There was a common thread between Class 4A sectional champions Noblesville, Homestead and Bedford North Lawrence, all of whom were matched up against — and probably underdogs to — rising powers Saturday night (Hamilton Southeastern, Columbia City and Jennings County): They've all flourished on the state tournament stage in recent years. That experience paid dividends, evidenced by their response in critical moments, like when HSE pulled within a point of Noblesville in the fourth quarter and when Columbia City raced out to a 10-0 lead against Homestead.

This year's 4A tournament is wide-open, but instead of a changing of the guard in week one, three familiar faces punched their ticket: Noblesville (three sectional titles in four years), Homestead (six straight) and BNL (13 straight).

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Here's what else we learned from sectionals.

Mark this moment for Hamilton Southeastern

HSE had to watch as Noblesville celebrated and posed for photos on the Royals logo at center court Saturday night. It was a heartbreaking scene for the tournament hosts, whose fourth-quarter rally fell short and resulted in a second consecutive runner-up finish. But it may have also marked a turning point for this program.

The Royals (21-4) are set to return virtually everyone next year, a group headlined by IU commit Maya Makalusky, who averaged over 27 points on 50% shooting (40% from 3) in her junior year. A 2025 Miss Basketball candidate, she launched the team into Saturday's final, drilling three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points over the opening eight minutes.

'We love this stage.' Noblesville conquers Sectional 8 gauntlet for 3rd time in 4 years

A player who's not accustomed to losing (HSE has won 42 games over the past two seasons), the 6-4 junior will undoubtedly have a massive chip on her shoulder entering her senior year.

There are also sophomores Kennedy Holman and Kayla Stidham, who carried the torch for HSE in the fourth quarter. Holman accounted for at least 10 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-point play that made it a one-point game midway through, while Stidham drilled a 3-pointer that cut the margin to three with 90 seconds remaining.

They were both really, really good in their second varsity seasons, and are poised to take another major step in their development as juniors.

"Kennedy's ability to create for herself and others — she's done that all year long — plus what she brings on the defensive end," coach Brian Satterfield said. "And then Kayla … her defense has improved, plus her ability to go inside and outside on the offensive end. Probably the most impressive thing with (Stidham) is her passing ability. She's able to get passes and throw long outlets for us to get some things in transition, but also see the floor and find people."

Another Royal to keep an eye on moving forward: Antonette Green. The 5-5 sophomore was a spark plug for HSE defensively (a role she's occupied all season) delivering in a number of critical situations, including forcing a 10-second violation in the fourth. "She gave us great minutes and what she did tonight was tremendous," Satterfield said.

"We figured we would have a little bit more of a learning curve and ups-and-downs early on, but they played hard and competed," Satterfield said of his team, which didn't have much varsity experience overall entering the year. "We didn't get it done (tonight), but I'm proud of what they did."

Class of 2025 setting the standard at Greenfield-Central

Greenfield-Central's junior class was in junior high when coach Bradley Key took over the program in 2019. They put in countless hours over the summer as middle schoolers, he recalled following Wednesday's quarterfinals loss to New Palestine, and they have successfully turned the program around as high schoolers, leading them to nine wins, then 14 and now 17.

Madison Sonsini (14 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 bpg), Chaney Brown (14 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 spg) and Brooklyn Mcconnell (10 ppg, 2 spg) set the tone for this program, Key said, and with freshmen Izzy Silcox (10 ppg, 2 spg) and Ainsley Robinson set to return alongside sophomore Juliann Jones — she's the team's toughest and most-athletic player, but missed most of the season due to an ACL tear — they're poised to take that next step and contend for a sectional title.

"I'm looking forward to what this group can do next year," Key said. "We've turned this program around and it's not because of what the coaches have done. The kids have come in and worked hard. … 17 wins is a great season no matter how you cut it. I'm just proud of this group."

About Lawrence Central's defense

Tough way for Lawrence North to go out Saturday night. It had Lawrence Central on the ropes early in Friday's semifinal, but the Bears came fighting back. Laila Abdurraqib caught fire late in the second quarter to give them life, then Aniyah McKenzie and Jaylah Lampley stepped up with some big shots in the second half to seize control for LC.

It was an impressively balanced offensive performance overall, but man, that LC defense is something else.

The broadcasters compared it to a soccer game with LN struggling to advance the ball beyond half court; Wildcats coach Stephen Thomas compared Lawrence Central's ability to cover ground to center fielders in baseball. "It's incredible."

Lawrence North drilled on spreading out the defense and forcing LC to cover even more ground, but the Bears, who beat Warren Central in Saturday's sectional final, made even that impossible.

"They're grinders," Thomas said. "(LC) showed a lot of grit and a lot of toughness. … 27 turnovers is not a recipe for success."

'Everybody stepped up.' Lawrence Central tops Lawrence North in sectional semis

Lawrence Central will once again present a formidable hurdle next season, but Lawrence North should be built to challenge them with four of their five leading scorers set to return, including juniors Kya Hurt and Jamaya Thomas.

"Our youth, our sophomore class is very strong, very special," Thomas said, referring to Naja Winston and Keadriah Butler, among others. "And the crazy part about it is Kya and Jamaya are back for their senior year. That's two four-year varsity starters who've taken a lot of shots. They know what's expected. It's not a rebuild, we're just reloading. … Time heals all wounds, but they'll be back and they'll be ready."

Warren Central's Denyha Jacobs

Major props to Warren Central's Denyha Jacobs on a phenomenal senior campaign. The 5-8 guard averaged around 21 points on 43% shooting with 6 rpg, 3 apg and 4 spg. She had a pair of 30-point performances, including a 34-point effort vs. HSE, and occupied a critical leadership role.

"My goodness. She's been amazing," coach Stacy Mitchell said of Jacobs. "She's a great kid. I wish I had her forever. … She doesn't talk much, but she leads by action. She slid right in (for last year's seniors) as a leader, just like I knew she would."

Denyha was complemented within the WC offense by her younger sister, sophomore guard Denell Jacobs, who averaged over 12 points, six rebounds and three steals.

"I've absolutely loved playing with her these past two years," Denyha said. "Some people don't like playing with their siblings, but I really enjoyed it."

"It's amazing watching their chemistry," Mitchell added. "You can tell they grew up playing basketball together. They know where the other is on the court at all times. And in any sport, when you get two players with good chemistry, that helps your team a lot."

Other notable area results

■ Speedway beat Purdue Poly, 52-42, to win its fourth sectional championship in program history and first since 2013. Alex DeLisle netted a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds, Daniella Galvez scored 12 points and six rebounds and Genesis Austin logged nine points and eight rebounds.

■ After going nearly 25 years between sectional titles, Eminence has advanced to regionals in back-to-back seasons. The Eels out-lasted Lutheran, 49-46, in the opening round, then cruised by Tindley (64-28) and Greenwood Christian (52-26). Eminence (19-7) will face Jac-Cen-Del (20-5) in regionals.

■ Evansville commit Camryn Runner netted a game-high 28 points as Hamilton Heights secured its fourth consecutive sectional championship with a 37-36 win over Jay County. The Huskies are joined in the four-timers club by Mt. Vernon, Franklin, Indian Creek and Bishop Chatard. Bethesda Christian has won five consecutive sectional titles.

■ Sheridan won its second sectional title in program history and first since 2015 with a 47-28 win over Covenant Christian. Kenzie Garner led the Blackhawks with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball: What we learned during sectional week