This summer, it’s highly likely that Whiteland’s Mackenzie Blazek, Center Grove’s Cassidy Hardin and Kayana Traylor of Martinsville will be playing together for the Indiana All-Stars.
There will be no such harmony between the three this week, as the senior standouts will each be trying to lead their respective teams to a Class 4A sectional title at Franklin Central.
Whoever ends up with the trophy come Saturday will have earned it — this may be the most balanced and most star-studded sectional field in the state this year.
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In addition to the three aforementioned Miss Basketball candidates, all of whom will be playing in the Big Ten next year (Hardin and Traylor at Purdue, Blazek at Illinois), there’s Franklin Central sophomore Rachel Loobie, an athletic 6-footer who also will be a major Division I recruit.
Greenwood forward Leah Moore, Franklin forward Hailee Robbins, and Center Grove guards Ella Thompson and Emma Utterback provide yet another layer of star power. For now, though, it’ll be Blazek, Hardin and Traylor drawing the lion’s share of the attention.
“They all require a special game plan,” Greenwood coach Bill Torgerson said. “We can’t play them the same way we play Decatur Central or Indian Creek. Those players demand adjustments; something different, something special. So for each of those players, we have a plan that we hope will work.”
Each presents her own set of challenges for opponents.
Blazek, believed to be one of just six players in state history with 1,500 points and 1,100 rebounds in her career, is a throwback post presence in a game that has become increasingly perimeter-oriented.
“With Mackenzie, it’s just her physical presence in the paint,” Franklin coach Josh Sabol said. “It’s very hard to get offensive rebounds against them, and it’s very hard to get easy baskets against them.
“A lot of (our) offensive rebound baskets turn into offensive rebound kick-outs against Whiteland,” Torgerson added.
Hardin is best known for her potentially lethal 3-point shot, which can bury opposing teams in a matter of minutes when she heats up.
The 5-foot-10 guard isn’t just a one-dimensional threat, though.
“Her defense, passing and ability to penetrate, are underrated,” Torgerson said. “She’s really strong. She finds people, especially under the basket, in their offense.”
Traylor doesn’t have Blazek’s size or as feared a jumper as Hardin does, but the 5-foot-9 guard — ranked 42nd nationally among 2018 recruits by ESPN — possesses unmatched athleticism and the ability to take over a game at either end.
Torgerson points to Traylor’s ability to jump passing lanes for steals that lead to fast-break buckets. Sabol calls Traylor “the most dynamic player in the sectional” and perhaps the toughest to defend.
“It’s different with Blazek and Hardin, because the ball’s not in their hands initially,” Sabol said. “Hardin needs screens, or Blazek needs post touches. With Kayana, the ball’s in her hands 90 percent of the time, so it’s difficult with her because she’s so dynamic and the ball’s in her hands all the time.”
The good news for Sabol and Torgerson is that their teams both received first-round byes — so some of these opposing superstars will be out of the way by the time Franklin and Greenwood take the court Friday.
Blazek’s Warriors and Hardin’s Trojans play one another for the third time this season Tuesday, with the Grizzly Cubs awaiting the winner. The Woodmen, meanwhile, will wait to see who survives the battle between Traylor’s Artesians and Loobie’s Flashes.
Whoever gets through will have the luxury of being able to lean on an elite player when times get tough. The silver lining for the opposing team is that nothing will be a surprise — Franklin has already faced every team in the field at least once, while Greenwood has seen everyone but Franklin Central.
That familiarity can be an equalizer at times during the postseason.
“You know each other’s personnel, you’ve watched film, you’ve gone over scouting reports,” Sabol said. “You know them inside and out, and usually what ends up happening is these games are just knock-down, drag-out. Not particularly high scoring — you’ve got to scratch and claw, because you’re not going to surprise anybody.”
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Class 4A Franklin Central Sectional
Tuesday
Whiteland vs. Center Grove, 6 p.m.
Franklin Central vs. Martinsville, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Franklin vs. Whiteland-Center Grove winner, 6 p.m.
Greenwood vs. Franklin Central-Martinsville winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class 3A Indianapolis Manual Sectional
Tuesday
Indianapolis Herron vs. Beech Grove, 6 p.m.
Danville vs. Indianapolis Manual, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Tri-West vs. Herron-Beech Grove winner, 6 p.m.
Indian Creek vs. Danville-Manual winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class A Greenwood Christian Sectional
Tuesday
Indianapolis Lighthouse South vs. Indianapolis Tindley, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Central Christian at Greenwood Christian, 6 p.m.
Providence Cristo Rey vs. Christel House Academy, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Indianapolis Lutheran vs. Lighthouse-Tindley winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday’s winners, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Class A West Washington Sectional
Tuesday
Crothersville vs. Shawe Memorial, 6 p.m.
Edinburgh vs. Medora, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
West Washington vs. Crothersville-Shawe winner, 6 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran vs. Edinburgh-Medora winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
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A look at each of the girls basketball sectionals involving county teams:
Class 4A Franklin Central Sectional
Favorite: Center Grove
Dark horses: Martinsville, Whiteland
Players to watch: Center Grove — Cassidy Hardin, Ella Thompson, Emma Utterback; Franklin — Kyra Baker, Maya Elliott, Hailee Robbins; Franklin Central — Andrea Adams, Rachel Loobie, Madison Potts; Greenwood — Alex Kincaid, Leah Moore, Bailee Taft; Martinsville — Merideth Deckard, Paige Dorsett, Kayana Traylor; Whiteland — Mackenzie Blazek, Megan Harlow, Toni Joyner
Outlook: Defending champ Martinsville came into the season as a heavy favorite to repeat, but the Artesians have struggled at times and have losses to both the Trojans and Warriors. Any of those three teams could emerge from this group; it truly will come down to who’s playing well at the right time. Center Grove got the better of both during the regular season, even winning at Martinsville without Utterback in the lineup. Both Blazek and Traylor will be trying to bolster their Miss Basketball candidacies, and Hardin could play her way into that conversation as well. The return of star sophomore Loobie, who missed the first 19 games of the season with a back injury, makes the host Flashes a wild card. Franklin may be without Robbins, who suffered a concussion on Jan. 20 against Whiteland.
Class 3A Indianapolis Manual Sectional
Favorite: Danville
Dark horses: Beech Grove, Indian Creek, Tri-West
Players to watch: Beech Grove — Cameron Cardenas, Katie Giller; Danville — Addie Collier, Ella Collier, Jenna Cowart; Indian Creek — Katie Burkman, Celina McElroy, Addie Rund; Indianapolis Herron — Genesis Brown, Rylee Butcher; Indianapolis Manual — Brianna DeBolt, Latonay Shropshire; Tri-West — Maggie Cora, Grace Sandlin
Outlook: Though Danville is the team to beat on paper, this is a competitive bracket with four teams capable of running the table. Might the Braves be the ones to pull it off? They’ve shown the ability to take down tough opposition, earning wins over 4A squads New Palestine and Franklin, but they’ve also lost to Tri-West and Beech Grove already this season while Danville has beaten them both. Indian Creek will likely need its best weekend of basketball to advance.
Class A Greenwood Christian Sectional
Favorite: Indianapolis Tindley
Dark horses: Greenwood Christian, Indianapolis Lutheran
Players to watch: Central Christian — Asia Van Rhoon; Christel House Academy — Aaliyah Raji; Greenwood Christian — Sarah Mangan, Alexis Mead, Izzy Reed; Indianapolis Lutheran — Rylee Morris, Erin Pasch; Indianapolis Tindley — Kendall Fisher, Aniya Washington, Skye Williams; Providence Cristo Rey — Alexsia Thorpe
Outlook: Tindley, the state’s top scoring team, is the overwhelming favorite. The good news for GCA is that it landed comfortably on the other side of the draw and should be able to handle its first two games with relative ease. The Cougars will almost certainly end up playing the Tigers for the title on Saturday, and while they will be a decided underdog, they’ll be playing at home with nothing to lose. Can they pull off the upset?
Class A West Washington Sectional
Favorite: West Washington
Dark horses: Crothersville, Trinity Lutheran
Players to watch: Crothersville — Tayler Brewer, Piper Hensley, Maddie Riley; Edinburgh — Haven Link, Destiney Ramey, Taylor Tatlock; Medora — Kailen Flynn, Lillian Hatfield; Shawe Memorial — Kate Grote, Megan Hesse, Grace McAllister; Trinity Lutheran — Abby Hackman, Savannah Harweger, Sydney Jaynes; West Washington — Maddie Bowsman, Hattie Griffitts, Kassidy Keltner
Outlook: The Lancers shouldn’t have any trouble with their opening-round game against Medora, a team they beat by 41 earlier this season. Their reward, though, would be a semifinal matchup with Trinity Lutheran, a top-10 squad that handed Edinburgh its worst defeat of the season (82-32) in late November. Getting past the Cougars would likely require a near-perfect performance.
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