Northwest Indiana News

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='486535' first='Kenedi' last='Bradley'] (2026) of Chesterton High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the Spring grassroots season comes to an end and prospects return to their school teams for an intense month of June, I wanted to take the time to update some of the bigger areas of the state. Lake County is one of the most populated areas in the state, but when you add in the other Central Time Zone counties to the mix, it is an area rich with talent, although somewhat hidden from year to year. Below is a look at who headlines each class, and how those classes affect their region (<em>and surrounding counties</em>).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt">CLASS OF 2024<br></span></strong>In "The Region", it is tough to pick one class over another, because they are all fairly strong with talent. The 2024 class has a really nice collection of guards and wings, plus talent and skill. 5-10 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176406' first='Aniyah' last='Bishop']</strong>, 5-7 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201878' first='Riley' last='Milausnic']</strong>, and 5-7 guard/wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406433' first='Nadia' last='Clayton']</strong> of Lake Central are 3/5 of the starting lineup that helped hand South Bend Washington their only loss of the season in 2022-2023. Bishop is strong and extremely athletic, Milausnic is skilled with the ball and a quick-release deep-shooter, while Clayton is a ball of energy who can defend anywhere on the floor. 6-1 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='298252' first='Ava' last='Ziolkowski']</strong> will be entering her second season as the Lady Bulldogs' top player. She has good size, solid athleticism, but she is another talented shooter from the perimeter. Wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177310' first='Kennedy' last='Blakely']</strong> tries to follow in her older sister's shoes, as she leads Bishop Noll into action. She is a nice, versatile athlete with skill. Also keep an eye on La Lumiere wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='331778' first='Shena' last='Fleming']</strong> and Lake Station wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326491' first='Kayla' last='Wilkerson']</strong>. Both are long, athletic slashers who can score it all over. And don't forget about 6-0 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='369832' first='Becca' last='Gerdt']</strong> of Valparaiso. She was unfortunately injured in the middle of the Winter and likely won't be back until the start of the 2023-2024 season. But she has good height, length, skill, and ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt">CLASS OF 2025<br></span></strong>The Class of 2025 in Northwest Indiana rivals the Class of 2024 in terms of talent, skill, and depth. Point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295781' first='Vanessa' last='Wimberly']</strong> and forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295811' first='Ayla' last='Krygier']</strong> are the other two returning starters for a talented and deep Lake Central team. Wimberly is a quick and shifty player who can create offense and cause havoc on defense, while Krygier is a tough-nosed and physical forward who also buries shots consistently from the perimeter. Once the Lady Indians get wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295773' first='Isabella' last='Soria']</strong> back from injury and point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='324076' first='Bryn' last='Leonard']</strong> gets more experience, they will only be that much deeper and dangerous. Athletic and tough-nosed wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295775' first='Icesis' last='Thomas']</strong> has played extremely well over the last 12-18 months, and she stands out for Bishop Noll, while fellow wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295810' first='Lindsay' last='Arcella']</strong> should step into a major leadership role this season for the Andrean 59ers, following some significant graduation losses. Arcella is a talented deep-shooter with athleticism. Forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='324083' first='Natalie' last='Robinson']</strong> is an intriguing talent at Marquette Catholic, as she has tremendous length, bounce, and fluid athleticism. Add to that players like Merrillville wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366805' first='Kylie' last='Wells']</strong>, Westville forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='570380' first='Andrea' last='Benefield']</strong>, and Washington Township guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='324077' first='Gracie' last='Little']</strong>, and the area is stacked with depth in the 2025 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt">CLASS OF 2026<br></span></strong>Okay, the award for top-end talent in "The Region" might go to the 2026 class. Wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='419439' first='Lillian' last='Barnes']</strong> of Valparaiso, guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='567130' first='Gracyn' last='Gilliard']</strong> of Munster, and wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='567131' first='Indiah' last='Hutchinson']</strong> of Hammond Central all fall within the top 11 spots in our Class of 2026 rankings. Barnes is a tremendous basketball player who can handle and create, knock down shots, or get to the basket and score it, plus she plays with an outstanding motor and passion for the game. Gilliard exploded onto the scene this past Winter, scoring nearly 20 points per game for a good Lady Mustang group. She is strong, skilled, and athletic. Hutchinson is a very talented athlete who can run and jump with anyone in the class. She has a long and strong frame, plus she has a fairly balanced skillset as well. Chesterton has a pair of talented Freshmen in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486535' first='Kenedi' last='Bradley']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624858' first='Tenley' last='Davis']</strong>. Bradley is a fast and athletic combo guard who can get by just about anyone and put pressure on defenses. Davis is a 6-1 bouncy athlete with tremendous length and a developing skillset. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486528' first='Laniah' last='Davis']</strong> of Marquette Catholic had some explosive offensive outbursts during the 2022-2023 season, and she is incredibly strong and tough to stop from getting to the basket. She pairs nicely with [player_tooltip player_id='324083' first='Natalie' last='Robinson'] (<em>above</em>). I also really like the potential shown by Merrillville Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486503' first='Melaney' last='Williams']</strong>. She is a long, athletic, and active forward who is always around the ball. Beyond that group of 2026s, keep in mind the guard trio of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486512' first='Cadynce' last='Clark']</strong> of Valparaiso, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624883' first='Jordan' last='Steele']</strong> of Highland, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489207' first='Ellah' last='Young']</strong> of Kouts. Clark is a strong and physical combo guard, while Steele and Young are big-time shooters with range.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->