Winter Rankings Update: 2026 Combo Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='486498' first='Lani' last='Graves'] (2026) of Bloomfield High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the 2023-2024 season reaches the final month of the regular season, conference seasons will wind down, and teams will begin preparing for their 2024 state tournament run in February. After expanding the 2026 rankings list to a Top-75 and a watch list of another 75 prospects, we are now at 150 total 2026 prospects listed on Prep Girls Hoops Indiana. At this time, I wanted to highlight all of the combo forwards in the class who we currently have listed, as well as point out some newcomers and those who have raised their stock since the beginning of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><font size="+1">Rk.</font></strong></td><td><strong><font size="+1">Name</font></strong></td><td><strong><font size="+1">Pos.</font></strong></td><td><strong><font size="+1">Ht.</font></strong></td><td><strong><font size="+1">H.S.</font></strong></td></tr><tr><td>1.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='492321' first='Lola' last='Lampley']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-3</td><td>Lawrence Central</td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486543' first='Brooklynn' last='Renn']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-3</td><td>Silver Creek</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='492322' first='Aniyah' last='McKenzie']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-0</td><td>Lawrence Central</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486521' first='Laniah' last='Wills']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-0</td><td>Lapel</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486522' first='Ava' last='Wheeler']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-0</td><td>Borden</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486537' first='Naja' last='Winston']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>5-10</td><td>Lawrence North</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='414465' first='Gabby' last='Helsom']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>5-11</td><td>Homestead</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='492326' first='Khala' last='Williams-Thomas']</td><td>SF/PF</td><td>5-9</td><td>Fort Wayne Northrop</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='462366' first='Alivia' last='Bolinger']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-1</td><td>Concordia Lutheran</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='567139' first='Maddie' last='Carnes']</td><td>SF/PF</td><td>5-10</td><td>Springs Valley</td></tr><tr><td>11.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='624881' first='Leah' last='Shappell']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-0</td><td>Leo</td></tr><tr><td>12.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486530' first='Alyx' last='Kendall']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-1</td><td>Bishop Chatard</td></tr><tr><td>13.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486551' first='Valencia' last='Miller']</td><td>SF/PF</td><td>5-10</td><td>Culver Academy</td></tr><tr><td>14.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='670343' first='Anna' last='Sachire']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>6-1</td><td>Penn</td></tr><tr><td>15.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='567137' first='Eva' last='Herbert']</td><td>SF/PF</td><td>5-11</td><td>Fairfield</td></tr><tr><td>WL</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='567991' first='Callie' last='Alston']</td><td>PF/SF</td><td>5-10</td><td>Orleans</td></tr><tr><td>WL</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='486498' first='Lani' last='Graves']</td><td>SF/PF</td><td>5-11</td><td>Bloomfield</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">WINTER NEWCOMER:</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='486498' first='Lani' last='Graves'], 2026, 5-11 SF/PF, Bloomfield H.S.</font></strong><br>- Lani is a strong, tough-nosed, hard-working, versatile forward. She has a solid basketball IQ, and she is going to outwork her matchup most nights. She can battle inside, rebound, and defend, and she's really good in the mid-post. This year, she is showing a greater consistency playing around the perimeter, making her even more difficult to defend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">WINTER STOCK-RISERS:</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='462366' first='Alivia' last='Bolinger'], 2026, 6-1 PF/SF, Concordia Lutheran H.S.</font></strong><br>- Alivia has really started to come into her own, and a lot of that has to do with her finishing growing and starting to add strength. She is extremely long, fairly fluid, and somewhat bouncy. She has nice touch to near the perimeter, so she can play in pick-and-pop situations. She's also a great mid-post scorer, and she will pursue offensive rebounds outside of her area. Defensively, she still needs to play a bit lower and defend the bounce better, but she can defend the paint and block some shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='414465' first='Gabby' last='Helsom'], 2026, 5-11 PF/SF, Homestead H.S.</font></strong><br>- Homestead has suddenly become a young roster, but not for a lack of talent. Gabby has really stepped up in her second year and become one of the team leaders. She has a strong frame, broad shoulders, and some length, but she is also a solid athlete in most directions. She has great touch in the mid-post, touch around the arc, but she can also put it on the floor and get North/South. Defensively, she will need to get a little quicker on the ball, but she has improved quite a bit in the past year or so.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='486543' first='Brooklynn' last='Renn'], 2026, 6-3 PF/SF, Silver Creek H.S.</font></strong><br>- Brooklynn is another prospect who has grown exponentially skillfully over the past couple of years. In addition to growing 4 to 5 inches in that span, she has also improved her handle and her touch to the perimeter. She is a fluid and bouncy athlete, noticeably talented in that capacity, and she can get out and run the floor. But in the half-court, she can change directions and out-cut her defenders with ease. She's still most comfortable in the mid-post, but her skill around the arc now is impressive at 6-3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='486537' first='Naja' last='Winston'], 2026, 5-10 PF/SF, Lawrence North H.S.</font></strong><br>- Naja transferred into Lawrence North this season from Decatur Central, and she has given an immediate boost to the Wildcat lineup. She is an impressive athlete, with speed, quickness, run-and-jump ability, length, and wiry strength. She changes directions with ease, and she can defend bigger guards, wings, and forwards. She excels as a defender/rebounder right now. At the offensive end, her handle has improved, and she's best to the rim. Once she consistently stretches her jumper, watch out!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->