FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brandon Bradley, 260-580-4799
Jan. 17, 2023 Coordinator, Player of the Week
Week-11 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Program Highlighted by Strong Senior Play
This coming Sunday marks the IHSAA girls’ basketball Sectional draw, and with just 11 eligible days left for regular season games, conference champions are being decided, and preparation for the state tournament begins. As for the boys, they have reached the midpoint of their season, which means a number of county and conference tournaments are taking place. Seven more Indiana high school players have been selected as Week-11 IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week in their respective districts following outstanding performances last week.
Maconaquah Senior Bauer Maple, Pike Senior Devon Woods, Center Grove Senior Marcus Ankney, Pike Central Junior Quade Morton, Pioneer Senior Ashlynn Brooke, Noblesville Junior Reagan Wilson, and Columbus East Senior Saige Stahl have been selected as winners for Jan. 9-Jan. 14 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Maple is the boys’ recipient and Brooke is the girls’ recipient in District-1. Woods and Wilson take home boys’ and girl’s honors, respectively, in District-2. Ankney and Morton are co-boys’ winners, while Stahl is the girls’ winner, in District-3.
Playing their first games in just over two weeks, the Maconaquah Braves split a pair of outcomes over the weekend. Friday night, the Braves fell 74-72 at Three Rivers Conference rival and neighbor Peru, but Bauer Maple did everything he could to help Maconaquah. The Senior poured in half of their points, 36 to be exact, on 12-21 shooting, 4-11 from 3-point range, and 8-9 from the free throw line. He also contributed eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals, but it just wasn’t enough.
The following evening, Maple and Maconaquah returned to action by hosting Eastern (Greentown), and the Braves finished the night with a convincing 92-55 success. In this matchup, Maple poured in another 31 points, this time on 13-23 shooting. The 5-11 guard knocked down five more triples, grabbed three rebounds, handed out six assists, and collected five steals.
The Pioneer Lady Panthers moved their record to 16-2 on the year with a pair of wins last week, as Senior Ashlynn Brooke continues to perform at a high level. Tuesday evening at Maconaquah, the Lady Panthers pulled out a hard-fought, 54-50 victory over the Lady Braves. Brooke, a 5-7 guard, scored 25 points on 7-13 from the field, 2-5 from deep, and a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe. She managed a double-double with 11 rebounds, plus she added five assists and six steals to help them avoid the upset.
Brooke and the Lady Panthers returned to action on Saturday, defeating Argos 56-45. Brooke, a Ball State University commit, scored a game-high 32 points on 11-21 shooting, including 5-9 from beyond the arc. She was an efficient 5-6 from the free throw line, she added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals, as Pioneer won their eighth consecutive game.
Pike Senior Devon Woods helped the Red Devils to a Marion County Semifinal appearance last week with a pair of victories in three contests. It began Tuesday, as Pike hosted Speedway, winning with ease, 98-68. Woods scored 23 points, making eight of his 15 shot attempts, including five of 10 from downtown and both free throws. He nearly posted a double-double by handing out nine assists, plus he picked up three steals in the win.
Woods and the Red Devils returned to action on Wednesday, traveling to Roncalli, where they defeated the Royals, 63-52. The 5-10 guard was again steady, scoring 21 points on 7-12 shooting, including a 5-6 performance from the free throw stripe. He continued to create for teammates, dishing out seven more assists, plus he added three rebounds and a pair of steals.
Friday night was a different story, as Pike battled a worthy Lawrence North group at Southport, falling to the Wildcats, 65-59. However, Woods again led the Red Devils with 20 points in another strong performance. He was a solid 8-15 from the field, 2-4 from deep, and he handed out another five assists on the evening. Add three rebounds and three steals, but his well-rounded showing just wasn’t enough.
Noblesville Junior Reagan Wilson put forth a strong week, starting with the Lady Millers winning by a comfortable 62-37 margin at Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Tuesday night. With 17 points and seven assists on the evening, Wilson had a hand in more than half of her team’s points. She also contributed at the defensive end of the floor, snagging three caroms and collecting a pair of steals in the easy win.
In a return to action on Friday night, the Junior Wilson had the game of games this week, as she was individually dialed in, and the Lady Millers handed previously unbeaten and #2 Zionsville their first loss of the season, a 73-64 outcome. Wilson, a 5-7 guard, erupted for a career-high 37 points. She torched the nets on 12-18 shooting, while burying 7-11 shots from deep, and she was 6-7 from the free throw line in the big win. The Junior guard also managed to add five assists and five steals in success.
Center Grove Senior Marcus Ankney helped the Trojans to a Johnson County title last week. On Friday evening, they traveled to Whiteland, where they knocked off the host Warriors for the second time this season, this time by a 73-50 margin. Ankney was near-perfect from the field, making 8-9 shot attempts while burying all five triples from deep. He added four free throws, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals in the semifinal win.
The next day, Center Grove took care of Franklin Community at Whiteland, in a much narrower 65-56 outcome. The win over the Grizzly Cubs was their second against Franklin this season as well, and it allowed the Trojans to hoist the Johnson County trophy. The 6-3 Senior guard again shot it accurately, making 6-8 shots from the floor, all three 3-point attempts, and four more free throws, on his way to 19 points in the title game. Ankney also chipped in five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Ankney will play at Indiana Wesleyan University next season.
The Pike Central Chargers are off to an 8-3 start this season, but nothing has been more exciting than their 72-70, triple overtime victory over a strong Heritage Hills squad Friday night. The road win was also a Pocket Conference game, and Junior Quade Morton was a key reason why. Not only did Morton pour in 31 points, but he hit a game-tying 3-pointer and the game-winning shot that pushed the Chargers in front for good. On the evening, Morton was 13-24 shooting it, 2-5 from outside, and 3-4 from the line, plus he added four rebounds and a pair of assists for good measure.
The very next day, Morton and the Chargers were back at it. The 6-0 guard helped Pike Central to a bit easier 49-34 win at Wood Memorial. The Junior guard was again electric, tossing in 29 points on 10-16 shooting, he was 4-7 from 3-point range, and he knocked down five free throws. Add three rebounds, two assists, and two steals to his stat line, and he helped the Chargers in a few different ways.
Over the last couple of seasons, Columbus East Senior Saige Stahl has been a real problem for opposing teams. Last week she helped the Lady Olympians to two wins in three games, and she was their main catalyst each time out. Tuesday, Columbus East hosted Bedford North Lawrence in a Hoosier Hills Conference matchup, unfortunately falling 81-60 to the highly rated Lady Stars. Stahl did all she could to help the cause, scoring 29 points on 13-15 from the field, grabbing nine rebounds, and picking up four steals in defeat.
Two days later, Stahl and the Lady Olympians traveled to Eastern (Pekin), where they secured a 68-44 success. The 6-1 forward was again efficient for Columbus East, scoring 32 points on 12-16 from the floor. She also tallied three rebounds, all at the offensive end of the floor, along with a pair of assists and an impressive seven steals.
Then on Saturday, Columbus East traveled to New Albany for another Hoosier Hills Conference game, this time an 80-55 triumph. Stahl, an Indiana State University signee, finished off her week with a career-high 37 points. She needed just 18 attempts to do so, knocking in 14 shots, plus she added a 9-11 performance from the free throw line. The 6-1 forward also snagged nine more rebounds, handed out two more assists, and picked off five more passes in the big conference win.
This is the 15th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but just the third season it is being presented by Franciscan Health, a corporate sponsor of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
Player of the Week winners are chosen each week from each of the IHSAA’s three districts. Girls winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Girls State Finals. Boys winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Boys State Finals.
2022-23 Weekly Winners
Oct. 31-Nov. 5: District-1 girls: Nevaeh Foster, Mishawaka Marian. District-2 girls: Olivia Nickerson, Twin Lakes. District-3 girls: Kylee Edwards, Shelbyville.
Nov. 7-Nov. 12: District-1 girls: Asia Donald, Hobart. District-2 girls: Gloria Brewer, Greencastle. District-3 girls: Juliann Woodard, Jennings County.
Nov. 14-Nov. 19: District-1 girls: Ashlynn Brooke, Pioneer. District-2 girls: Renna Schwieterman, Jay County. District-3 girls: Lauren Foster, Indian Creek.
Nov. 21-Nov. 26: District-1 boys: Jamie Hodges, Michigan City. District-1 girls: Kennedy Fuelling, Norwell. District-2 boys: Elhadj Diallo, Brownsburg. District-2 girls: Laila Hull, Zionsville Community. District-3 boys: Cam Craig, Switzerland County. District-3 girls: Keylee Hudson, Eastern Greene.
Nov. 28-Dec. 3: District-1 boys: Markus Burton, Penn. District-1 girls: Ava Ziolkowski, Crown Point. District-2 boys: Divine Adeyanju, West Lafayette. District-2 girls: Adrianne Tolen, West Lafayette. District-3 boys: Jack Benter, Brownstown Central. District-3 girls: Saige Stahl, Columbus East.
Dec. 5-Dec. 10: District-1 boys: Luke McBride, Norwell. District-1 girls: Amiyah Reynolds, South Bend Washington. District-2 boys: Landon Biegel, Oak Hill. District-2 girls: Cristen Carter, Ben Davis. District-3 boys: Trent Sisley, Heritage Hills. District-3 girls: Bailey Tabeling, Trinity Lutheran.
Dec. 12-Dec. 17: District-1 boys: Mason Jones, Valparaiso. District-1 girls: Ally Capouch, Kouts. District-2 boys: Flory Bidunga, Kokomo. District-2 girls: Alli Harness, Carroll (Flora). District-3 boys: Joey Hart, Linton-Stockton. District-3 girls: Josie Trabel, East Central.
Dec. 19-Dec. 31: District-1 boys: Austin Cripe, West Noble. District-1 girls: Jessa Troy, Penn. District-2 boys: Azavier Robinson, Lawrence North. District-2 girls: Meredith Tippner, Noblesville. District-3 boys: Luke Ellspermann, Evansville Memorial. District-3 girls: Emily Parker, Boonville.
Jan. 2-Jan. 7: District-1 boys: A.J. Lux, Crown Point. District-1 girls: Madison Vice, Central Noble. District-2 boys: Kanon Catchings, Brownsburg. District-2 girls: Laila Hull, Zionsville Community. District-3 boys: Cole Pride, Batesville. District-3 girls: Chloey Graham, Gibson Southern.
Jan. 9-Jan. 14: District-1 boys: Bauer Maple, Maconaquah. District-1 girls: Ashlynn Brooke, Pioneer. District-2 boys: Devon Woods, Pike. District-2 girls: Reagan Wilson, Noblesville. District-3 boys: Marcus Ankney, Center Grove, and Quade Morton, Pike Central. District-3 girls: Saige Stahl, Columbus East.
# # #