Prep Hoops Indiana: Sectional 8 Round 1 X-Factors

Each and every year, the most anticipated Sectional that takes place in the state of Indiana is Sectional 8 featuring schools such as Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, and Noblesville. This year, Carmel will be the host and the anticipation is a high as ever. The main reason for this year's hype is that undefeated and current Class 4A State Champions Fishers will be looking to run the gauntlet once again and get yet another Sectional titles. Each team, year in and year out, are more than capable of knocking each other out and along with Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville are the other favorites that could come out of Sectional 8. I, <a href="https://x.com/kylerstaley">Kyler Staley</a>, will be in attendance for Tuesday for the first round matchups between Carmel/Noblesville and Westfield/Fishers to provide top notch coverage. Below is a four x-factors from each team for Tuesday night's matchups.    When senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1296972' first='Alex' last='Couto'] went down earlier this season, the Carmel Greyhounds were going to need someone to step up in his absence. While those were big shoes to fill, [player_tooltip player_id='1561129' first='Julian' last='Vogt'] seemed to be that guy that stopped up a bit. Carmel comes in as the team with the least amount of wins in the regular season than any other team in Sectional 8 so if the Greyhounds are going to want to make an upset run, Vogt is going to be the X-Factor for them. Vogt is a 6'5 wing that with fluid athleticism, can knock down shots with some of the more intriguing tools you will find in the in-state 2026 class.     This Noblesville team is as tough as any that has came before them in recent years and a big part of that has been because of the upperclassman that have helped lead this team to a 17-5 record. The guy that seems to be the head of the snake is 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1428862' first='TJ' last='Davidson']. In 22 games this year, Davidson averaged 7.9 points, 1.8 points, and 1.9 assists. The strength of Davidson is elite defense, which is why the Millers could be a team that we see in the Sectional 8 Championship. He can also be a versatile scorer both on and off the ball.     There are hard to find a weaknesses when it comes to the only undefeated team heading into Sectional play, which makes it a little hard to find an X-Factor because they are so balanced. When looking at the roster, the one I think you go with is 2025 guard and Stanford football signee [player_tooltip player_id='1525664' first='JonAnthony' last='Hall'], who has really been an X-Factor for them all season. When Hall can use his elite athletic ability freely to make plays in the lane, this Fishers team is at another level as surpassing as that sounds. You can try to stop a few players on this Fishers team, but [player_tooltip player_id='1525664' first='JonAnthony' last='Hall'] will always be there waiting to make a highlight play.     The 6'10 sophomore center [player_tooltip player_id='2414955' first='Luke' last='Vandegriff'] has some of the highest potential in the in-state 2026 class and even though his minutes were a little inconsistent, he showed some flashes of what is to come in the future. For this Westfield team, I view him an X-Factor when the Shamrocks face Fishers as he will be the biggest player on the floor and could be a huge advantage in the post if he is able to get going. He is pretty consistent around the rim and can be an elite rebounder as well. He could cause problems for the Fishers guards when they try to make plays at the rim.

Each and every year, the most anticipated Sectional that takes place in the state of Indiana is Sectional 8 featuring schools such as Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, and Noblesville. This year, Carmel will be the host and the anticipation is a high as ever. The main reason for this year's hype is that undefeated and current Class 4A State Champions Fishers will be looking to run the gauntlet once again and get yet another Sectional titles. Each team, year in and year out, are more than capable of knocking each other out and along with Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville are the other favorites that could come out of Sectional 8. I, Kyler Staley, will be in attendance for Tuesday for the first round matchups between Carmel/Noblesville and Westfield/Fishers to provide top notch coverage. Below is a four x-factors from each team for Tuesday night's matchups.