Most Valuable Players (All Classes)

Brandon Bradley March 11, 2025 @ 07:55 PM

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='295754' first='Addison' last='Baxter'] (2025) of Columbia City High School.   Now that the 2024-2025 season has come to a close, I wanted to take this time, as I have done in years past, to offer up several awards to those her performed well throughout the 2024-2025 IHSAA season. I am changing my format a little, and instead of offering every award for each classification in one article, I wanted to aim more focus toward the bigger awards and our recipients for those awards. Below is a look at the Most Valuable Player in each of the four classifications. To me, the meaning of most valuable player leans more toward the idea of if you removed this player from their team, how would their team continue to perform. While there were some tough calls in a couple of classifications, it's difficult to argue against how each of the four ladies below represent these awards.   .   Class 4A MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='295764' first='Maya' last='Makalusky'], 2025, 6-3 W, Hamilton Southeastern H.S. - Maya is one of the best talents in the state on one of the best teams in the state. She helped lead the Royals to a 27-1 record and a Final Four appearance in Class 4A, and while HSE has other talented players around her, I feel like she was a big reason they survived the regular season unscathed. She has long been a skillful sharp-shooter with range beyond the 3-point line, but over the last two seasons, she has done a nice job of scoring the ball at all three levels and contributing in other ways in addition to being a highly effective scorer. Maya averaged 22.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, plus she shot 40% from 3-point range and 80% from the charity stripe. She is headed to play for the Hoosiers at Indiana University next season.   Class 3A MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='295754' first='Addison' last='Baxter'], 2025, 5-9 PG, Columbia City H.S. - Addison has been a starter/star for the Lady Eagles since she stepped foot onto a high school floor. Each season she has gotten better skillfully, she has grown, and she has gotten stronger and more confident. What's more impressive is, following a 2023-2024 season in which they were 22-3, won the Hall of Fame Tourney, but graduated a significant 2024 class, Addison returned with a less-experienced, though still talented cast, and helped Columbia City to a 24-5 record, including a Class 3A Final Four appearance. For the season, she averaged 23.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 4.6 steals, while shooting 48% from the field and 80% from the free throw line. Addison will attend Butler University and should help the Bulldogs immediately next year.   Class 2A MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='404111' first='Jacklynn' last='Hosier'], 2025, 5-8 CG, Alexandria-Monroe H.S. - Following in her father's footsteps, Jacklynn will go down as one of the most talented Tiger athletes to go through Alex. She helped the Lady Tigers to a 25-2 record this year, including their first Sectional title since the 2001-2002 season. I think it would be clear to anyone who saw the Tigers play, that they likely weren't approaching 25 wins without her, despite having several other nice players on the roster. She has tremendous length, she's active and aggressive defensively, and she has a diverse offensive skillset that allows her to play a point guard role or score it from all three levels. This season, Jacklynn averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 7.4 steals, while shooting 39% from long range and 83% from the line. She will play at the University of Vermont.   Class 1A MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='486528' first='Laniah' last='Davis'], 2026, 5-8 SG, Marquette Catholic H.S. - Laniah has really separated herself from her peers in Northwest Indiana, both in terms of individual success and team success. She has helped the Blazers to a State Runner-Up finish and a Final Four finish in Class 1A in back-to-back years, plus she found herself leading the team in nearly every statistical category, averaging 19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, while shooting 49% from the field. She is one of the best rebounding guards in the state, regardless of class, and she has worked hard to become an improved and highly effective on-ball defender. Her combination of strength and athleticism is tough to match up against. Laniah is currently uncommitted, but she has drawn a great deal of varying interest over the past 15 months.

The featured image is of Addison Baxter Addison Baxter 5'9" | PG Columbia City | 2025 State IN (2025) of Columbia City High School.