SCOUTING REPORT
A brief look at each of the girls basketball sectionals involving Johnson County teams:
Class 4A Mooresville Sectional
Players to watch: Bloomington North — Ava Robbennolt, Mia Robbennolt; Bloomington South — Julia Lashley, Abbie Lucas; Center Grove — Audrey Annee, Lilly Bischoff, Aubrie Booker, Ava Grant, Rachel Wirts; Greenwood — Emma Gardner, Keyara Johnson, Charlee Mayo; Mooresville — Kalyn Bunch, Rachel Harshman
Sagarin ratings: Center Grove 99.00 (third in Indiana and in Class 4A), Mooresville 85.46 (37th overall, 26th in 4A), Bloomington South 78.71 (68th overall, 43rd in 4A), Bloomington North 71.97 (105th overall, 59th in 4A), Martinsville 57.88 (219th overall, 78th in 4A), Greenwood 55.30 (237th overall, 81st in 4A)
Against the field: Mooresville 5-0, Center Grove 4-0, Bloomington North 3-3, Bloomington South 2-3, Greenwood 1-4, Martinsville 0-5
Outlook: The Trojans have already posted comfortable wins over Bloomington South and Greenwood, the two teams they’d have to beat to reach the final, so making it to Saturday feels like a foregone conclusion for a team that’s riding a 15-game winning streak and might be the hottest team in the state coming into the postseason. The host Pioneers, though, could present a challenge — they come in having won five in a row and 15 of their last 17, and they’ve only allowed over 50 points four times (including a season-worst 60 at Franklin). Expect Center Grove to crack that defense and move on.
Class 4A Whiteland Sectional
Players to watch: Columbus East — Madelyn Poe, Messiah Trapp; Columbus North — Kaylie Harmon, Miley McClellan; Franklin — Erica Buening, Scarlett Kimbrell, Lauren Klem, Emma Sappenfield, Brooklyn York; Shelbyville — Ella Johnson, Ava Wilson; Whiteland — Sukhman Bains, Sophia Dyer, Gwen Higdon, Carly VonDielingen
Sagarin ratings: Franklin 95.85 (seventh in Indiana, sixth in Class 4A), Shelbyville 75.15 (83rd overall, 49th in 4A), Columbus North 73.45 (97th overall, 56th in 4A), Columbus East 67.36 (144th overall, 65th in 4A), Whiteland 65.56 (157th overall, 68th in 4A), East Central 61.74 (186th overall, 76th in 4A)
Against the field: Franklin 4-0, Columbus East 2-0, Columbus North 2-2, Shelbyville 2-2, Whiteland 0-3, East Central 0-3
Outlook: This group of Grizzly Cubs — all five starters are seniors — has won three sectional championships in its career, and it would take an act of nature to prevent a fourth. Franklin has already beaten first-round opponent Shelbyville by 28 points and semifinal foe Columbus North by 31 this season. On the top side of the draw, Whiteland has a pretty decent chance to reach the title game, which would be a notable end to a season stalled by injuries early, but the Warriors would be fighting an uphill battle in the final against their county rival, which already owns 68-30 and 51-29 wins head to head.
Class 3A Owen Valley Sectional
Players to watch: Brown County — Lexie Austin, Ava Stogsdill; Edgewood — Madison Bland, Macey Crider; Indian Creek — Jasmine Day, Lauren Foster, Lexi Sichting, Faith Wiseman; Northview — Brynlee Clarke, Carlee Schrader, Reagin White; Owen Valley — Hannah Bixler, Taylor Monroe; West Vigo — Delaney Marrs
Sagarin ratings: Indian Creek 85.61 (35th in Indiana, eighth in Class 3A), Northview 69.03 (131st overall, 34th in 3A), Edgewood 59.01 (208th overall, 61st in 3A), Brown County 56.08 (233rd overall, 67th in 3A), Owen Valley 47.17 (292nd overall, 78th in 3A), West Vigo 42.63 (316th overall, 85th in 3A), South Vermillion 14.90 (387th overall, 102nd in 3A)
Against the field: Indian Creek 5-0, Northview 5-1, Brown County 3-2, Edgewood 3-3, West Vigo 2-5, Owen Valley 1-4, South Vermillion 0-4
Outlook: The Braves remain the odds-on favorite to emerge from this bracket, having already beaten everyone in the draw outside of winless South Vermillion. But their long-term prospects took a hit earlier this month when they lost starting guard Ayla Lollar to a broken arm and top defender Bre Gault to a season-ending knee injury. Indian Creek still beat Northview last week without either of them and hasn’t lost since the calendar flipped to 2024, but it’ll have to continue getting bigger contributions from the likes of Day and Sichting to make an extended run.
Class A Eminence Sectional
Players to watch: Eminence — Natalie Hubbard, Sophia Saucerman; Greenwood Christian — Norah Herndon, Annaleece Jackson, Faith Kresge, Sydney Waldron; Indianapolis Lutheran — Grace King, Caitlyn Rose; Tindley — Taylor Cotham
Sagarin ratings: Eminence 50.37 (266th in Indiana, 45th in Class A), Indianapolis Lutheran 47.62 (289th overall, 54th in A), Greenwood Christian 31.26 (360th overall, 75th in A), Tindley 30.00 (364th overall, 78th in A), Providence Cristo Rey 2.33 (394th overall, 90th in A)
Against the field: Indianapolis Lutheran 4-0, Eminence 2-1, Tindley 1-2, Greenwood Christian 0-2, Providence Cristo Rey 0-2
Outlook: A freshman-heavy GCA team has essentially gotten a free ride to the final, drawing a bye and then a semifinal matchup against a Cristo Rey team that averages just five points per game. The title game would likely pit the Cougars against either the host Eels, who beat GCA 59-38 in late December, or Lutheran, who the Cougars played close in a 46-41 loss on Jan. 6. Waldron, the team’s lone senior, has been a constant, but Greenwood Christian’s younger players will need to provide a great deal of help if the team is to pull off a Saturday upset.
Class A Southwestern Sectional
Players to watch: Edinburgh — Kenna Streeval, Kyah Streeval, Bella Turner; Jac-Cen-Del — Kelsey Borgman, Julia Meyer; Morristown — Emma Nelson, Danika Rutledge; South Decatur — Kiley Best, Makalya Somers; Waldron — Grace Fischer, Alyssa Benson
Sagarin ratings: Jac-Cen-Del 71.47 (111th in Indiana, fifth in Class A), Oldenburg Academy 67.21 (147th overall, 13th in A), South Decatur 57.62 (221st overall, 31st in A), Waldron 52.15 (259th overall, 42nd in A), Morristown 49.24 (274th overall, 47th in A), Southwestern 33.31 (350th overall, 72nd in A), Edinburgh 31.46 (358th overall, 74th in A)
Against the field: Oldenburg Academy 5-1, South Decatur 5-1, Jac-Cen-Del 4-1, Waldron 4-3, Morristown 3-3, Southwestern 1-6, Edinburgh 0-6
Outlook: It’s been a bumpy winter for the Lancers, who’ve had some bright spots here and there but come into the sectional having lost eight in a row, including a 46-19 defeat against the same South Decatur team they play tonight. Though it’s likely the road will end in the first round, Edinburgh has most of its team coming back and could build some momentum with a strong effort. The race for the title figures to be a fight between Jac-Cen-Del, South Decatur and Oldenburg, who have all gone 1-1 in head-to-heads within that group.
