IHSAA girls basketball preview: What to know about Central Indiana Class 3A teams

Here's a sectional-by-sectional look at the Central Indiana girls high school basketball teams in Class 3A.

2022-23 state championship game: Fairfield 49, Corydon Central 42

Teams are listed in alphabetical order. Asterisk denotes defending sectional champion.

Sectional 24

Centerville (6-14)

Delta (6-16)

Frankton (17-7)

Hamilton Heights (20-6)* — The three-time defending sectional champion and current defending regional champion Huskies have one more go-round with star guard Camryn Runner (18.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.7 spg) before the 5-9 senior heads to Evansville. Losing Kaylee Rhoton to graduation hurts, but the team's second-leading scorer, Ella Hickok, is back. The 5-5 senior averaged nine points, four assists and two steals last season. A couple notable games: Hamilton Heights travels to Lapel on Dec. 19 and hosts Heritage Christian on Jan. 25.

Jay County (23-2)

New Castle (0-23)

Yorktown (11-12)

Sectional 25

Cascade (22-3)* — First-year coach Jeff Mills (formerly the boys coach at Bloomington Lighthouse) and the Cadets have some holes to fill after winning their third sectional championship in program history and first since 2007. The two biggest vacancies were left by leading scorers Abby Parsons and Sydney Warran, both of whom averaged over 14 points and around seven rebounds. That will likely be a by-committee approach, though Cascade seniors Creedance Chittenden (8.8 ppg), a Greenville commit, and Liv Campbell (6.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.1 spg) are both coming off strong junior seasons. Claire Austin (2.2 ppg, 4 rpg) will step into a larger role, as will junior newcomers Kaylee Austin, Lilly Hall and Chloe Smith.

Crawfordsville (7-16)

Danville (21-5) — The Warriors have an experienced core headlined by senior Indiana Tech commit Cooper Stone (8 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg) and juniors Emma Ancelet (9 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg) and Addison Davis (11 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 spg). That trio, as well as newcomer Maddy Wethington — a sophomore guard with a smooth shot who's coming into her own defensively, according to coach Kaley May — is tasked with helping compensate for Isabelle Wooten and Cameryn Rector, both of whom graduated after last season. Danville hosts Cascade in a rematch of last season's sectional final on Dec. 2.

Lebanon (11-13) — There will be ample opportunity for fresh faces to step up for the Tigers this season following the graduation of their top three players from a year ago. Senior Emily Sperry, and juniors Riley Vanaman, Claire Boling and Marina Barr all appeared in at least 22 games last season.

Monrovia (15-8) — Leading scorer Ashley Lewis is gone, but the Bulldogs should have some quality pieces ready to replace her, including junior Emery Newlin, a 46% shooter who was good for 12.3 ppg, 4.5 apg and 4.9 spg. A few other potential contributors: Seniors Mary Cox, Joslyn Young and Grace Vaughn, and sophomore Ruby Murrell. It will be difficult, but first-year coach Daryl Gibbs is aiming to match last year's 15-win total.

Tri-West (7-17) — First-year coach Justin Bennett takes over a team that doesn't have much depth, but does boast a number of skilled shooters, many of whom can play multiple positions. They'll be led by the senior-junior-sophomore trio of Regan Canada (9 ppg, 51 3-pointers), Lauren Bear (12 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg) and Aniyah Anthony (6 ppg, 3 rpg), with Zoie Bruner (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg) and Reagan Shaw also returning. Seniors Atta Garnett and Mckinzie Wilhoite will likely step into larger roles after both appearing in two varsity games last season. Bennett wants to establish his team's identity through scrappy defense.

Western Boone (16-7) — The Stars, who scored a wild triple-overtime win over Tri-West at the start of December, had won six of seven entering sectionals, but were taken out by Lebanon in the first round. They'll be replacing Emmy Roys and Katheryn Rutherford, both of whom averaged around a double-double per game last season. WeBo will look to sophomore Ila Stokes and senior Kierra Koch, both of whom averaged around five points last year, to help lead the way. Freshman guard Ally Lewis could also be a significant contributor.

Sectional 26

Brown County (13-10)

Edgewood (4-19)

Indian Creek (27-2) — Analysis of Indian Creek begins with Faith Wiseman, the Braves' 6-4 IU commit, who averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game last year. But the defending semistate runner-up also returns its leading scorer in senior Taylor commit Lauren Foster (19 ppg, 60% FG, 49% 3PT, 4 apg, 3 spg), junior combo guard Ayla Lollar (7 ppg, 2 spg) and senior wing Olivia Pendleton. That's three starters, two of whom were Junior All-Stars, for those of you keeping count at home. There will be some experience to replace following the graduation of five seniors, but IC should have no problem filling those gaps.

Northview (16-9)

Owen Valley (11-14)

South Vermillion (0-24)

West Vigo (9-15)

Sectional 27

Bishop Chatard (12-14)* — Pro tip: Never discount the Trojans. The two-time defending regional champs graduated three starters, including leading scorer Caroline Bell, but they will be bolstered by the return of 6-0 center Anna Caskey, who was averaging a double-double per game prior to suffering a season-ending wrist injury. Caskey, a softball player, is one of many multi-sport athletes on the Chatard roster, joined by 5-9 senior Addison Duncan (soccer), who's a high-end defender, and senior Quinn Johnson (volleyball), a physical guard who came on strong in the second half of last year. Eva Dessauer, Mary Mason, Annie McAllister, Alyx Kendall, Olivia Berzai and Betsy Tragesser are also expected to be key contributors.

Brebeuf Jesuit (13-8) — The Braves won 13 games last season with a lineup consisting almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores. That's great news coming into this season, with their top three scorers — junior Ella Miller (9.6 ppg), and sophomores Audra Kendall (9.8 ppg) and Robyn Pate (8.1 ppg) — all set to return. All-Circle City Conference pick Savannah Schafer, a junior guard, will anchor the post. She was second on the team with 7.3 rpg, plus 6 ppg, 3 apg and and 2 spg. Brebeuf won't have a true post player, but it will have a lot of quickness and multiple 3-point shooters in its lineup. Look for 5-8 freshman guard Jailen Bowling to be an early contributor.

Guerin Catholic (8-15) — The Golden Eagles very nearly derailed Chatard's multi-year reign atop their sectional, but fell short in overtime on opening night. They'll be replacing their two leading scorers in Natalie Fernandez and Megan Cobb, but 5-8 guard Ava Bills is coming off a strong sophomore season wherein she shot 39% from the field and averaged 6.5 points, plus a couple steals over 21 games. She'll be bolstered by 6-3 freshman center Gianna Morelli, who's already drawing Big Ten interest.

Heritage Christian (17-8) — Probably the biggest threat to Chatard's sectional dominance, the Eagles, under the direction of first-year coach Jessaca Stults, return basically everyone. Their lineup will be led by senior guard Mya Davis, who averaged over 19 points, five assists and four steals. She'll have a very strong supporting cast once again with the Marshall sisters, senior Koryn (13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and junior Joslyn (10.4 ppg), plus junior Casey Frost, who was the team's fourth-leading scorer (7.5 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (4.7 rpg). A trip to Pendleton Heights on Nov. 11 will provide a nice early-season test; Heritage Christian vs. Chatard on Dec. 8.

Herron (7-14) — Coach Shane Evans returns his leading scorer in senior forward Jaycianna Clark, who averaged over 10 points and 14 rebounds per game, and a starting guard in Jada Wright, who was a defensive menace averaging over six steals per game (plus 6 ppg). That's a strong nucleus for a program that's building toward its first double-digit win season since 2012-13. Transfer Trinity Foerster (14 ppg) enters her senior season 240 points away from 1,000 for her career.

Shortridge (10-13) — The Blue Devils' 10 wins were their most since they won 15 in 2018-19. Keara Stewart and Kamariona Garrett both played steady minutes as freshmen, and will be taking lead for a team that's replacing four seniors.

Sectional 28

Beech Grove (9-13) — After averaging a double-double per game with over 15 points and 11 rebounds per game, plus a robust 3 spg and 1 apg, 5-10 junior Mylee Boling could be primed for even bigger things in 2023-24. She's part of an experienced leadership core that'll be supplemented by a crop of athletic underclassmen, including freshmen guards Harper Moore and Mariyah Marshal. Beech Grove is aiming for its first double-digit win season since 2017-18.

Christel House (1-20) — The Eagles have a new coach this season in Autumn Jones. They picked up their only win of last season on Jan. 24 with a 34-20 triumph over Riverside, then nearly knocked off Mooresville Christian (L, 39-36).

Cardinal Ritter (5-20) — The Raiders are projected to return essentially their entire lineup, led by senior guard Nia Stubblefield, who was averaging over 10 points and three rebounds through 16 games.

Purdue Polytechnic* (22-6) — Purdue Poly is younger and guard-heavy, but coach LaTrice Crawford said this team's talent depth is significantly deeper than years past. They return three starters in senior Madison Jobe (8.6 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 spg) and juniors Tayler Denton (10 ppg, 3.7 spg, 2 apg) and Camile Starks (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 spg), all of whom are coming off strong summers. The defending sectional champs will be bolstered by a number of newcomers, including senior Lanyia Smith, a Pike transfer, and a number of freshmen and sophomores.

Speedway (11-11) — The Sparkplugs return everyone from last year's team, which won nine of 14 following a 2-5 start. That means the frontcourt will be a strength once again with seniors Daniella Galvez (13 ppg, 7 rpg) and Alex DeLisle (12 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg), plus junior center Genesis Austin (5 ppg, 5 rpg) anchoring the post. Coach Joe Smith expects improvement from the guard position (seniors Chloe Ellett and Reagan Hendry; junior Mylie Walton) and offensively. The Plugs allowed just 43 ppg, but only averaged about 44 themselves.

Washington (9-14) — The Continentals should win some games this year with 5-9 forward Malaysha Flanagan set to return for her senior year. A 48% shooter, she led the team in scoring (18.8 ppg), rebounding (9.1 rpg) and steals (4.4 spg). A few others to watch: senior Amalia Haga was second in scoring (9 ppg) and steals (3.9 spg), junior Elejah Smith was second in rebounding (8 rpg) and senior Talaya Peterson averaged over a block per game.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school girls basketball Class 3A season preview 2023-24