IBCA/Franciscan Health POW Week 17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         Contact: Brandon Bradley, 260-580-4799

Feb. 27, 2024                                                                Coordinator, Player of the Week

Girls’ State Finals Take Center Stage During Week-17 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Program

            Saturday, all eyes were on Indianapolis and the girls’ basketball State Finals. Congratulations to Lanesville, Bishop Luers, Gibson Southern, and Lawrence Central on their 2024 titles!! Below we have honored one player from each of those teams for their accomplishments over the weekend. Meanwhile, throughout the rest of the week, boys were finishing their regular season in preparation for Sectional play that begins tonight. With that said, three more boys were chosen as Week-17 IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week.

            Lanesville Junior Shelby Allen, Bishop Luers Sophomore Miley Wareing, Gibson Southern Senior Chloey Graham, Lawrence Central Junior Jaylah Lampley, Hammond Central Junior Marcus Browder, Decatur Central Junior Melakih Cunningham, and Evansville Memorial Senior Tucker Tornatta have been chosen for Feb. 19-Feb. 24 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. The four ladies were chosen to represent each of the winning teams from Saturday…Allen in Class A, Wareing in Class AA, Graham in Class AAA, and Lampley in Class AAAA. Browder collect boys’ honors in District-1, Cunningham is the boys’ District-2 honoree, and Tornatta is the winner in District-3.

            In the Class A game Saturday morning, the Lanesville Eagles had to overcome a devastating injury to their top player. But they battled until the end and came back to beat Marquette Catholic, 51-43. Stepping up for the Eagles in a big way was Junior Shelby Allen. The 6-0 front-liner came off the bench to score 20 points and grab 7 rebounds for Lanesville. She was 8-12 from the field, 4-5 from the free throw line, plus she collected 3 steals and blocked a pair of shots. It was the second consecutive year the Eagles have claimed the Class A title.

            The Class AA game saw the Knights of Bishop Luers use their size and strength to wear down Brownstown Central, finally winning by a 44-36 margin. For the second consecutive week, Sophomore Miley Wareing stood out for the Lady Knights. The 6-1 post was again dominant in the paint, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for the double-double. Trailing 24-15 at the half, Wareing supplied Luers with a 10-point, 3-rebound 3^rd quarter to help them gain the lead. On the game, she was 6-10 from the field, 5-7 from the line, and of her 10 rebounds, 5 of them came at the offensive end of the floor.

            The matchup between Gibson Southern and Norwell in the Class AAA game was sure to be a great one, and the two teams battled to the end, with Gibson Southern narrowly escaping with a 63-60 victory. Senior Chloey Graham was critical to the Titans success, scoring 22 points, handing out 5 assists, plus collecting 3 rebounds and 3 steals. The 5-9 wing was 7-13 from the field, 6-9 from deep, and 2-2 from the free throw line. She really caught fire in the 3^rd quarter, when she buried all four of her 3-point attempts and scored 14 points. Graham will head to Indiana Wesleyan University next year.

            In the nightcap, the Lawrence Central Bears continued their record-setting season, winning the Class AAAA game over the Lake Central Indians, 55-28. The Bears found themselves down 9-4 after one period, and 11-4 early in the 2^nd. Then Junior Jaylah Lampley and Lawrence Central came alive, outscoring the Indians 19-0 to end the half. The 6-2 wing scored 10 points in the 2^nd and had 19 by the game’s end on 7-11 shooting, 4-7 from beyond the arc, and 1-2 from the free throw line. Additionally, Lampley pulled in 9 rebounds and handed out a pair of assists.

            Additionally, the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association would like to recognize the four winners of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award. This award is presented to a Senior in each classification who exemplifies a great attitude, scholarship, and leadership characteristics. Congratulations to Lanesville’s Ava Kerr (Class A), Brownstown Central’s Kelsey Schneider (Class AA), Gibson Southern’s Ally Malone (Class AAA), and Lake Central’s Kennedie Burks (Class AAAA) for standing out amongst their peers.

            Hammond Central Junior Marcus Browder stepped up and helped the Wolves to a pair of nice victories last week. Tuesday evening, in a 74-67 win over Andrean, the 6-1 guard scored 33 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, handed out 8 assists, and picked up 7 steals. He was an efficient 12-18 from the field, a perfect 3-3 from 3-point range, and 6-7 from the free throw line. Then Friday night, in a 59-56 triumph against a very good Valparaiso team, Browder was back at it, this time scoring another 27 points on
11-19 shooting. He also chipped in 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and a pair of blocked shots.

            Mid-State Conference Championships don’t come easily, and last week Decatur Central tied for the top spot for the 6^th time in the last 18 seasons. A big part of that was the play of Junior Melakih Cunningham. Thursday, in the game that clinched the 6-1 conference record, a 64-43 win at Perry Meridian, Cunningham posted a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. He also buried a pair of 3-pointers in the contest. Earlier in the week, Tuesday to be exact, the 6-5 wing had an even more explosive game in a 78-57 success at Beech Grove. In that matchup, Cunningham was 13-21 from the field and 8-9 from the charity stripe, stinging the Hornets by way of 34 points. Additionally, the Junior wing pulled in an impressive 21 caroms, with 9 of them being offensive, and he stole the ball 4 times.

            In District-3, Evansville Memorial won three games last week, making it nine in a row and 14 out of 15. Senior Tucker Tornatta has been a highly impactful force along the Tigers’ frontline all season, but last week he stood out. He got his week started Monday night with a modest 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in a 51-47 Southern Indiana Conference win at Vincennes Lincoln. The 6-8 forward added 7 assists to his tally as well. The very next night, in another conference victory, Tornatta helped the Tigers knock off Evansville North, 59-51. In this matchup, he scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and added 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots. But the Marian University commit wasn’t done. He finished his regular season with a 29-point, 10-rebound effort Friday, knocking down 8-10 shots from the field and
12-14 free tosses. Tornatta chipped in 5 assists and 2 steals in the 67-51 win against Washington.

            This is the 16^th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, and the fourth 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 are being chosen for the final time this week, following the conclusion of the IHSAA Girls State Tournament. Boys’ winners will be chosen four more times, through the Monday following the IHSAA Boys State Finals.

2023-24 Weekly Winners

            Oct. 30-Nov. 4: District-1 girls: Tenley Davis, Chesterton. District-2 girls: Avery Gordon, Brownsburg. District-3 girls: Hadley Crosier, Lanesville.

            Nov. 6-Nov. 11: District-1 girls: Ava Ziolkowski, Crown Point. District-2 girls: Kayla Lacombe, Arsenal Technical. District-3 girls: Chloe Spreen, Bedford North Lawrence.

            Nov. 13-Nov. 18: District-1 girls: Samantha Redinger, Argos, and Gracyn Gilliard, Munster. District-2 girls: Kaycie Warfel, Pendleton Heights. District-3 girls: Audrey Annee, Center Grove.

            Nov. 20-Nov. 25: District-1 boys: Bryce Wilcox, Southwood. District-1 girls: Brooke Zartman, Warsaw. District-2 boys: Brady Koehler, Cathedral. District-2 girls: Lillie Graves, McCutcheon. District-3 boys: Kasym Nash, Borden. District-3 girls: Madalynn Shirley, Evansville Central.

            Nov. 27-Dec. 2: District-1 boys: Tyler Parrish, Chesterton. District-1 girls: Sadie Marks, South Central (Union Mills). District-2 boys: Damien King, Anderson. District-2 girls: Maya Layton, Faith Christian. District-3 boys: Trent Sisley, Heritage Hills. District-3 girls: Gabby Spink, Gibson Southern.

            Dec. 4-Dec. 9: District-1 boys: Sam Essegian, Whitko. District-1 girls: Kenedi Bradley, Chesterton. District-2 boys: Braylon Mullins, Greenfield-Central. District-2 girls: Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central. District-3 boys: Aydan Head, Henryville. District-3 girls: Julia Meyer, Jac-Cen-Del.

            Dec. 11-Dec. 16: District-1 boys: Jack Smiley, Valparaiso. District-1 girls: Kahlen Robinson, Bowman Academy. District-2 boys: Josiah Cox, Tri. District-2 girls: Maya Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern. District-3 boys: Joshua Renfro, Christian Academy. District-3 girls: Brynn Owens, Austin.

            Dec. 18-Dec. 23: District-1 boys: John Malchow, Winamac Community. District-1 girls: Gracyn Gilliard, Munster. District-2 boys: Philip Randolph, Indianapolis International. District-2 girls: Jacklynn Hosier, Alexandria-Monroe. District-3 boys: Josiah Dunham, Evansville Christian. District-3 girls: Brooklynn Renn, Silver Creek.

            Dec. 25-Dec. 30: District-1 boys: Josiah Ball, Maconaquah. District-1 girls: Addison Baxter, Columbia City. District-2 boys: Julius Gizzi, New Palestine. District-2 girls: Reagan Wilson, Noblesville, and Olivia Nickerson, Twin Lakes. District-3 boys: Blake Neill, Bloomfield. District-3 girls: Juliann Woodard, Jennings County.

            Jan. 1-Jan. 6: District-1 boys: Ashton Federspiel, Norwell. District-1 girls: Lillian Barnes, Valparaiso. District-2 boys: Nolan Swan, Tipton. District-2 girls: Laniah Wills, Lapel. District-3 boys: Malachi McNair, Evansville Harrison. District-3 girls: Chloey Graham, Gibson Southern.

            Jan. 8-Jan. 13: District-1 boys: Jack Rodgers, Culver Community. District-1 girls: Samantha Redinger, Argos. District-2 boys: Braylon Mullins, Greenfield-Central. District-2 girls: Lillie Graves, McCutcheon. District-3 boys: Deion Edwards, Springs Valley. District-3 girls: Ella Bobe, South Knox.

            Jan. 15-Jan. 20: District-1 boys: Chase Konieczny, South Bend St. Joseph. District-1 girls: Abby Ordonez, Wheeler. District-2 boys: Chris Huerta, Carroll (Flora). District-2 girls: Avery Gordon, Brownsburg. District-3 boys: Josiah Dunham, Evansville Christian. District-3 girls: Molly Schulte, South Spencer.

            Jan. 22-Jan. 27: District-1 boys: Jack Smiley, Valparaiso. District-1 girls: Myah Epps, Homestead. District-2 boys: Braylon Mullins, Greenfield-Central. District-2 girls: Adrianne Tolen, West Lafayette. District-3 boys: Jack Benter, Brownstown Central. District-3 girls: Kaidin James, New Washington, and Faith Wiseman, Indian Creek.

            Jan. 29-Feb. 3: District-1 boys: Josiah Ball, Maconaquah. District-1 girls: Laniah Davis, Marquette Catholic. District-2 boys: Isaac Andrews, Wapahani, and Flory Bidunga, Kokomo. District-2 girls: Sophia Morrison, Eastbrook. District-3 boys: Noah Lovan, Our Lady of Providence. District-3 girls: Madisyn Bailey, Bedford North Lawrence.

            Feb. 5-Feb. 10: District-1 boys: Tyrese Jones, South Bend Clay. District-1 girls: Miley Wareing, Bishop Luers. District-2 boys: Karson Rogers, Kokomo. District-2 girls: Emma Ancelet, Danville Community. District-3 boys: Cam Craig, Switzerland County. District-3 girls: Ellie Richardson, Scottsburg.

            Feb. 12-Feb. 17: District-1 boys: Camden Webster, Kankakee Valley. District-1 girls: Vanessa Wimberly, Lake Central. District-2 boys: Jamison Ousley, Twin Lakes. District-2 girls: Laila Abdurraqib, Lawrence Central. District-3 boys: Braden Goff, Northview. District-3 girls: Hadley Crosier, Lanesville.

            Feb. 19-Feb. 24: Class A girls: Shelby Allen, Lanesville. Class AA girls: Miley Wareing, Bishop Luers. Class AAA girls: Chloey Graham, Gibson Southern. Class AAAA girls: Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central. District-1 boys: Marcus Browder, Hammond Central. District-2 boys: Melakih Cunningham, Decatur Central. District-3 boys: Tucker Tornatta, Evansville Memorial.