Indiana
IHSAA girls basketball Fab 15 rankings: Sectional outlooks for Central Indiana’s top teams
On this week’s The Scorers Table podcast, Courtney weighs in on if middle schoolers should be allowed to play high school and the gang discusses the state tournament format (seeding, sectionals, etc.).
It’s hard to believe but we’re only a few days away from the IHSAA girls basketball sectional draw. So with this week’s Fab 15, we’re previewing the sectional field for each of Central Indiana’s top teams (with a quick recap of their previous week). The Scorers Table will be live on YouTube following Sunday’s sectional draw show. Stay tuned for details.
1. Center Grove (19-1)
Previous ranking: 1
The Trojans cruised to a 53-38 win at Seymour on Friday. They’ll host Heritage Christian on Thursday before traveling to Hamilton Southeastern for a Saturday night clash.
Sectional 18 (at Mooresville) outlook: The Trojans are the favorite here, but Mooresville and Bloomington North (senior Mia Robbennolt is a talented player) will be difficult outs. Best case scenario, CG only has to play one (or neither) of them.
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2. Lawrence Central (20-1)
PR: 2
The Bears picked up a huge win Thursday, grinding out a back-and-forth roller coaster against rival Lawrence North. This is the first time they’ve beaten LN twice in the same season since at least 2000-01 and just the second time they’ve won consecutive games in the series.
Sectional 10 (at Cathedral) outlook: The Bears have not won a sectional game since 2001. The drought should end this year, but I think they would benefit from being placed in the same side of the bracket as Warren Central, North Central and/or Cathedral. Stack it up and give LC — which plays WC and NC this week — a chance to get its players acclimated with state tournament play and build their confidence against quality opponents.
3. Hamilton Southeastern (17-1)
PR: 3
The Royals ran their win streak to 10 games with a 64-37 win over Westfield. They’re entering the most difficult stretch of their season: at Lawrence North (Tuesday), Zionsville (Friday) and Center Grove (Saturday).
Sectional 8 (at HSE) outlook: The Royals are the favorites here, but it’s unclear by how much. If scripting their dream scenario for the first week of February, it likely ends with a win over rival Fishers in the sectional championship game — the team that’s ended three of HSE’s past four seasons (twice in the sectional final).
4. Fishers (13-5)
PR: 5
The Tigers escaped with a 40-38 win over Brownsburg on Friday. The Bulldogs out-scored Fishers 16-9 in the third quarter to draw within five, then tied it at 37 with 30 seconds left. The Tigers play their final home game Tuesday vs. Carmel, then close out with Avon (Friday), Lawrence North and Franklin Central.
Sectional 8 (at HSE) outlook: A Mudsock rematch would be fun, but there are a few intriguing possibilities for Fishers. Westfield upset the Tigers back in November, then Zionsville hung tough with them a few days later; Fishers-Noblesville has determined the Class 4A North representative in back-to-back seasons.
5. Franklin (17-2)
PR: 7
This had the potential of being a tricky stretch for the Grizzly Cubs with Mooresville, Plainfield and at Roncalli lined up, but they cleared all three teams with ease — notably a 61-39 win over the Quakers last Wednesday.
Sectional 14 (at Whiteland) outlook: The Grizzly Cubs are the heavy favorite here. It will be fascinating, though, to see who their sectional is matched up with in the next round with S13 (Center Grove/Mooresville), S15 (Bedford North Lawrence/Jennings County) and S16 (Castle) all in play.
6. Lawrence North (14-4)
PR: 4
The Wildcats have a couple opportunities left for statement wins: vs. Hamilton Southeastern on Tuesday then vs. Fishers a week later.
Sectional 10 (Cathedral) outlook: I purposefully left someone out when discussing teams for LC’s side of the bracket and that’s because the Bears and Wildcats belong on opposite sides of the bracket. Give us the possibility of a battle for Lawrence Township in a Saturday night elimination game, IHSAA lottery balls (or bingo balls, or whatever they are).
7. Noblesville (11-8)
PR: 6
The Millers took a tough loss Friday night, falling to Zionsville, 71-66 in overtime. They’ll look to bounce back this week with games against Harrison (West Lafayette) and Franklin Central.
Sectional 8 (at HSE) outlook: The Millers would likely love an opportunity to avenge that late-November loss to Carmel (8-9). Something to keep in mind: A first-round bye isn’t exactly a good thing in this sectional, because teams typically have to survive a heavyweight bout in the opening round in order to move on. They have momentum going into the second round, facing a team that’s playing for the first time in at least a week.
8. Zionsville (16-4)
PR: 9
The Eagles let an 18-point lead slip away in the second half against North Central, but bounced back quite nicely against Noblesville.
Sectional 8 (at HSE) outlook: The Eagles are 1-4 since rejoining this sectional in 2020, but have the pieces to even that record and advance to regional for the first time since 2019. They’ve beaten Carmel, lost to Fishers, knocked off Westfield in OT and, most recently, won in overtime vs. Noblesville. Zionsville travels to HSE on Friday.
9. Indian Creek (15-4)
PR: 8
The Braves fought through for their sixth 4A win of the season Saturday, outlasting Westfield, 60-55, in overtime. They were in Illinois for an MLK Day event on Monday and will host 17-3 Northview on Friday.
Sectional 26 (at Edgewood) outlook: Northview has a nice record, but the Braves remain the odds-on favorite here. The regional draw could create some intrigue with Danville and Bishop Chatard among the possible opponents (if they were to win their sectionals, obviously).
10. Hamilton Heights (18-2)
PR: 10
Hamilton Heights dismantled Western and Tipton ahead of Friday’s Hoosier Conference championship game vs. Class 3A No. 1 Rensselaer Central (18-0). That should be a heck of a tussle.
Sectional 24 (at Yorktown) outlook: Securing a fourth consecutive sectional championship will likely require the Huskies to beat Jay County and if history is any indication, they’ll play early on — which has happened in back-to-back seasons. Avoiding host Yorktown’s side of the bracket may not be the worst thing, either. The Tigers took Hamilton Heights to overtime in last year’s sectional final and are 11-8 this season.
11. Plainfield (14-5)
PR: 11
Bouncing back from that loss to the Grizzly Cubs won’t be easy for the Quakers, who have road games this week against Franklin Central and Mooresville.
Sectional 12 (at Avon) outlook: Standing by my pick of Plainfield as the favorite in this sectional, but man, this field is tough. Brownsburg and Avon seem to be contractually obligated to play at some point during sectionals (I swear, it happens in every sport I cover), so assuming the Quakers avoid intersecting with their pre-destined collision course, they’ll only have to worry about the winner — which is obviously a good thing. Plainfield is 2-0 vs. Brownsburg this year, but it’s tough to beat a team thrice in the same season; Avon handed the Quakers their first loss at the end of November and has sectional Cinderella potential.
12. Danville (17-3)
PR: 12
The Warriors scored a 4A win over Decatur Central on Wednesday, then rolled by conference foe North Montgomery on Friday. They’ll host Lillie Graves and McCutcheon on Tuesday.
Sectional 25 (at Cascade) outlook: This one will probably come down to Danville vs. Tri-West, be it in the championship game or the first round. The Warriors will likely be the favorite, but, again, it’s tough to beat a team (much less a rival) three times in the same season and the Bruins played them tough during the regular season.
13. Bishop Chatard (13-6)
PR: NR
The Trojans won the City championship in thrilling fashion, beating Cathedral in Friday’s final on an overtime buzzer-beater by sophomore Olivia Berzai.
Sectional 27 (at Chatard) outlook: The three-time defending sectional champion Trojans are the favorite and have beaten fellow frontrunner Heritage Christian twice this season. Both games were close, however, and there are potential challengers beyond those two (Brebeuf Jesuit and Guerin Catholic). Chatard closes out the regular season at Brebeuf.
14. Franklin Central (10-7)
PR: 15
Beware Franklin Central, folks. The youthful Flashes (lineup features a senior, two juniors and three freshmen) ran their win streak to seven games this week, adding Avon and Greenfield-Central to a list that already included Class A No. 3 Borden and rival Roncalli.
Sectional 11 (at Pike) outlook: This sectional — FC, Pike, Roncalli, Ben Davis, Southport and Perry Meridian — is wide-open and ripe for drama. That said, if the Flashes can go 2-2 over its final four games (Plainfield, at Noblesville, at Southport and Fishers), they’ll have some serious momentum heading in.
t-15. Lapel (16-3)
PR: 13
The Bulldogs trailed by eight after a quarter and by five at half vs. Blackford last Tuesday. They out-scored the Bruins, 11-5, in the third quarter to avert disaster and grind out a win despite shooting 33% from the field and 39% at the line. Ugly win, but the only reason Lapel (and Eastern Hancock) moved this week is because of Chatard and Franklin Central.
Sectional 40 (at Lapel) outlook: The road back to Gainbridge begins at home for the 2A runner-up Bulldogs and it’s pretty obvious whose side of the bracket they’d like to avoid: Alexandria-Monroe. The Tigers lost to Lapel twice during the regular season, but boast a high-scoring standout in junior Jacklynn Hosier. Fun fact: The past two winners of this sectional ultimately lost to Forest Park in the state finals (2022 Frankton, 2023 Lapel).
t-15. Eastern Hancock (18-1)
PR: 14
Two more sweat free wins for the Royals, who have held six of their past eight opponents under 40 points. The two exceptions? 4A foes Elkhart and Lawrence North.
Sectional 42 (at Scecina) outlook: This sectional will more than likely be decided between Eastern Hancock and Triton Central, it’s just a matter of when they play. Random draw willing, it’ll be in the championship game, though that hasn’t happened in three years (boo-hiss).
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — A tornado-warned storm late Monday night that moved through Greenwood has damaged a school auditorium.
Superintendent Terry Terhune of Greenwood Community Schools tells News 8 that at least one tree was downed and the auditorium received some damage at Greenwood Community High School. Strong winds lifted some siding from the back of the auditorium.
Terhune said the storm put some small holes in the school’s roof where water was leaking, and the damage assessment was continuing shortly before midnight Monday.
A tornado warning was issued for the area around 10:50 p.m. Monday.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Monkee’s of Indianapolis, a new women’s boutique owned by Missy Llewellyn and Whitney Schmitt, opened on March 12, 2026. The store, located at 8659 River Crossing Blvd. in Indianapolis, offers a personalized shopping experience featuring clothing, shoes, home decor, and gifts.
The boutique is the first Monkee’s franchise location in Indiana and aims to provide a welcoming space for shoppers seeking wardrobe updates and specialty home items.
Llewellyn and Schmitt, who met as neighbors nearly 20 years ago, launched the business as they entered their empty-nester years. Both bring decades of marketing experience and prior franchise ownership.
“I think the best thing that we’ve heard is everyone says Indy needed this,” Llewellyn said. “So that makes it worth it to us that we’ve brought something that the community feels like was needed.”
Llewellyn said she first discovered the Monkee’s concept while traveling in the South. “We went in, and it was a Monkee’s, and I’d never been in one, and I fell in love,” she said.
The owners said their different styles help shape the store’s selection. “We both have different personalities. We have different styles,” Llewellyn said. “So we tried to combine those two when we were shopping and thinking of what we wanted at our store.”
The boutique carries casual and event wear, a denim selection, and footwear brands such as Back 70. It also features jewelry, home decor, and gift items.
“We tried to have something for everybody,” Schmitt said. “We have clothing, shoes, lots of jewelry, but we wanted to have plenty of gifts — hostess gifts, wedding gifts, shower gifts, birthday gifts.”
The store also offers a candle, Opulence No. 6, created to represent the owners’ friendship and their six daughters.
Monkee’s of Indianapolis is the 69th location in the franchise, which is primarily based in the South. The store operates Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
The boutique also plans community events, including girls’ nights, sip-and-shop gatherings, mahjong events, and trunk shows.
To learn more and explore the shop’s website, visit monkeesofindianapolis.com.
Indiana
Northwest Indiana man trapped in Japan after being convicted of sexual assault fights to clear his name
A northwest Indiana man trapped in Japan for four years, fighting to clear his name.
Christopher Payne was convicted of sexually assaulting a Japanese woman, in a case that hinged heavily on DNA evidence.
There are so many issues with the DNA evidence in the case that Payne’s conviction has been overturned, and a retrial has been ordered. However, Chris is now facing severe health challenges, and his mother says she’s not sure how much longer he can survive in solitary confinement.
Pressing her palm against the inked outline of a hand is the closest Ronda Payne has come to a hug from her only child in more than four years. The outline was traced by Christopher inside his prison cell in Japan, half a world away.
“It’s the only physical thing that I have other than his letters,” Ronda said.
His words are a stark contrast to the young, adventure-loving Crown Point native who moved to Japan in 2013 after teaching himself Japanese as a teenager. He worked several jobs, including as an English teacher, and even found success in mixed martial arts.
The mother and son visited each other regularly until Nov. 25, 2021, when she got a call from a Japanese phone number she didn’t recognize.
“So I picked the phone up, and it was Chris’ boss. ‘Chris wanted me to let you know he’s been arrested,’” she said. “I said, ‘ Is it bad?’ They said, ‘It’s bad.’ What is it? A woman was attacked.”
But here comes the first of several twists—the crime had happened three years before.
In July of 2018, in the city of Ichikawa, a masked man followed a woman from a train station, threatened her, and sexually assaulted her while speaking fluent Japanese. Afterward, investigators recovered only trace DNA evidence from her mouth—mixed with her own—after she spat and rinsed her mouth before contacting police.
In a completely unrelated incident, in February 2020, Chris was arrested after drunkenly falling asleep in the entryway of a stranger’s home and consented to a voluntary DNA swab, not thinking twice about it. Then, in November 2021, police said they discovered that the DNA was “consistent” with that of the woman’s attacker.
“After that day, life stopped for me. It was over,” Ronda said.
“So, the victim originally reported to the police that she believed he was Japanese. He spoke during the attack, and spoke in perfectly unaccented Japanese, which is pretty much impossible to do for a non-native speaker,” said freelance journalist Gavin Blair.
Blair, who has lived and worked in Japan for more than two decades, began covering Chris’ case late last year. Not only did Chris not match the original suspect description, but the DNA evidence was anything but solid.
“They tested Chris’ DNA before the crime scene sample, which, as one of his lawyers described it, is like having the answer to the question before you take the test,” he said.
“It looked like they had… that they had been edited in some way,” said forensic DNA consultant Simon Ford.
Ford said he requested the underlying DNA data and found several significant issues.
Not only had the DNA files from the crime scene been edited to look more like Chris’ DNA — without any disclosure — but Ford discovered the DNA expert, appointed by the prosecution, also ran the test 34 times.
“What he did was he tested it over and over again, trying to hit the right value,” Ford said.
He said the DNA evidence would not have met admissibility standards in the United States.
“I think that this evidence really should just be disregarded,” Ford said.
After years of Chris refusing to confess to a crime he didn’t commit, these revelations were so significant that his legal team convinced the Tokyo High Court to overturn his guilty verdict in December of last year, and sent the case back to the Chiba District Court for a retrial.
After years of trying to convince anyone who would listen that her son was innocent and speaking out against Japan’s infamous legal practice, where suspects are held in prolonged pre-trial detention to coerce confessions, the high court’s ruling was an incredible turn of events, but not one that brought him home. Chris was denied bail until his retrial.
Blair said it could be another two or three years, but it’s not impossible to get the retrial.
“Prosecutors have huge amounts of power. Even judges are kind of wary of challenging their power,” he said.
As for Chris’ family.
“He has not talked on a phone. He has not hugged a person. He has not done anything in four years,” Ronda said. “As a mother, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. I would not.”
And his legal time are trying to raise awareness of his case…
“His case is like a concentration of issues the Japanese justice system has,” said Kiyomi Tsunogae, Chris’ attorney.
And hopefully put some pressure on the court system. Recently, that urgency has deepened after Chris suffered repeated episodes of vomiting blood and persistent headaches. Concerns are now raised that he could die before the case is retried or before a final decision.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. me and other lawyers, too, and other supporters. Really, it’s, we are not exaggerating,” Tsunogae said.
He’s spent four years in solitary confinement. Chris sketched a picture of the cell — a tiny space that closes in around him day by day.
Meanwhile, his mother says she won’t stop speaking out until she can hold her son in her arms.
“That’s our baby,” she said.
Instead of the letters he sends from the other side of the world.
“I will keep surviving,” Ronda read. “I’m tired, mom, but I won’t disappoint you.”
CBS News Chicago reached out to Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan about the case. His office reached out to the U.S. ambassador to Japan in May of 2025 and was told a consular officer had been conducting regular visits. He also reached out again last week in light of Payne’s now urgent health concerns.
Chris’ family also started a petition demanding due process for him in Japan, posted on Change.org.
U.S. senators from Indiana were also contacted, but neither could provide any guidance on the case. There is also no word yet from the U.S. Embassy in Japan.
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