Bounce caught some flack for his preseason top teams even though there were just five of them listed. But have no fear, now that some games are in and we can develop a power poll, things expand a little.
Throughout the season, I will hop in with a new power poll on the girls side featuring ten teams.
So two weeks into the season, who makes up the top 10 right now? Expect things to change as early as this week with Tuesday games of #1 versus #2 and #3 versus #4.
#1 – SNIDER (5-0, 1-0 SAC)
The Panthers have rolled through the first two weeks and have put up big wins in the process. Wins over South Bend Washington and West Lafayette were huge before the Panthers ever got into a Northeast Indiana foe, but make no mistake, they have been impressive against those teams too. Huntington North is a solid team and Warsaw still expects to be among the area’s best.
Defensively, this team has been tough. Ciara Sims is coming off a stellar outing on both sides of the ball and when she is clicking in tune with Jordyn Poole and Johnea Donahue, this will continue to be a tough team to topple.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
As always, it is impossible to be higher than one.
#2 – COLUMBIA CITY (3-0)
The Eagles are rolling…and rolling everybody. In three games, they are outscoring their opponents 71 to 25.7 and nobody is a challenge. Their opening night win over Carroll really made us think this Columbia City team could be special. West Noble and Whitko wins don’t mean as much, but they still went and took care of things in a cerebral way.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
We’ll see in a day if this right or wrong.
#3 – HOMESTEAD (2-0, 1-0 SAC)
A 2-0 start is nice and the win over Northridge is really nice considering they toppled a Norwell team that had major momentum at the time. Homestead themselves will get to test out Norwell on Tuesday of this week, so we will get a real sense of where the Spartans are compared to their former NHC foe quickly.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
They started lower than a reason and until Snider or CC trip up badly, it will be situation where Homestead needs to put together wins better than those two.
#4 – NORWELL (2-1)
This team has just been stellar in their two wins and if they hadn’t taken a loss, I’d say you could argue they were anywhere in the top 3 on this list. Kennedy Fuelling has done Kennedy Fuelling things while Makenzie Fuess is phenomenal in being option 1B and sometimes 1A as she hits from all angles. They have showcased being a really good defensive team that you can’t play too loose around. Haley Green and Annabelle Johnson have stood out and stepped up so far.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The loss to Northridge does it. Even though Norwell has looked really good, the team right above them has a win over Northridge.
#5 – NORTHROP (2-1, 1-0 SAC)
The Bruins opened with an impressive win over Carmel and it was one that opened a lot of eyes. They lost by four points to the team right ahead of them in this poll for their one loss on the season. What has been showcased is the depth of the Bruins, not just of the top girls that you know, but their bench has done a great job of coming in and mixing it up to alter the game. Though at the top, Destini Craig has done an amazing job of running the floor and making things happen for Northrop.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The loss to Norwell is really the only thing, but in that game Bounce thought that the Knights were clearly the better team at this juncture. Northrop’s next two are against rival Carroll and a (currently) unbeaten DeKalb.
#6 – FAIRFIELD (4-0)
Legendary coach leaves? Lose big time senior play to graduation? This was supposed to be a down start for Fairfield right? A complete refresh? Not so fast says first year coach Kyle Hartman and his squad? They have dug deep and seen former role players really take control. Eva Herbert has been a really solid player for Fairfield thus far and the Falcons aren’t going anywhere locally after a state title just yet.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Only one of the teams they have victories over this season holds a winning record.
#7 – WARSAW (1-2)
Not many people had Warsaw at 1-2 after the first two weeks, even when you take into consideration their tough schedule (their two losses to teams a combined 7-1). We may have worried a bit about Warsaw after their blowout loss to Norwell, but they seemed to bounce back well in a close loss to Snider, who we all consider the best team in the area right now. That said, its likely we can expect that version of Warsaw far more often so expect a rise back up, eventually.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Two losses out of three games will do that to you.
#8 – EASTSIDE (3-0, 1-0 NECC)
The Blazers are starting as expected by OTH, looking to claim the top spot in the NECC and their first conference win over a surging program is a great place to start. This is a well oiled machine under Coach Mike Lortie and when Eastside makes mistakes, they are usually quick to clean them up. It has helped them navigate close games with other teams who could easily be in this spot in the power poll had they been able to beat Eastside. But, they didn’t beat Eastside.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Close wins over Blackhawk and Fremont are exciting in the early season, can Eastside sustain success? Too be determined, but isn’t a lot of a power poll after two weeks?
#9 – WOODLAN (3-0)
Look who has Woodlan still in the contender spot? Dave Randall has taken over and it looks pretty seamless from the outside as the Warriors are competing at a high level, winning by 17 points per game and looking like they have found plenty of girls to step into major roles.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The Bellmont win was a really good one, but like other teams in the second half of this poll, Woodlan’s competition hasn’t been great with a 2-6 overall opponent record.
#10 – LAKEWOOD PARK (4-0)
When determining who to give the last spot too, Lakewood Park stood out for two reasons. First of all, just one team in the area has as many or more wins than them as they sit 4-0 for the first time ever. And second, it is fair to say that Ava McGrade has been as good as any single player in the area thus far.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
While 4-0, their wins aren’t against the best teams, those four teams with a combined 2-12 record. So Lakewood holds the placeholder now because they’ve been impressive, but we will reserve major judgment for when they’ve played tougher teams.
UNDER CONSIDERATION
Bishop Luers (1-0)
Blackhawk Christian (3-1)
Bluffton (2-0)
DeKalb (3-0)
Leo (4-1)
Bellmont (1-1)
East Noble (3-1)
Central Noble (2-2)
East Noble needed to be in the Top Ten!