Indiana high school girls basketball: 10 sleeper teams from the Indy area

Outside of our preseason Fab 15, there are a number of teams capable of making a splash and picking up some wins this season. Here are 10 Central Indiana girls basketball teams that missed out on the top 15 but could find themselves in the rankings this season.

The teams are listed in alphabetical order.

Carmel (11-12)

The Greyhounds struggled with injuries again last season, losing 5-9 guard/forward Mallory Bourquein and 5-8 combo guard Taryn Fisher. These two are back, part of a hungry senior class (other notable returnees: Lauren Perry, Isabelle Shepherd and Mackenzie Woods) with high expectations in year two under Rick Risinger. The schedule is stacked But I expect this group to take a huge step forward. Look for freshmen Madison Wallace, Izabella Ramsey and Catherine Bassi to be expected to log significant varsity minutes.

Crispus attacks (10-11)

Kamrah Banks is the big backup here, although the Tigers should have a number of quality players around her, including younger sister Kenadi Passley-Banks, who averaged over 11 points and three assists last season at Decatur Central. Zionsville in the opener, Carmel in the middle and Bolingbrook, Illinois at Sneakers For Santa to close November provide three benchmarks of quality in the opening month.

Greenfield Central (17-7)

Bradley Key has seen an upward trend with the Cougars over the past few seasons. The 2024-25 team returns all key players while heading into an open section (Pendleton Heights is the other top team). 6-0 guard/forward Madison Sonsini offers versatility (leading scorer and rebounder), 5-10 forward Chaney Brown has delivered steady performances in her first three seasons (career: 14.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 spg) and Brooklyn McConnell (about 10 ppg). ) is their biggest 3-point threat. That's a talented trio to build on, plus talented sophomore Izzy Silcox and a number of players returning from injury. The biggest tests on the schedule come in the first five weeks with Lapel, Center Grove, Pendleton, Heritage Christian, Bishop Chatard and Class A Power Tri.

Heir Christian (15-11)

The Eagles lost a starter, leading scorer Mya Davis, to graduation and another to an out-of-state transfer. They bring everyone else back. It's a very good team – Joslyn Marshall and Casey Frost are both talented multi-sport athletes with extensive varsity experience – in a winnable (but still difficult) section. Natalie Curnutt is a clutch shooter and Trinity Taylor brings size to the glass. Replacing Davis at point guard is the big challenge for this group.

Indian Creek (21-5, 3A section champ)

As mentioned in my bold predictions, the Braves were stronger than most expected last season, and that strength will help them remain successful this season. There's no question that Faith Wiseman and Lauren Foster took massive losses, but Ayla Lollar was also really good and looked capable of stepping in as the team's leading scorer. 6-0 junior Alexasichting will help fill the void at the post, and Bre Gault is a worthy replacement at point guard. Martinsville on November 9th and the Johnson County tournament will give us an idea of where this team is.

Lapel (23-5, 2A Regional Champion)

Coach Zach Newby, friend of The Scorers Table podcast, is back for another year after his brief retirement in the spring. He has one of the best players in the state in Laniah Wills, but still has vacancies to fill around her, especially in scoring (Maddy Poynter, 15 ppg; AnnaLee Stow, 8 ppg). Be patient with this group as they gain experience and establish roles in the first few weeks, then watch them take off around Christmas time/January.

Lebanon (11-15)

The Tigers won three of their last four games last year to reach the section championship game, losing by four points in the regular-season finale at Southmont. First-year coach Aaron Vaughn returns four seniors, including leading scorers Claire Boling and Riley Vanaman, as well as Marina Barr (2.3 apg) and Leila Richards. There will be growing pains, but the Tigers have the talent to surprise some teams this season.

Martinsville (8-17)

The Artesians are housed in a department with the Bloomington and Terre Haute schools and dedicate themselves to the weight room in the summer. I like their potential to take another big step in their rebuild this winter, and second-year coach Dave Nuckles likes senior Layla Mallery, the team's leading returning scorer (7.4 ppg). Martinsville has some size in 6-0 forward Brynlee Hamblin and added an established scorer in Monrovia transfer Ruby Murrell.

Speedway (16-8, 3A section champ)

The Plugs won their first section championship since 2013 last season (fourth overall) and although they graduated five starters, they regained a lot of varsity experience in Hayli Clampitt, Macy DeLisle, Kalissa Jackson-Dietzer and Mylie Walton. They played a key role as backups a year ago and will be tasked with integrating a strong freshman class into this year's group.

Triton Central (17-7)

The Tigers were No. 16 in the Fab 15. Maryrose Felling is an established scorer (17 ppg) and backs up her point guard, sophomore Quinn King, who had six assists per game. That's a great core for coach Bryan Graham to build on ahead of a group stage win. The Tigers probably won't have a permanent position like in previous seasons (Brooklyn Bailey), but they will compensate for this with speed and aggressiveness (plus it may not be as much of a disadvantage within the section).

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.