What’s in a Schedule?
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The featured image is of Isabelle Shepherd Isabelle Shepherd 5'5" | CG Carmel | 2025 State IN (2025) of Carmel High School. After tonight’s games, the 2022-2023 season will have its first month “in the books”. Looking back at that…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Isabelle Shepherd Isabelle Shepherd 5'5" | CG Carmel | 2025 State IN (2025) of Carmel High School.
After tonight’s games, the 2022-2023 season will have its first month “in the books”. Looking back at that month, I wanted to take the time to highlight the teams playing the toughest of schedules. Scheduling is not something parents and players can control, I get it, but coaches and athletic directors can, and it is funny when people talk about how they are 6-0, 7-0, 8-0, whatever, and they have played a 300+ level schedule, when there are only 395 qualifying teams in the state. I also understand when a program is down for a couple of years and you need to schedule “wins” here and there, but at least own it. Anyway, below is a look at the five programs who have the toughest schedules in the state to this point. Now, these do not include games from Monday or Tuesday night, so these are figured through Saturday’s contests (11/26).
#1 Carmel H.S. (0-7)
Unfortunately for Carmel, they are finding out what happens when you schedule big and suffer through injuries, illnesses, and somewhat of a youth movement, all at the same time. 6-1 Senior post
Mackenzie Thomas
Mackenzie
Thomas
6'1" | C
Carmel | 2023
IN
, who was huge for them a year ago, hasn’t seen the floor yet this year, and she would surely make a difference for the Greyhounds. 5-10 Junior wing
Ava Carter
Ava
Carter
5'10" | SF
Carmel | 2024
State
IN
(6.5p) has only played in two games so far as well. Sophomores
Lauren Perry
Lauren
Perry
6'3" | SF
Carmel | 2025
State
IN
(4.6p, 2.0r),
Rilee McBride
Rilee
McBride
5'10" | PF
Carmel | 2025
IN
(3.7p, 2.3r),
Taryn Fisher
Taryn
Fisher
5'7" | PG
Carmel | 2025
State
IN
(2.2p, 2.4r), and
Mallory Bourquein
Mallory
Bourquein
5'9" | SG
Carmel | 2025
State
IN
(1.0p) have each missed a game or games. All are promising prospects and the backbone of the future for the Greyhounds. Senior wing
Hannah Lach
Hannah
Lach
5'10" | SF
Carmel | 2023
State
IN
(5.3p, 4.2r), a DePauw University commit, has been hounded and chased everywhere most nights without Thomas in the lineup. Who has shined is Sophomore guard
Isabelle Shepherd
Isabelle
Shepherd
5'5" | CG
Carmel | 2025
State
IN
(12.0p). She is 13-37 (35%) from 3-point range and 71% from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard
Mackenzie Woods
Mackenzie
Woods
5'8" | PG
Carmel | 2025
State
IN
(5.2p, 5.3r, 3.2a) has also flashed impressive moments at times this season. What will hopefully be good for this squad is the youngsters seeing so many minutes and adapting to the speed and size of such a tough schedule. They should be seasoned by Sectional time, and hopefully for those returning in 2023-2024, they will be that much more prepared to win next year.
#2 Noblesville H.S. (6-1)
The Millers, fresh off of a 2022 Class 4A State Title, are back at it again, even without the services of
Ashlynn Shade
Ashlynn
Shade
5'10" | SG
La Lumiere Prep | 2023
State
#33
Nation
IN
. They have beaten traditional powers like Lawrence North, Brownsburg, Homestead, and Carmel, and their lone loss was Saturday at the hands of South Bend Washington. They have another big matchup tonight, when they host Hamilton Southeastern. The Millers are getting strong play from their backcourt, as expected, with Sophomore
Meredith Tippner
Meredith
Tippner
5'10" | SG
Noblesville | 2025
State
IN
(17.3p, 10.6r, 4.0a, 3.6s) leading the way. She has been electric most nights, but she’s also getting help from Junior guard
Reagan Wilson
Reagan
Wilson
5'7" | PG
Noblesville | 2024
State
IN
(10.9p, 3.1r, 3.6a, 3.0s) and Junior wing
Ava Shoemaker
Ava
Shoemaker
5'9" | SF
Noblesville | 2024
State
IN
(10.0p, 3.7r). Wilson is another Division-I talent with the offers to prove it, while the younger Shoemaker is a nice, hard-working athlete. Senior front-liner
Dani Mendez
Dani
Mendez
5'11" | PF
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
(8.3p, 5.7r) played well Saturday against South Bend Washington, as she is a physical, hard-working power forward who gets a lot of “scraps” baskets. Senior guard
Kaitlyn Shoemaker
Kaitlyn
Shoemaker
5'4" | PG
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
(7.3p, 2.1a) is a sharpshooter who teams have done a nice job of bottling up so far, for the most part, but she can get hot quickly. Also keep an eye on 6-1 Freshman post
C.C. Quigley
C.C.
Quigley
6'3" | C
Noblesville | 2026
State
IN
(2.0p, 4.1r). She’s still building strength and more of an offensive skillset, but she can get in there and rebound & defend.
#3 Lawrence Central (3-2)
The Lady Bears are definitely in a youth movement right now, but that group of youngsters is uber-talented. Their top five scorers so far, and eight of the nine girls who have played, all hail from the 2025 and 2026 classes. Additionally, they have already gone to battle with the likes of Zionsville, Westfield, University, and Ben Davis. Sophomore wing
Jaylah Lampley
Jaylah
Lampley
6'2" | SF
Lawrence Central | 2025
State
IN
(18.0p, 5.3r) has come out of the gates quickly and is a real problem to contain at times. Having her Sophomore running ‘mate back and healthy helps, as point guard
Laila Abdurraqib
Laila
Abdurraqib
5'7" | PG
Lawrence Central | 2025
State
IN
(15.7p, 8.0r, 2.7a, 3.7s) is a dynamic creator and scorer for the Lady Bears. Freshman wing
Lola Lampley
Lola
Lampley
6'3" | PF
Lawrence Central | 2026
State
IN
(12.0p, 4.0r, 4.3s) creates even more matchup problems for opponents, as she’s built like a power player, but she has the skill and athleticism of a perimeter player. Those three are so impactful most nights, that legitimate talents like 6-0 Freshman forward
Aniyah McKenzie
Aniyah
McKenzie
6'0" | PF
Lawrence Central | 2026
State
IN
(3.0p, 2.0r) and 5-9 Sophomore wing McKenzie Morton (2.0p, 2.0r) are still waiting to hit their stride. This team may just be 3-2 at this point in the season, but I can assure you no one in Sectional #10 will want to draw them come tournament time.
#4 Huntington North (4-1)
The Lady Vikings saw the promising 2025 Daugherty twins move to Summerville, South Carolina, this year. They could have mailed it in and made excuses, especially since they started their season with Fort Wayne Snider, Carmel, Carroll (Fort Wayne), and Homestead. Instead, they’ve won four of five games, including a buzzer-beating win against Homestead last Tuesday. Senior wing
Taylor Double
Taylor
Double
5'10" | SF
Huntington North | 2023
State
IN
is a real threat to score the ball in bunches from all three levels. She’s a nice athlete, she can handle and create for others, and she’s a versatile defender. She has already signed to play at NAIA power Marian University next season. Sophomore wing
Marissa Trout
Marissa
Trout
5'10" | SF
Huntington North | 2025
State
IN
has flashed great potential as well, and at times she looks like she could be the Lady Vikings’ key to success. She has a nice inside-out game, but she has really transformed into more of a true wing/guard recently. Then there is Junior guard
Gracie Fields
Gracie
Fields
5'7" | SG
Huntington North | 2024
IN
. She has ball skill and can play point, but she’s also a fluid and smooth athlete, she can get downhill to create/score, plus she’s a nice perimeter shooter. This team is more than just these three ladies, but this trio is a handful for most opponents.
#5 Brownsburg (4-5)
The Lady Bulldogs always schedule big, and while they don’t necessarily enter postseason play with 20+ wins every year, they are battle tested and make deep playoff runs. The last couple of years they have played with great balance and depth, and they can win games in a variety of ways. The continued growth and development of 6-6 Sophomore post
Avery Gordon
Avery
Gordon
6'6" | C
Brownsburg | 2025
State
IN
(16.4p, 10.0r, 3.3b) has obviously made a huge impact this year. She is a massive presence, she has length, and she works incredibly hard at her size. She is starting to showcase instinctual post-moves, along with counters, and she has become an offensive force on the block now. Senior guard
Kailyn Terrell
Kailyn
Terrell
5'7" | PG
Brownsburg | 2023
State
IN
(9.4p, 3.3r, 3.6a, 2.9s) is a true Bulldog in every sense of the word. She is tough-nosed, feisty, and plays hard. She has a balanced skillset, and she’s a genuine leader on the floor. Junior wing
Emma Hendricks
Emma
Hendricks
5'8" | SF
Brownsburg | 2024
State
IN
(8.9p, 5.5r, 2.3a) is a dangerous sharpshooter from outside, and teams must respect that part of her game. But she’s also a quietly tough kid who outworks her matchups. And Senior guard Megan Eaker (8.6p, 2.8r) has really stepped up her game so far as a Senior. Providing that fourth scoring threat will make defenses think twice about who they can help off of. Just take a peek at their schedule HERE and see who they’ve already played.