North Central Indiana

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='361443' first='Brookelynn' last='Buzzard'] (2025) of Manchester 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 Hoosier State's different regions and the prospects who should shine this Winter throughout those regions. This article will focus on the ladies in North Central Indiana, and specifically the counties of Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Pulaski, Tipton, and Wabash. There are 21 total schools spread throughout those seven counties, and there is a strong small school influence of schools, with just two being from class 4A, five being from Class 3A, nine being from Class 2A, and five being from Class A.   Over the last decade or so, the area has seen a great deal of tournament success. Northwestern had a dominant three-year stretch, winning Class 3A state titles in 2018 and 2019, plus they collected a Class 4A runner-up trophy in 2020. Pioneer was the Class A runner-up in 2020 and the Class A state champion in 2021, before moving to Class 2A in 2021-2022. Additionally, Western earned 2014 Class 3A state champ honors, while Tipton (2021) and Eastern (2013) were Class 2A runners-up. The combination of these 21 schools have also produced a great deal of talent, with a number of girls moving on to college basketball of all levels. Recently, players like Hailey Cripe (Pioneer 2022), Lilly Maple (Maconaquah 2022), Chloe McClain (Kokomo 2022), Emma Hoover (Northfield 2021), Haley Scott (Western 2021), Kendall Bostic (Northwestern 2020), Elle Deardorff (Logansport 2020), Madison Layden (Northwestern 2020), Taylor Boruff (Taylor 2019), Cassidy Crawford (Tipton 2019), and Ariel Dale (Northfield 2019) have represented this area well at the next level. Plus, Bostic and Layden were each selected as 2020 Indiana All-Stars.   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 seven 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 the counties of Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Pulaski, Tipton, and Wabash.   .   [player_tooltip player_id='572820' first='Kaiden' last='Hanley'], 2024, 5-10 CF, North Miami H.S. - Kaiden is coming off of a strong Junior campaign in 2022-2023 in which she averaged 15.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 steals per game. She is a long, wiry-strong athlete who moves well in all directions and plays with some bounce. She also has a nice motor, she plays with versatility, and she is a willing defender. She doesn't shoot it often from outside for her high school team, but she did during the grassroots season, and she has shown some consistency outside. She could transition into a true wing this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='572800' first='Hannah' last='Holmes'], 2024, 5-10 PF, Northfield H.S. - Hannah has been a Varsity performer since her Freshman year, and she is an extremely hard-working, physical, and strong frontline prospect. As a Junior, Hannah convincingly averaged a double-double of 15.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. In fact, there were four games in which she scored in single digits but only one game where she pulled down single digit rebounds, and she still finished with eight (five offensive). She loves to play with contact, and she could be a really nice small college post.   [player_tooltip player_id='572810' first='Chloe' last='Hunt'], 2024, 5-7 SG, Western H.S. - Chloe really stepped up last year at the Varsity level, averaging 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.2 steals per game for the Panthers. She is a strong and physical guard, and she's great at attacking the basket North/South and finishing through contact. Defensively, she can play much bigger than she is and take on most forwards, plus she rebounds her position extremely well. I also like her ability to defend, whether she's guarding the dribble or in "help" position. She's also a talented softball prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='496053' first='MaKaela' last='Drake'], 2025, 5-5 CG, Kokomo H.S. - MaKaela is a nice, strong-for-her-size, athletic combo guard who just makes plays. Offensively, she is best off the bounce, she can get into and through the lane, and she can finish amongst the trees. Outside, she still needs a little more consistency, but she has proven she can make big shots when necessary. Defensively, MaKaela is aggressive, tough-nosed, and really gets after it, forcing her opponent into errors. After averaging 10.4 points per game as a Sophomore, she could take off this season.   .   Additional North Central [program_tooltip program_id='716083' first='Indiana' last='Prospects'] in Our Rankings for 2024-2026: [player_tooltip player_id='369835' first='Aijia' last='Elliott'], 2024, Kokomo H.S. [player_tooltip player_id='177343' first='Lauryn' last='Merritt'], 2024, Maconaquah H.S., committed to Huntington University [player_tooltip player_id='239357' first='Isabel' last='Scales'], 2024, Caston H.S. [player_tooltip player_id='718315' first='Miranda' last='Stoll'], 2024, Maconaquah H.S. [player_tooltip player_id='572818' first='Kamaria' last='White'], 2024, Kokomo H.S. [player_tooltip player_id='496049' first='Mackenzie' last='York'], 2024, Western H.S. [player_tooltip player_id='386496' first='Anna' last='Bishir'], 2025, Northwestern H.S. [player_tooltip player_id='361443' first='Brookelynn' last='Buzzard'], 2025, Manchester H.S.

The featured image is of Brookelynn Buzzard Brookelynn Buzzard 5'7" | CG Wabash | 2025 State IN (2025) of Manchester High School.