Preseason Team Rankings: #47

<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 #47.</p> <p><b>1A #47: Central Christian </b><br /> Central Christian is coming off a 17-7 record following a tough Sectional loss to Providence Cristo Rey. The Chargers will look a little different this year as five of their eight seniors were the top scorers of the team. JV standouts like junior shooting guard Tanner Royer (15.0 ppg) and sophomore shooting guard Elijah Mattingly (18.5 ppg) are on track to provide major roles in the backcourt. Look for 6-4 senior forward Kaleb Vonderheide (3.3 ppg) to provide leadership and much of the post presence as well. With their Sectional, they will have tough matchups with the reigning 1A Sectional champs Greenwood and the team they lost to last year Providence Cristo Rey. The good news is this team has enough talent to make an impact. </p> <p><strong>2A #47: North Judson</strong><br /> North Judson will be coming off a 13-12 record and tough Sectional finals loss to Marquette Catholic. While most of their players last season where outgoing seniors, they do return a couple of studs that will help lead them this year. One of the leading scorers returning this year is senior guard Cooper Hochstedler. This young man is an absolute scoring and rebounding machine that averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg a season ago. Dynamic sophomore guard Payton Cox (5.0 ppg) will also be looking to make a leap forward and take some pressure off Hochstedler. The Bluejays could be in for an improved regular season. Even with LaVille in their Sectionals, North Judson should be one of the favorites to come out of that bracket. </p> <p><strong>3A #47: Rushville</strong><br /> Coming off a lackluster 9-15 record, The Rushville Lions will be looking to have a bounce back season. They return two of their top four scorers with senior guard Logan Graddy (12.8 ppg) and senior forward Evan Elmore (6.9 ppg), both slated to lead the team in scoring. The Lions will also need for stud sophomore guard Alec Evans (5.4 ppg) and senior guard Eric Brown (4.0 ppg) to step up and both have breakout seasons. The regular season does provide some opportunity for improvement, but it will be their sectional where they will be truly tested with reigning champion Batesville and highly skilled Greensburg looking to make some noise. Rushville has all the ingredients to have a special season, it will just depend on what their key players can do.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>4A #47: Decatur Central<br /> </strong>When discussing a team that could turn out to be one of the top teams in the state, look no further than Decatur Central. Coming off a solid 16-8 record, they return three of their top five scorers from a season ago. At the top of this solid core is 5-11 guard/forward Kenny Tracy (15.3 ppg, 2.9 apg, 6.4 rpg), who will return his knockdown shooting behind the arc. Also returning is stud guard Ceddy Brent (9.5 ppg) and tough-minded forward Sebastian Murillo (6.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg). The Hawks are a team that love to run, play fast, and physical. This team is on track to have a great season even with 4A State runner-up Ben Davis and Pike in their Sectionals. They have all the ability to make some noise this year.</p>