Sister Act II

One of my first articles in August of 2018, when I began with Prep Girls Hoops Indiana, was a look at some sister duos who stood out throughout the state at that time. I wanted to revisit this topic, and I have found several more capable pairings who are worth noting in this article and one additional article I will put together later this month. Below is a look at five sets of sisters I wanted to highlight at this time.   The Bischoff Family It seems like there have already been five Bischoffs come through Roncalli, with five more to come in the near future. While I kid, at this time there are two who should be front and center for the Rebels during the 2020-2021 season. [player_tooltip player_id="62532" first="Madelyn" last="Bischoff"] (2021) has been a Varsity regular for three years now, and she has formed a nice duo with Eastern Illinois recruit [player_tooltip player_id="101422" first="Alana" last="Vinson"] (2020) in the past. But this coming year, Maddie will be relied upon much more heavily to carry the load. As a Junior, the versatile 5-10 guard scored 18.3 points per game, just a half point off of Vinson’s 18.8 scoring average. Maddie is extremely long, fluid, and smooth with the ball, but she’s a very good perimeter shooter as well. She has already drawn a few Division-I offers, and my gut tells me that if she would have gotten to play in "live" periods this Spring and Summer, that list would have grown fairly quickly because of her ability to really shoot the ball. Younger sister [player_tooltip player_id="59729" first="Savanna" last="Bischoff"] (2023) also saw quality minutes this past season, and she should inherit a bigger role moving forward. She too is a long, fluid, and fairly smooth combo guard, and I look for her to possibly up her scoring average into double digits this next year. The Blakely Family Already with 1594 points, 324 assists, and 270 steals, Bishop Noll’s [player_tooltip player_id="130311" first="Courtney" last="Blakely"] (2021) has put together an outstanding career in just three seasons. But she’s not done yet, as she looks to put an exclamation point on her Senior season. Courtney is an explosive shooter/scorer who can put up points in bunches. Whether she’s burying deep 3-point attempts or attacking the basket, she’s always a threat with the ball in her hands. What makes her more difficult to defend, is the fact that she’s a willing and capable passer as well, and she finds open teammates for easy baskets. Courtney has natural point guard skill and instincts, but the fact that Noll needs her to score a lot, the entrance of younger sister [player_tooltip player_id="177310" first="Kennedy" last="Blakely"] (2024) this year should be very welcomed. Kennedy has a lot of similarities to her sister, she’s skilled witht he ball, able to make shots as well, but as just a Freshman, I’d look for Kennedy to be more of a facilitator setting up Courtney and wing [player_tooltip player_id="62584" first="Rose" last="Fuentes"] (2021) on regular occasion. Courtney and Kennedy’s mother, Angela Hamblin-Blakely, was an Indiana All-Star at Gary Lew Wallace. She then went on to star at the University of Iowa and was drafted into the WNBA. She is currently the Head Coach at Calumet College of Saint Joseph in Whiting, Indiana. The Brooke Family Whether it’s girls’ basketball, football, or another sport, the Panthers of Pioneer High School have been in the sporting news a lot the last few years. This past season, the Lady Panthers were the Class 1A Runners-Up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and they look to have a shot at returning to Indianapolis each of the next couple of seasons. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="130403" first="Olivia" last="Brooke"] (2021) is one of the unsung heroes on their roster, as she isn’t terribly flashy but always comes to work. She’s a nice, wiry strong athlete who plays with a tremendous motor, defends multiple positions, and has a nose for the ball. She didn’t lead the team in scoring or rebounding, but her 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds were certainly contributing factors to their success. At just 5-9, Olivia led the team with an impressive 2.8 blocked shots per game. Younger sister [player_tooltip player_id="59732" first="Ashlynn" last="Brooke"] (2023) came in with a great deal more fanfare, having earned Division-I offers before playing a game. The 5-6 point guard is an exceptional shooter with range well-beyond the 3-point line, she has great vision as a passer, and she already plays with a veteran savvy. However, Ashlynn’s debut wasn’t until January 9, thanks to a July 2019 ACL injury. But she returned quickly and averaged 14.7 points and 2.4 steals in limited minutes. The future of the Lady Panthers looks very bright. The Striverson Family While they’ve only spent one year in Indiana high school basketball, [player_tooltip player_id="130316" first="Alana" last="Striverson"] (2021) and [player_tooltip player_id="128116" first="Kynidi" last="Striverson"] (2022) spent the 2019-2020 season torturing backcourts in Southern Indiana with their defensive aggressiveness and athleticism. Alana and Kynidi moved into Silver Creek High School last June after spending their previous years at Louisville’s Male High School. Alana is a strong, athletic scorer who can make shots around the perimeter but is better attacking the basket off the bounce and finishing through contact. She is an unselfish scorer, as evidenced by her 3.0 assists per game, but her 16.3 scoring average and 38% 3-point shooting (42 made 3s) suggest she’s much more valuable as a scorer, especially playing alongside her sister other quality guards the Dragons possess, like [player_tooltip player_id="62561" first="Jaclyn" last="Emly"] (2021) and [player_tooltip player_id="128122" first="Emme" last="Rooney"] (2022), just to name a couple. Kynidi, on the other hand, is more of a playmaker off the bounce. She has length, wiry strength, and she’s more of a fluid, shiftier guard who can create for herself or others. She dished out a team-high 4.7 assists per game, to go along with her 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 steals this year. Both girls have drawn a variety of college interest, with Kynidi even drawing some mid to high-major Division-I interest. But both girls are also high-academic prospects who could choose to find the best academic fit for themselves. The Traylor/Walker Family I’m guessing anyone "in the know" in regards to Indiana high school basketball knows who Kayana Traylor (Martinsville 2018/Purdue) is. Well, this is a story about her younger siblings. [player_tooltip player_id="62535" first="Pa’Shence" last="Walker"] (2021) is a very athletic slasher who has seen her career change from year to year. As a Freshman, she saw Varsity playing time, but she was more of a defensive presence at that point in time. As a Sophomore, the 5-8 guard scored the ball much more effectively, attacking the basket assertively, and knocking down the occasional jumper outside. As a Junior, though, she became a facilitator. Pa’Shence still showed the ability to score the ball in bunches, but she took care of it much better and found teammates regularly. One of those teammates is younger sister [player_tooltip player_id="97305" first="Ashlyn" last="Traylor"] (2022). Ashlyn also played quality minutes as a Freshman, but she too made that Sophomore jump and averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this past year. Ashlyn is a strong, rugged, tough-nosed wing who can play a little around the perimeter, she’s great in the mid-post, but she’s also tough inside and will play much bigger than she is. Her grit and determination really stands out at times. Then there is [player_tooltip player_id="59785" first="Adelyn" last="Walker"] (2023). She, like Ashlyn, is an inside-out wing with good strength, toughness, and physicality. Like her older sisters, she spent her Freshman year getting her feet wet on Varsity, and I’d anticipate her making a Sophomore leap in 2020-2021 like they did in past years.