Top Guards In East Central, South Central, & Southeast Indiana

In selecting the five regional areas for my regional articles, I used the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association’s (ICGSA) five districts. Schools are evenly distributed by county and somewhat geographical, though not exact. Counties included in the "East Central, South Central, & Southeastern" articles include: Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hancock, Henry, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Madison, Ohio, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Shelby, Switzerland, Union, and Wayne. Across the entire Prep Hoops Network, we are exploring ways to bring you different types of content in each of the states we cover. One idea we’ve come up with is "city rankings", where we highlight some of the better players in each metropolitan area. I felt like in Indiana, however, there are talented kids spread all over the state, so it wouldn’t be fair to solely focus on Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville, for example. Instead, I have divided the state into five regions based on a fairly even distribution of the 400+ high schools available to choose from. It isn’t exact, but it seemed like the best way to make sure all prospects from the Hoosier state were considered. (Please see the italicized fine print above for a more specific breakdown of the counties used in this article.) Without further ado, below is a look at some of the top returning guards in "East Central, South Central, & Southeastern" Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.   [player_tooltip player_id="130320" first="Carley" last="Culberson"], 2021, 5-7 CG, Yorktown H.S. Carley had an unfortunate derailment to her career when she injured her knee back in the Fall of 2018, missing the entire 2018-2019 high school season and the Spring grassroots season. But she’s back and was starting to play at a high level again before this "break". She is a quick/fast and athletic combo guard whose game has come full-circle throughout her career. When she was younger, she was more of a shooter/scorer who played some point guard, but now she has become a more traditional point guard who can shoot/score. She’s also great at getting her hands on passes defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="99421" first="Gracie" last="McCullars"], 2021, 5-6 CG, Whiteland Community H.S. Last Summer when I was able to see Gracie, I was really impressed with how far she’s come since entering high school. I thought she looked as explosive as she ever has, but she also showed a much-improved skillset around the perimeter. I felt like she was more of a small forward when she was younger, but now her handle has improved, she can run offense on occasion, plus she has a very nice jump-shot and can make shots at all levels. Gracie also plays with a good understanding of the game, and she has always played with a nice motor. [player_tooltip player_id="99361" first="Alexa" last="McKinley"], 2021, 5-7 CG, Columbus North H.S. I have enjoyed Alexa’s skill and versatility since I first saw her as an incoming Freshman. She is a long, fluid, and smooth athlete. She plays with good instincts for the game, she has a solid motor, and she does a little of everything well. She can play a traditional point guard role, which is what she does for CNHS, running offense and finding open teammates. She can also play off the ball, finding shots, plus she rebounds the ball well for her position. She shoots a nice-looking ball, and she is a good free throw shooter, so I feel like she can become a more consistent 3-point shooter with just a little more work. [player_tooltip player_id="99406" first="Kathryn" last="Perry"], 2021, 5-2 CG, Shenandoah H.S. Kathryn is a very nice basketball player, and one of the best small school guards in the entire state. She has a great feel for the game, she is highly skilled, and she plays with a tremendous motor. She is a solid all-around athlete and plays with good quickness, but unfortunately her size has affected her recruiting so far. She can really shoot the ball with range, she’s great at getting into gaps and finishing in a variety of ways, plus she can distribute as well. I also like her energy and activity at the defensive end of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="62575" first="Brooklyn" last="Stubblefield"], 2021, 5-7 PG, Greenwood Community H.S. Brooklyn is an absolute ball of energy. She flies around the floor making plays at both ends. Brooklyn is a long, wiry strong, quick/fast, and athletic guard. If anything, she probably plays a little too fast at times and could stand to change speeds a little better. However, she is a good ball-handler, she’s solid at breaking down defenses and finding teammates or earning trips to the line, and she’s a capable perimeter shooter when she has time and gets her rhythm. Defensively, she can be a real problem for opponents, as she defends the ball well, but is even better one pass away, getting steals/deflections. [player_tooltip player_id="35071" first="Melina" last="Wilkison"], 2021, 5-5 SG, Greensburg H.S. Melina hasn’t been a big travel ball kid in the past, so if you haven’t seen Greensburg play, you likely haven’t seen her. She is a really nice athlete, quick/fast in all directions, and she plays with a nice motor. She is great in transition, very good off the bounce in the half-court, but she can also knock down the occasional open 3-pointer, though she’s much more comfortable going to the rim. I also like her value as a versatile defender who can both guard the ball and create turnover opportunities for her team, helping them get out in transition. [player_tooltip player_id="97261" first="Koryn" last="Greiwe"], 2022, 5-7 CG, Columbus East H.S. Koryn has been one of the most productive players in the 2022 class so far. She is a fairly strong, quietly tough, but aggressive combo guard who does most things well. She has improved her handle and can run offense at times, but with her ability to shoot/score it, I would want to set her up most of the time. She is a good outside shooter with range, she is strong attacking the basket, and she is an outstanding free throw shooter when she draws contact. I think what has impressed me the most in the last year is her improved decision-making, as her turnovers went down significantly and her assists went up. [player_tooltip player_id="61080" first="Annika" last="Marlow"], 2022, 5-4 PG, Rushville Consolidated H.S. Annika is a really nice, traditional, pass-first point guard who plays with a tremendous understanding of the game. She takes care of the ball exceptionally well for a younger player, but she can also be aggressive at times and score the ball at all three levels. She has good quickness, she can get by defenders and collapse the defense, but she’s also a nice perimeter shooter who can keep defenses off-balance. As a defender herself, she understands angles and rotations, plus she does a nice job off the ball of affecting passing/driving lanes. [player_tooltip player_id="59745" first="Taylor" last="Farris"], 2023, 5-8 SG, Northeastern H.S. Taylor is a hidden gem out near the state line by Ohio, who I think if she was at a high-level Class 4A school, she would have still been an impact player as a Freshman. She has some similarities physically and athletically to 2023 twins [player_tooltip player_id="59775" first="Hailey" last="Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="59776" first="Olivia" last="Smith"] of Fishers High School. Taylor is a strong, athletic, and versatile wing guard. She can run offense on occasion, she’s a playmaker off the bounce and can create for herself or others, plus she can knock down the occasional open jumper and is a good free throw shooter. I also like her versatility defensively, as she can defend multiple positions. [player_tooltip player_id="96080" first="Isabella" last="Gizzi"], 2023, 5-6 PG, New Palestine H.S. Isabella had a really nice Freshman season, capped off by an impressive Sectional run in which she scored 19 points in an opening round upset of 22-2 Mount Vernon (Fortville), followed by a 21-point Sectional Semi-Final outing against Pendleton Heights in which she was 17-18 from the free throw line. Isabella is an extremely long, fluid, and fairly smooth lefty who does a solid job of running offense, but she could work on her all-around consistency. I think as she gets stronger, that will come, as will her perimeter jumper. She has really nice shooting mechanics and was good from the line all season.   Other Noteworthy Guards: [player_tooltip player_id="99396" first="Kyra" last="Baker"], 2021, Franklin Community H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="35044" first="Taylor" last="Cooney"], 2021, Greensburg H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99388" first="Kylie" last="Davis"], 2021, Pendleton Heights H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99419" first="Ava" last="Gardner"], 2021, Frankton H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99430" first="Taylor" last="Heath"], 2021, Triton Central H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130354" first="Addyson" last="Kent"], 2021, Jennings County H.S. Annelise Lollar, 2021, Edinburgh H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130396" first="Ajah" last="Orr"], 2021, Richmond H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99401" first="Elizabeth" last="Reece"], 2021, Yorktown H.S. Madison Thompson, 2021, Wapahani H.S. Ellie Bigelow, 2022, Greenwood Christian Academy [player_tooltip player_id="128165" first="Hope" last="Fox"], 2022, East Central H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="97269" first="Gracie" last="Gilland"], 2022, Delta H.S. Ashley Nobbe, 2022, Batesville H.S. Jada Stansberry, 2022, Alexandria-Monroe H.S. Annabelle Williams, 2022, Jac-Cen-Del H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128168" first="Olivia" last="Yager"], 2022, Rushville Consolidated H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="127221" first="Kylee" last="Edwards"], 2023, Shelbyville H.S.