I will briefly breakdown two Class 2A sectionals that have some interesting fields of competition to keep a close eye on in this postseason.
2A 36 @ North Miami
Sectional Titles
Winamac 14 (2014)
Lewis Cass 12 (2005)
Wabash 8 (2015)
North Miami 5 (2023)
Pioneer 5 (2021)
Sectional Analysis
With a record of 57-50, this is another underrated sectional deep into Miami County where you have 3 very solid TRC programs and 2 Hoosier North programs. It’s a small little sectional, but there are some pretty good players in this field.
No one should be surprised that Lewis Cass (19-3) should be slight favorites in this draw. Coming off their best season in 20 years, Lewis Cass finished their first season in the TRC with a co-conference championship thanks in part to an elite defense that is holding teams to just 30.4 points per game. The stats don’t stand out as much with Cass other than their defense that is averaging 11.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. They also hang their hats on rebounding the basketball averaging 27 boards with 9.8 of them coming off of the offensive glass.
Cass’ key players to watch are sophomore point guard Aftin Griffin who is averaging 12.3 points and 3 steals per game, and senior center Kinsey Mennen averages 7.6 boards and 1.8 blocks per game as their rim protector. Tonight’s sectional opener will go a long way in deciding how the rest of this field goes. The Lady Apaches (11-11) are an offensive machine with 3 players averaging 9 or more points per game led by Honeycutt’s 13.3 points per game in her junior season. Rebounding wise, this team is going to crash the boards well at a rate of 30.6 boards and defensively averaging 12.7 steals per game.
Consistency seems to be the ultimate challenge with Wabash as they are 4-3 in games decided by 10 points or less but also finding that consistency on offense and defense to playing up to postseason form. They have a tough first-round game against Winamac, who emphasize in a balanced attack, rebounding the basketball and playing hard-nosed defense. Winamac (12-9) does not shoot the ball that well and does have a track record of committing too many turnovers (Over 19 turnovers a game). So, taking care of the basketball and winning the rebounding battle will be vital points in that game.
Don’t rule out the host North Miami (9-12) who has seen an underwhelming regular season heading into sectional play after winning this sectional last season with a 19-6 campaign. Senior Kaiden Hanley is the best player in the entire sectional averaging 19.2 points, 6.9 boards, 3.7 assists, 6.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 46% shooting. The future Holy Cross Lady Saint can be the absolute difference maker in this sectional.
2A 39 @ Elwood
Sectional Titles
Tipton 13 (2021)
Eastbrook 8 (2023)
Taylor 5 (2006)
Madison-Grant 4 (2017)
Blackford 3 (2009)
Elwood 3 (2007)
Sectional Analysis
Deep breaths…this sectional is ranked as the 2nd weakest in all of Indiana at a record of…54-101. This 7-team sectional is ranked worse than the 4-team 1A Northfield sectional that is not the most impressive. So, for all intense purposes, to no offense of the other teams. This sectional really comes down to state power Eastbrook and a really good Blackford team aka the 2 Co-CIC champions.
I have been quick to recognize the success of Eastbrook (20-2) all season long because of their exposure playing against NE8 and ACAC schools. This is an excellent team that has all types of offensive playmakers but more importantly plays stout defense. The star of the show is Grace College commit Sophia Morrison. The senior point guard is averaging 18.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.2 steals per game, while shooting 49% from the floor and 44% from three. Ranked as the 3rd highest scoring player in program history, Morrison is one of the toughest most explosive players coming out of the 2024 class, and that is speaking high praise to what NAIA fans should come to expect next year.
Morrison is not the only good player there. Huntington Track & Field and Cross-Country commit Olivia Howell is a force to be reckoned in the paint averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 boards, 2.6 assists, and 3.6 steals per game on 57% shooting. Mia Bustos leads the Panthers’ rebounding statistic at a rate of 5.5 boards per game, which is very important considering the fact this is a guard-heavy team that relies on their press and playing an aggressive pace to their game. As a team, they average 16 steals per game, showcasing their attention and effort on defense. They are going to get after teams defensively. Just like they did against Bluffton and Huntington North, this Eastbrook wants their elite defense to be their best offense because when they get stops, they feed off of it.
This is a team that shoots 47% from the floor and 38% from 3. Audri Prater and Kourtney Goff are two seniors that do not get near enough attention to how valuable they bring to this team. Prater is shooting 44% from three, and she don’t just drain threes, she extends that range further into NBA distance. Teams cannot leave girls like her with any space because of that range. That is the challenge of beating Eastbrook.
The only team in this sectional that can really compete with Eastbrook is their arch-nemesis Blackford. The rise of Blackford basketball has been unique in a lot of ways because when I was in school, Blackford was the school that received all of the jokes about their sports. I got to say that I am pleased that we are seeing that rise of hoops again with Hartford City.
This Lady Bruins team (17-6) has been building something pretty big over the last few seasons. Despite graduation taking a toll on this team, they have reloaded and continue to stay competitive deep into the season. Blackford has two players that they will count on to be at their best in seniors Chloe Wicker and Sydnee Morris. These two have combined for 25.7 points per game. Wicker is their sharpshooter as she is shooting 43% from downtown to go with her 45% shooting. Her scoring has gone up by nearly 8 points per game, which is one of the great stories about this season of high school basketball.
Morris is Blackford’s go-to player in the post shooting at an astounding 68% from the floor and 72% from 2 (nearly 3/4’s of her shots). She also contributes with 7.3 boards and 4.9 steals per game. These are pretty crazy numbers for a power forward.
Blackford really hangs their hats on defense and being a tough team to play against. While the sectional gets a bad rap this season, these two teams bring out the best in this sectional. If we get a Eastbrook-Blackford final for the 2nd year in a row, you better believe that Elwood would be packed on Saturday night.
Around the NorthEast Corner 