(8.8p, 2.8r, 2.2a, 2.4s) has been strong early as well, and Sophomores
Brooklyn Smitherman
Brooklyn
Smitherman
6'4" | C
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
(4.8p, 4.9r) and Kaitlyn Shoemaker (4.5p, 2.1s) are much-improved. Sophomore forward
Dani Mendez
Dani
Mendez
5'11" | PF
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
(2.5p, 3.3r) figures to be a big part of their success now that she’s back. Seniors Jayla Jones (7.0p, 2.7r),
Emily Wood
Emily
Wood
5'11" | PF
Noblesville | 2021
State
IN
(5.2p, 2.2r), and Mallory Miller (3.5p, 3.0r, 2.5a) bring a veteran presence to the lineup.
Zionsville Community
Zionsville really struggled a year ago, but they were extremely limited with perimeter talent/experience, and
Katey Richason
Katey
Richason
6'0" | PF
Zionsville Community | 2021
State
IN
missed a good portion of the season. This year, with several of those items improving, they have nearly matched last year’s win total already, and look to again be a 15-win type of team. They beat Avon before Thanksgiving, and they had a big 14-point win over Westfield this past Friday, pushing their Hoosier Crossroads record to 2-1. Tri-West, Castle, and Ben Davis are in their forecast, but they look like they’re turning the proverbial corner and figuring things out quickly. Senior forward
Katey Richason
Katey
Richason
6'0" | PF
Zionsville Community | 2021
State
IN
(16.4p, 6.9r, 2.3a) has definitely been big, but the improvement and play of Sophomore forward
Laila Hull
Laila
Hull
6'1" | PF
Zionsville | 2023
State
#49
Nation
IN
(18.4p, 7.3r, 3.1a, 3.0s) has also turned some heads early this season. Sophomore forward
Mallory Heerdt
Mallory
Heerdt
6'0" | PF
Zionsville | 2023
State
IN
(2.7p, 2.4r), Senior wing
Katie Wright
Katie
Wright
5'8" | SF
Zionsville Community | 2021
State
IN
(4.3p), and Junior forward Mya Childress (2.9p, 3.0r) also return with Varsity experience. But a strong Freshmen class is getting the opportunity to play early, and they are producing.
Allison Caldwell
Allison
Caldwell
5'11" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
(6.6p, 2.4a),
Faith Leedy
Faith
Leedy
5'4" | PG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
(5.9p, 2.0r, 2.3a),
Emma Haan
Emma
Haan
5'8" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
(5.0p, 5.0r, 2.0s), Sophia Poehlein (4.0p, 2.5r), and Isabelle Poehlein (3.3p, 2.0r) are the key rookies seeing the floor.
Franklin Central
It’s terribly difficult to assess the Flashes at this point in the season, seeing as how they haven’t played a game since November 12 due to COVID related issues. They are scheduled to take on Franklin Community this Tuesday, but we’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, they did start 2-1 with a narrow loss to a good Center Grove team. If they can get most/all of these games rescheduled, they’re going to be looking at a busy month of January. Junior guard
Rayah Kincer
Rayah
Kincer
5'10" | CG
Franklin Central | 2022
State
IN
(19.0p, 7.3r, 2.3a, 2.7s) and Junior wing
Olivia Faust
Olivia
Faust
6'0" | SF
Triton Central | 2022
State
IN
(14.5p, 5.0r, 3.5s, 2.5b) got off to quick starts in early November, and they’ll need to continue leading this team, as there isn’t much experience back beyond the two of them. Freshman wing Carys Wilson (4.3p, 3.7r) flashed athletic potential over the Summer, and she has done the same so far during their first three games. Senior Madison Weaver (2.0p, 7.7r) at least gives them another presence on the boards in the post-
Rachel Loobie
Rachel
Loobie
6'0" | PF
Franklin Central | 2020
State
IN
era.
Hamilton Southeastern
I knew Hamilton Southeastern had a great deal of young talent, but it was hard to tell who might step up after all of the graduations the Royals have seen these past two years. It appears that they’ve somewhat stepped up collectively, as they have started 6-2 with wins against the likes of Center Grove, Ben Davis, Columbus East, and Fort Wayne Carroll. They still have non-conference matchups against Warren Central and Lawrence North that could prove challenging, plus their rivalry game with Fishers remains on the schedule. Junior guards
Ryan Viele
Ryan
Viele
5'8" | CG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2022
State
IN
(11.9p, 2.0s) and
Makayla Hinshaw
Makayla
Hinshaw
5'8" | SG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2022
State
IN
(7.9p, 4.1r, 2.3a, 2.1s) have stepped up in a big way offensively for the Royals, while Senior wing
Lydia Self
Lydia
Self
5'10" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2021
State
IN
(6.1p, 10.3r, 2.3a, 2.1s) has somehow become a rebounding machine for Southeastern. The depth of the Sophomore class is also strong, and point guard
Olivia Brown
Olivia
Brown
5'7" | PG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(6.5p, 3.5r, 4.8a, 2.1s), wing
Riley Makalusky
Riley
Makalusky
6'2" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(7.0p, 2.4r), and front-liner
Lauren Stewart
Lauren
Stewart
5'11" | PF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
IN
(4.0p) have done a nice job giving them quality minutes throughout the early portion of the 2020-2021 season.
Westfield
Westfield is one of those sneaky good teams who might not win the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, but they will pull an upset or two throughout the year and frustrate many top teams. The Shamrocks started their season 2-1, then unfortunately missed nearly a month due to COVID issues, before returning last weekend. They are just starting to find their footing again, and they are a solid 4-3 with their best wins coming against Tri-West, Rushville, and McCutcheon (yesterday). They still have a number of tough games ahead, plus they have five postponements to figure out as well. Junior wing
Alyssa Crockett
Alyssa
Crockett
6'3" | SF
Westfield | 2022
State
#62
Nation
IN
(18.8p, 7.4r, 2.0a, 2.6s) is the centerpiece of what the Shamrocks want to do offensively. At 6-2, she is a shooter, a scorer, and just an all-around playmaker. Senior guard
Jessica Castor
Jessica
Castor
5'6" | CG
Westfield | 2021
State
IN
(7.2p) is a savvy and dangerous perimeter shooter. The Junior class has four more nice prospects in guards
Chesney Tebbe
Chesney
Tebbe
5'7" | CG
Westfield | 2022
State
IN
(6.6p, 3.2r, 2.6a) and
Olivia Robey
Olivia
Robey
5'6" | PG
Westfield | 2022
State
IN
(5.0p, 2.6r, 2.8a, 2.6s), plus forwards Hailey Remaks (2.6p) and Madison Kerrigan (2.0p). Senior post
Gigi Eldredge
Gigi
Eldredge
6'0" | C
Westfield | 2021
State
IN
(2.2r), Freshman guard
Elizabeth Kelleher
Elizabeth
Kelleher
5'10" | PG
Westfield | 2024
State
IN
, and Freshman front-liner Kiara Loveless all offer both talent and skill to the lineup.
Brownsburg
The Bulldogs are extremely dangerous, despite what their 3-4 record might suggest. They have scored the exact same number of points as they have given up, while three of their losses have been one-possession games…all by three points, and the other loss was by just five points. They’ve even knocked off Bedford North Lawrence already. If they can correct just a couple of possessions per game, they can win any game in the second half of their season, though it does remain tough throughout. Senior guard
Ally Becki
Ally
Becki
5'8" | PG
Brownsburg | 2021
State
IN
(17.4p, 9.3r, 3.3a, 3.4s) continues to be this team’s heart and soul, but Sophomore guard
Kailyn Terrell
Kailyn
Terrell
5'7" | PG
Brownsburg | 2023
State
IN
(11.0p) can be a Brownsburg fan-favorite with her hustle, toughness, and grit. Junior guard Miya Webb (4.4p) is the second player to move in from Illinois in the last two years, and she adds to the backcourt. Junior
Novalee Glass
Novalee
Glass
5'11" | PF
Brownsburg | 2022
State
IN
(3.6p, 3.4r) and Senior
Leah Yarbrough
Leah
Yarbrough
6'0" | PF
Brownsburg | 2021
State
IN
(3.2p, 3.4r) have been the steadiest upfront, while Senior Destiny Thomas (4.2p, 2.6r, 2.0s) and Junior
Ra’Mya Milton
Ra’Mya
Milton
5'9" | PF
Brownsburg | 2022
State
IN
play inside and out for the Bulldogs.
Avon
Avon is another team who has seen its share of postponements already, though they have played at different times throughout November. Their last game was November 25, and the next game on the schedule for them looks to be December 15 (Tuesday). With the inconsistency in the schedule, it’s difficult to find consistency in your play. When the Orioles do finally get rolling again, look for them to use Senior front-liner
Alex Richard
Alex
Richard
6'1" | PF
Avon | 2021
State
IN
(14.0p, 11.6r, 3.4b) quite a bit. The 6-1 forward is a tough, physical, athletic matchup problem, which is probably why she’s headed to Butler University next year. Senior guard
Indiah Kendrick
Indiah
Kendrick
5'6" | PG
Avon | 2021
State
IN
(12.0p, 2.8r, 2.4s) has also been dynamic scoring it early this season. Juniors Zaya Adagbada (5.5p, 2.8r) and Tonai Moore (4.6p, 2.6r), plus Seniors Brileigh Cardwell (5.0p, 3.8r, 3.0s) and Cori Micou (4.6p, 3.0r, 2.0a) have been the most consistent of the supporting cast for Avon thus far this season. Hopefully the Orioles will be able to find a consistent groove at some point soon.