by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor 

Hamilton County Reporter

For the first time in 12 years, the Hamilton Southeastern girls basketball team is playing in a regional.

The Royals will travel to the Class 4A Kokomo regional on Saturday to play Fort Wayne Carroll in the day’s first game at 10 a.m. Zionsville and Homestead will play immediately afterwards in the second semi-final, with the championship game at 8 p.m.

So just how long is 12 years for Southeastern? The Royals won their last championship during the 2006-07 school year, during which this year’s seniors were in kindergarten. This year’s sectional title was the fourth in school history for Southeastern; the Royals also won in 1999, 2006 and 2007. Southeastern also won a regional title in 2006.

Fort Wayne Carroll comes into the regional after winning its third straight sectional championship. The Chargers had been having an up-and-down season, starting out 4-0, then losing four in a row late in the season. But Carroll stepped up in the DeKalb sectional, beating Snider 49-42, East Noble 52-32 and Northrop 61-48 to claim the program’s ninth sectional title.

The Royals played the Chargers earlier in the season, on Nov. 17, winning 62-22. Since then, Southeastern has rolled to a 23-1 record, with its only loss to Ryle, one of the top teams in Kentucky. The Royals then won their own sectional by beating Fishers 36-27 and Carmel 47-34.

Carroll is 14-10 for the season. The Chargers are led in scoring by sophomore Emily Parrett, who is averaging 12.9 points per game. Two junior players are chipping in over nine points per contest: Olivia Hoeppner is scoring 9.4 points per game and Malia Williams is averaging 9.3 per game. Williams is the team’s top 3-point shooter, making 38 triples out of 118 attempts for 32.2 percent.

Junior Audrey Freeland leads the rebounding with 4.2 per game and is also Carroll’s top shooter, making 49.5 percent of her field goals. Hoeppner has the most steals this season with 82 (3.6 per game) as well as the most assists with 78 (3.4 per game), and is the leading free throw shooter at 75.3 percent.

The Royals’ leading scorer is junior Sydney Parrish, a varsity player for HSE since her freshman year. The heavily-recruited Parrish is averaging 20.9 points per game and passed the 1,000-point mark for her career earlier in the season. Parrish leads the Royals in almost all the statistical categories: She is a 50.4 percent field goal and 39.4 percent 3-point shooter, is averaging 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Southeastern’s senior class contains four four-year varsity players. Amaya Hamilton is averaging 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Malea Jackson scores 9.8 points per game and has made 41 3-pointers this season. Tayah Irvin is a strong presence on defense, and Molly Walton is able to contribute solid minutes as well. Both Irvin and Walton average 4.0 rebounds per game, with Irvin totaling 32 steals this season and Walton 31. Junior Jackie Maulucci scores 7.6 points per game, and sophomore Lydia Self is a rising star; she also averages 4.0 rebounds per game.

The second semi-final at Kokomo features two teams that made the state championship game in the past two years. Homestead won state in 2017, while Zionsville was the runner-up in 2018, falling to Warren Central.

The Eagles are 18-8 and won their own sectional, beating Lafayette Jefferson 78-60, Kokomo 67-28 and Harrison 62-26. Zionsville was instantly boosted by the return of senior Maddie Nolan, who had been injured for most of the season, but came back for the Eagles’ regular-season finale. Already in those four games, Nolan averaged 13.5 points.

Sophomore Katey Richason is scoring at a 13.7 points per game clip, with senior Delaney Richason adding 10.8 points. Katey Richason pulls 7.1 rebounds per game, and senior Megan Sheridan is averaging 7.0 per game.

Homestead is 24-3 for the season and also won its own sectional, defeating Fort Wayne Wayne 76-13 and Fort Wayne South Side 63-36. The Spartans recently were three-time regional champions, winning in 2015-16-17 and culminating in a state title in 2017, where they beat Pike 61-54.

Freshman Ayanna Patterson is already a 6-foot-3 force: She is averaging 12.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior Sylare Starks is scoring at an 11.1 points per game clip and hands out 4.0 assists. and junior Syndey Graber contributes 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.