The regional round of the 2024 IHSAA girls basketball tournament is slated for Saturday. Here are my predictions for the 13 games involving Central Indiana teams.

This week on The Scorers Table, we previewed every regional championship game and made our predictions for the Class 4A games (embedded above). Check it out at YouTube.com/@IndyStarHank.

Insider: Ranking the 10 best Indiana girls basketball regional matchups

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CLASS A

North Central (Farmersburg) (17-10) vs. Bethesda Christian (18-5), 7 p.m. at Greencastle

As discussed on The Scorers Table (find us at YouTube.com/@IndyStarHank!), there's a heck of an individual matchup here with Bethesda Christian senior Kenzie Fulks vs. North Central junior Jalyn Davidson. Fulks averages nearly 20 points and five assists; Davidson has been good for 18 points and six assists. The Patriots have come up short in regionals four straight seasons. They find a way Saturday and send-off their seniors at semistate. Pick: Bethesda Christian by 5

Jac-Cen-Del (20-5) vs. Eminence (19-7), 7 p.m. at Southwestern

Coach Scott Smith has guided the Eagles to 17 sectional titles and four regional championships, most recently in 2016 (Class A state championship run). The second-round dry-spell ends as J-C-D overcomes a fiery start by the Eels to advance for the fifth time in Smith's tenure. Pick: Jac-Cen-Del by 15

CLASS 2A

Lapel (22-4) vs. Eastbrook (23-2), 4 p.m. at Lapel

Last year's game came down to the wire. That gave me pause, initially, but Lapel has done a better job closing out games since falling to Eastern Hancock in late December (Pendleton Heights and at Blackford were both narrow wins). It also has one of the best pairings in the state with Madelyn Poynter and Laniah Wills. That said, Eastbrook's senior driven lineup — Sophia Morrison, Olivia Howell and Audri Prater — is shooting 47% from the field, 37% from 3 and an impressive 75% at the line. Pick: Aw heck, I don't know. Eastbrook by 1

Eastern Hancock (23-1) vs. Parke Heritage (23-3)

Seniors Sammie Bolding, Ruby White, Brooklyn Willis, Mackenzie O'Neal and Sydney Springman, with one of the area's best freshman, Kenzie Koch, running point. Parke Heritage and junior Emma Simpson are having a great season, but the Royals are a really tough draw. Pick: Eastern Hancock by 12

'One confident kid.' Kenzie Koch dazzles as a freshman for undefeated Eastern Hancock girls

Sheridan (19-5) vs. Northeastern (19-6)

Addisen Mastriano, Ava Mikesell and Adysson Kircher account for 67.2% of Northeastern's scoring. Kenzie Garner and Cecilia Timme account for 54.5% of Sheridan's points, with Garner (20.2 ppg) owning 36% share on her own. Neither team has been on this stage in a long time, but Sheridan averages about one less turnover and is slightly better at the line, so… Pick: Sheridan by 2

CLASS 3A

Hamilton Heights (23-2) vs. Woodlan (18-8), 1 p.m. at Lapel

Look, Lapel-Eastbrook will be a great game, but I encourage y'all to get to Lapel for game one. Camryn Runner — the Evansville-bound senior and likely Indiana All-Star (she's about as locky as a lock can get, in my opinion) — is a special talent; one of the smoothest shooters you'll ever see and absolutely worth the price of admission. Pick: Hamilton Heights by 21

Danville (22-3) vs. Speedway (16-7), 4 p.m. at Southmont

Echoing a statement made by my The Scorers Table cohost Josh Sabol — Joe Smith has done a tremendous job over his seven seasons at Speedway, turning a program that struggled to clear 10 wins upon his arrival into a perennial sectional contender and advancing them to regionals for the first time in over a decade. But this is a really difficult draw and I don't see Danville (first sectional championship since 2020) failing to capitalize on the opportunity to advance to semistate for the first time since 2018. Pick: Danville by 18

'We’re doing it for each other.' Sectional net special for Danville senior despite injury.

Indian Creek (21-4) vs. Bishop Chatard (18-8), 4 p.m. at Greencastle

The big question here: How will IU commit Faith Wiseman and fellow senior Lauren Foster handle the physicality of Bishop Chatard, headlined by senior Addison Duncan, junior Anna Caskey and sophomore Olivia Berzai. Both teams are battle-tested and very talented. Chatard has an edge in depth, but IC has probably the two best players on the floor. This one's a toughie. Pick: Bishop Chatard by 3

More: Chatard did 'the hard things' during the season. That experience is already paying off

CLASS 4A

Noblesville (16-8) vs. Fort Wayne Snider (22-2), 4 p.m. at Marion

When last these teams met, Iowa State commit Reagan Wilson went for 30 points and junior Meredith Tippner added 18 as the Millers closed out 2023 with a 57-51 triumph over the powerhouse Panthers. I would imagine FW Snider will do a better job defensively against those two, but NHS senior Ava Shoemaker will start after missing the regular-season matchup. Another lingering question: What defensive wrinkles will Millers coach Donna Buckley through at the Panthers, and how will her counterpart, Reggie Tharp, adjust? Snider still terrifies me, same as the past two years — they're super good with seniors Jordyn Poole, Tia Phinezy, Ciara Sims and Johnea Donahue leading the way — but I'm going against my gut here. Pick: Noblesville by 5

Insider: Jordyn Poole's return, Reagan Wilson's leadership

Pike (12-14) vs. Plainfield (17-7), 7 p.m. at Decatur Central

It will be interesting to see how Plainfield, which averages 16 turnovers per game, handles Pike's defensive pressure. The Red Devils have not won a regional since their 2017 state championship run; the Quakers have cleared this round just once (1998, 3A). Pike's riding the momentum of an unexpected sectional title run; Plainfield recovered from a rocky finish to the regular season with a rivalry win over Brownsburg last Friday. It's a battle of the underdogs and the first chapter of what could be a multi-year state tournament rivalry. Pick: Plainfield by 4

Mount Vernon (13-13) vs. Lawrence Central (26-1), 4 p.m. at Decatur Central

The Marauders stumbled into the new year with 11 losses, but have gone 8-2 since with their current six-game winning streak vaulting them to a fourth straight sectional championship. They've seemingly figured some things out and boast a very experienced lineup headlined by seniors Ellery Minch (DePaul commit), Kaitlyn Laffey and Easton Wampler, and junior Kenyonrae Kenny. Mt. Vernon is, understandably, a significant underdog against an absolutely loaded Lawrence Central team, but I think it will be closer than most are predicting. This team didn't give up amidst a 4-11 start and I don't expect them to fold Saturday, either. Pick: Lawrence Central by 7

Sectionals wrap: No changing of the guard — yet. Some teams on the rise and more.

Bedford North Lawrence (20-4) vs. Center Grove (25-1), 1 p.m. at BNL

These teams are strikingly similar statistically, but Center Grove should have an advantage with 6-3 Villanova commit Rachel Wirts in the paint. Feed her the ball and it should open things up for everyone else. On the other side, the key is Madisyn Bailey. I know, sick analysis, Captain Obvious (she's coming off a lockdown defensive performance and a career-high 24 points), but it's also not wrong. The Stars spent the season searching for a consistent scoring threat to play alongside Alabama commit Chloe Spreen (21 ppg, shooting 43%) and if Bailey can maintain her momentum, they'll be tough to stop. This game will be terrific. I'm rolling with the Trojans as they've been the best (and most consistent) team I've seen this year. Pick: Center Grove by 1 (in overtime…maybe multiple overtimes)

Franklin (23-3) vs. Evansville North (16-10), 3 p.m. at BNL

This one is sneaky good, folks. Evansville North recovered from a seven-game losing streak with wins over Harrison, Reitz and Central to advance to regionals for the first time since 2020. A team that shoots 35% from 3, the Huskies hit nine 3s over their past two games and are averaging over 50 points per game since that late-season skid. They are in search of their first regional championship in program history. On the other side, Franklin went 8-for-38 from 3 in an unexpectedly tight 45-42 win over Whiteland last Saturday. Perhaps that close call and the near-miss vs. Shelbyville earlier in the week will jumpstart the Grizzly Cubs' state run, but I'm going with the upset. Pick: Evansville North by 3

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball predictions: Picks for Indiana regionals 2024