No. 1 – Carroll
Records: 18-2 overall; 6-0 SAC; 6-0 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 1
Leave no doubt. That is the message that Carroll is trying to send as they plowed by a South Side team that wasn’t at full strength, but was still quite good, before also stopping Angola’s surge in its tracks. All you need to know is that this team is perfect against the rest of the top 10 and they haven’t lost at all since November 28.
Best win: Carmel
No. 2 – Norwell
Records: 18-4 overall; 7-0 NE8; 3-2 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 2
Norwell has locked up a conference title for the second straight season, but their first outright crown since 2018. As one of the very few teams who have the chance to hit 20 wins this season, they are both shooting and playing defense at the top of their lineup as well as they have all season. They took a tough, narrow loss to Jay County on Monday night after a solid comeback. It was almost enough for me to drop them to #3, but I just can’t do it yet.
Best win: Garrett
No. 3 – Garrett
Records: 16-2 overall; 8-0 NECC; 2-2 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 3
Garrett has at least a share of the conference title heading into a game Tuesday night where they could wrap up the crown. Is this peak Garrett yet? They have struggled in parts of many games, but actually how to actually beat them still remains a bit of a mystery.
Best win: Angola
No. 4 – Angola
Records: 16-4 overall; 8-2 NECC; 1-3 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 5
A flip flop here with South as both teams lost to Carroll last weekend, but the Hornets are just on more of a tear. Angola had won 11 straight before their 11 point loss to the Chargers, which is much closer than South Side got. Hanna Knoll is working towards a shot at being the best scorer in school history.
Best win: Garrett
No. 5 – South Side
Records: 10-4 overall; 6-1 SAC; 3-1 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 4
South Side’s sample size is low and it is hard to get a true read on a team that has almost never been at full capacity. But they still sit 6-1 in the SAC and finishing in the top 2 in this conference has not been harder in the last five years than it is this season if they can accomplish it and hold their current SAC ranking.
Best win: Concordia Lutheran
No. 6 – Homestead
Records: 13-5 overall; 5-2 SAC; 3-2 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 6
A win over Warsaw again awakened how good Homestead can be when the shots are falling. Ayanna Patterson is playing the best basketball of her high school career but the shots need to fall around her. With a decently tough final week of the season ahead, how can Homestead position themselves before the postseason?
Best win: Noblesville
No. 7 – Concordia Lutheran
Records: 13-7 overall; 5-3 SAC; 2-5 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 8
Every time we move the Cadets down, they go ahead and beat the team that we’ve put ahead of them. Snider was the most buzz worthy team in our area lately so there is no understating Concordia’s win over them. The Cadets defense has been stingy led by LonDynn Betts.
Best win: Snider
No. 8 – Jay County
Records: 16-3 overall; 5-0 ACAC; 1-2 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 10
Well how about a one day upswing. The Patriots were sitting still at #10 until Monday night when they upset and partially dominated Norwell. It is the marquee win we have been looking for from the Patriots as they got 36 points out of Renna Schwieterman days after she broke the program single game scoring record. If this team plays with he aggression they did against Norwell, could they be a postseason 3A contender?
Best win: Norwell
No. 9 – Snider
Records: 11-6 overall; 6-2 SAC; 1-4 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 7
The Panthers took some lumps this past week but they keep games close against quality opponents and big point spread in the win over Bellmont shows that while Snider may not be upper echelon right now, there is a gap between them and most of the teams behind them.
Best win: Homestead
No. 10 – Warsaw
Records: 15-5 overall; 6-1 NLC; 1-2 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 9
Warsaw has recently lost to teams who are just better and beat who they were supposed to beat. This is a quality group who will really need to drum up some high level play in a tough postseason. They start momentum toward that this week against a middling Elkhart team.
Best win: Northridge
IN THE ARGUMENT (in no particular order)
Lakeland, 17-6
West Noble, 15-5
Central Noble, 15-5
Bellmont, 13-5
Huntington North, 13-7
Columbia City, 11-7
Adams Central, 13-8
Blackhawk Christian, 15-5
Lakewood Park, 11-6
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