IHSAA girls basketball Fab 15: A new top team in Central Indiana as sectionals loom

It was an eventful week of girls high school basketball in Central Indiana, which means plenty of changes to this week's Fab 15. Here's our latest batch of power rankings.

1. Westfield (16-3)

LW: 3

The Shamrocks just keep winning, and they're making a real strong case for the title of "team to beat" in Sectional 8. They beat Hamilton Southeastern on Friday, adding the young (but dangerous) Royals to a resume that includes wins over Tri-West, Carmel, Zionsville, Noblesville and Franklin. I was expecting a close finish (maybe even an upset) Friday night; instead Westfield pulled away for a 49-37 win.

What we learned last week: Layla Gold's jump, Zionsville's finish and more

2. Franklin (18-1)

LW: 2

The Grizzly Cubs hold steady at No. 2 following a week off. They jumped back into things at Roncalli on Monday, and will host Seymour on Thursday.

3. Noblesville (15-4)

LW: 1

The Millers handled their business against Mt. Vernon (64-30), but were uncharacteristically flat and unenthused in the first half against Zionsville on Friday. They deserve credit for getting back to their style and clawing back from that 26-9 deficit in the second half, but they were ultimately doomed by a shoddy performance at the free throw line and a mess of missed opportunities late in the game. Noblesville plays its final home game Tuesday vs. Harrison.

4. North Central (16-5)

LW: 4

I was curious to see how the Panthers would fare against more methodical Center Grove. They did OK, forcing 23 turnovers, but allowing CG seven steals in a 48-38 win. An interesting note from the box score: Of Center Grove's 34 field goal attempts, 22 came from 3 (8-for-22). That's now three straight wins for North Central since its loss to Homestead. It has Lawrence Central and Fort Wayne South this week.

5. Fishers (14-4)

LW: 5

The Tigers bounced back from their loss at the buzzer to North Central with a 55-35 triumph over Brownsburg. Fishers has gone undefeated against its sectional foes thus far, beating Westfield (46-43), Zionsville (61-50), Noblesville (57-45) and Hamilton Southeastern (69-61). It will host Carmel on Tuesday, before welcoming Avon for its home finale on Saturday.

6. Zionsville (15-5)

LW: 8

The Eagles appear to be peaking at just the right time. Their win over Noblesville on Friday was their fifth straight, preceded by victories over Columbus East, Harrison (West Lafayette), Pike and McCutcheon. Their shooters were on-point against McCutcheon (Laila Hull and Allie Caldwell both cleared 20 points), while their defense played a critical role in closing out the Millers. As mentioned in yesterday's "What We Learned" column, the importance of Emma Haan's return on Dec. 29 cannot be overstated.

Why Zionsville beat Noblesville: Allie Caldwell kept shooting, Eagles kept defending

7. Waldron (18-1)

LW: 6

A historic season continues for Waldron, which successfully defended its Mid-Hoosier Conference championship earlier this week. It's the first time Waldron has won back-to-back conference titles and its only undefeated conference seasons in program history. Waldron converted 25 of 34 free throws (21 attempts total from Nichole Garner and Mackenzie Shaw) to beat Eastern Hancock on Saturday.

8. Carmel (12-6)

LW: 10

The Greyhounds are heating up. They've won seven straight since losing three straight in mid-December, with notable wins over Penn, Center Grove and, most recently, Mishawaka Marian. We should get a better gauge on Carmel's late-season standing when it travels to Fishers on Tuesday.

9. Hamilton Southeastern (11-7)

LW: 7

Following narrow defeats vs. Columbus East, Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers and Homestead, HSE was seemingly poised for a signature win at Westfield on Friday. But it was unable to keep pace with the Shamrocks down the stretch in a 12-point loss. The Royals travel to Lawrence North on Tuesday before welcoming Zionsville on Friday.

10. Pendleton Heights (13-4)

LW: 9

Saturday's loss at Rushville shouldn't come as a huge surprise with the Arabians less than 24 hours removed from a dramatic win over New Palestine. But it was still a disappointing setback. PH rallied from a 14-point deficit then scored with three seconds to upend the Dragons on Friday. Kaycie and Whitney Warfel lead the team in scoring at 14 and 13 points per game, respectively, while seniors Hailee Brunnemer and Abi Rosenkrans both average around 10-11 per game.

11. Hamilton Heights (14-4)

LW: 13

After bouncing back from a loss to Westfield with a rout of Western, the Huskies ground out a 48-29 win over Class 2A foe Tipton. There were a variety of contributors Saturday afternoon, but sophomore Camryn Runner stood above the rest scoring a game-high 22 points. Hamilton Heights will be battle-tested entering sectionals, having played Noblesville, Fishers and Westfield, among others.

12. Tri-West (13-7)

LW: 12

The Bruins won their conference title with a 59-41 win over Lebanon on Friday, but let one get away on Saturday, squandering a fourth-quarter lead in a 57-50 loss vs. Plainfield. Of note: Senior Kenna Kirby became the program's all-time leading scorer vs. Lebanon. Tri-West hosts Cardinal Ritter on Wednesday, then closes out the regular season vs. University on Jan. 27.

13. Cathedral (12-8)

LW: 15

The Fighting Irish breezed through the first couple rounds of the City tournament, then escaped with a 48-44 win over Bishop Chatard on Friday to claim their first title since 2004. Katie Bremer provided the heroics, netting the game winner with just a couple seconds remaining. Cathedral has two games this week — Avon and New Palestine — before closing out the regular season on the road at Carmel.

14. Brownsburg (10-9)

LW: 11

The Bulldogs took their licks against Fishers, falling 55-35 Friday night. They'll look to bounce back against Pike on Tuesday, before welcoming Westfield and Terre Haute North over the weekend. Saturday's clash with the Patriots represents a potential Sectional 12 preview.

15. University (15-2)

LW: NR

The Trailblazers have not lost since mid-November (Danville and Cathedral), collecting wins last week over Seeger, Indianapolis HomeSchool and Greenwood Christian (Pioneer Conference championship game). They've got a very balanced offense with Payton Seay, Kelsey DuBois and Patty Chikamba, and have a couple tests looming in the final week with Tri-West and Tipton.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school girls basketball rankings: A new No. 1 in Fab 15