The final power poll on the girls side in 2023 and things are shaken up just a bit. The front 5 stay the front five, but what is the order to close 2023?
So many teams have had great starts to their seasons, it will be interesting to see who leads the way into 2024.
The power poll will now come twice a month throughout the season, every other Monday.
No. 1 – Norwell (11-2, 3-0 NE8)
The Knights have staked their claim to this spot with a win over Columbia City and a major push towards leading the NE8 race. Norwell doesn’t have an easy road to get through the rest of the season and as close as their game was with a Columbia City team who is still above them in state polls, Norwell still won that game.
And we get it, across the state they may not show as much respect as they should for Norwell’s win. But this isn’t elsewhere in the state and this is a power poll. Is Columbia City the better overall team than Norwell? Maybe. But the power lays where the wins lay and the power says Norwell is the team to beat in the area right now.
No. 2 – Columbia City (11-1, 2-1 NE8)
The Eagles continue to be perhaps more impressive defensively than they are offensively and that is saying something. Addison Baxter’s steal totals recently are wild and that kind of defensive play is contagious and always has been for Columbia City. There is a field of thought that despite their loss to Norwell, the Eagles are still the best team in the NE8 and in the area. I, for one, won’t contest that field of thought. But here at OTH, that win holds weight for Norwell. That said, the Knights are probably happy they don’t have to see CC again.
Why not higher?
The one loss. That’s it.
No. 3 – Snider (12-1, 4-0 SAC)
Snider has been able to stay atop the SAC by showing really great diversity. Jordyn Poole reminded us on Friday opposite North Side why she is the top dog in the conference though. Not to say that Poole’s numbers haven’t been great, but Snider has shown really nice balance all season. Friday though, when Poole decided to take over, she did so in a massive way. She can do that every night and it makes Snider arguably the most overall dangerous team in Northeast Indian.
Why not higher?
They lost to the team that lost to the #1 team.
No. 4 – Homestead (8-1, 4-0 SAC)
Homestead continuing their standard seems par for the course. They are really good, they contended with Noblesville in their one loss and they beat the top team in this power poll. Being at 4 isn’t really a strike against the Spartans, more of respect for the teams above them. That said, Homestead can win any given game on any given night.
Why not higher?
Yes, I get it…Homestead beat Norwell. It doesn’t make it easy. But since beating the Knights, the Spartans have two wins over teams over .500 and it will be a while before we see them against another really good area team. Its not perfect but right now the Spartans are riding the wave and not playing marquee local games.
No. 5 – Northrop (8-3, 5-0 SAC)
Talk about diversity in what they are doing! We’ve seen Lexi Castator have really strong outings, we’ve seen Niya Bell hit 10 threes in a game and we’ve seen Khala Williams-Thomas rival Columbia City’s Addison Baxter and Snider’s Johnea Donahue on the defensive end. The Bruins have give up more than 51 points five times this year and three of them are their three losses. When the Bruin defense flexes, the Bruins win.
Why not higher?
Outside of the win over a Bishop Luers team we aren’t so sure about yet, the Bruins don’t have another compelling win in the last two weeks.
No. 6 – Fairfield (11-1, 5-0 NECC)
Fairfield has won seven straight now and has matched their start from last year where they just ended up winning a state title. Is this team a contender in 3A again? Probably too early to pin that to them, but starting 11-1 for a second straight year with all of the changes they have made is pretty solid.
Why not higher?
Only two of their 11 wins are against opponents with current winning records.
No. 7 – Bellmont (9-2, 3-0 NE8)
Sneaky, sneaky…Bellmont is right in the thick of it again. And with Columbia City’s loss to Norwell, the Braves are right there to compete with their longtime rival from Wells County for the NE8 crown, though C.City is still on Bellmont’s agenda. Hailey Cole has been really impressive so far and this team looks tough and just one their last game by 59 points, which is major no matter the opponent.
Why not higher?
The strength of wins on their schedule isn’t as strong as others in this poll.
No. 8 – Eastside (11-1, 6-0 NECC)
They Blazers are off to their best start since before any of their players were alive, maybe since some of their player’s parents were alive. Mike Lortie has the Blazers clicking so well right now that even Bounce has taken them for granted. They’ve got some tough ones coming up but they’ve succeeded against every challenge so far. The Lakewood Park and Woodlan wins are still better than a lot of teams have on their schedule this season.
Why not higher?
The Blazers have not played a game in this top 10 list and won’t until January 5’s visit to Fairfield. We can measure again then.
No. 9 – Warsaw (8-4, 3-0 NLC)
With basically three players scoring 15 points or more per game (Brooke Zartman is at 14.9), there aren’t many offenses that can come with the same firepower at that level. Even better than that, all three of Warsaw’s top players are shooting 44 percent or higher on the season while scoring at such a high rate. This is a team that is very scary and they’ve proven as much in the NLC so far.
Why not higher?
0-3 against teams above them in the power poll.
No. 10 – Bluffton (11-1, 4-0 ACAC)
Bluffton is a really intriguing prospect. Their win at Woodlan was great but we won’t know how good Bluffton is until forthcoming games against Fairfield, Bellmont and Jay County are done. But what Doug Curtis has been able to do to get this team to 11-1 after going 11-11 last season has been impressive. Isabella Stout is high on the list of most underrated players in the area and she is producing night in and night out.
Why not higher?
Are Bluffton’s wins on this historic start as good as teams above them in the power poll? Their one loss isn’t a bad one, but they do only have a couple of wins against above .500 competition.
OTHERS CONSIDERED
Lakewood Park, 9-3
Whitko, 8-3
Jay County, 11-2
Bishop Luers, 7-4
Sam
Please check spelling for Dekota NOT Dakota in the caption – thanks for the coverage