Preseason Team Rankings: #45

<p>It’s now creeping up on the start of the high school season and we are looking to start our series of previews on some of the best teams in the state. Today, Eric Gardner and Kyler Staley join up to start our deep dive into some of these teams.</p> <p>Our series will take a look at the best teams in the state for each class with our rankings. Starting at #50 and going to #1, we will look at each class ranking across all classes starting now with #45.</p> <p><b>1A #45: Bethesda Christian  </b><br /> Bethesda Christian is coming off a terrible 7-16 record with most of their core talent being six outgoing seniors. One of the main questions going into this season is just who exactly is going to provide the post presence as two of their outgoing seniors were the main men down low. Senior guard Austin Kelly, who will provide the much-needed perimeter shooting, will likely be the leader of this squad. Look for quick senior guard Ashyton Paddock to step-up this year as well. Though there may seem to be more questions than answers heading into this year for the Patriots, this unit has some great pieces and has a chance to really improve from a season ago. </p> <p><strong>2A #45: Oak Hill</strong><br /> Oak Hill is coming off a 10-13 record and blowout loss to Wabash in Sectionals. The good news is that they return two of their top four scorers from last season. They will be led by senior shooting guard/small forward Taji Johnson (7.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg), who will do most of his damage on the defensive end. Look for junior center Tristen Hayes (6.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) to make a leap forward and provide more post scoring. Also look for junior point guard Clay Mccorkle (2.9 apg) to be the one to make sure the ball is moving at a good pace. The Golden Eagles should be in for a better season all around. Though it is a competitive Sectional from top-to-bottom, do not be shocked to see Oak Hill come out of it.  </p> <p><strong>3A #45: Twin Lakes</strong><br /> The Indians will be coming off a 13-12 record with five of their top seven scorers returning this upcoming season. Out of those five returning scorers, they will be led by two standout seniors. Those seniors are smart point guard Ben Houser (9.7 ppg, 3.6 apg) and aggressive power forward Jace Stoops (7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg). While those two may be the main focus, look for lengthy sophomore point guard Clayton Bridwell (5.1 ppg) to make a major leap forward this year. With what the Indians have returning, they should be on the right track to have a much-improved regular season. Their Sectionals will be a tough road with Benton Central and Northwestern in the forefront but, look for Twin Lakes to turn some heads this year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>4A #45: Southport<br /> </strong>Southport will be coming into this season coming off a 11-13 record. They take a big hit as lots of their talent were outgoing seniors last year. On the bright side however, the Cardinals will return three of their top four scorers for this upcoming season. They will be led by senior forward Brevin Jefferson (13.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg), who can almost always take it to the basketball with ease. They will also have 6-5 senior forward Mathew Munoz (6.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) to take care of the post needs. Also look for dynamic shooting guard Ryan Lezon (6.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) to take on an even bigger role this year. With the size and skill to compete with anybody, this is a team that could be one of the best come Sectional time.</p>