IHSAA girls basketball: Catching up with Gibson Southern’s Gabby Spink
Gibson Southern senior Gabby Spink talks about what she’s looking for in a college, her recent visit to Murray State and the Titans’ summer thus far.
The IHSAA changed the enrollment cutoffs resulting in some major changes to Indiana’s four high school girls basketball classifications. Here’s who will be playing in which classification this year.
Find sectional assignments here.
Class 4A
The competition in the south was further elevated with the addition of defending 3A state champion Gibson Southern. The Titans, who are up based on success factor, are built to contend for another title in Year 1 with Murray State commit Gabby Spink entering her senior year and 6-2 sophomore center Paige Schnaus looking to build upon a breakout tournament run. Nola Ravellette, a 5-8 senior, also returns.
Of note, South Bend Washington remains in 4A due to the success factor.
Newcomer: Gibson Southern.
Class 3A
The star power in 3A will truly be a sight to behold as we enter February. Columbia City (Addi Baxter), Crispus Attucks (Kamrah Banks), Evansville Central (Madalynn Shirley), Jennings County (Mollie Ernstes), Roncalli (Elliot Leffler) and Silver Creek (Brooklynn Renn and Emma Schoen) move down from 4A due to new enrollment cutoffs to join what was already an overstuffed classification.
The scenery change was likely welcome news for Columbia City and Jennings County, which have not won a sectional since 2000 and 2005, respectively. The Eagles get away from Homestead, which has not only ended each of their past five seasons but also might be the state’s best team, and the Panthers are finally free of Bedford North Lawrence, which caused their demise 11 times between 2011 and 2024.
Fun fact: Illiana Christian is the only girls basketball team moved up due to enrollment.
Newcomers: Cathedral, Columbia City, Crispus Attucks, DeKalb, East Chicago Central, East Noble, Evansville Central, Gary West Side, Greenwood, Illiana Christian, Jasper, Jennings County, Kankakee Valley, Logansport, Lowell, Marion, New Haven, New Palestine, Plymouth, Roncalli, Silver Creek.
IHSAA girls basketball: What we learned and who to know from IBCA Team Showcase
Class 2A
Conversely, 2A was bolstered by the addition of a number of powerhouse programs, most notably two-time defending Class A champion Lanesville, which graduated a few key seniors, but returns its nucleus with Hadley Crosier (expected to return from an ACL injury this season), Shelby Allen and Hylton Brumley. Rensselaer Central, led by senior Taylor Van Meter and junior Kamri Rowland, should also be a major player come tournament time, as should Bremen, which finished 3A semistate runner-up and returns its three leading scorers (Kila Foster, Eliana Grubbs and Emma Kincaid).
Heritage Christian is another notable addition. It returns to 2A following a two-year stay in 3A.
Newcomers: Boone Grove, Bremen, Brown County, Cardinal Ritter, Centerville, Christel House, Evansville Mater Dei,Frankton, Heritage Christian, Jimtown, Knox, Lakeland, Lanesville, Monrovia, North Montgomery, Oak Hill, Pike Central, Rensselaer Central, Salem, South Vermillion, West Vigo, Western Boone, Woodlan.
Class A
Establishing secondary scoring option(s) will be critical, but North Decatur should be positioned to make some noise in the state’s smallest classification with 5-10 Taylor commit Madi Allen at the forefront.
Purdue Polytechnic – Broad Ripple is newly eligible for tournament competition.
Newcomers: Bowman Leadership Academy, Carroll (Flora), Clinton Prairie, Cloverdale, Covington, Fremont, Hauser, Henryville, Knightstown, Milan, Monroe Central, North Daviess, North Judson-San Pierre, North Miami, North Newton, Pioneer, Purdue Polytechnic – Broad Ripple, Riverton Parke, South Central (Union Mills), Wes-Del.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
