Tourney Takeover: Class 1A Performers

With the IHSAA girls’ basketball state tournament upon us this coming week, we can all take a sigh of relief that we finally got to this point, considering other states were less-fortunate. As I try to spread the wealth in terms of high school seasonal coverage when it comes to teams and players, I felt like it was time to highlight five young ladies in Class 1A who stand out and should be recognized for their potential to take over games this postseason. All five of these prospects are skilled and talented, but they are also all capable of controlling games and putting their teams on their backs. Below is a look at five players who I think can have the biggest individual impacts on this season’s Class 1A state tournament. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22694" first="Gracie" last="Adams"], 2021, 5-9 SF/PF, Lanesville H.S.</strong></span> Gracie has had an outstanding year, helping to lead the ICGSA Class 1A #1 Lanesville Eagles to a 19-3 regular season. She has averaged 20.1 points per game this season, with a high of 47 points against West Washington, behind a 22-31 shooting performance. She is strong, tough-nosed, and fearless. She plays with a great motor, and while she can knock down shots outside, she almost prefers to play in the mid-post and seeks out contact regularly. Gracie is just a part of a nice lineup for the Eagles, but her potential to get her own shot and score it in the 30s should be comforting for Lanesville fans. If she can stay efficient and produce at a high level, they will be tough to beat. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35070" first="Kalea" last="Fleming"], 2021, 5-5 PG, Loogootee H.S.</strong></span> The Loogootee Lions were the 2020 Class 1A State Champions, this year they returned their entire starting lineup, and they are currently ranked #4 in the ICGSA Class 1A poll with a 14-4 record. While she may not have the overwhelming stats of some of the girls on this list, I assure you Kalea can take over a game. She is the heart and soul of the Lions, she brings a ton of energy every game, and she can control a game defensively herself as much as she can handling the ball and dissecting the opponent’s defense. Kalea is tough, strong, and skillful. She can make shots at all levels, plus she’s a very good on-ball defender who can change a game by forcing critical turnovers. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35057" first="Isabella" last="Reed"], 2021, 5-9 SF/PF, Greenwood Christian Academy</strong></span> Izzy is the type of player <strong>Dick Vitale</strong> would love, as she’s a stat-sheet stuffer. She enters postseason play averaging 23.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. She has amassed 1966 career points and 1283 career rebounds to date. She is long, wiry strong, and fluidly athletic, plus she can play equally well at all three levels. With five games above 30 points and no game less than 12 points, Izzy is a threat to explode on any given night. She is the type of player who can definitely score the ball at will and carry her team to the finish line. However, she is surrounded by as much talent as she has ever been, but it’s a comfort for GCA to know they have someone like her to feed in key moments. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59732" first="Ashlynn" last="Brooke"], 2023, 5-6 PG, Pioneer H.S.</strong></span> Ashlynn missed the first half of her Freshman season due to injury, but she returned to help lead the Panthers to the Class 1A State Finals in 2020, averaging 14.7 points and shooting 51% (39-77) from 3-point range. This year, she was again injured very early in the season, but she just returned this past week to get a couple of games in before tournament time. In limited action, she scored 23 points in two games and was 9-12 from the field (5-7 from ’3’). She is a dynamic playmaker, shooter, and scorer, likely unmatched at the Class 1A level. So, if she can get back up to speed quickly this February, look for her to potentially take over games and help Pioneer return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59779" first="Bailey" last="Tabeling"], 2023, 5-8 SG, Trinity Lutheran School</strong></span> Bailey is a long, wiry strong, smooth, but gritty guard who does a lot of everything for the Cougars. She is a high-level shooter/scorer with range, and this year she is averaging 20.3 points per game. In just two seasons, Bailey has scored 1045 points and knocked down 107 3-pointers, plus she improved her output in rebounds (4.0 to 4.8), assists (3.2 to 4.9), and steals (2.3 to 3.4) this season while lessening her turnovers (3.1 to 2.3). The Cougars have another Division-I talent in Butler signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35016" first="Sydney" last="Jaynes"]</strong>, a 6-3 Senior. But to me, I feel like Bailey can take over a game quicker because of her ability to make shots outside, create turnovers, plus she’s assisting on nearly 10 points per game as well.