Members of the IndyStar girls basketball preseason Super Team recall the most embarrassing moments from their basketball careers.
The Indiana high school girls basketball season begins in earnest Tuesday night, which means it's time to rank the 15 best teams in Central Indiana.
All the major contributors from last year's state championship team are back, positioning the Bears for another 4A title run. And with a reasonably difficult schedule, they should be battle-tested come tournament time. The biggest question? Depth. LC is pretty thin beyond its starting five. To that end, coach Jannon Lampley is high on the potential of freshmen LeAnah Hyatt and A'Myah Sowell, and getting them integrated into the rotation and comfortable with the varsity level will be imperative to the Bears' sustained success against a loaded 4A field.
It's the same question we've asked the past couple seasons: Can HSE break through and advance to regionals for the first time since its 2019 title run? The pieces are certainly there. The trio of Maya Makalusky, Kennedy Holman and Kayla Stidham is among the best in the state and this team can shoot the lights out (63.2 ppg, 45% FG). The Royals won't have a true post player, but Makalusky's continued development as a physical paint presence and commitment to playing team defense should lessen that disadvantage.
Save the date: Nov. 7 vs. Lawrence North. We get to see two of the state's best right out of the chute. Heck yeah.
3. Lawrence North (18-6)
The Wildcats graduated some key pieces, but return the majority of their core, which is headlined by the guard-forward combo of Kya Hurt and Jamaya Thomas. Naja Winston has established herself as a regular contributor, and Ke'Adriah Butler is poised for a breakout junior campaign -- she was tremendous over the final month or so of last season and had an excellent summer. Finding that third scoring option alongside Hurt and Thomas will be task No. 1.
Save the date: Jan. 21 at Hamilton Southeastern. A potential 4A final preview and the midway point in a ridiculous season-ending stretch for the Cats, who follow their Jan. 16 visit from Lawrence Central with Center Grove, a tournament in Ohio, HSE, conference foe Ben Davis, Fishers and Pike.
4. Plainfield (18-8, 4A regional champs)
I saw the Quakers a couple times over the summer and they should be a fun team to watch with a high-pressure, aggressive defense that's looking to speed up their opponents and generate turnovers. Ellie Stewart and Morgan Barnes bring ample varsity experience -- Stewart's a tremendous all-around athlete and averaged over four assists per game -- while Berkeley Williams and Hannah Menser are among the state's best in their respective classes. Plainfield won't have much size, and I'm curious to see how it fares against taller teams who can match up athletically.
Save the date: Nov. 12 at Brownsburg. This game is preceded by McCutcheon and followed by Danville, but considering last year's meeting required a couple overtimes to be decided ... we're going with Quakers-Dawgs.
5. Fishers (17-7)
I'm very high on the Tigers' potential (obviously) with Allison Scheu and Nevaeh Dickman both positioned for massive senior seasons. There will be some early growing pains as everyone settles into their new roles -- specifically at guard, where a couple freshmen will likely see significant varsity minutes (Riley Schellhammer and Ella Burelson) -- but the Tigers are big, strong and very well-coached.
Save the date: Dec. 7 vs. Gibson Southern at Evansville North. A mid-season measuring stick game for both sides. The main standouts on both sides match-up pretty perfectly with Dickman vs. Paige Schnaus in the post and Scheu vs. Gabby Spink at guard.
6. Center Grove (27-2, 4A semistate runner-up)
The Trojans lost a large chunk of scoring to graduation. But they return Lilly Bischoff and Ava Grant and add Gracyn Gilliard, a high-scoring junior who moved in from Munster. Considering this team's track record, there won't be a drop-off defensively and the offense should maintain its high-level of consistent production. The big task facing CG will be establishing new leaders as it builds chemistry through the opening weeks.
Save the date: Nov. 5 at Franklin Central. A season-opening clash between the two favorites in Sectional 12.
7. Franklin Central (15-9)
There's a lot to like about the Flashes. They have 10 returning varsity players, led by a Junior Indiana All-Star (Lily Graves) and a couple highly touted sophomores (Payton DuVall and Ashlee Baker). They're a very well-rounded, experienced team and looking to build off their first season above .500 since 2019-20 (second since 2014-15). Senior Emma McVey brings additional varsity experience.
Save the date: Nov. 22 vs. Hamilton Southeastern. The Flashes begin conference play with a late-November litmus test vs. the Royals. They're 0-6 vs. HSE since 2018-19.
8. Brownsburg (13-12)
The Bulldogs have their go-to scorer with 6-6 senior center Avery Gordon. You know what you're going to get from the senior Purdue commit (lots of points, rebounds and blocks), but developing guards and establishing more perimeter threats are tasks 1 and 1a for coach Josh Sabol. There are candidates to step into those roles with Elle McCulloch and Morgan Montgomery among the returners.
Save the date: Jan. 7 at Avon. A regular-season revenge game for Brownsburg -- and just a great rivalry match overall.
9. Danville (24-4)
The Warriors graduated eight seniors, but return their three leading scorers: Emma Ancelet, Addison Davis and Maddy Wethington. They've enjoyed quite a bit of success during their high school careers and are eager for another crack at the first state championship berth in program history (they came close last year, falling to Gibson Southern in the state semifinals). Coach Kaley May fortified the schedule, too, with McCutcheon, Roncalli and Center Grove.
Save the date: Jan. 7-11 at Hendricks County tournament. The Warriors have finished runner-up the past two seasons, but will have a difficult road back this season with Plainfield lurking in the semifinals.
10. Pike (12-15, 4A sectional champion)
The Red Devils are deep and very talented with Komari Booker, Saniya Smith, Korinne Nickolson and Alonna Divine among their top players. They overcame a five-game losing streak to finish last season with a surprise sectional championship run (upset Franklin Central in the final), then nearly upset Plainfield in the regional.
Save the date: Jan. 24 at Carmel. Chances are neither team will be favored to win their sectional, but both should be capable of stirring things up (Pike could absolutely repeat as sectional champ). Both teams will be looking for a quality win, which should make for a fun late-season clash.
11. Bishop Chatard (19-9, 3A regional champion)
The Trojans jump directly into the incinerator with a trip to Scottsburg followed by Noblesville, Mt. Vernon, Gibson Southern and Pendleton Heights. It wouldn't come as a massive surprise if they only have a couple wins entering December -- but don't doubt their ability to emerge above .500. They have a pair of excellent posts with Anna Caskey and Olivia Berzai, and a pair of up-and-comers with point guard Betsy Tragesseer and forward Alyx Kendall. They also added Gianna Morelli from Guerin Catholic, but she's currently recovering from injury.
Save the date: Nov. 9 at Scottsburg. Coach Dan Wagner was intentional with scheduling this as the season opener. He wants to see how his team handles playing in a hostile environment out of the gates.
12. Noblesville (18-9, 4A semistate runner-up)
Meredith Tippner is capable of carrying this team. The question is who steps up around her. Forward CC Quigley should be ready to take another big step forward in her development after averaging around 10 points and six rebounds as a sophomore; Ally Hutchinson (who hit some big shots last year) and Kate Rollins will both be stepping into larger roles.
Save the date: Nov. 12 at Bishop Chatard. The Trojans are a big, physical team. I'm curious to see how the Millers match up. Honorable mention here to all the conference games and Homestead on Nov. 23.
13. Pendleton Heights (15-10)
Kaycie Warfel will have a stronger, more experienced supporting cast her senior season with Olivia Jones and Adah Hupfer entering their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. Jones is a nuisance defensively and Hupfer is quickly establishing herself among the state's top centers, bringing size and mobility to the position. The Arabians also added Aubriana Gray, a 5-4 guard from Texas.
Save the date: Jan. 30 at Noblesville. A tone-setter game for both sides entering sectional. This should be an extremely competitive game, and the matchups between Warfel and Tippner, and Hupfer and Quigley will be fascinating to watch.
14. Roncalli (13-9)
Withhold judgment on the Royals until at least late November as they won't have a full roster until after Saturday (Lydia Stahley and Reagan Turk will be playing for a state volleyball championship). But at full strength, this team has the potential to make some real noise in 3A, led by sophomore Elliot Leffler and returning upperclassmen Brennah Cerny and Sara Rosko.
Save the date: Dec. 21 vs. Gibson Southern. Disappointed to not see Ben Davis on this year's schedule, but this one contains some intriguing individual matchups and, if nothing else, gives Indy-area fans a chance to see a potential 4A title contender.
15. Sheridan (20-6)
The defending Class 2A regional champs are loaded with their entire top-seven returning, a group headlined by Ferris commit Kenzie Garner, a physical, well-rounded talent (and pretty prolific scorer). The strength of schedule is -- fine -- but there are some good tests in January with Lapel, Speedway and Clinton Central to sharpen the Blackhawks ahead of sectional.
Save the date: Jan. 28 vs. Clinton Central. The Bulldogs graduated three of their top four leading scorers, but the battle between the Hawks and 5-5 junior Carly Davison (12.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 8.1 apg, 2.4 spg) should be fun entertainment.