2026

Written by Indiana Basketball Coaches Association | Mar 3, 2026 4:46:54 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pat McKee, 317-403-1665

March 3, 2026 IBCA Director of Special Projects

Burton, Hart headline IBCA Players of the Week; Fishers boys, champion girls’ squads named IBCA Teams of the Week

Sidney Burton and Emma Hart each posted a double-double in leading her respective team to an IHSAA girls’ basketball state championship. Consequently, the Eastern (Pekin) senior and Borden senior pace the honorees in this week’s IBCA Player of the Week program.

Bellmont sophomore Ashley Bleke, Roncalli junior Elliot Leffler, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger junior George Poiry, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard junior Ari Sahm and New Albany sophomore Noah Washington join Burton and Hart as Week 17 winners in the IBCA Player of the Week program for 2025-26.

Also, the Fishers boys’ team, the Center Grove girls’ team, the Bellmont girls’ team, the Eastern (Pekin) girls’ team and the Borden girls’ team each was cited as an IBCA/Ballogy Team of the Week for respective performances during the week of Feb. 23-28 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Players of the Week are selected by IHSAA district – Bleke and Poiry for District 1, Leffler and Sahm for District 2, and Burton, Hart and Washington for District 3. Teams of the Week are cited at the discretion of the program coordinators, former Martinsville coach Kip Staggs for boys and former Brownsburg coach Debbie Smiley for girls. Players and teams are recognized based on all performances in a Monday through Saturday week.

Burton scored 16 points with 12 rebounds, one assist and one steal as the Eastern (Pekin) girls defeated Oak Hill 50-32 for the Class 2A championship. The 5-10 forward went 4-of-9 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line as the Musketeers completed a 21-7 season for the program’s second state crown. They previously won a title in 2017.

Hart totaled 15 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot in helping the Borden girls to their second consecutive Class A title with a 51-31 decision over Fremont. The 5-10 front-liner connected on 5-of-10 field goals and 5-of-8 free throws as the Braves finished 25-4.

Burton and Hart shared the girls’ District 3 award.

Bleke tallied 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists and one block in keying the Bellmont girls to a 55-46 triumph over Roncalli for the Class 3A trophy. The 5-9 guard was 3-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-6 on 3-pointers, and 5-of-8 from the line as the Braves capped a 25-3 campaign for their first state title.

Leffler produced 22 points, six rebounds, one steal and one block as the Roncalli girls (27-4) dropped the Class 3A contest to Bellmont. The 5-9 guard was 6-of-14 shooting, 3-of-5 from distance and 7-of-10 on free throws. This is Leffler’s second time as a Player of the Week honoree this season. She previously was recognized for the week of Dec. 8-13.

Poiry recorded a double-double in the only game of the week for the Bishop Dwenger boys, a 69-60 victory over Bellmont. The 6-1 guard scored 27 points with 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal. He sank 9-of-16 shots, including 4-of-8 3-pointers, plus 5-of-5 free throws as the Saints improved to 6-16.

Sahm averaged 26.0 points and 3.5 rebounds as the Bishop Chatard boys (7-15) split two games. The 6-3 guard poured in 32 points with five rebounds and two assists in a 72-67 setback at Indianapolis Arsenal Tech. He followed with 20 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal as the Trojans defeated Columbus East 59-56. For the two games, Sahm hit on 18-of-24 from the floor, 6-of-8 from distance and 10-of-10 from the line.

Washington had norms of 28.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as the Class 4A No. 10 New Albany boys (18-5) prevailed twice. The 6-5 guard netted 23 points, five rebounds, one steal and three blocks in a 90-84 decision over Class 3A No. 2 Indianapolis Cathedral. He followed with 34 points, nine rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block as the Bulldogs won 63-61 at Bloomington North. Washington converted 18-of-34 from the field, 7-of-10 from deep and 14-of-15 charity tosses in the two games.

Team of the Week honors went to Fishers for boys as well as Center Grove, Bellmont, Eastern (Pekin) and Borden for girls.

Fishers Boys

The Fishers boys, 23-0 overall and coached by Garrett Winegar, posted an 82-52 victory over North Central to complete an undefeated regular season. The Class 4A No. 1-ranked Tigers begin play in Sectional 8 at Noblesville at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Westfield-Hamilton Southeastern winner.

Center Grove Girls Bellmont Girls

Eastern(Pekin) Girls Borden Girls

The Center Grove girls, coached by Kevin Stuckmeyer and led by 23 points and nine rebounds from senior Gracyn Gilliard, rallied past Norwell 56-32 to finish a perfect 29-0 for the Class 4A championship. The title is the program’s second, joining an earlier banner in 1996. The Bellmont girls, coached by Andy Heim, beat Roncalli 55-46 for the Class 3A crown. The Eastern (Pekin) girls, coached by Taylor Drury, defeated Oak Hill 50-32 for the Class 2A trophy. Borden, coached by Matt Vick, outscored Fremont 51-31 for the Class A title.

This is the 18th season for the IBCA Player of the Week program. This is the second season for the IBCA Team of the Week program and the second season the Team of the Week program is presented by Ballogy, an IBCA corporate partner.

Coaches may nominate players and teams via buttons on the IBCA website (in.nhsbca.org). Coaches must be a current-year member for their players and/or team to be selected for a weekly award. Girls' winners are chosen from now through Monday following the IHSAA girls' State Finals. Boys' winners are chosen from now through the Monday following the IHSAA boys' State Finals.

2025-26 IBCA weekly honorees

Nov. 3-8 – District 1 girls: Laniah Davis, Marquette Catholic. District 2 girls: Kenzie Koch, Eastern Hancock. District 3 girls: Gracyn Gilliard, Center Grove. Teams of the Week (girls): North Knox, South Central (Elizabeth), Warsaw.

Nov. 10-15 – District 1 girls: Leah Shappell, Leo. District 2 girls: Adah Hupfer, Pendleton Heights. District 3 girls: Emily Parker, Boonville. Team of the Week (girls): Homestead.

Nov. 17-22 – District 1 girls: Sarah Thompson, Oregon-Davis. District 2 girls: Kennedy Holman, Hamilton Southeastern. District 3 girls: Mollie Ernstes, Jennings County. Teams of the Week (girls): Crown Point, LaPorte.

Nov. 24-29 – District 1 boys: Josh McBride and Nick McBride, Norwell. District 1 girls: Kendall VanderWal, Angola. District 2 boys: Brayden Thiele-Hahn, Rossville. District 2 girls: Carly Davison, Clinton Central. District 3 boys: Anthony Fresh, Charlestown. District 3 girls: Natalie Stenger, East Central. Teams of the Week (boys): Corydon Central, Plainfield. Team of the Week (girls): Maconaquah.

Dec. 1-6 – District 1 boys: Mack Welker, Homestead. District 1 girls: Hillary Labis, Westville. District 2 boys: Drew Matelic, Speedway. District 2 girls: Riley Suarez, Hamilton Heights. District 3 boys: Wyatt Jones, Borden. District 3 girls: Hannah Higgs, Evansville Christian. Team of the Week (boys): Indianapolis Cathedral. Team of the Week (girls): Borden.

Dec. 8-13 – District 1 boys: Charles Hardiman, Merrillville. District 1 girls: Allison Ambers, Northridge. District 2 boys: Devin Bolden, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, and Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 2 girls: Elliot Leffler, Roncalli. District 3 boys: Jake Prior, Heritage Hills. District 3 girls: Maddy Shirley, Evansville Central. Teams of the Week (boys): Lawrence North, Northridge. Team of the Week (girls): Floyd Central.

Dec. 15-20 – District 1 boys: Daniel Selking, Bellmont. District 1 girls: Konley Ault, Bluffton. District 2 boys: DeZhon Hall, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks. District 2 girls: Shania Curry, Ben Davis. District 3 boys: Noah Vance, Christian Academy of Indiana. District 3 girls: Haley Wagoner, Center Grove. Teams of the Week (boys): South Bend Riley, Taylor. Team of the Week (girls): Hamilton Southeastern.

Dec. 22-27 – District 1 boys: Dikembe Shaw, Crown Point. District 1 girls: Brooke Zartman, Warsaw. District 2 boys: Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 2 girls: Carly Davison, Clinton Central. District 3 boys: Dane Caldwell, Silver Creek. District 3 girls: Emery Stroud, Crawford County. Teams of the Week (boys): Crown Point, Gibson Southern, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). Team of the Week (girls): Valparaiso.

Dec. 29-Jan. 3 – District 1 boys: Brady Scholl, Northridge. District 1 girls: Joslyn Bricker, Warsaw. District 2 boys: Noah Smith, Plainfield. District 2 girls: Zoey Wood, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 3 boys: Braxton Bowman, Crawford County. District 3 girls: Claire Larrison, Greensburg. Teams of the Week (boys): LaPorte, Indianapolis Riverside, Silver Creek. Team of the Week (girls): Homestead.

Jan. 5-10 – District 1 boys: Bryce Wilcox, Southwood. District 1 girls: Kamri Rowland, Rensselaer Central. District 2 boys: Jaxson Johnson, Muncie Central. District 2 girls: Alyx Kendall, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard. District 3 boys: Dorion Bowen, Evansville Bosse. District 3 girls: Paige Schnaus, Gibson Southern. Teams of the Week (boys): Oak Hill, South Dearborn. Teams of the Week (girls): Plainfield, Princeton.

Jan. 12-17 – District 1 boys: Tim Knoll, LaPorte. District 1 girls: Myah Epps, Homestead. District 2 boys: Harper Baker-Lands, Plainfield. District 2 girls: Maya Layton, Lafayette Jefferson. District 3 boys: Kamden Partenheimer, Forest Park. District 3 girls: Juliana Davis, Madison. Teams of the Week (boys): Lawrence North, Westview, Whiteland. Team of the Week (girls): Bluffton.

Jan. 19-24 – District 1 boys: Stephen Akase, Wawasee, and Wyatt Schroll, Manchester. District 1 girls: Kendall VanderWal, Angola. District 2 boys: Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 2 girls: Lillie Graves, McCutcheon. District 3 boys: Blake Neill, Bloomfield. District 3 girls: Gracyn Gilliard, Center Grove. Teams of the Week (boys): Frankton, Kouts. Teams of the Week (girls): Kankakee Valley, Whitko.

Jan. 26-31 – District 1 boys: Bryce LaCross, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. District 1 girls: Vanessa Rosswurm, Norwell. District 2 boys: Colton Lindsay, Eastern (Greentown). District 2 girls: C.C. Quigley, Noblesville. District 3 boys: Eli Sego, Triton Central. District 3 girls: Maddy Shirley, Evansville Central. Teams of the Week (boys): Hauser, Penn. Team of the Week (girls): Brownsburg.

Feb. 2-7 – District 1 boys: Caleb Coolman, Penn. District 1 girls: Lily Scholl, Northridge. District 2 boys: DeZhon Hall, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks. District 2 girls: Adah Hupfer, Pendleton Heights. District 3 boys: James Hughes, Batesville. District 3 girls: Brynn Owens, Austin. Team of the Week (boys): Terre Haute North. Teams of the Week (girls): Jennings County, Northridge.

Feb. 9-14 – District 1 boys: Nick Shrewsberry, South Bend Saint Joseph. District 1 girls: Vanessa Rosswurm, Norwell. District 2 boys: Carter Biggs, Western, and Ishmael Kiteka, Cloverdale. District 2 girls: Ke’Adriah “Keke” Butler, Lawrence Central. District 3 boys: Gavin Keller, Hauser. District 3 girls: Mollie Ernstes, Jennings County. Team of the Week (boys): Michigan City. Team of the Week (girls): Fremont.

Feb. 16-21 – District 1 boys: Ayle Taylor, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. District 1 girls: Grace Scharlach, Fremont. District 2 boys: Camden Bell, Wapahani. District 2 girls: Brianna Dailey, Oak Hill. District 3 boys: Micah Mohler, Austin. District 3 girls: Riley Rarick, Borden. Teams of the Week (boys): Shakamak, Sheridan, Washington Township. Team of the Week (girls): Eastern (Pekin).

Feb. 23-28 – District 1 boys: George Poiry, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger. District 1 girls: Ashley Bleke, Bellmont. District 2 boys: Ari Sahm, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard. District 2 girls: Elliot Leffler, Roncalli. District 3 boys: Noah Washington, New Albany. District 3 girls: Sidney Burton, Eastern (Pekin), and Emma Hart, Borden. Team of the Week (boys): Fishers. Teams of the Week (girls): Center Grove, Bellmont, Eastern (Pekin), Borden.

# END #

Gene Milner

IBCA Website Coordinator

View full post