COLUMBIA CITY
The Eagles have a pretty fresh start ahead of them, with a bevy of returning varsity players but not quite the same names you are used to in Whitley County. Among them is Luci Reich, a Huntington North transfer, that has the chance to be one of the best players in the NE8 this season. But how do the Eagles look under a new head coach when the previous coach was there for 16 seasons and had 20 or more wins in four of her previous five years? That leans a lot on what Kyle Fillman can provide as the new head coach and don’t let Bounce get you too excited here, but Fillman is a pretty strong basketball mind.
The addition of Reich is critical and we shouldn’t suggest otherwise, but Columbia City has some gaps to fill. How will they do that? Claudia Strack and Izzy Knitter both being back is massive for the Eagles, but it will be very interesting to see who rises up around them so the Eagles don’t have to lose a step since the program has not had a losing record in nine years. Watch out for Karrington Amber who had some real momentum coming into high school before tearing her ACL.
DEKALB
With everyone back from a season ago, could DeKalb make a major jump and be the third team right there in the picture with the Bellmonts and Norwells of the world in the Northeast 8. A quick eye test would suggest that the Braves and Knights are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Both teams advanced to the state finals last season, where Norwell fell just short in 4A – but that was their third straight state finals appearance – and where Bellmont captured their program’s first ever girls basketball state crown. But is the gap as big after 1-2 as some people may think?
Adding in freshman Gracie Fordyce as a super intriguing freshman prospect also helps, but this is a team with three really viable scoring options. The program hasn’t had a losing record since 2021-22, but when Mark Pixley came over to coach last season, it isn’t fair to say expectations at DeKalb were the same. The program had eight losing seasons (including with an eventual WNBA player) before going 12-12 four years ago and then putting two winning seasons together. But Pixley came to DeKalb a year and a half removed from winning a state title at Bishop Luers and having instantly more success than many projected at DeKalb last season. That means that the Barons have to prove this year that they can keep growing at a torrid pace and have all of the pieces to do so.
NORTH SIDE
How can things change at North Side? It is a question that has been asked for years with a program that has not posted a winning record this millenium, nor a double digits in the win column since 2003-2004. There have been many talented players come through the program in the last 25 years, including college level players, with some talented coaches. But thing just haven’t been able to click into place. First year head coach Marq Abram could bring something different to the table, connected both in the school and in athletics as the head coach of the school’s girls flag football program.
North Side has the chance to start turning things in the right direction this season with connectivity to the program through several returners, including leading scorer from last year Kaydence Wallace, but also seeing some talent transfer into the school instead of out, with the addition of players like Renesha Autry, who averaged 11.9 points per game at South Side over eight games last season, and Kamiah Morris, who saw action in 22 games for Northrop a season ago.
FAIRFIELD
The cupboard is far from dry at Fairfield and honestly, it rarely is. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t have to be a lot of players stepping into new – and more importantly – enhanced roles this season. Just three players return from Fairfield’s rotation a season ago, but what we do know is one of those is Madison Jones, who was consistently among the best players in the NECC and area a season ago. Around her, several underclassmen are going to get the chance to step up but Fairfield is also becoming one of those places that often reloads rather than rebuilds so expectations are solid for the younger players.
And important piece to proving that they are still among the area elite is the return to the sidelines of coach Brodie Garber. Garber spent the last two seasons coaching the Fairfield boys team and while he didn’t win any titles on the boys side, his 29-16 record (16-6 last season) continued his winning ways. When last you saw him on a Fairfield girls sideline in 2023, he was finishing off a two-loss state championship season. So needless to say, the Falcons’ coaching move already points them in a significantly right direction.
BISHOP DWENGER
The Saints will now have their fourth different coach in the last four seasons, making things certainly most interesting for the senior class who have had no real consistency in their high school careers. New coach Will Lewis, who last in his career was the head boys coach at Eastside, wants to build something organic with the Saints which should be a message that the program should buy into as a fresh start with established abilities from their core of players.
A five player senior class is led by Katie Keefer and her five points and six rebounds again, while junior Annie O’Brien could be among the area’s better breakout players with the right base on the season. The Saints also have a couple of freshmen who could impact the game immediately, including Lucy Coffman who comes from a really good basketball family in Fort Wayne.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
Be the first to comment