Player/Team of the Week(POW/TOW) Week 20 3/24/2026

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

March 24, 2026 IBCA Director of Special Projects

Ertel, Baskerville, Lengacher named IBCA Players of the Week; Barr-Reeve, Crown Point, Parke Heritage cited as IBCA Teams of the Week

Luke Ertel had a triple-double in one game and averaged 23.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists over two games in leading the Mt. Vernon (Fortville) boys’ basketball team to its first semi-state championship. Thus, the 6-2 senior guard headlines the honorees in this week’s IBCA Player of the Week program.

New Haven junior Tarvar Baskerville and Barr-Reeve junior Kierson Lengacher join Ertel as Week 20 winners in the IBCA Player of the Week program for 2025-26. Also, Barr-Reeve, Crown Point and Parke Heritage each was cited as an IBCA/Ballogy Team of the Week for respective performances during the week of March 16-21 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Players of the Week are selected by IHSAA district – Baskerville for District 1, Ertel for District 2, and Lengacher for District 3. Teams of the Week are cited at the discretion of the program coordinator, former Martinsville coach Kip Staggs for boys. Players and teams are recognized based on all performances in a Monday through Saturday week.

    Ertel scored 24 points with 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal in keying Mt. Vernon to a 66-46 victory over Decatur Central in the first round of the New Castle Semi-State. The Purdue recruit was even better in the semi-state final, posting a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and one steal as the Class 4A No. 4 Marauders (27-3) defeated Class 4A No. 9 New Albany 77-69. For the two games, Ertel connected on 17-of-31 field goals, 5-of-12 3-point shots and 7-of-7 free throws. This is the fourth time this season that Ertel has been recognized as an IBCA Player of the Week. He previously was recognized for the weeks of Dec. 8-13, Dec. 22-27 and Jan. 19-24.

    Baskerville produced in crucial moments in propelling New Haven to the championship of the Class 3A semi-state at Logansport. The 6-0 guard opened with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals in a 63-49 decision over Delta. He followed with 17 points, two rebounds and three assists as the Bulldogs (22-7) edged Class 3A No. 6 Columbia City 59-55 for the program’s first semi-state crown. Baskerville scored 15 points in the fourth quarter of the second game, including the go-ahead basket with 2.4 seconds remaining. He went a combined 12-of-27 from the floor, including one 3-pointer, plus 5-of-6 from the line in the semi-state games.

    Lengacher also came up big when second-ranked Barr-Reeve needed him against two ranked opponents in the Class A semi-state at Washington. The 6-0 guard tallied 10 points, six rebounds and one steal in a 39-37 decision over No. 9 Liberty Christian. He then exploded for 29 points with two rebounds, one assist and two steals as the Vikings (27-1) outlasted No. 3 Hauser 52-47 to capture the program’s eighth semi-state banner. Lengacher converted 13-of-21 fielders, 4-of-9 3-pointers and 9-of-9 free throws in the two games. That included a 10-of-15, 3-of-6 and 6-of-6 performance in the title contest.

Team of the Week honors went to Barr-Reeve, Crown Point and Parke Heritage.

Barr-Reeve Boys                                               Crown Point Boys

Parke Heritage Boys

Barr-Reeve, 27-1 and coached by Heath Howington, earned its eighth trip to State Finals by winning the Washington Semi-State. Class 4A No. 2 Crown Point, 25-1 and coached by Clint Swan, defeated Fort Wayne Snider 76-47 and Class 4A No. 6 Northridge 66-40 to win the Elkhart Semi-State. Class 2A No. 4 Parke Heritage, 26-4 and coached by Rich Schelsky, knocked off Class 2A No. 6 Triton Central 44-38 and Class 2A No. 8 Linton-Stockton 66-53 to capture the Southport Semi-State.

Barr-Reeve seeks the program’s third state championship, while Crown Point and Parke Heritage each pursues its first state trophy. This is Crown Point’s first appearance in the State Finals. This is a second time in the finals for Parke Heritage, a school that opened in 2018-19.

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. Boys’ winners are chosen from now through the Monday following the IHSAA boys' State Finals. The girls’ season concluded on Feb. 28.

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: Kamdon 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.

March 2-7 – District 1 boys: Bryce LaCross, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. District 2 boys: TaShaun Beatty, Monroe Central. District 3 boys: Dorion Bowen, Evansville Bosse, and Kamdon Partenheimer, Forest Park. Teams of the Week (boys): Carmel, Marquette Catholic.

March 9-14 – District 1 boys: Austin Schlabach, Westview. District 2 boys: Keaton Aldridge Jr., Indianapolis Cathedral. District 3 boys: Brandon Hunter, Silver Creek. Teams of the Week (boys): Decatur Central, New Haven, North Vermillion, Northridge, Tri-County.

March 16-21 – District 1 boys: Tarvar Baskerville, New Haven. District 2 boys: Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 3 boys: Kierson Lengacher, Barr-Reeve. Teams of the Week (boys): Barr-Reeve, Crown Point, Parke Heritage.

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 Gene Milner

IBCA Website Coordinator