Conference Look-In: Northwest Crossroads Conference

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='96078' first='Asia' last='Donald'] (2023) of Hobart High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we enter 2023, I wanted to continue taking the time to highlight some of the better conferences in the state. I'll take a quick look at the teams at the top, statistical leaders, players on the rise, a top Freshman, plus an under-the-radar recruit. In order to select which conferences get the first glance, I've taken the Sagarin ratings (<em>as of 12/4/22</em>) of each team in each conference and averaged them out to give each conference a "score", if you will. As for individual statistical leaders, I am working off of whatever has currently been provided on MaxPreps. If your team's stats on MaxPreps are incomplete, I apologize, but please ask your coach to put them there if you would like to be considered for stat-based portions in the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">NCC Team Standings:</font></strong><br>Andrean (10-2 overall, 3-0 NCC)<br>Kankakee Valley (13-4, 3-0)<br>Munster (14-4, 2-1)<br>Highland (10-3, 0-2)<br>Lowell (7-8, 0-2)<br>Hobart (9-6, 0-3)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a conference, the Northwest Crossroads Conference has the sixth toughest strength of schedule, but they have the second-best winning percentage against non-conference foes, succeeding 74.3% of the time they face out-of-conference competition. Andrean has won the last two conference titles, and at 3-0, they are in position to control their own destiny again. Kankakee Valley also sits at 3-0 in the NCC, and those two teams meet at Andrean on January 20th in what could decide the conference. Munster has enjoyed a really nice season under their first-year coach, and they are still very much in the mix. They have yet to face Kankakee Valley, as the Lady Kougars host Munster on January 14th. Munster's lone conference loss is to Andrean. While the rest of the conference has two or three NCC losses, they are still highly competitive. Highland lost to KV by 5 points and Andrean by 1 point (<em>in overtime</em>). Lowell began the year 6-0, and Hobart rosters the league's most talented player and has their own 5-point and 1-point losses to Munster and KV, respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">NCC Statistical Leaders:</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-regular"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-regular"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Scoring Leaders:</strong></td><td><strong>Rebounding Leaders:</strong></td><td><strong>Assist Leaders:</strong></td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='96078' first='Asia' last='Donald'], 2023, HHS: 30.2</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='460838' first='Akaoma' last='Odeluga'], 2023, MHS: 13.7</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='372346' first='Kate' last='Thomas'], 2023, KVHS: 4.9</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='567130' first='Gracyn' last='Gilliard'], 2026, MHS: 20.0</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='96078' first='Asia' last='Donald'], 2023, HHS: 11.0</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='127214' first='Tori' last='Allen'], 2023, AHS: 3.6</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='127214' first='Tori' last='Allen'], 2023, AHS: 19.5</td><td><strong>Olivia Perlick</strong>, 2023, LHS: 5.5</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='300077' first='Lauren' last='Colon'], 2023, AHS: 3.0</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Steals Leaders:</strong></td><td><strong>3-Pointers Made:</strong></td><td><strong>Free Throw %:</strong></td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='567130' first='Gracyn' last='Gilliard'], 2026, MHS: 5.2</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='96093' first='Lilly' last='Toppen'], 2023, KVHS: 31</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='127214' first='Tori' last='Allen'], 2023, AHS: 89%</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='96078' first='Asia' last='Donald'], 2023, HHS: 4.5</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='127214' first='Tori' last='Allen'], 2023, AHS: 26</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='96078' first='Asia' last='Donald'], 2023, HHS: 76%</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Reilly Boyer</strong>, 2023, LHS: 3.3</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='460841' first='Payton' last='Reid'], 2023, HHS: 23</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='96093' first='Lilly' last='Toppen'], 2023, KVHS: 74%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">On The Rise: </font></strong><font size="+1">Maddie Walton, 2025, 6-0 F/C, Andrean H.S.</font><br>- Maddie has really stepped up for the 59ers in her second season, and she has given them an interior presence they can trust. She has great length, wiry strength, and she's active and bouncy. She has more than tripled her scoring from a year ago and increased her rebounding, giving Andrean 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per night on a guard-dominant team. She does a nice job of either boxing out or pursuing rebounds, and defensively she can cover the lane and affect/block most shots by opposing players. As she continues learning the game and developing her skillset, she could step into a much bigger role, as several Senior contributors are set to graduate this Spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Under-The-Radar Recruit: </font></strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='460841' first='Payton' last='Reid'], 2023, 5-5 G, Highland H.S.</font><br>- Payton isn't very tall, and she's probably more of a '2' than a '1', but she can play. She has speed and quickness, she does possess ball skill and could fill a point guard void when necessary, and I think she understands the game well-enough to develop into a primary ball-handler throughout college. On a Lady Trojan team with a couple of other capable PGs, Payton fills the wing well, as she is one of the state's purest shooters. She has a quick release, and her lefty stroke is almost automatic to 25-feet if given any space and rhythm. If college coaches can get over the fact that she's 5-5, they could get a steal of a player, because she can fill it up, AND she defends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Impressive Freshman: </font></strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='567130' first='Gracyn' last='Gilliard'], 2026, 5-9 W, Munster H.S.</font><br>- Gracyn is an impressive-looking Freshman, let alone a talented ballplayer. She has a strong, athletic frame, good length, and she moves well in nearly every direction. She has been the key catalyst for them in their pressure defense, oftentimes collecting steals and turning them into transition scoring opportunities for herself or teammates. She is also solid defending the ball at multiple positions. Offensively, she is best off the bounce, as she can get to the basket with ease, draw contact, and earn repeated trips to the charity stripe. She shoots it well-enough right now to keep defenses honest, but that should become more consistent over time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->