Tourney Takeover: Class 2A Performers
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The featured image is of Vanessa Shafford Vanessa Shafford 5'9" | SG Linton-Stockton | 2021 State IN of Linton-Stockton High School. With the IHSAA girls’ basketball state tournament upon us this week, we can all take a sigh of relief…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Vanessa Shafford Vanessa Shafford 5'9" | SG Linton-Stockton | 2021 State IN of Linton-Stockton High School.
With the IHSAA girls’ basketball state tournament upon us this week, we can all take a sigh of relief that we finally got to this point, considering other states were less-fortunate (even though snow has been timely like usual). 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 2A 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 2A state tournament.
Courtney Blakely
Courtney
Blakely
5'7" | PG
Hammond Bishop Noll | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-7 PG, Hammond Bishop Noll Institute
Courtney has put together an outstanding season for Noll, topped by some offensive outbursts rivaled by no one in Indiana this season. During a four-game stretch just after Christmas, the dynamic scorer poured in 49 points, then 50 points the next game, 37 the next, followed by 55 in the fourth game of that grouping. Any of those games individually would qualify as her career-high. She is currently averaging 31.3 points per game, to go along with 4.1 assists and 4.5 steals, and she is close to 700 points this season. Obviously she is capable of taking over a game offensively and scoring the ball in bunches, so that makes Noll a legitimate threat to defeat and/or upset anyone they come across this month.
Lilliann Frasure
Lilliann
Frasure
5'9" | SF
North Judson-San Pierre | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-9 SF, North Judson-San Pierre H.S.
Lilliann kind of reminds me of
Isabella Reed
Isabella
Reed
5'9" | SF
Greenwood Christian | 2021
State
IN
in Class 1A in how she fills the stat sheet on a given night. Lilliann is a versatile, skillful, and tough-nosed wing who can get it done at all three levels. She has a solid handle and can make shots outside, she is a strong North/South driver to the basket, plus she’s a nice mid-post scorer and a willing rebounder who plays much bigger than she is. Lilliann is already over 2000 points for her career, and with a deep enough run, she has a chance to secure her 1000th rebound as well. She had a 50-point game this year, plus a trio of 30+ games. What’s most impressive, is that even when she isn’t scoring huge numbers, she’s still affecting the game somehow.
Vanessa Shafford
Vanessa
Shafford
5'9" | SG
Linton-Stockton | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-9 SG/SF, Linton-Stockton H.S.
If you watched the 2020 State Finals on TV, or in person, you saw Vanessa take over last year’s Class 2A game. She was an easy choice for this list, because not only can she flat score the basketball, but she is also a playmaker for others, and she affects the game in all phases. During that February 29, 2020 afternoon, Vanessa was 8-11 in the first half, 3-3 from ’3’, and scored 19 points, helping the Miners to a 47-16 halftime lead. She finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, but the first half was the dagger. While she has an impressive cast around her at Linton-Stockton, Vanessa’s ability to find the bucket is a nice security blanket to have down the stretch in tight games.
Kelsey DuBois
Kelsey
DuBois
6'2" | PF
University | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 6-1 PF/C, University H.S.
University has unfortunately struggled with cancellations all season due to COVID, completing just 11 games in the regular season. Still, though, Kelsey is a player who is unlike most in Class 2A. She is a skilled frontline prospect who possesses good size and strength. In a day when the ball-screen and dribble-drive have become much more popular, Kelsey can go down to the block and dominate a game from the inside. At the same time, she has touch to the perimeter, a solid handle and good vision, and she can play facing the basket on the outside. If she is determined this month, she can help University make another deep tourney run. She is averaging 16.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Alli Harness
Alli
Harness
5'8" | CG
Carroll (Flora) | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-7 PG, Carroll H.S. (Flora)
It is tough to choose Freshmen over upperclassmen for lists like these, but considering the turnaround Carroll has made, I thought Alli was an obvious choice. The Cougars won a total of 26 games the last three seasons, but they are 18-4 headed into Tuesday’s game with Manchester. Alli has been stellar, averaging 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.5 steals per game. There have been Freshman lumps at times, but she has scored in the 30s on three occasions, plus she has a 41-point effort on her résumé. She can shoot/score it with deep range, but she also has highs of 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and 9 steals, so she is a playmaker in all facets of the game. Keep an eye on the rookie.