By RICHIE HALL
The Hamilton Southeastern and McCutcheon girls basketball teams will face off Saturday for the Frankfort regional, to be played at the historic Case Arena. Game time is 4 p.m.
This regional battle will be between two teams with several similarities. A veteran coach, a superstar with a solid supporting cast, and a winning tradition. The Royals defended their sectional title on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Carmel, while the Mavericks claimed their third in a row that same night in their home gym.
McCutcheon is coached by Jeff Knoy, who is in his 21st season with the team. Knoy holds a record 319-189, with seven sectional titles and two regionals to his credit.
The Mavericks won their own sectional with a tough semifinal victory over Lafayette Jefferson 59-54, then cruised past Harrison 82-37 in the championship game. McCutcheon will be playing Southeastern for the first time since 2021; the two were regular opponents back when the Mavs played in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, as well as the old Olympic Conference.
McCutcheon is 21-5 overall. The team’s superstar is junior Lillie Graves, a four-star recruit who has received several offers from colleges ranging across the country. Indiana and Purdue have made offers, along with Florida, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.
Graves averages 17.1 points per game and leads the Mavericks in all categories: rebounds (6.7), assists (5.7), steals (3.4) and blocks (0.8). She is one of three McCutcheon players that scores in double digits.
The other two are also juniors. Keara Lipscomb-Allen averages 14.6 points and 3.2 assists per game, while Ameria Gibson scores 10.2 points per game and collects 6.0 rebounds per contest. Senior Trinity Wilburn makes 3.1 steals per game.
Southeastern is 20-4 and won three games to retain its Sectional 8 crown. The Royals beat Westfield 60-46 in the first round, Noblesville 45-32 in the semifinals and Carmel 50-34 in the championship game.
Senior Kennedy Holman, committed to Florida and a Miss Basketball candidate, is the Royals’ superstar. She leads the way with 18.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Kayla Stidham, a senior committed to Bowling Green, is also a superstar for HSE. Stidham averages 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. Senior Antonette Green, an Earlham recruit, is also an important player for the Royals. Green is capable of scoring, pouring in 12 points during Southeastern’s win over Noblesville.
Brian Satterfield is 103-50 as the Royals’ girls coach. This comes after a 20-year run as Southeastern’s boys basketball coach, where he totaled 322 wins and three sectional titles.
