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The featured image is of Kenedi Bradley Kenedi Bradley 5'7" | CG Chesterton | 2026 State IN (2026) of Chesterton High School. As the Spring grassroots season comes to an end and prospects return to their school teams for an…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kenedi Bradley Kenedi Bradley 5'7" | CG Chesterton | 2026 State IN (2026) of Chesterton High School.
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 (and surrounding counties).
.
CLASS OF 2024
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
Aniyah Bishop
Aniyah
Bishop
5'10" | SF
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 5-7 guard
Riley Milausnic
Riley
Milausnic
5'7" | CG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, and 5-7 guard/wing
Nadia Clayton
Nadia
Clayton
5'7" | SG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
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
Ava Ziolkowski
Ava
Ziolkowski
6'1" | PF
Crown Point | 2024
State
IN
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
Kennedy Blakely
Kennedy
Blakely
5'8" | SF
Hammond Central | 2024
State
IN
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
Shena Fleming
Shena
Fleming
5'8" | SF
La Lumiere Prep | 2024
State
IN
and Lake Station wing
Kayla Wilkerson
Kayla
Wilkerson
5'8" | SF
Lake Station Edison | 2024
IN
. Both are long, athletic slashers who can score it all over. And don’t forget about 6-0 forward
Becca Gerdt
Becca
Gerdt
6'0" | PF
Valparaiso | 2024
State
IN
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.
.
CLASS OF 2025
The Class of 2025 in Northwest Indiana rivals the Class of 2024 in terms of talent, skill, and depth. Point guard
Vanessa Wimberly
Vanessa
Wimberly
5'5" | PG
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
and forward
Ayla Krygier
Ayla
Krygier
6'0" | SF
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
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
Isabella Soria
Isabella
Soria
5'11" | SF
Lake Central | 2025
IN
back from injury and point guard
Bryn Leonard
Bryn
Leonard
5'7" | PG
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
gets more experience, they will only be that much deeper and dangerous. Athletic and tough-nosed wing
Icesis Thomas
Icesis
Thomas
5'10" | SF
Kenwood | 2025
State
IL
has played extremely well over the last 12-18 months, and she stands out for Bishop Noll, while fellow wing
Lindsay Arcella
Lindsay
Arcella
5'9" | SF
Andrean | 2025
State
IN
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
Natalie Robinson
Natalie
Robinson
6'0" | PF
Marquette Catholic | 2025
State
IN
is an intriguing talent at Marquette Catholic, as she has tremendous length, bounce, and fluid athleticism. Add to that players like Merrillville wing
Kylie Wells
Kylie
Wells
5'10" | SF
Merrillville | 2025
State
IN
, Westville forward
Andrea Benefield
Andrea
Benefield
6'0" | PF
Westville | 2025
State
IN
, and Washington Township guard
Gracie Little
Gracie
Little
5'7" | CG
Washington Township | 2025
State
IN
, and the area is stacked with depth in the 2025 class.
.
CLASS OF 2026
Okay, the award for top-end talent in “The Region” might go to the 2026 class. Wing
Lillian Barnes
Lillian
Barnes
5'11" | SF
Valparaiso | 2026
State
IN
of Valparaiso, guard
Gracyn Gilliard
Gracyn
Gilliard
5'10" | SG
Munster | 2026
State
IN
of Munster, and wing
Indiah Hutchinson
Indiah
Hutchinson
5'11" | SF
Hammond Central | 2026
State
IN
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
Kenedi Bradley
Kenedi
Bradley
5'7" | CG
Chesterton | 2026
State
IN
and
Tenley Davis
Tenley
Davis
6'1" | PF
Chesterton | 2026
State
IN
. 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.
Laniah Davis
Laniah
Davis
5'8" | SG
Marquette Catholic | 2026
State
IN
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
Natalie Robinson
Natalie
Robinson
6'0" | PF
Marquette Catholic | 2025
State
IN
(above). I also really like the potential shown by Merrillville Freshman
Melaney Williams
Melaney
Williams
5'11" | PF
Merrillville | 2026
State
IN
. 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
Cadynce Clark
Cadynce
Clark
5'8" | CG
Valparaiso | 2026
State
IN
of Valparaiso,
Jordan Steele
Jordan
Steele
5'8" | SG
Highland | 2026
State
IN
of Highland, and
Ellah Young
Ellah
Young
5'7" | SG
Kouts | 2026
IN
of Kouts. Clark is a strong and physical combo guard, while Steele and Young are big-time shooters with range.