The best day of the Indiana high school girls basketball season is upon us: Sectional semifinal Friday.
What was once a field of 393 will be down to 128 entering the first weekend of February.
The Scorers Table will be LIVE at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to preview Friday’s stacked slate. Guests: Silver Creek coach Scott Schoen, Triton Central senior Maryrose Felling, North Knox senior Lexi Primus, Brownsburg senior Elle McCulloch, Lafayette Jefferson senior Maya Layton, North Central coach FahKara Hawkins and Fort Wayne Northrop coach Katie Jackson and Northrop senior Swynn Jackson. PLUS Cade Hampton of the Star Press and Kyle Sokeland of the Evansville Courier & Press.
Let’s rank the state’s 17 best offerings.
17. Bloomington South vs. Bloomington North, 4A Sectional 13 at Terre Haute North
Bloomington South’s injury situation — more specifically senior Violet Hall’s status — could make this postseason rivalry showdown more interesting. The Panthers are deeper than the Cougars even without Hall, but BN has good balance across its top-four of Elayna Frank, Audrey Burton, Rilynn Williams and Katharine Lehr. Bloomington North beat host THN by 15 on Tuesday; South has not played since Jan. 28. Bloomington South by 11
16. Franklin Central vs. Decatur Central, 4A Sectional 12 at Center Grove
Decatur Central’s lone sectional title came in 1982 and it has won only one sectional game since 2021. Franklin Central will be a difficult out Friday night, but this feels like a game that could wind up being more entertaining than most would have expected heading in. Aleeyah McElrath (16.3 ppg, 2 apg), Serenity Johnson (11 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg), Mia Barnes (9 ppg), Havana Thompson (7 ppg, 3 apg, 2 spg) and Deriah Colbert (7 ppg, 3 spg) are all having solid seasons for the Hawks, who average just under 60 ppg. They’re on the rise and hungry for a statement win. Pick: Franklin Central by 7
15. Reitz vs. Gibson Southern, 4A Sectional 16 at Castle
Reitz beat Gibson Southern by 34 in late December, but Gibson Southern is a four-time defending sectional champion and three-time defending regional champ. It won’t be an easy out. The sophomore-heavy Panthers have four players averaging in double figures, including Keilah Mitchell, who went for 14 points and seven assists in the regular-season meeting. The Titans are powered by multi-sport standout Paige Schnaus, who’s in the midst of a career year, averaging 21 points, 9 rebounds, an assist and two blocks. Pick: Reitz by 10
14. Purdue Poly Englewood vs. Cathedral, 3A Sectional 26 at Shortridge
Purdue Poly is 0-3 vs. Cathedral in its brief history, including last year’s loss in the sectional final. The matchup between the Techies’ Te’Asia Briscoe, Ja’Nyiah Rogers and Amelia Story, and the Irish’s Precious Anuka, Caroline Wiggins and Tatum Triggs will be must-see entertainment. Pick: Cathedral by 5
13. Shelbyville vs. Indian Creek, 3A Sectional 28 at Rushville
Indian Creek fended off Rushville on Tuesday to set up its first meeting with Shelbyville since at least the turn of the century. The Braves run mostly through 6-1 junior Ellie Oliver and 6-foot senior Alexa Sichting, who both average 14 points, with Sichting also contributing 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Shelbyville, which was senior-free last year, has six seniors in this year’s lineup, including Hannah Baker, Savannah Collins and Maddy Jones, who are three of the team’s four leading scorers. Sophomore Jayla Ash averages a team-leading 13 ppg. Pick: Shelbyville by 3
12. Shortridge vs. Attucks, 3A Sectional 26 at Shortridge
Shortridge is coming off a 57-55 upset of Bishop Chatard — one of the biggest wins in program history — and playing on its home floor with a chance to reach the sectional finals for the first time since 2019. Kamariona Garrett and Jocelyn Eskew are both averaging over 11 points, and the entire team generates about 14 steals per game. Standing in the Blue Devils’ way is Crispus Attucks, which beat Shortridge by 22 on Jan. 8 and has one of the top players in the sectional in senior UCF commit Kamrah Banks. That’s going to be a very fun doubleheader. Pick: Attucks by 2
11. Lafayette Jefferson vs. McCutcheon, 4A Sectional 7 at McCutcheon
The intrigue of this matchup depends on how you want to look at it. McCutcheon won both regular-season games, with their Dec. 16 game decided by 25 points. But Jeff held its own on Nov. 21 (lost, 66-63) and has won eight straight since a 74-61 loss at Pike on Jan. 3 (beat Rensselaer Central at the end of December). The spotlight for this one will undoubtedly be on McCutcheon junior Lillie Graves (18 ppg, 7 rpg, 6 apg, 4 spg) and Jeff senior Maya Layton (20 ppg, 9 rpg, 6 apg, 4 spg, 1 bpg). Pick: McCutcheon by 8
10. Franklin vs. East Central, 4A Sectional 14 at Columbus East
This should be a reasonably high-scoring affair between two teams who are virtually identical across the board statistically. Addi King (12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Izzy Stillabower (12 ppg) lead the way for Franklin, while Natalie Stenger (17 ppg, 3 apg, 4 spg), Audrina Dugan (12 ppg) and Lilly Maple (10 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 4 spg) do most of the heavy lifting for East Central. The Trojans won the most recent meeting, beating the Grizzly Cubs by 13 in last year’s sectional opener. Pick: Franklin by 4
9. Delta vs. Jay County, 4A Sectional 24 at Yorktown
Make the trip to Yorktown and settle in for a rematch of last year’s sectional semifinal. Both teams rely heavily on a pair of standouts: Hallie and Karsyn Schwieterman for Jay County and Jillian Barr and Addison Barnes for Delta. The difference in Jay County’s 55-51 win over the Eagles a couple weeks ago? Liz Brunswick, Raylah Newton and Charlee Peters combined for 22 points beyond the Schwieterman sisters’ 33. The Patriots knocked off New Castle on Tuesday. Pick: Jay County by 5
8. Carmel vs. Zionsville, 4A Sectional 8 at Carmel
The Sectional 8 semifinals are always good for at least one surprise and/or dramatic finish, and the night’s first semifinal is probably this year’s best bet for that. Carmel did not have Catherine Bassi when it beat Zionsville by 11 on Nov. 18, and while the Hounds have lost 12 of their last 15, they took top-ranked Pike to overtime and beat Cathedral late in the season. Zionsville bounced back from a record-setting blow-out loss to Brownsburg in the regular season finale with a demonstrative win over Fishers. Its defense stole the show that night, and I would expect a more cohesive effort offensively in the semifinals, though Carmel’s pressure could cause them some problems. Pick: Zionsville by 9
7. Charlestown vs. Silver Creek, 3A Sectional 30 at Charlestown
Charlestown has not won a sectional since 2010. It enters this year’s event with an 11-game win streak and with a program-record 20 wins to its name. Chesney Jackson has over 1,000 career points, Alexis Finchum is a record-setting point guard and Natalie Gagnon is a key presence on both ends of the floor. Kendra Higdon rounds out the well-balanced lineup. Silver Creek, which beat the Pirates by six in mid-November, has won seven of eight and has a prolific senior pairing in Kansas commit Brooklynn Renn and Vermont commit Emma Schoen. Pick: Silver Creek by 8
6. North Central vs. Lawrence North, 4A Sectional 10 at North Central
Lawrence North shot 45% (12 3s) and recorded assists on 14 of its 19 field goals in Tuesday’s come-from-behind two-point win over Warren Central, with Jayla Miller (23 points), Jordyn Suggs (15) and Kalea Bentley (10) leading the way offensively. This team has a lot of new faces, sure, but there are some carryovers from last year’s state championship team, too, and that experience has been and will continue to be invaluable. Put simply: The Cats know how to win this time of year. But North Central has a bit of that experience in its lineup, too, with LN transfer Naja Winston. She was the team’s biggest cheerleader while sitting out the first two months of the season, and immediately injected some much-needed experience (and set the example) when she was cleared last month. Pick: North Central by 5
5. Roncalli vs. New Palestine, 3A Sectional 28 at Rushville
Roncalli is a state title contender, but rival New Palestine held its own during their Jan. 20 meeting and the Dragons have shot the ball better over their past five games. I wrote more in-depth on both teams here, but I have a feeling this game will be much more competitive than most expect. Pick: Roncalli by 7
4. Eastern Hancock vs. Triton Central, 2A Sectional 43 at Heritage Christian
This game showcases two of the area’s best small-school talents in Triton Central senior Maryrose Felling (25 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg) and Eastern Hancock junior Kenzie Koch (26 ppg, 8 rpg, 5 apg, 4 spg, 1 bpg). Both are the focal point of opposing defenses, but have steady secondary scoring options behind them — Quinn King (13 ppg, 8 apg, 5 spg) for the Tigers and Bella Sotelo (12 ppg, 3 apg, 4 spg) for the Royals. EH has an edge on the glass, TC is more efficient shooting from 3. Otherwise, these teams are virtually identical statistically. Pick: Triton Central by 4
3. Fort Wayne Northrop vs. Fort Wayne Snider, 4A Sectional 5 at Carroll
Snider rallied from a 12-point deficit and escaped with a 49-48 victory when these teams played in early January. The defending sectional champions are led by the sophomore-freshman tandem of Janaya Cooper (19 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 apg, 3 spg, 2 bpg) and McKenzie White (11 ppg, 7 rpg), but have a few junior contributors, as well, with Izzie Eke (9 ppg), Gracie Smith (7 ppg) and Mylee Hurse (3 apg). Northrop will have had a week to stew over a heartbreaking triple-overtime loss to Homestead in the regular-season finale. The Bruins are senior-heavy and have an excellent 1-2 punch offensively with Khala Williams-Thomas and Swynn Jackson, both of whom are averaging 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and a couple blocks per game. As for the rivalry itself? Check out the clip below. Pick: Northrop by 1
2. South Knox vs. North Knox, 2A Sectional 47 at Eastern Greene
This is one of the best girls basketball rivalries in the state and I expect the 3,000-seat Eastern Greene gymnasium will be packed to the rafters for the 7:30 p.m. semifinal. Reigning 2A state champion South Knox has navigated a few injuries and looked impressively balanced with five players averaging at least eight points and a couple rebounds per game, led by juniors Kendal Hill (19 ppg, 10 rpg, 6 apg, 4 spg) and Ellie Burke (10 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg). North Knox, which was tied with the Spartans at halftime on Dec. 6, is a more senior-driven outfit with Lexi Primus, Jade Richter and Baylee McClure. Pick: South Knox by 5
1. Brownsburg vs. Plainfield, 4A Sectional 11 at Plainfield
The Bulldogs and Quakers played twice this season. Both games resulted in a 60-54 Plainfield win, with the most recent victory clinching the Hendricks County championship. It’s hard to beat a team three times, especially a county rival. But both teams enter Friday trending up (Plainfield rallied to beat Ben Davis in Tuesday’s opener). Should be a fun one. Pick: Brownsburg by 1
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball: Indiana best sectional semifinal games
