Postseason Awards: Class 3A

Now that the season is complete, I wanted to circle back and offer up a handful of awards based on how everyone performed throughout the 2018-2019 season. With regards to the Freshmen (2022) class, I created a specific All-State team and Freshman of the Year award just for them, so you won’t see them in any of the other groupings except for maybe Honorable Mention All-State. As it specifically concerns the All-State teams, part of my decision was a judgement call based on skill and ability, but I also considered statistics and team success into the equation. At the end of the day, this is simply an attempt to honor girls who I thought stood out this season.   MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER Madison Layden, 2020, 6-1 W, Northwestern H.S. (Purdue) This award could have gone to a handful of players, including teammate Kendall Bostic (2020), but I felt that even playing alongside Bostic, and against the tough schedule Northwestern plays, for Madison to put up the numbers she does, she was our Most Outstanding Player in Class 3A this year. The highly skilled and fluidly athletic wing is just so smooth on the ball, and she’s a more than capable scorer and rebounder off the ball as well. I think her production at the defensive end of the floor is what has improved the most this season. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Cameron Tabor, 2019, 5-9 G, New Castle H.S. (Davidson) When I consider people for the Most “Valuable” Player award, I try to think about which teams would struggle the most if you removed one player from their roster. This season, in Class 3A, there were quite a few candidates here, mostly Juniors, so I went with a Senior who was irreplaceable on her team. Cameron averaged 24.0 points and 4.3 assists on a team thin on depth. The Trojan team itself averaged just 51.2 points per game, so she had a hand in nearly 65% of their points scored. The second leading scorer was at 7.8 points. This team managed a 16-10 record and won a Sectional Championship, whereas they might not have won seven games without her efforts.   MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS Audrey Strawsma, 2020, 5-10 F, Benton Central H.S. Allison Stevens, 2020, 5-10 F, Greencastle H.S. This honestly isn’t an attempt to appease more people; I really struggled to differentiate between these two for this award, but I thought both stood out from the rest of the Class 3A girls. Ironically, they are in the same Sectional, and both players play with a tremendous motor and physicality for the game. For Audrey, she elevated her scoring by more than eight points per game, and that really helped Benton Central, as they made it to the Class 3A State Finals. As it relates to Allison, her hard work and effort helped her raise her scoring and rebounding numbers, becoming the most productive player on a Greencastle team with several other really nice players.   COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR Alexiana Blakely, 2019, 6-0 C, Beech Grove H.S. This is more of a “welcome back” award, as opposed to a “comeback” award. Alexiana began her career at Central Christian Academy. But last year as a Junior she transferred to Beech Grove and was relegated to Junior Varsity action. This season as a Senior, Alexiana used her strength and skill inside to average a much needed 15.1 points and 16.0 rebounds, after Beech Grove suffered major graduation losses following the 2017-2018 season. She is a big-bodied true post with good hands and touch who remains uncommitted at this time, as far as I am aware.   FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Mila Reynolds, 2022, 6-1 F, South Bend Washington H.S. Mila is an incredibly talented youngster, and she had an outstanding season for Washington as just a Freshman. The 6-1 forward can play a variety of roles, whether it be scoring the ball on the block, in the mid-post, or from the perimeter, handling the ball in transition and initiating the offense, or matching up defensively against guards, wings, forwards, and posts. She is definitely someone to keep an eye on over the next three seasons.   1st TEAM ALL-STATE Kendall Bostic, 2020, 6-1 C, Northwestern H.S. (Michigan State) 18.7p, 3.1a, 9.2r, 1.9s Ella Collier, 2020, 5-11 G, Danville Community H.S. 22.2p, 2.8a, 5.3r, 2.1s Ra’Shaya Kyle, 2020, 6-5 C, Marion H.S. 15.5p, 2.7a, 10.3r, 2.3b Madison Layden, 2020, 6-1 W, Northwestern H.S. (Purdue) 21.9p, 6.7a, 4.8r, 5.1s Cameron Tabor, 2019, 5-9 G, New Castle H.S. (Davidson) 24.0p, 4.3a, 8.7r, 2.2s 2nd TEAM ALL-STATE Sophie Bussard, 2019, 5-8 G, Tippecanoe Valley H.S. (Southeast Missouri State) 21.3p, 2.9a, 8.4r, 3.6s Carissa Garcia, 2019, 5-6 PG, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S. (Northern Kentucky) 19.2p, 3.1a, 6.1r, 2.5s Grace Hunter, 2019, 5-9 W, Bellmont H.S. (Northern Illinois) 20.1p, 2.7a, 7.2r, 2.9s Maycee Lange, 2021, 6-0 F, Vincennes Lincoln H.S. 17.0p, 1.2a, 12.0r, 1.9s Jazmyn Turner, 2019, 6-1 F, Marion H.S. 17.2p, 2.8a, 8.1r, 2.8s 3rd TEAM ALL-STATE Darrian Carmean, 2020, 5-8 PG, Vincennes Lincoln H.S. 15.4p, 6.3a, 2.8r, 1.2s Emma Fisher, 2019, 5-7 G, Benton Central H.S. (attending Ball State) 15.3p, 6.3a, 5.6r, 3.5s Juliana Kemper, 2020, 5-9 W, Lawrenceburg H.S. (Indiana Wesleyan) 18.8p, 3.3a, 11.2r, 2.8s Meredith Raley, 2020, 5-11 F, Gibson Southern H.S. 19.6p, 2.2a, 8.3r, 1.5s Dash Shaw, 2020, 5-6 G, Gary West Side Leadership Academy 24.2p, 4.0a, 3.7r, 4.1s FRESHMEN ALL-STATE TEAM Alaysha Brandenberger, 2022, 5-4 G, Boonville H.S. 23.6p, 1.2a, 4.9r, 3.5s Kenna Kirby, 2022, 5-7 G, Tri-West H.S. 12.6p, 2.2a, 4.4r, 3.2s Lilly Maple, 2022, 5-6 G, Maconaquah H.S. 17.2p, 3.3a, 5.6r, 4.3s Iatia Poston, 2022, 5-8 W, Gary Lighthouse College Prep Academy 12.6p, 1.8a, 5.3r, 3.3s Mila Reynolds, 2022, 6-1 F, South Bend Washington H.S. 18.7p, 4.4a, 10.3r, 2.3b HONORABLE MENTION ALL-STATE Addison Bayman, 2020, 5-6 G, Woodlan H.S. Alexiana Blakely, 2019, 6-0 C, Beech Grove H.S. Caily Bolser, 2020, 6-5 F/C, Mississinewa H.S. Kyrstin Bond, 2020, 5-7 G, South Dearborn H.S. Taylor Browning, 2019, 5-11 F, Rushville Consolidated H.S. Meghan Busick, 2020, 5-7 W, Bellmont H.S. Shelby Caldwell, 2019, 5-11 F, Jay County H.S. Maggie Cora, 2019, 5-7 G, Tri-West H.S. Dazia Drake, 2019, 5-9 G, Owen Valley H.S. DeKayla Elliott, 2019, 5-10 F, Muncie Burris Laboratory Jaclyn Emly, 2021, 5-7 W, Silver Creek H.S. Aliyah Evans, 2020, 5-9 F, Greensburg H.S. Rebekah Gordon, 2021, 5-11 F, Heritage Hills H.S. Maggie Gutwein, 2019, 5-4 G, Twin Lakes H.S. Bailey Hartsough, 2021, 5-9 G, Lakeland H.S. Mallory Hawkins, 2020, 5-9 W, South Vermillion H.S. Bethany Hayden, 2019, 5-6 G, John Glenn H.S. Alison Hein, 2019, 6-0 F, Vincennes Lincoln H.S. McKenzie Hudgen, 2021, 5-7 G, Mishawaka Marian H.S. Remi Jordan, 2021, 6-0 C, Knox H.S. Tabby Klem, 2019, 5-9 F, Gibson Southern H.S. Hanna Knoll, 2021, 5-7 G, Angola H.S. Jenny Lundy, 2019, 5-11 F, Northview H.S. Samantha Matthews, 2019, 5-7 G, Charlestown H.S. Jaylah Mays, 2020, 5-5 G, Scottsburg H.S. Moira McGinley, 2021, 5-7 G, Bishop Chatard H.S. Leah Miller, 2020, 5-6 G, Salem H.S. Micha Morrison, 2020, 5-4 G, Greensburg H.S. Katie Neher, 2019, 5-4 G, Northwestern H.S. Lettie Nice, 2020, 6-1 C, Salem H.S. Jade Nutley, 2021, 6-0 F/C, Madison Consolidated H.S. Alaina Omonode, 2020, 6-0 C, West Lafayette H.S. Zakia Rasheed, 2021, 5-8 G, Bishop Chatard H.S. Darlisha Reed, 2019, 5-11 F/C, Hammond Gavit H.S. Lydia Reimbold, 2020, 5-9 G, Bishop Luers H.S. Soffia Rieckers, 2019, 5-5 G, Evansville Memorial H.S. Kate Rulli, 2020, 5-11 C, NorthWood H.S. Bayleigh Runner, 2020, 5-7 PG, Hamilton Heights H.S. Maiah Shelton, 2021, 5-8 W, Norwell H.S. Delainey Shorter, 2022, 5-6 PG, Sullivan H.S. Gracie Shorter, 2022, 5-4 G, Sullivan H.S. Lindsey Simpson, 2019, 5-10 W, Knox H.S. Caitlyn Snyder, 2019, 5-9 F, Indian Creek H.S. Allison Stevens, 2019, 5-10 F, Greencastle H.S. Audrey Strawsma, 2020, 5-10 F, Benton Central H.S. Timberlynn Thomas, 2019, 5-9 F, South Bend Washington H.S. Ellie Vermillion, 2020, 5-4 G, Marion H.S. Makayla Weaver, 2019, 5-7 W, Mishawaka Marian H.S. Hattie Westerfeld, 2019, 6-2 C, Batesville H.S. Melina Wilkison, 2021, 5-5 G, Greensburg H.S.   Header photo of Madison Layden of Northwestern High School; photo courtesy of Mason Asher of the Prep Girls Hoops Network.