From The Notebook: North Central Indiana Small Schools

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='361443' first='Brookelynn' last='Buzzard'] (2025) of Wabash High School.   Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen about a dozen games, and now that I've had a little more time to catch up with the holiday break, here are a few teams from the Lafayette area across the North Central part of the start to near Marion, Indiana, along with some thoughts on each team and different prospects throughout each of their rosters.   .   Mississinewa (Gas City, IN) Mississinewa always entertains, and they had the oddest of first quarters. Being held scoreless for the entire eight minutes, they released the ball from beyond half court before the buzzer, then it sounded, then the ball went in, and they trimmed the lead in half from 50-feet at 6-3. The Indians are pretty reliant on a pair of guards this year for offense, including 5-6 Senior [player_tooltip player_id='828051' first='Jaci' last='Crick'], in her final year. She is extremely strong, physical, tough-nosed, and she competes with a tremendous motor. She loves to attack the rim North/South, and she does a nice job of getting to the free throw line. She has already surpassed 1000 points, and she is equally good in multiple sports. I was also intrigued by the play of 5-4 Junior guard Brooklynn Nash. She is quick, feisty, and she can make plays at both ends of the floor. She is just a disruptor defensively, and she can attack to create for herself or teammates offensively. Senior point guard Avery Wilson is probably their next most important player. She brings experience to the court, plus she can handle the ball, and she will rebound & defend with effort. The Indians must defend as a unit to compete in games this season, because aside from Crick and Nash, they just don't have many scorers at the moment.   Oak Hill (Converse, IN) I felt like Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1137326' first='Landri' last='Hardman'] was one player who stood out to me from the entire last couple of weeks. She is a long, wiry kid who is really quick and quick with the ball. She showed the ability to score it and make shots, but she is more so about taking care of it, finding open teammates, and executing the offense. She also does a nice job of using her length defensively. 5-8 Senior wing Liz Godfrey, an Earlham College commit, is another long athlete. She plays with good energy, skill, and versatility, and she has a nice bounce to her as well. Inside, the Golden Eagles get quality production out of 5-11 Junior post Lydia Trexler and 5-10 Sophomore forward Morgan Cates. Trexler does a solid job of using her length and likes to play around the basket, while Cates is actually probably a little stronger, but also prefers the mid-post a bit more. They complement each other well at the Class 2A level. Senior guard Alexa Myers is another important piece for Oak Hill. She is tough, she plays hard, and she's willing to do a lot of the little things like rebound and defend with effort. A January 25th matchup with Alexandria-Monroe could be highly entertaining.   Rochester Community (Rochester, IN) Over the last couple of years, I have enjoyed watching 5-11 Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='828021' first='Ella' last='McCarter'] with her grassroots teams, so it was good to finally see her in her high school element. She is strong, athletic, and very active for the Zebras, plus she has the skill to play facing the basket in the mid-post or even around the perimeter. 5-2 Senior guard Rylee Clevenger is a little, quick, fast, and feisty playmaker. She is actually more of a shooter/scorer than a traditional point guard, but she can get on hot streaks from the perimeter. She gives them firepower from outside. 5-11 Senior front-liner Audrey Bolinger was a new name to me, and she fills that critical role of being a steady interior rebounder and defender. She has some length, solid all-around athleticism, and she plays with a nice motor. 5-6 Sophomore guard Aubrey Wilson is another capable perimeter shooter, a nice athlete herself, a very active defender, and she can handle the ball and create offense as well. The Zebras are always prepared come tourney time, so expect for them to be ready when February rolls around.   Rossville (Rossville, IN) The game I saw of Rossville wasn't aesthetically pleasing, as they struggled with turnovers and missed easy shots, but they did have a couple of players step up at times. 5-10 Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='928900' first='Ava' last='Burkle'] is a nice talent who could draw her share of small college interest when the Spring grassroots season begins. She has length, an athletic frame, and she plays with nice versatility. She can battle in the mid-post and make shots from there, plus she has solid skill around the perimeter. She is willing to be physical, and the Hornets need nearly a double-double out of her each game to succeed. Sophomore forward Allie Elliott also flashed some potential at times. She is long, wiry, and somewhat bouncy. As she continues to gain experience, she will be a really nice sidekick to Burkle in the lineup. 5-8 Senior forward Avery Layton was another frontline prospect who did a solid job of defending and rebounding. Her experience and motor help her compete each possession. If the Hornets can continue to grow as a group and help a deep Sophomore class come along quickly, they could be a different team after the calendar change.   Tri-County (Wolcott, IN) For all intents and purposes, the Cavaliers are reliant on two key Seniors for success. 5-8 Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='828013' first='Sara' last='Zarse'] is a talented multisport athlete, she has a long, wiry-strong frame, and she plays with great versatility. She can handle the ball like a point forward and create offense or execute a set, she can knock down shots at all levels, and she can defend multiple positions. 5-10 forward [player_tooltip player_id='923137' first='Hannah' last='Arvin'] is the other, and she's another really nice athlete. She has tremendous length, some bounce to her, plus she can defend small forwards, power forwards, and some undersized posts. Offensively, she likes to post up, but she also has a nice mid-post game to her. From there, keep an eye on 5-8 Freshman forward Madalynn Iseminger. She has stepped in as a rookie and given them good minutes already. She has a solid frame with length, she's a multisport athlete, and by the end of her career she could develop into a true wing or even bigger guard. Tri-County has been gearing up for this season, as they have the tandem and potential to run right through Sectional #50.   Wabash (Wabash, IN) Wabash has the tools to be a problem when tournament time rolls around. The only thing they really lack is pure size. 5-7 Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1122733' first='Kaitlynn' last='Honeycutt'] is a well-balanced scoring threat. She is a good perimeter shooter, she has broad shoulders and a fairly strong frame, and she understands how to use the dribble to get defenders off-balance and attack the rim. She plays with a really nice confidence to her game as well. 5-7 Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='361443' first='Brookelynn' last='Buzzard'] transferred into Wabash from county rival Manchester over the Summer, and the Olivet Nazarene commit has given them an immediate boost offensively. She can make shots at all levels, she's a playmaker off the dribble, and she can create turnovers defensively. Another transfer who helps immediately is 5-5 Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1122695' first='Anna' last='Daughtry'] from Missouri. She is scrappy, tough, and plays with a nice motor. She can run offense, find open teammates, or make shots herself. She is a very good perimeter shooter, but she doesn't put up the volume the above two do. Daughtry is also an effortful defender. I felt like the energy of 5-5 Senior guard Janika Stumbo stood out to me. She is very active, feisty, and she does a little of everything for the Apaches. Additionally, 5-8 Junior forward Bryleigh Boggs is an energetic rebounder and defender who offers Wabash their "size" and at least some interior play.

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