It is time again for the annual Summit Athletic Conference Holiday Tournament and Homestead will be looking to repeat as champions as they enter at the top seed once again. This season, teams are seeded based on Sagarin ratings as of December 16. Games kick off Thursday morning and run through Saturday night.
So let’s break down the 10 teams of the SAC, ordered by seed.
You can see the complete Holiday Tournament schedule and brackets here.
(1) HOMESTEAD SPARTANS (9-1, 5-0 SAC)
Why they could contend
Nobody can beat the Spartans consistently in conference. They’ve lost just twice to SAC teams since joining the league. And although one of those losses came two years ago in this tournament, Homestead is the standard. They will contend. Period.
Potential tournament star
Ayanna Patterson got her feet wet last year and could really show her star potential now as a sophomore. Patterson is, since her return from injury, a stopper inside altering shots and being a big-time rebounder.
Potential tournament breakout player
Amber Austin is coming off a great night, leading the Spartans as they avoided upset last Friday. She spent 29 minutes on the court in a win over Luers, with team highs in points (14) and blocks (4) while also having eight rebounds.
(2) CARROLL CHARGERS (9-3, 3-1 SAC)
Why they could contend
Mark Redding has made his season on going deep in his lineup, mostly for the postseason but it will help them this week too. While other teams are stuck with ill-prepared depth, the Chargers have experience already this year in staying fresh, even if they have to sub five at a time.
Potential tournament star
Olivia Hoeppner has the intensity to be a game changer in this tournament. She is focused and has the drive to make things happen and create turnovers.
Potential tournament breakout player
Delane Sheets plays very good defense and sometimes gets forgotten because Carroll shows off that aforementioned depth often. Sheets is going to give everything she has nightly and that could be a catalyst for the Chargers making a deep run.
(3) SOUTH SIDE ARCHERS (7-2, 4-0 SAC)
Why they could contend
Because South Side is surrounded by the biggest queries in the conference, we aren’t sure yet where they line up with Homestead, Carroll and Bishop Luers. Are they in the middle? Are they, perhaps, bigger? The Archers are a bit of a mystery, but what we do know is that their four top players are a perfect mix of inside and outside play.
Potential tournament star
Jaci Jones, if she gets hot shooting, is the best scorer in this tournament. She’s hitting 37 percent from deep this season. It is second best on her team right now, but we all know she is capable of hitting 5, 6 or 7 triples in a game and that adds up quick.
Potential tournament breakout player
Jas Combs has intelligent hands defensively and with her unassuming stature in the Archer lineup, she can make things happen in unique ways. Combs isn’t going to be a big stat producer nightly, but a tournament like this could be a great place for her to quick hit steals and rebounds.
(4) BISHOP LUERS KNIGHTS (8-4, 3-1 SAC)
Why they could contend
Because they just contended with Homestead last week and Mark Pixley is the only person to ever beat Homestead in a SAC Tournament. Lydia Reimbold is playing great basketball but there are a lot of players contributing to the Knights. Having that many players in the lineup that can contribute is huge.
Potential tournament star
Lydia Reimbold can make the argument that she is the best player in the SAC right now. She is averaging 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and nobody can seem to slow her down, let alone stop her so far.
Potential tournament breakout player
Delaney Bailey didn’t get to play in this tournament last year so there is a great chance she makes the most of this opportunity. Averaging 8.5 points per game, Bailey could make major waves if she can find consistency in her shooting success.
(5) CONCORDIA LUTHERAN CADETS (8-4, 2-2 SAC)
Why they could contend
The Cadets have surprised some people with their speed and aggression. Elle Fritcha and Peyton Gulley have been solid all year at spreading the ball around and doing it quickly. Also, who else in the SAC has Chanteese Craig? Averaging 9.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, Craig is also a major stopper at the rim capable of major block totals.
Potential tournament star
CC Calloway has been back in the lineup for less than a week. In her return game against Bishop Dwenger, she scored 16 points in 25 minutes and shot 71 percent from the field. Having Calloway in the lineup changes Concordia’s dynamic quite a bit.
Potential tournament breakout player
Annaka Nelson could be the most impactful freshman in this tournament. She can help this team inside and out and her aggression has been a great thing for even the Concordia upperclassmen to follow.
(6) BISHOP DWENGER SAINTS (7-5, 2-3 SAC)
Why they could contend
If the Saints can get back some of the mojo they had early in the year, they could possibly create waves. They have a balance of players, but have now lost five straight after winning their first seven. They will need to cleanly forget about those previous five games to help get back on the right course.
Potential tournament star
Molly Ream attacks the rim with force and its going to get her several opportunities to give Bishop Dwenger fighting chances throughout the tournament. She can shoot the ball well and defend in a way that creates instant offense on the break.
Potential tournament breakout player
Maggie Cheever is a long, athletic post that can dominate the rebounding game if things are going her way. If teams aren’t willing to fundamentally block her out, Cheever could change games by creating second chance opportunities.
(7) NORTHROP BRUINS (4-6, 1-4 SAC)
Why they could contend
While this hasn’t been the start that the Bruins wanted or many expected from this season, but this is still a team that is tenacious enough to compete from a seven seed. Northrop may have the best interior duo in the conference in Destiny Jackson and TiAuna White and while you may beat Northrop, you certainly are going to have a hard time outworking them.
Potential tournament star
TiAuna White has spent this season looking like a star. She can rebound like a big post, she can play great perimeter on ball defense like a quality wing and has been able to score against anyone and everyone. This is a big chance for her to separate herself as one of the conference’s best players.
Potential tournament breakout player
Amanda Thatcher spent three games to start this month looking like a star. She has the potential to score, but her overall court vision is improving at a rate that makes her one to watch.
(8) SNIDER PANTHERS (3-9, 2-3 SAC)
Why they could contend
This is where we get real honest, the eighth seed is the start of teams that probably don’t contend in this tournament. But that doesn’t mean the Panthers can’t shine if they do certain things. They will get a quick rematch with a Wayne team that they already beat but a chance to do so more convincingly this time. Snider has a loaded back end of their season, so they will want to garner some momentum here.
Potential tournament star
Payton Gorman is a work horse who plays with tenacity and grit. She will get out and run with anyone. She has the chance to make a couple of statements in this tournament. Look for Gorman to have a big first game with her sister on the opposite sideline.
Potential tournament breakout player
Jaiden Eastom is just a sophomore, but she has a good awareness and presence on the court. Her movement without the ball has been solid and that is an important trait as the Panthers try to find more scorers.
(9) WAYNE GENERALS (2-9, 0-4 SAC)
Why they could contend
They won’t contend for a title, but could contend in their first game opposite Snider. That alone could be a big deal for a program that hasn’t won a SAC Tournament game in 15 years. They could contend against Snider with continued buy in from their young players to what coach Lacia Gorman is trying to build. If they shoot the ball better than they did in their first meeting with Snider (19 percent), they will find themselves in a close game.
Potential tournament star
Shabrea O’Quinn could be the catalyst in building up Wayne. Just a freshman, she is averaging 8.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and has shot the ball very well on a handful of occasions.
Potential tournament breakout player
Emilia Diaz could put up good numbers if she plays relaxed and a little naive, as she did in her first game this freshman season. If Diaz can play loose, she can play strong from the Generals.
(10) NORTH SIDE LEGENDS (0-13, 0-4 SAC)
Why they could contend
The goal here is to get a win. The last time they came into the Holiday Tournament winless was 2014 and they haven’t won a tournament game since 2009. North Side could contend against Northrop, only because they have nothing to lose. They are going to need to be willing shooters and get to the paint as best possible.
Potential tournament star
Sumiyha Chambers showed recently against South Side that with some trust in her hands, she can handle herself well on the perimeter. For North Side to have a chance, she will need to play the best game of her career.
Potential tournament breakout player
Jasmine Chambers will go into the tournament as the best Legend in getting ahold of the basketball with 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.
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