What I'm watching in IHSAA girls basketball: City tournament, postseason previews

Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star

January 12, 2022 at 2:05 PM·4 min read

I would like to formally petition that we reschedule a few of Friday's games, or at least stagger the times throughout the day so one could feasibly attend most (if not all) of them.

From the City tournament to a number of ranked matches and potential postseason previews, here's what I'm watching for this weekend.

A future Husky: 5-star Noblesville guard Ashlynn Shade commits to UConn

Fab 15: How Central Indiana looks heading into final weeks of regular season

Indianapolis City tournament

Thursday's City tournament semifinals are set with Crispus Attucks and Cathedral in one game and Heritage Christian and Bishop Chatard in the other.

Cathedral is the favorite in the night's first semifinal, boasting a scoring attack led by junior Layla Gold (16 points per game) and senior Katie Bremer (11.5 ppg), though Attucks' nine wins are the most its had since it reached the sectional finals in 2017-18 (10 wins).

The other semifinal is a rematch of last year's Class 3A Sectional 27 championship game — Chatard bested Heritage Christian on its way to a regional finals appearance. The Trojans have won four of their past five, with the lone loss coming to Westfield. Junior Caroline Bell is averaging a double-double; teammates Kate Caskey and Izzy Davis both average over 10 points. Heritage Christian has played seven Class 4A teams this season, and boasts a more balanced scoring attack with five at eight points or more. Senior Audrey Booher leads the way at 12 ppg.

Thursday: Attucks (9-6) vs. Cathedral (10-8), 6 p.m.

Heritage Christian (11-9) vs. Indianapolis Chatard (9-8), 7:30 p.m.

Friday: Championship, 7:30 p.m.

*All games at Cathedral.

North Central High School's Ava Couch (13) at NCHS in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, during a 68-58 victory by Homestead over NC.

A clash of styles at North Central

Center Grove's 10-7 record may not grab your attention, but their defensive prowess and ability to limit possessions by taking care of the ball makes the Trojans a dangerous matchup. Thursday, Center Grove will be tasked with slowing down a high-flying, high-intensity North Central squad that has an assortment of shooters and aims to knock teams off kilter with its press. That would be one heck of a statement if CG can upset its conference foe.

Thursday: Center Grove (10-7) at North Central (15-5), 7:30 p.m.

Sectional 8 preview night

If you, like me, are very excited for Sectional 8, Friday's slate has a couple particularly intriguing games with Hamilton Southeastern at Westfield and Noblesville at Zionsville.

Let's start with Royals-Shamrocks. After enduring so many heartbreaking losses against quality competition, it feels like HSE is due for a signature win. Its biggest challenge will be containing Westfield senior Alyssa Crockett. That'll likely be a group effort, though I'm excited to see Maya Makalusky and Zoë Bolding take their turns against the Michigan commit.

Millers-Eagles is headlined by two of the nation's top recruits, Ashlynn Shade and Laila Hull, going head-to-head for the first time since Noblesville ousted Zionsville in last year's sectionals (72-62).

Friday: Hamilton Southeastern (11-6) at Westfield (15-3), 6 p.m.

Noblesville (15-3) at Zionsville (14-5), 6 p.m.

Young posts square off in Fishers

Brownsburg's Avery Gordon (55) comes down with the rebound vs. Cascade in Hendricks County finals.

The main reason I'm intrigued by Fishers vs. Brownsburg is the matchup between Tigers 6-1 sophomore Kate Thomas and Bulldogs 6-5 freshman Avery Gordon. Thomas typically isn't required to score a ton of points (averaging around five per game), but she will be leaned upon to help contain Gordon, who scored 24 points in last Saturday's win over Cascade and is quickly establishing herself as a force in the post.

Friday: Brownsburg (10-8) at Fishers (13-4), 6 p.m.

Fort Wayne powers collide

The winner of Friday's battle between Fort Wayne Snider and Homestead takes the inside track for the Summit Conference championship. Snider has three players scoring in double figures led by senior Jyah Lovett and sophomore Destini Craig, both of whom average north of 15 points per game. Homestead has UConn commit Ayanna Patterson, plus a bevy of other weapons (like Molly Stock, Evie Bottoms and Ali Stephens) who are ready and willing to help shoulder the offensive workload.

Friday: Fort Wayne Snider (12-2) at Homestead (16-1), 6 p.m.

Saturday watchlist

A couple intriguing cross-class games for your Saturday afternoon.

Mishawaka Marian, which has played a primarily 4A schedule (losses to Noblesville and 3A's South Bend Washington), travels to Carmel, which is riding a five-game win streak.

Hamilton Heights (3A) won nine straight before its streak was snapped by Westfield last weekend. It will host 2A's Tipton, which has lost just once this season (44-42 at 4A's Northwestern).

Saturday: Mishawaka Marian (14-4) at Carmel (10-6), 2:30 p.m.

Tipton (16-1) at Hamilton Heights (14-4), 1:30 p.m.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball: Indianapolis City tournament, sectional previews

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