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SECTIONAL 4 AT WARSAW
Projected Winner: Warsaw
The Tigers didn’t get to 21 wins by some sort of fluke. Their only loss came on January 21 to Homestead and since, Warsaw has not scored less than 70 points in a game while also not giving up more than 27 in that three game winning streak they currently ride. On the season, Warsaw is outscoring opponents 73.7 to 36.5. That average margin of point differential of 37.18 is the best in the state while Warsaw’s offensive output is the second best in the state.
Brooke Zartman leads with 19.3 points per game and Joslyn Bricker adds 18 per game to lead four different Warsaw players who average double figure scoring.
Player You Can’t Miss: Brooke Winchester, Warsaw
In the final part of the season, there has not been a more dominant interior presence in the area than Winchester. She is averaging 12.9 points and 10.3 rebounds overall on the season, with eight double doubles along the way. But right now, in the last four games, Winchester is averaging a whopping 22.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per contest. She is a can’t miss player in the postseason because of how she can separate Warsaw from the pack by spreading the floor and just being an overall menace on the glass.
Don’t be surprised if: You aren’t surprised
Sometimes there just isn’t a way to find upsets or shockers. This bracket is one of those. Northridge has all of the pieces to make a deep run with a 20-4 overall record, but they did lose to Warsaw by 16 semi recently, so there are signs that they won’t be able to pull surprises in this field either. Lily Scholl (16.9 ppg) is a super strong sophomore for a diverse Northridge lineup. If any team has the chance to play spoiler or surprise, it is this group.
But also, Warsaw may just be that good. There may not be surprises in Sectional 4.
SECTIONAL 5 AT NORTHROP
Projected Winner: Northrop
The Bruins got within a game of a SAC title, but the gap was too large between them and Homestead to ultimately overcome. But there is no Homestead here and Northrop is really looking to run the field against other SAC foes, all of which they have wins over this season, with a nine point victory over Carroll and 10 points over rival Snider.
Khala Williams-Thomas had a breakout year last season, which basically means this season has been full of star making performances. The junior leads Northrop in scoring (18.5 ppg), while being second on the team in rebounding, assists and steals. Swynn Jackson has also broken out during her junior season and her four steals per game have been stunning on the defensive end. The addition of Miley Wareing midseason has really bolstered this lineup.
Player You Can’t Miss: Janaya Cooper, Snider
As expected, Cooper has been electric during her freshman season, but that isn’t always a gimme even when expected. Still, she leads Snider in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (7.3) and steals (2.5). What other freshman can you think of in recent memory with a 33 point/13 rebound game on their resume? To show the extreme balance in her abilities, Cooper also has a six steal game (vs. Huntington North), a season high of five assists, and blocked 11 shots in a win over South Side.
Don’t be surprised if: This is when Carroll peaks
Carroll sits at 12-9 overall going into the postseason, but have won their last four; their largest winning streak of the season. While the record has gone up and down, the Chargers have battled and were within 11 points of Northrop, Carmel, Bellmont and Norwell this season. Freshman Cala Haffner is coming off a career performance to close the regular season and Jersey Paul has consistently been one of the top guards in Northeast Indiana all season, recently surpassing 1,000 career points scored.
Carroll got the harder draw, but maybe that plays into their hands as they open with Snider in this four team field, where it is also a benefit that they get to wait a bit longer and prepare a bit more because of the small size of this Sectional. They have three players averaging double digit scoring and if their depth can play big in the postseason, they could cause some confusion this week.
SECTIONAL 6 AT HOMESTEAD
Projected Winner: Homestead
Back in the drivers seat of the SAC, the Spartans were also the highest ranked area team in the final IBCA poll of the regular season. Heading into the postseason, Homestead has won 11 straight games, surpassing their nine game winning streak to start the season. 22-2 overall, the down-the-stretch success of Homestead shows how much amazing momentum they have heading into the postseason; that 11 game streak includes wins over Northrop, Carmel, Warsaw and a 22-win South Knox team who is a frontrunner in the state in Class 2A.
Myah Epps and Gabby Helsom have both each reached 1,000 points in their careers as juniors recently and the duo headline some of the best players in the area. They each legit have a shot as being considered the best player in Northeast Indiana this season, so for them to be playing on the same team certainly helps put Homestead at the front of this Sectional and maybe the north half of the state in Class 4A.
Player You Can’t Miss: Marissa Trout, Huntington North
At the beginning of the calendar year, Trout became just the sixth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. At times, Trout’s output has loomed large and other times it has been fairly quiet. With the Vikings sitting at 12-9 going into the postseason, it may be too quiet. Trout is an active contributor on the offensive end and is always making big cuts to find her space around the rim. Watch for Trout to be a physical and tough presence in the paint that no team in this Sectional can look past.
Don’t be surprised if: Homestead wins by an average of 30
There just doesn’t seem to be a consistent way to stop all of Homestead’s scorers and it has been a problem all season for opposing teams. Why would that stop now in a Sectional where the other teams have a combined 27 wins, just five more than Homestead has alone?
While Helsom and Epps are at the forefront for a reason, the Spartans have all kinds of depth in putting the ball in the hoop. Whitney Ankenbruck is a prime example of that, especially with the way she has been shooting the ball as of late, on a really high clip with a really high success rate.
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