Let’s take a look at Class 4A where I highlight 2 ANEC impacted sectionals in 4A’s sectional 5, and 6. ANEC covered schools Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Huntington North, and New Haven are mentioned in this preview.
4A 5 @ Carroll
Sectional Titles
Snider 15 (2023)
DeKalb 15 (2006)
Carroll 11 (2021)
Northrop 11 (2009)
East Noble 7 (2016)
North Side 2 (1979)
Sectional Analysis
With a record of 69-58, the Carroll sectional is ranked 22nd in all of Indiana in terms of sectional records. It’s a solid sectional when factoring in which teams are in the sectional.
You look at that very first matchup on Tuesday night, you’re getting a rematch from East Noble’s 46-42 thrilling win back on Nov. 21. This East Noble team under Coach Britain Isaacs has a nice mix of seniors and underclassmen in the fold. Their two seniors Payton Quake and Bailea Bortner provide a good fixture of senior leadership and some athletic talent. Quake in particular is a potential double-double threat averaging 8.6 points on 55% shooting and 5.7 boards.
The underclassmen are plentiful with a variety of grit, speed, toughness, and basketball abilities. Freshmen Averi Amstutz, Rian David, and Elli Will are an instant impact on this East Noble roster that will get significant better over the course of their careers. At 9.5 points and 2 steals per game, Amstutz provides a semblance of stability in the backcourt and incredibly hard-nosed point guard with untapped potential in the future.
Will, who missed 3 games due to an injury, has been an instant impact as their power forward on the team and can become a double-double threat in the future. Rian David is EN’s most lethal shooter from downtown shooting at a clip of 38%. Sophomore Addison Deming shares the ball well and can make plays. It’s a team from top to bottom consisted of talented athletes and highly skilled basketball players that are now showcasing confidence and strong team basketball.
But Carroll is no ordinary 7-14 team. They play a Top-25 schedule in all of Indiana and the dangerous 1-2 combo of junior guard Jersey Paul and sophomore center Lily George instantly gives every opponent a matchup nightmare. This team beat Bishop Luers and DeKalb, so you know their potential is high. But Carroll’s weaknesses have come from inconsistency and team defense. This team can score and play with anyone even against teams like Norwell and Hamilton Southeastern. But can the Chargers play 4 quarters of basketball in the playoffs?
It’s a younger team and it is a roster that doesn’t go deep into the bench. They will ride heavily on their starters throughout this run. The x-factor is sophomore Ava Myers. Myers who primarily right now is a perimeter threat as a sophomore forward is Carroll’s most efficient shooter at 38% from 3, with Jersey sitting at 32%.
On the opposite end of the bracket, Snider and Northrop meet again in a rematch from Jan. 5 where Snider won handily 70-37. On paper, Snider (19-2) is the favorite to win this sectional coming off their first SAC title since 2015. The dangerous trio of Jordyn Poole, Nae Nae Donahue, and Ciara Sims gives Snider 3 legitimate gamers that can dominate on any given night. Poole (Purdue) and Nae Nae are Division 1 basketball commits with Tia Phinezy (Missouri) being a Division 1 volleyball player.
Snider might just be too much for anyone in this sectional. Northrop (14-7) has battled hard in spite of the season ending injury to Destini Craig (IUPUI commit). The emergence of sophomore Khala Williams-Thomas and the return of sophomore Swynn Jackson gives Northrop some hope for the present and the future of Northrop basketball. I’ve also liked what I’ve seen from Alivia Rice, Brilee Day, and a future star in freshman Niamyah Anderson.
Lexi Castator (Valpo Commit) provides a challenge for opposing teams as a 6’2 point guard and will be relied on heavily for her leadership in this sectional hoping to pull off a major upset on Tuesday. If Niya Bell can get hot from downtown, maybe Northrop can garner some momentum.
The winner of that Northrop-Snider game gets (14-7) DeKalb who has a superstar guard in junior Ashley Cox who is averaging 20 points and nearly 10 boards per game as a point guard, and a rising player in freshman guard Abbie Harris. DeKalb’s identity starts with their defensive pressure and rebounding and that’ll be something they will need to excel this week if they want to end their near 20-year sectional title drought.
Final Thoughts
I love East Noble’s long-term future, but I am not sure they’re ready for the animal that is the state tournament. Carroll, despite its flaws, has too much talent to see their season end as one-and-dons on their home floor. The winner of this game very likely plays for a sectional title on Saturday.
As far as the other half goes, I think Northrop makes the rematch closer this time around, but not having Craig will place Northrop at a disadvantage to the stingy and athletic Snider defense that makes their offense equally lethal. A team that has this much talent and a a generational point guard in Jordyn Poole is a far greater challenge.
4A 6 @ Columbia City
Sectional Titles
Huntington North 18 (2006)
Homestead 17 (2023)
Columbia City 17 (2000)
South Side 7 (2018)
New Haven 3 (1993)
Wayne 1 (1979)
Sectional Analysis
With a sectional record of 65-67, this sectional is quite deceiving. Yes, the field as a whole is underwhelming, but really it’s a top-heavy sectional consisted with state powers Columbia City and Homestead.
Thankfully, we will not see a 1st round matchup between these two like last year. They’re on separate sides of the bracket which means we could get a CC-Homestead sectional title matchup at the Bird Cage. The Top half consists of the better of the two first round games between Columbia City and Wayne. (20-2) Columbia City has received a lot of attention both within the 260 area and across the state of Indiana. They have not lost a game this season against 4A competition, which includes Hamilton Southeastern, Snider, and Jennings County.
On paper, this team is extremely talented and experienced. Their starting 5 can score the basketball with poise and discipline but all of their success starts with a culture of stingy, hard-nosed defense. Columbia City has 2 1000-point scorers in junior point guard Addison Baxter (Butler Commit that averages 18.5 a game) and senior point guard Kyndra Sheets (Huntington Commit that averages 14 points per game).
Baxter is CC’s most impactful player that does everything on the floor and doing what it takes to win on both ends of the court. She’s their most valuable player. Sheets is CC’s talented shooter and ball handler that plays physical defense and their excellent playmaker. Both players also can knock down key shots and FT’s in key moments.
From there, they have their 5’11 senior forward in Molly Baker averaging 11 points per game that anchors the defense in the paint and providing the Eagles their own post player to compete with the size and athleticism of their opponents’ big players.
Arguably their most important aspect is their depth, and it starts with the Tonkel sisters: Senior Tessa Tonkel and sophomore Anisa Tonkel. Both players provide instant athletic abilities, strong defensive awareness, a lot of toughness, and big time shooting ability. Without the Tonkel’s, they don’t have this much flexibility with their offense and their energy is severely valued.
Columbia City’s biggest strengths on offense lie in their disciplined shooting at around 40% from the floor and a strong transition scoring offense. Defensively, they swarm for loose balls and rebound at a very high level despite being undersized by a lot of people.
The big question lies within their ability to stay calm in high pressure situations and overcoming demons that have haunted them in the past. One major hurdle could be Homestead (19-4).
This team has ended their season in each of their last 4 seasons. A former rival from the defunct NHC, Homestead has built itself into becoming a consistent empire in Fort Wayne girls basketball under 23-year Coach Rod Parker. This team has won this sectional 10 times since 2011, went to state twice, and winning the whole thing in 2017, Karissa McLaughlin’s senior season.
The Lady Spartans are very young this season with a roster consisted of over a half dozen super talented sophomores that have been praised with high hopes and expectations before they even got to high school. This is a very experienced group of kids that played a lot of basketball last season and led by guards Myah Epps, Gabby Helsom, and Whitney Ankenbruck, this team has confidence and high goals set on a run at state.
They have other kids like freshman Eva Scarbeary, junior Olivia Fry, sophomore Kendall McLaughlin, and junior Selin Oezcan that provide Sparty some nice depth. They’ve been under the radar all season long but have shown at times that they can be a very dangerous team. You can’t underestimate Homestead at all costs.
Epps (the sophomore point guard) is a game changer at the point guard position with very similar skills to that of Addison Baxter and Jordyn Poole. Epps is a gamer and her toughness and maturity gives Homestead that elite floor general. Helsom is Sparty’s big and lethal sophomore shooter that can score a lot of points, rebound, and create havoc on opposing players. When she’s on fire, she’s hard to slow down. Her and Epps combine for over 30 points per game on the team. That’s how talented these two kids are.
Homestead does however have a history of sustained success by also being a very physical defense, playing hard, and simply not making a lot of mistakes. They will not be afraid or intimidated entering this sectional.
The wild card out of all of this is Huntington North. While they don’t have a Taylor Double playmaker, the Vikings (11-11) have athletes and a lot of heart. They don’t ever feel like they’re out of any game under Matt Hinds. Their efforts have been noted all season long, but they do have some talent.
Marisa Trout averages 14 points per game and is a player that can find the basket, make shots, but is relentless on defense and is a selfless teammate. Sophomore Haiden Bailey is their most improved player in the backcourt averaging close to a dozen points per game as their perimeter shooter. Bailey is especially important because of the injury to senior Grace Fields who injured her foot in that Huntington Holliday Invitational.
The loss of Fields has been noted to some of their struggles, and they’ll have to find a way to survive and advance without her in a season that has been filled with adversity and life lessons. Defensive pressure and turnovers will be keys for Huntington North.
Final Thoughts
While Columbia City has all of the potential in the world to win this sectional, I do have to go back to this notion. Columbia City knows they can win in the regular season and in the NE8. They have yet to understand how to not just beat Homestead but also winning a sectional. This group of girls have never experienced before. In fact, it’s been nearly a quarter of a century, where the 2000 team made it all the way to state led by Connie Myers.
If they want these goals to come true, they must find a way to win 3 rounds of sectional basketball. They can’t overlook anyone. Wayne has talent, Huntington North has a little more talent, and Homestead is a dangerous opponent. Columbia City will need to play as good of basketball as they possibly can to have a shot. Last season’s team ended in heartbreak. They want to learn from that. They want to learn from 24 years of disappointment. If there’s any year to do that, this is the year. And for the 4 seniors, this is their last chance.
Until they can exercise those demons, it’s going to give me hesitation to take them 2 years in a row. Homestead is a very good team that has potential to be great. The one major caveat with Sparty is the injury of Emma Reust, who is arguably the 2nd best all-around defensive player out of the SAC. As a future Saint Francis Cougar, Reust thrives in that role, and her presence is still strong despite the ACL injury.
It’s once again a coin toss to decide this sectional, but the track record says Homestead has the slight edge.
Around the NorthEast Corner 