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Nov. 14, 2023 Coordinator, Player of the Week
Seniors Step Up to Earn Week-2 IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Honors
Week-1 of the 2023-2024 IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week program saw three underclassmen take home honors, and rightfully so. However, it is as if the Class of 2024 got the memo and stepped it up throughout the state in Week-2. The three ladies we have chosen as Week-2 winners were outstanding in each of their respective districts.
Crown Point Senior Ava Ziolkowski, Arsenal Technical Senior Kayla Lacombe, and Bedford North Lawrence Senior Chloe Spreen have been chosen as the recipients for Nov. 6-Nov. 11 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Ziolkowski earns the nod in District-1, Lacombe collects honors in District-2, while Spreen has been chosen in District-3.
Crown Point Senior Ava Ziolkowski has been strong through both weeks this season, however, during Week-2 she helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of victories. In an easy Tuesday win at Bishop Noll, the 6-1 forward was a highly efficient 12-16 from the field, 4-6 from deep, and 2-2 from the charity stripe, on her way to 30 points. She added 11 rebounds for the double-double, plus she stole the ball 6 times. She followed up that performance with a bigger one, as the Bulldogs took care of Hammond Central on Saturday, 58-45. Ziolkowski, an Indiana Institute of Technology commit, poured in 36 points on 14-27 shooting. She snagged another 13 rebounds, knocked down a pair of triples, was 6-7 from the line, and collected 7 more steals in the triumph.
In Central Indiana, Arsenal Technical High School and Senior Kayla Lacombe are off to a strong 3-0 start. They started last week with an easy win at Indianapolis Washington Tuesday night, and Lacombe was just getting going. The 5-8 wing scored a game-high 29 points, as she buried 4 3-pointers, pulled down 9 rebounds, and handed out 4 assists in the win. But Thursday was the monumental performance for the Lady Titan star. In another comfortable win, against the Phelan Academy, Lacombe erupted for the first 50-point game of the season, posting a 52-point output on 18-26 shooting. She added a trio of 3-pointers, 13-15 free throw shooting, plus she collected another 9 caroms in the success.
Bedford North Lawrence Senior Chloe Spreen is no stranger to awards, and she is our District-3 winner this week for a pair of nice outputs early in her final year. The 5-9 guard gave a well-rounded performance in a wide-margin win Tuesday at Bloomington North. Spreen scored 27 points on 11-16 shooting, including a perfect 3-3 from deep and 2-2 from the free throw line. Her 7 rebounds, 6 steals, and 3 assists completed the balanced outing. Saturday, in another lopsided win against Mitchell High School, Spreen was 14-18 from the field, 2-4 from outside, and 4-5 from the line in limited time. She has committed to play at the University of Alabama.
This is the 16th 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 starting in two weeks and 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.
IBCA : Mar 14, 2023 7:34:59 AM
