IBCA/Franciscan Health POW Week 8

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

Dec. 26, 2023                                                               Coordinator, Player of the Week

Senior Boys, Underclass Girls Dominate Week-8 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Program

            Happy holidays! While everyone enjoys the coziness of their own homes, spending time with family and friends, and time away from work and school, the Hoosier hoops season continues to push on. Last week saw a few holiday tournaments take place, and a conference game here and there, with a number of outings by boys and girls throughout the state trying to make it onto the “nice” list at the last minute. From the games that took place, we were able to select six players as recipients for this week’s awards.

            Winamac Senior John Malchow, Munster Sophomore Gracyn Gilliard, International Senior Philip Randolph, Alexandria-Monroe Junior Jacklynn Hosier, Evansville Christian Senior Josiah Dunham, and Silver Creek Sophomore Brooklynn Renn have been selected for Dec. 18-Dec. 23 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Malchow is the boys’ winner and Gilliard is the girls’ winner in District-1. Randolph and Hosier take home boys’ and girls’ honors, respectively, in District-2. Dunham and Renn each helped their teams to boy’s and girls’ tournament championships, respectively, in District-3.

            The Winamac Warriors and Senior John Malchow were able to collect 5^th Place honors last week at the Indiana Kitchen Classic with a 2-1 overall record. The event began on Monday, as they fell at home to North Newton, 42-39. The 6-2 guard did his best, scoring 25 points on an efficient 10-15 shooting, including 3-7 from deep, but it just wasn’t enough in the narrow defeat. Friday, the Warriors returned to the court and were back on track, knocking off the Rossville Hornets, 55-43. Malchow was again strong, scoring 27 points and pulling down 7 rebounds in the win, plus he knocked down 8-9 shots from the charity stripe. Then, when they came back on Saturday, the Warriors found themselves in the win column once again, battling Delphi to a hard-fought, 48-42 outcome. Malchow scored right at 20 points for his third 20-point outing of the week, plus he was 4-8 from long range and grabbed another 4 boards.

            Gracyn Gilliard of the Munster Mustangs is the first two-time winner this season following her strong play last week. The 5-9 Sophomore guard helped the Mustangs to a huge conference win at Hanover Central, 59-28, then they headed across state lines to battle Thornton Fractional South from Illinois, winning there, 65-38. In Wednesday’s win against the Wildcats, Gilliard nearly posted a double-double with 23 points and 9 rebounds, plus she added 2 assists and 2 steals in limited time. On Friday, the 5-9 guard poured in 30 points and pulled down 12 caroms against the Red Wolves for an official double-double, with 4 of those rebounds being at the offensive end of the floor. She was also big defensively with 5 steals. Munster is now 10-3 on the season.

            Indianapolis International Senior Philip Randolph has been on fire this season, scoring the ball at will in every game. Last week, the Gryphons pulled out a nice win against the Deaf School of Indiana, defeating the Orioles, 74-58. In that contest, the 6-1 guard made 12-20 shots from the field, he was 3-5 from outside, plus he added 10-14 charity tosses, scoring 37 points in total. In addition to his scoring numbers, he also contributed 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, and a blocked shot to the effort.

            Alexandria-Monroe Junior Jacklynn Hosier has also been posting strong numbers all season in a tough District-2, and last week she was able to help the Tigers to a pair of victories. On Tuesday, the Tigers hosted Anderson Prep Academy, grounding the Jets, 61-29. Hosier started her week with solid numbers in limited minutes, scoring 22 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and collecting 6 steals in the cross-county win. Friday, the Tigers traveled to South Dearborn, outlasting the Knights by a comfortable 69-37 margin. The 5-8 guard exploded for 38 points on 15-27 shooting, she buried 4 shots from deep, plus she added 4 free throws to her tab. The Junior guard continued her well-rounded play, adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 steals, and 2 blocked shots in the triumph.

            The Evansville Christian Eagles spent last week winning the Bobcat Classic, and Senior Josiah Dunham took home Most Valuable Player honors for his play in the event. Thursday, the Eagles handed the Paoli Rams their first loss of the season in a tightly contested, 53-46 outcome. Dunham was a solid
9-15 from the field, 3-7 from deep, and 4-5 from the line for 25 points. He added 6 rebounds and a pair of steals against the Rams. Friday, The Eagles knocked off a very good Scottsburg Warriors team, 56-49. Dunham was again effective, scoring 20 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and collecting 2 steals. But the 6-1 guard saved his best for last. Saturday, in the championship game against Brownstown Central, Dunham blistered the nets on 7-10 shooting from 3-point range, as he scored 25 points in total, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the game to take down the Braves, 58-57. The Senior guard also contributed 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in success.

            The Silver Creek Lady Dragons also competed in three games last week, taking home the trophy in the Toyota Classic. Sophomore Brooklynn Renn did a number on teams, but primarily at the defensive end of the floor. During their trek, the Dragons took care of the Danville Warriors (now 12-2), the Gibson Southern Titans (now 11-4), and the Princeton Tigers (now 11-3). In the opening round win against Danville, 44-38, the 6-3 forward scored 15 points, she pulled down 14 rebounds, and she nearly posted a triple-double while blocking 7 shots in the contest. In the hard-fought, high-scoring semi-final against Gibson Southern Friday evening, Renn posted yet another double-double, scoring 15 points and snagging 13 more caroms in the 70-65 victory. She added 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocked shots for good measure. Saturday, in the championship, Silver Creek took on a small, feisty Princeton squad, but the Sophomore forward still managed efficient minutes in a 49-31 triumph. She scored just 6 points but only shot it 6 times, plus she facilitated and involved herself in other ways. The 6-3 Renn still managed 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and she blocked 5 more shots in the trophy-raising outcome.

            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 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.

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.