Sienna Stilley stands as an example at Hanover Central.
Stilley’s “main sport,” she acknowledges, is softball. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t contributed mightily as a 6-foot sophomore center for the Wildcats, who won their first sectional title since 2015 largely on the strength of multisport athletes for whom basketball is secondary.
“I have full confidence in myself the majority of the time,” Stilley said. “I always feel like, ‘Hey, if I’m not doing this well, I have another thing to focus on, or my teammates have my back.’”
Stilley provided major support for Hanover Central (17-7) during its sectional run last week, topping the team in scoring in each game. She posted 12 points and six rebounds in both the opener against Bishop Noll and the semifinals against Boone Grove. She then tied her career high with 13 points and again had six rebounds against Highland in the championship game.
Stilley is averaging a team-high 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals as the Wildcats get ready to play Bremen (14-11) in the Class 3A Jimtown Regional on Saturday. They won their only regional title in 1999.
Junior forward Bridget Noel, who averages a team-high 6.0 rebounds, wasn’t surprised by Stilley’s performance in the sectional.
“She just has a drive, knowing she can do something for the team down low,” Noel said. “She definitely wants to make herself known out there.
“We made a joke about how I’m going to steal all the rebounds from her just so mine will go up. But she’s just a really good post player.”
Hanover Central coach Larry Govert also praised Stilley.
“She’s stepped up,” Govert said. “She is a skilled center. She really is. We’re still working on her feet, but she’s getting there. She can hit a shot. She has wonderful form. She can score.”
Hanover Central had lost five straight games against Highland, including a sectional final last year. After the Wildcats won this time around, Stilley made a beeline for her sister Teylor, a senior who was injured for much of the season.
“Right after we won the sectional, I immediately found her and just hugged her and cried,” Stilley said. “We were just so happy. It felt good for her in her senior year. It’s really fun playing with her.”
After celebrating that sectional title on Saturday night, Stilley headed to practice for her travel softball team the next day.
“We always have practices on Sunday,” she said.
Primarily a catcher, Stilley said she earned “a few” starts last season as Hanover Central’s softball team won its first regional title since 2019. She hit .366 with a team-high four homers and 12 RBIs in just 41 at-bats.
“She’s 100% softball, but I can’t complain,” Govert said. “She’s good, and she’s getting better.”
Stilley isn’t alone.
“I’m just so happy for the kids,” Govert said. “They have worked really hard. … We don’t really have basketball players. We have a collection of softball, soccer, track (athletes) that all decided to play. They sacrificed a lot to play, to stay together like that.
“It’s tough. I get it. So for them to still play, it means a lot to us. We’ve had some rough games, a lot of injuries. But it was just a nice thing for the kids to say, ‘Hey, we did something.’”
Stilley did most of her work last season on the junior varsity team. But with the graduation of post player Hailey Vanderhye, who averaged team highs of 11.9 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, Stilley recognized the opportunity that awaited this season.
“I knew I had to play a bigger role this year,” she said. “Hailey played a big role last year, and I knew if I wanted to get in that spot, I had to work harder and improve everything.”
