Lafayette Area
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The featured image is of Sara Parkison Sara Parkison 5'10" | PF Clinton Central | 2024 State IN (2024) of Clinton Central High School. Five years ago, when I first started with Prep Girls Hoops, I introduced different areas of…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Sara Parkison Sara Parkison 5'10" | PF Clinton Central | 2024 State IN (2024) of Clinton Central High School.
Five years ago, when I first started with Prep Girls Hoops, I introduced different areas of the state and their top prospects. I wanted to again work through that this Fall and offer you a much more detailed look at the Hoosiers State’s different regions and the prospects who should shine this Winter throughout those regions. This article will focus on the ladies in Lafayette/Tippecanoe County and the surrounding counties (including Fountain County, which doesn’t necessarily touch Tippecanoe County). There are 24 total schools spread throughout those eight counties, and there is a nice balance of schools, with three being from class 4A, six being from Class 3A, seven being from Class 2A, and eight being from Class A.
Lafayette Central Catholic has put together a strong nine-year span, winning the class 2A State Championship during the 2015-2016 season, after winning the Class A State Championship during the 2014-2015 season. They were also runners-up during the 2021-2022 season in Class A. Additionally, Benton Central was the Class 3A runner-up during the 2018-2019 season. The combination of these 24 schools have provided a great deal of talent throughout the years, with a number of girls moving on to college basketball of all levels. Recently, players like Teresa Maggio (McCutcheon 2022), Tynlie Neal (Clinton Prairie 2022), Kennedy Tolen (Benton Central 2022), Sydney Jacobsen (West Lafayette Harrison 2020), Alaina Omonode (West Lafayette 2020), Emma Fisher (Benton Central 2019), and Lexi Thompson (Lafayette Central Catholic 2019) have represented their areas well, with most of them continuing their basketball careers beyond high school.
Still, though, there are a number of girls who go underrecruited throughout their careers, and this is an area where small colleges can find some real gems, plus there is typically a Division-I prospect in most graduating classes from these eight counties. With that said, I wanted to take the time to highlight a handful of girls who may not often grab the spotlight, but who deserve their share of recognition for their basketball abilities. All of these girls are strictly from Lafayette/Tippecanoe County and the surrounding counties (including Fountain County, which doesn’t necessarily touch Tippecanoe County).
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Sara Parkison
Sara
Parkison
5'10" | PF
Clinton Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-10 PF, Clinton Central H.S.
– Sara always strikes me as one of the hardest workers on the court. She has broad shoulders, good length, and she’s bouncy. She has great timing on her second jumps and often comes up with offensive rebounds/put-backs. She can be physical and score the ball with her back to the basket, but she also has some touch facing the rim to the 3-point line. She is one of those kids who is always a double-double threat, but she’s tough to defend, unless you specifically have someone shadow her to box her out.
Rachel Tolen
Rachel
Tolen
5'9" | SF
Benton Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, 5-9 SF, Benton Central H.S.
– Rachel is a long, wiry, fluid, and somewhat smooth athlete for the Lady Bison. She saw a great deal of opportunity as a Junior, and she turned that into a key role in their offense. She is a very good perimeter shooter, but she can glide to the basket to finish, as well. She grew a little late, so she still needs to continue building her strength, but that has come a long way in the last 12-18 months. If she can be just a bit more dynamic off the bounce, that could really help her multilevel scoring potential.
Maddy Bruce
Maddy
Bruce
5'7" | CG
Lafayette Central Catholic | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, 5-7 SG, Lafayette Central Catholic H.S.
– I’ve said it before, but I really enjoyed watching Maddy throughout the Spring & Summer grassroots season. She didn’t necessarily “wow” me in any one aspect of the game, but she was solid in all facets, and she plays with an extremely high motor and a nice, quiet toughness to her. She has an athletic frame, nice length, and she can defend multiple perimeter positions. Offensively, she can handle it a little, knock down an outside jumper, or attack the basket and finish inside. She is just very solid.
Mattea Maggio
Mattea
Maggio
5'5" | CG
Faith Christian | 2025
IN
, 2025, 5-4 CG, Faith Christian H.S.
– Mattea is new to Faith Christian after spending her Freshman year at McCutcheon and her Sophomore year being homeschooled. She is a tough-nosed, wiry-strong little guard, and she plays with a nice motor. She is a very good perimeter shooter, and she’s constantly trying to find space/separation to get her shot away. She has always looked more comfortable off the ball, but she is starting to handle it more regularly, so she has really developed into a nice combo guard who does a little of everything.
Carly Davison
Carly
Davison
5'5" | PG
Clinton Central | 2026
IN
, 2026, 5-5 PG, Clinton Central H.S.
– Carly was a breath of fresh air for the Lady Bulldogs last season, as she was able to step in and give them some stability at the point as a rookie. She is strong for her size, she’s a solid athlete, and she plays with a lot of energy. If anything, learning how to change speeds and pick her spots will be key as she develops her game. But she can score it at all three levels, she is crafty and can create for teammates, plus she is a competitive defender who didn’t back down from any upperclassmen a year ago.
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Additional Lafayette & Surrounding County Prospects in Our Rankings for 2024-2026:
Sienna Foster
Sienna
Foster
5'9" | SF
Benton Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Benton Central H.S., committed to Purdue University for volleyball
Sarah Gick
Sarah
Gick
6'1" | C
Benton Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Benton Central H.S.
Alli Harness
Alli
Harness
5'8" | CG
Carroll (Flora) | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Carroll H.S. (Flora), committed to Western Michigan University
Olivia Nickerson
Olivia
Nickerson
5'7" | SG
Twin Lakes | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Twin Lakes H.S., committed to Bethel University (IN)
Adrianne Tolen
Adrianne
Tolen
5'10" | SF
West Lafayette | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, West Lafayette H.S., committed to Missouri University of Science and Technology
Madison Wagner
Madison
Wagner
5'9" | SF
Carroll (Flora) | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Carroll H.S. (Flora), committed to Trine University
Sarah Werth
Sarah
Werth
5'9" | SF
West Lafayette | 2024
IN
, 2024, West Lafayette H.S.
Riley Whitlock
Riley
Whitlock
6'0" | PF
West Lafayette Harrison | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, West Lafayette Harrison H.S., committed to Ball State University for volleyball
Ava Ahnert
Ava
Ahnert
5'8" | SG
West Lafayette Harrison | 2025
IN
, 2025, West Lafayette Harrison H.S.
Carley Barrett
Carley
Barrett
5'9" | SG
Lafayette Central Catholic | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lafayette Central Catholic H.S.
Addison Bowsman, 2025, Twin Lakes H.S.
Rylea Wetz
Rylea
Wetz
5'10" | PF
Seeger | 2025
IN
, 2025, Seeger H.S.
Maya Layton
Maya
Layton
5'8" | PG
Faith Christian | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Faith Christian H.S.
Trinity Wilburn
Trinity
Wilburn
5'5" | PG
Faith Christian | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Faith Christian H.S.