Semi-State Standouts: Classes 2A & 1A

Saturday evening, I was able to check in on the Semi-State action at Logansport (Rensselaer Central vs. Eastside & Eastside vs. Whitko), LaPorte (Lafayette Central Catholic vs. Marquette Catholic), and Shelbyville (Borden vs. Northeast Dubois). Below is a look at several players who I felt stood out in what I was able to see from each of those games. I was in attendance at one Semi-State location, but I was able to catch the rest of the action throughout the night on the IHSAATV streams.   .    Game in and game out, Kamri is the most impactful player for the Lady Bombers. She is strong, physical, and willing to mix it up inside, but she also has a guard's skillset and can initiate the offense, create off the dribble a little, or get downhill and score it around the basket. She's a highly effective rebounder, she can defend everything from bigger guards to undersized power forwards, and she plays with a quiet toughness to her. There isn't one area she excels, but she is solid in most areas, and she can fit into most systems seamlessly.     Courtney is another one of the talented, versatile players on the Rensselaer roster. She has a high ceiling and could have a huge Spring & Summer on the grassroots circuit. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and she has worked hard on putting together a complete skillset. She can handle the ball and act as a creator. She is a solid perimeter shooter who can also quickly get to the rim. Defensively, I think she is a bit overlooked, but she uses her length well to defend smaller PGs, plus she can defend all guards & wings.     The first thing I enjoyed about Lily was how the announcers pronounced her last name (if they were correct)..."crusher". She is an extremely long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic, and even somewhat bouncy wing player who is constantly active. She is probably closer to 5-10 or 5-11 after watching her play, and she affects the game in so many ways. She has a nice-looking jump-shot and was able to make 3-pointers in each game of the day. She rebounds around the rim and gets a lot of put-backs, plus she is a versatile, "blue collar" defender.     Ally is an incredibly intriguing post presence who just popped up on my radar with their state tournament run. She is extremely long, wiry, and fairly fluid running in transition. She is still a wait-and-see kid because it looks like she is still growing. Once she settles into her frame and gains a little strength, she has solid hands & footwork, and she is fairly active for a young "big". Right now, she is a really nice defensive presence for the Wildcats, but I would anticipate the offense will come as her game continues to grow.     Casey has been one of the key players all year for the Lady Knights, and once their strong 2025 class graduates, she'll team up with Thompson (below) to form a nice duo next season. Casey has an athletic frame, nice length, and she's fairly fluid in most directions. She's one of those players who might not be elite at any one trait, but she has a balanced skillset and isn't deficient anywhere either. As she continues to make her handle a little more dynamic and she gets a little more aggressive offensively, she can become a problem.     For a team with a great deal of veteran leadership, Brooke found a niche early this season and put together a nice rookie campaign. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and she is like her older sisters in having a really nice jump-shot from the perimeter. At times she likes to hide on the wings and in the long corners, but as she gets older, she should start using the dribble a bit more and being a more complete scorer. I really like her upside, though, and who knows, maybe she'll grow another inch or two. She is very intriguing.     Laniah was a strong scorer two seasons ago as a Freshman. Now, she is a powerful guard who is incredibly difficult to defend off the dribble. She can get to the rim, she explodes up through contact to finish, and she is an excellent offensive rebounder who can find caroms quicker than defenders to score it around the rim consistently. Defensively she will sit down and engage ball-handlers, and she's able to use her frame to keep them from getting far. She will still need to become a bit more dangerous from deep, though.     Borden is so talented, and Ava might be the most consistent of the group right now. She has always been a smooth/fluid athlete, she has nice length, but now she looks stronger, much more confident, and she plays with such poise. While she was probably more comfortable as a "4" early in her career, she has become more of a wing who can score it at all three levels or act as a point forward in transition and create for others off the bounce. I also like her intensity and versatility defensively, as she can defend bigger guards, wings, and forwards.     It's not often that one of your primary ball-handlers steps in to jump at the opening tip. Riley is a highly skilled player with great height and length on her side. She is able to handle the ball against pressure, find open teammates, and see/throw over pressure. She looks stronger this season, she is absorbing contact much better, and she is more deliberate when attacking the basket. She has some touch outside, and she can get to the rim, but if she had a nice 15-foot pull-up, she could be so difficult to defend. She's also a versatile defender herself.     I've been pretty impressed with Lyllee's growth as a player over the last couple of years, and she is now able to affect the game in several more ways. She has nice height, tremendous length, and she has built a wiry strength to her frame. She runs the floor hard, she's willing to seek out physicality, and she tries to play the game the "right way" for a more traditional post. She has solid hands, an understanding of offensive moves, and her footwork has come a long way as well. She is also a problem for opponents at the defensive end of the floor.

Saturday evening, I was able to check in on the Semi-State action at Logansport (Rensselaer Central vs. Eastside & Eastside vs. Whitko), LaPorte (Lafayette Central Catholic vs. Marquette Catholic), and Shelbyville (Borden vs. Northeast Dubois). Below is a look at several players who I felt stood out in what I was able to see from each of those games. I was in attendance at one Semi-State location, but I was able to catch the rest of the action throughout the night on the IHSAATV streams.