Small School, Big Game: Class 1A Upperclassmen

Not only does Indiana take a great deal of pride in its basketball, but it takes a great deal of pride in its small school basketball (<em>cue the theme music to "Hoosiers"</em>). It is highly improbable to cover everyone each year on the PGH sites, however we do like to make note of several young ladies who may or may not get the attention they deserve based on their quality play. In this article, I have focused on Seniors and Juniors from Class 1A schools who are currently uncommitted. I tried to find five such young ladies who stand out as talents, but who might not be well-known on the statewide level at this time. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22694" first="Gracie" last="Adams"], 2021, 5-9 CF, Lanesville H.S.</strong></span> Gracie has been nothing but a stat-sheet-stuffer since she arrived at Lanesville, yet somehow this year she’s managed to raise her scoring average nearly six points per game through their first eight games. She is a strong, high-motor forward who doesn’t mind physicality at all. She can knock down the 3-pointer when in rhythm or drive it to the rim from the perimeter, plus she’s great in the mid-post where she can attack and rebound. She is closing in on 1500 career points (<em>1428 to date</em>) and 800 career rebounds (<em>749 to date</em>), and she has helped lead Lanesville to consecutive Regional appearances the last two seasons. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130332" first="Mercedes" last="Rhodes"], 2021, 5-9 SF, Oregon-Davis H.S.</strong></span> Mercedes was selected to the 2020 Junior All-Star team, but considering those games weren’t played in June, you may not even know that unless you’re in her backyard. She is still one of Northern Indiana’s better kept secrets, and one college is going to be pleasantly surprised when she arrives on campus next year. She is long, fluid, and very smooth. She can create offense off the bounce or knock down open 3-pointers. In 2019-2020 she averaged 26.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 steals per game, and in their first game this season scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a game in which they only had five available bodies. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="62575" first="Brooklyn" last="Stubblefield"], 2021, 5-6 PG, Greenwood Christian Academy</strong></span> Brooklyn wouldn’t have qualified for this article a year ago, but a Summer move from Greenwood Community takes her from Class 4A to Class 1A. She is a dynamic, quick, fast, and incredibly energetic lead guard. She plays with great pace from the outset and never stops moving. She loves to play off the bounce and can create offense for herself or others. She can knock down an open jumper as well, but she could stand to change speeds just a little better. She can also be a pest defending the ball, using her length and quickness to her advantage. She has fit right in at Greenwood Christian, averaging 13.8 points through five games. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97269" first="Gracie" last="Gilland"], 2022, 5-7 SG, Wes-Del H.S.</strong></span> Gracie is another player who "reclassified" by transferring from Delta (<em>Class 3A</em>) to Wes-Del (<em>Class 1A</em>), but unlike Stubblefield (<em>above</em>), Gracie must wait until Sectional play before she regains full eligibility. Nevertheless, she will be a huge boost to the Wes-Del lineup. She has two years of experience in a tough conference, and she has put up steady numbers in each of her first two seasons. She is a long, fast, and athletic slasher, but she can also knock down long-range jumpers when set and in rhythm. I also really like her ability to affect passing lanes defensively. She averaged 14.6 points and 4.1 steals per game last year at Delta. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Lauren Smith, 2022, 5-6 PG, Cowan H.S.</strong></span> Lauren is another nice small school prospect in the Munciana area, and she popped up on my radar this Summer during the grassroots season. She has really nice length, she’s quick/fast and athletic, and she plays with a solid motor. Though she does make some aggressive mistakes, I really like her confidence on the ball, and she can really create for herself or teammates. She’s a capable perimeter shooter as well, so you can’t give her much space, plus she does a nice job of defending the ball and creating steals from help-side. Lauren averaged 12.0 points per game a year ago, but I’d look for her to step that up a bit this season.