Top Hoosier Sharpshooters

The featured image is courtesy of the clipart site www.seekpng.com. While the game of basketball might have been invented in Springfield, Massachusetts, it has undoubtedly been accepted, practiced, and embraced by no group more than the Hoosier population. Indiana has a strong reputation for producing skilled, high IQ basketball prospects, so college coaches flock to the state as much as any other in the nation to recruit top-shelf ballplayers. One thing you can always count on from the Hoosier state are high-level shooters, so I wanted to focus on the best from the 2019-2020 high school season. While the dunk is nearly irrelevant in the women’s game, the 3-point shot can build momentum and get the crowds to erupt in such a way that it can completely change a game. The young ladies below take on nicknames like "Sniper", "Sharpshooter", and "Marksman", plus I’m sure if Annie Oakley was still around (and a basketball fan lol), she would have been proud of their abilities. With that said, below is a look at Indiana’s best shooters this past season, broken down in a couple of different ways. Maybe the most prolific shooter over the past few seasons has been [player_tooltip player_id="101436" first="Reganne" last="Pate"] (2020) of Penn High School. In four years of Varsity action, the 5-8 guard scored 1023 points. She made just 39 total free throws throughout her career and just 48 shots inside the arc. That means her impressive 296 made 3-point attempts accounted for 888 of those points, or 86.8% of her career scoring. Add to that the fact that she shot 44.5% for her career, including a high of 51.8% as a Junior, and you might have one of the greatest shooters the state has ever seen. I’m sure someone can dig up single-season numbers for makes or percentages that might be better, but her collective career has been incredible. Reganne will be playing at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne next season. Below is a look at the ten girls who made the most 3-pointers this past season.   <table class="tablepress" cellspacing="10" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Prospect </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Class </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> High School </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> GP </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 3M </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 3A </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 3% </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101436" first="Reganne" last="Pate"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Penn </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 30 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 96 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 226 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 42.5 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="10560" first="Madison" last="Layden"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Northwestern </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 30 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 93 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 229 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 40.6 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="157179" first="Hailey" last="Cripe"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2022 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Pioneer </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 28 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 89 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 228 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 39.0 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101423" first="Sydney" last="Jacobsen"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Harrison (WL) </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 24 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 84 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 185 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 45.4 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="132000" first="Kristen" last="Cravens"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Portage </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 26 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 82 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 208 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 39.4 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="130390" first="Averi" last="Davidson"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2021 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> North Central (F) </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 27 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 81 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 323 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 25.1 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="130354" first="Addyson" last="Kent"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2021 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Jennings County </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 25 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 80 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 273 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 29.3 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="130332" first="Mercedes" last="Rhodes"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2021 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Oregon-Davis </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 23 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 77 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 201 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 38.3 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="23065" first="Rylie" last="Parker"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Homestead </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 26 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 75 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 165 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 45.5 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td1" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101521" first="Alexis" last="Mead"] </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> Greenwood Christian </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 29 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 74 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 183 </td> <td class="td1" valign="top"> 40.4 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Two things this game has taught me over the years, is that there are many misconceptions, and that numbers don’t lie. Case in point would be [player_tooltip player_id="10560" first="Madison" last="Layden"] (2020) of Northwestern High School. Throughout her career for the Tigers, especially when she was younger, I heard others say she wasn’t a high-level shooter/scorer, or that she was more of a facilitator than anything. I never understood that, but she went out and proved them wrong by scoring 2360 points, knocking down 289 3-pointers, and shooting 42.1% from 3-point range for her career, with her Senior season at a solid 40.6% being her lowest. In fact, there were only 29 girls in the entire state this year with at least 50 3-point attempts who shot better than her from outside. Oh, and she was also an 89.4% free throw shooter at Northwestern. Madison is headed to Purdue University to play her college basketball next season. A third member of the Class of 2020 who put together both an outstanding Senior season and career is [player_tooltip player_id="101423" first="Sydney" last="Jacobsen"] of West Lafayette’s William Henry Harrison High School. I’ve said it before, but Sydney is one of the most well-rounded prospects skillfully in the entire state. She can handle, pass, and shoot it with the best of them. Sydney put together the best combination of shooting percentage and makes this year, ranking in the top five of each category. Additionally, she had a better "per game" average of made 3-pointers, that she would have passed both Pate and Layden for total makes this season if she would have played the same 30 games. Sydney is headed to Division-II power Ashland University for her college career, but she graduates having scored 1913 total points, while making 288 total 3-pointers, and shooting it from outside at a 41.5% rate over four years. Below is a look at the ten best 3-point shooters from this season as it relates to shooting percentages. For this, I had two criteria. (1) They had to make at least two per game, and (2) they had to play in more than half of their team’s games. If you’ll notice below, there are three Freshmen listed, and I’ve already spoken about how impressive and deep this 2023 class can become. [player_tooltip player_id="59732" first="Ashlynn" last="Brooke"] (2023) of Pioneer High School returned in January from a July 2019 ACL injury to help lead her team to the Class 1A State Finals. She makes it look easy from outside, and with range to about 27-feet. [player_tooltip player_id="127215" first="Lauren" last="Barker"] (2023) of Columbus’ North High School is a gritty, high-motor combo guard who saw a lot of opportunity this year for the Bulldogs. She should be a consistent starter for them the next three seasons. And [player_tooltip player_id="59751" first="Layla" last="Gold"] (2023) of Park Tudor missed the middle portion of their season with an injury, but the 5-11 forward was always consistent from the perimeter, and with some range beyond the line. As she gets stronger, look for her to become an even better outside shooter.   <table class="tablepress" style="width: 100%;height: 695px" cellspacing="10" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Prospect </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Class </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> High School </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> GP </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 3M </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 3A </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 3% </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top">[player_tooltip player_id="59732" first="Ashlynn" last="Brooke"]</td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2023 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Pioneer </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 15 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 39 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 77 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 50.6 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101462" first="Ellie" last="Vermillion"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Marion </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 23 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 55 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 114 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 48.2 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="127215" first="Lauren" last="Barker"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2023 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Columbus North </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 24 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 48 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 103 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 46.6 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 57px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="23065" first="Rylie" last="Parker"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> Homestead </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> 26 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> 75 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> 165 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 57px" valign="top"> 45.5 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101423" first="Sydney" last="Jacobsen"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Harrison (WL) </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 24 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 84 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 185 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 45.4 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="99416" first="Lexi" last="Shelton"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2021 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Mount Vernon (F) </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 23 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 63 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 140 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 45.0 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="59751" first="Layla" last="Gold"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2023 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Park Tudor </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 14 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 39 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 87 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 44.8 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> *Gloria Brewer* </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2022 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> *Homeschooled* </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 20 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 50 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 114 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 43.9 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101426" first="Darrian" last="Carmean"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Vincennes Lincoln </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 21 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 69 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 158 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 43.7 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="132053" first="Rian" last="Russell"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> West Washington </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 24 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 50 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 116 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 43.1 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 58px"> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> [player_tooltip player_id="101436" first="Reganne" last="Pate"] </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 2020 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> Penn </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 30 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 96 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 226 </td> <td class="td1" style="height: 58px" valign="top"> 42.5 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> There are actually 11 players listed above, but I wanted to include Gloria Brewer, despite the fact that her homeschool team is not a part of the IHSAA because she had a nice season shooting the ball from outside as well. I also wanted to highlight [player_tooltip player_id="99416" first="Lexi" last="Shelton"] (2021) of Fortville’s Mount Vernon High School. Her improved play this year helped the Marauders to an impressive 22-2 record, and they should again be a top-ranked Class 4A team next season. Lexi is the daughter of Mount Vernon Head Coach and former Butler University Assistant, Julie Shelton, plus she’s the cousin of 2016 Indiana All-Star Sydney Shelton, who is also a Mount Vernon graduate.