2 weeks Ago
East Chicago Central EC Central arrived last season. The Cardinals won their most games since 2007 and won their first sectional title since 2017. Now, thanks to reclassification, East Chicago finds itself moved down a class to Class 3A.
That development, along with the returns of All-Area First Teamer Dominique Murphy and All-Area Honorable Mention Yamauree Wallace, has made the Cardinals a popular pick to make a deep postseason run. EC coach Alaa Mroueh has four of his starters back as he looks to guide his team to its first regional title in more than a decade and a half. Hammond Central After a junior season that earned him an Underclass Honorable Mention All-State selection, Hammond Central star Marcus Browder is back for his senior year.
The Wolves aren't taking it easy in the regular season. In addition to their GLAC schedule, they're also facing some top teams in Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Morton First-year coach Jeremiah King will look to lead Morton to its first win over a GLAC rival since January of 2022.
Three-star Vanderbilt football recruit Lebron Hill is back for the Governors after averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds a game as a junior.
Sophomore Michael Woods projects to be a key contributor as well for a Morton team looking to lay a solid foundation for its new coach. West Side West Side took a big step forward in the 2023-24 season, winning 14 games after back-to-back single-digit win campaigns. The improvement was the fifth-best year-over-year in the state last season.
This year, with a group of returners that includes Keyton Barnes, Dereck Collins, Reggie "Trey" Hinton and Anthony Holmes, the Cougars have their sights set higher. Coach Christopher Buggs said last year's team struggled with maturity. This year, he thinks growth in that department will keep West Side from getting too high or too low throughout the season.
Buggs also pointed to Tyler Crews, a 6-foot-10 center who's made huge strides for the Cougars. "He's a blessing," Buggs said of Crews. "His hard work and determination is something that I'm really proud of.
" Others 21st Century Success has become an expectation for 21st Century. The Cougars have won three straight sectionals and eight of their last nine. Underclass Small School All-State selection Terrence Hayes Jr.
returns for his junior year this winter after picking up a Division I offer from Valparaiso this offseason. Lemetrius Williams led the area in rebounding last year as a junior and is back for his senior year as well. Bowman Longtime West Side and Michigan City coach John Boyd takes over at Bowman for the 2024-25 campaign.
The new Eagles boss won a state title with the Cougars in 2002. Bowman hopes the new coach's championship pedigree can return the program to among the Region's elite. The Eagles graduated three of their top four leading scorers and saw the fourth transfer after last season.
Hammond Academy Walter Woghiren enters his second year at Hammond Academy after a successful season No. 1. The Hawks won 10 games in 2023-24, their most ever.
Hammond Academy will have a lot of talent to replace, however, as its top three scorers from last season all graduated. Lighthouse Last season's team leader in scoring, Derek Scott Jr. transferred to Indianapolis Tindley for this season.
Instead, the Lions will look towards sophomore Issac Browder to take the reigns and lead Lighthouse. Marquette Catholic Last season, Marquette Catholic entered the postseason with a young roster and a losing record. Rather than pack it in, the Warriors rallied, winning sectional and regional titles before falling at semistate.
Marquette returns a large chunk of that roster including guard Josiah Mays and center Colson Dobre. With another year of growth under their belts, Ray Tarnow could be building a winner. North Newton Sam Zachery is in his sixth season with the Spartans.
He's hovered around the .500 mark the past four seasons. This season, he'll have to retool without Evan Gagnon and his 24.
9 points per game. The Spartans return seniors Jackson Alexander and Joe Stalewski, and junior Jared Kutsch..
