The Region (Northwest Indiana)
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The featured image is of Natalie Robinson Natalie Robinson 6'0" | PF Marquette Catholic | 2025 State IN (2025) of Marquette Catholic High School. Over the five years I have been with Prep Girls Hoops, I have taken a moment…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Natalie Robinson Natalie Robinson 6'0" | PF Marquette Catholic | 2025 State IN (2025) of Marquette Catholic High School.
Over the five years I have been with Prep Girls Hoops, I have taken a moment each year to introduce different areas of the state and their top prospects. I wanted to again work through that this Fall and offer you a much more detailed look at the Hoosier State’s different regions and the prospects who should shine this Winter throughout those regions. For many years now, it has been heavily debated as to what area the nickname “The Region” truly refers to, and it seems like anyone and everyone from Northwest Indiana has their own definition of this. Officially, any town located within the Chicago Metropolitan Area is a part of “The Region”. This includes all of Lake County in Indiana, which is home to towns like Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Merrillville, Munster, and Whiting.
While I realize it’s a little hypocritical to the above information, in an attempt to bring more attention to lesser-known prospects, we are going to expand the reach of this article like we did with Evansville and Fort Wayne, and we’ll consider ladies from any of the Northwest Indiana counties who are located within the Central Time Zone. This means players from Jasper, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, and Starke counties will also be eligible here.
Year after year Northwest Indiana turns out several talented basketball players and teams, and they tend to be overlooked, underappreciated, and unfortunately feel “less-included” at times from statewide polls, honors, and awards. In general, I think a lack of familiarity with this area of the state contributes to this. At the same time, recent prospects like Riley Ott (LaPorte 2019), Dash Shaw (Crown Point 2020), Courtney Blakely (Hammond Bishop Noll 2021), Trinity Thompson (Michigan City 2021), and Jessica Carrothers (Crown Point 2022) all grew up in Northwest Indiana. All of those ladies were Indiana All-Stars and/or are playing college basketball.
However, year after year there are many other quality players in Northwest Indiana who often go underrecruited, so I encourage small colleges to drive up I-65 or across U.S. 30 a couple of times each high school season to check out the area teams. Below, I wanted to take the time to highlight a handful of girls who may not often grab the spotlight, but who deserve their share of recognition for their basketball abilities. Not all of these girls are technically in “The Region”, but they are from the Northwest corner of Indiana.
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Nadia Clayton
Nadia
Clayton
5'7" | SG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-7 SG, Lake Central H.S.
– Nadia is a talented athlete who could probably participate in any number of track & field events. She has good speed and quickness, and she is an elite defender who can change a game at that end of the floor. She does a nice job defending the ball, she shows good balance and change-of-direction ability, plus she plays with a motor and toughness. Offensively, her handle has improved, and she attacks the basket with aggression. She is primed for a strong Senior season on the talented Lady Indians’ team.
Ava Kingery
Ava
Kingery
5'2" | PG
Portage | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-2 PG, Portage H.S.
– Ava isn’t very big, but she has a nice skillset and athleticism. She is quick, feisty, and very active at both ends of the floor. Offensively, she is a scoring point guard who can fill it up with deep range, or she can go by defenders who over-pursue. She will find open teammates in positions to score, as well. Defensively, she is quick and active on the ball, but she’s actually probably better one pass away, making a number of plays on passing lanes, causing steals/deflections. She could have a huge Senior year.
Morgan White
Morgan
White
5'9" | SF
New Prairie | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-9 SF, New Prairie H.S.
– Morgan stepped up this Spring & Summer and put together a strong grassroots season. She has a solid to strong frame, she plays with physicality, and she has a nice, versatile, multilevel game. She can play in the mid-post, pursue rebounds, and attack from 15-feet. She also has touch around the perimeter, plus she can handle the ball, create a little, and find open teammates. She could stand to be a little quicker laterally, especially defensively, but she has improved that part of her game.
Maddie Walton
Maddie
Walton
6'0" | C
Andrean | 2025
IN
, 2025, 6-0 C, Andrean H.S.
– Maddie was able to spend the last couple of seasons growing and developing in the 59ers lineup, but this coming season she could be a breakout performer offensively. She has good size, athletic strength, and she can run and jump. She has always been more of a defender/rebounder type, but last year she began scoring the ball more consistently. This coming season, I would expect her to be a walking double-double most nights. She is a really nice, hidden talent in Northwest Indiana.
Jordan Steele
Jordan
Steele
5'8" | SG
Highland | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-7 SG, Highland H.S.
– Jordan got her feet wet last season as a Freshman, and she was noticeably better and more comfortable after Christmas. She is a very good lefty shooter with some range and a quick release. Her shot selection could improve a little, but some of that is youthfulness, and when she is set and in rhythm, she is almost automatic. She is also a nice athlete who can attack the basket North/South, plus she’s a willing and capable defender. Due to significant graduation losses, Jordan could be a high teens scorer as a Sophomore.
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Additional Northwest Indiana Prospects in Our Rankings for 2024-2026:
Aniyah Bishop
Aniyah
Bishop
5'10" | SF
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Lake Central H.S.
Kennedy Blakely
Kennedy
Blakely
5'8" | SF
Hammond Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Hammond Central H.S.
Ciara Bonner
Ciara
Bonner
5'7" | CG
Chesterton | 2024
IN
, 2024, Chesterton H.S.
Kennedie Burks
Kennedie
Burks
5'3" | PG
Lake Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Lake Central H.S.
Lyric Carpenter
Lyric
Carpenter
5'8" | SF
Kankakee Valley | 2024
TX
, 2024, Kankakee Valley H.S.
Sincere Coleman-Francis
Sincere
Coleman-Francis
5'9" | SF
La Lumiere Prep | 2024
IN
, 2024, La Lumiere Preparatory
Morgan Downs
Morgan
Downs
5'7" | SF
Knox | 2024
IN
, 2024, Knox H.S.
Skylar Ferry
Skylar
Ferry
5'8" | SG
Hanover Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Hanover Central H.S.
Jayden Flagg
Jayden
Flagg
5'6" | PG
New Prairie | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, New Prairie H.S.
Shena Fleming
Shena
Fleming
5'8" | SF
La Lumiere Prep | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, La Lumiere Preparatory
Becca Gerdt
Becca
Gerdt
6'0" | PF
Valparaiso | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Valparaiso H.S.
Faith Harrison
Faith
Harrison
6'0" | PF
Lake Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Lake Central H.S.
Aniyah Henry
Aniyah
Henry
5'8" | SF
Hammond Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Hammond Central H.S.
Peyton Honchar
Peyton
Honchar
5'11" | PF
Morgan Township | 2024
IN
, 2024, Morgan Township H.S.
Aaliyah Keil
Aaliyah
Keil
5'7" | SG
Highland | 2024
IN
, 2024, Highland H.S.
Sadie Marks
Sadie
Marks
5'9" | PF
South Central (Union Mills) | 2024
IN
, 2024, South Central H.S. (Union Mills)
Riley Milausnic
Riley
Milausnic
5'7" | CG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Lake Central H.S., committed to Purdue University Northwest
Maddy Murray
Maddy
Murray
5'9" | SG
Kankakee Valley | 2024
IN
, 2024, Kankakee Valley H.S.
Makenna Schleman
Makenna
Schleman
6'1" | C
North Newton | 2024
IN
, 2024, North Newton H.S.
Miya Simmons
Miya
Simmons
5'7" | SG
La Lumiere Prep | 2024
IN
, 2024, La Lumiere Preparatory
Kayla Wilkerson
Kayla
Wilkerson
5'8" | SF
Lake Station Edison | 2024
IN
, 2024, Lake Station Edison H.S.
Miranda Wozniak
Miranda
Wozniak
5'7" | CG
Tri-Township | 2024
IN
, 2024, Tri-Township H.S.
Alante Wright
Alante
Wright
5'9" | SF
Portage | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Portage H.S.
Ava Ziolkowski
Ava
Ziolkowski
6'1" | PF
Crown Point | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Crown Point H.S., committed to Indiana Institute of Technology
Lindsay Arcella
Lindsay
Arcella
5'9" | SF
Andrean | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Andrean H.S.
Claire Bakker
Claire
Bakker
6'0" | PF
DeMotte Christian | 2025
IN
, 2025, DeMotte Christian H.S.
Sophie Bakker
Sophie
Bakker
5'11" | SF
DeMotte Christian | 2025
IN
, 2025, DeMotte Christian H.S.
Andrea Benefield
Andrea
Benefield
6'1" | PF
Westville | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Westville H.S.
Jiselle Chabes
Jiselle
Chabes
5'6" | CG
Marquette Catholic | 2025
IN
, 2025, Marquette Catholic H.S.
Ava Dase
Ava
Dase
6'3" | C
Kankakee Valley | 2025
IN
, 2025, Kankakee Valley H.S.
Carly Drone
Carly
Drone
6'0" | PF
Rensselaer Central | 2025
IN
, 2025, Rensselaer Central H.S.
Nina Garner
Nina
Garner
6'0" | SF
Munster | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Munster H.S.
Paulecia Isom
Paulecia
Isom
5'3" | CG
Michigan City | 2025
IN
, 2025, Michigan City H.S.
Clair Klinger
Clair
Klinger
5'5" | CG
Washington Township | 2025
IN
, 2025, Washington Township H.S.
Ayla Krygier
Ayla
Krygier
6'0" | SF
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lake Central H.S.
Bryn Leonard
Bryn
Leonard
5'7" | PG
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lake Central H.S.
Gracie Little
Gracie
Little
5'7" | CG
Washington Township | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Washington Township H.S.
Kahlen Robinson
Kahlen
Robinson
5'6" | PG
Thea Bowman | 2025
IN
, 2025, Thea Bowman Academy
Natalie Robinson
Natalie
Robinson
6'0" | PF
Marquette Catholic | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Marquette Catholic H.S.
Cori Schultz
Cori
Schultz
5'9" | SF
Chesterton | 2025
IN
, 2025, Chesterton H.S.
Isabella Soria
Isabella
Soria
5'11" | SF
Lake Central | 2025
IN
, 2025, Lake Central H.S.
Taylor Van Meter
Taylor
Van Meter
5'11" | SF
Rensselaer Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Rensselaer Central H.S.
Victoria Velez, 2025, Whiting H.S.
Kylie Wells
Kylie
Wells
5'10" | SF
Merrillville | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Merrillville H.S.
Vanessa Wimberly
Vanessa
Wimberly
5'5" | PG
Lake Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lake Central H.S.
Divine Woods
Divine
Woods
5'7" | SF
Michigan City | 2025
IN
, 2025, Michigan City H.S.
Lillian Barnes
Lillian
Barnes
5'11" | SF
Valparaiso | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Valparaiso H.S.
Kenedi Bradley
Kenedi
Bradley
5'8" | CG
Chesterton | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Chesterton H.S.
Cadynce Clark
Cadynce
Clark
5'8" | CG
Valparaiso | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Valparaiso H.S.
Laniah Davis
Laniah
Davis
5'8" | SG
Marquette Catholic | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Marquette Catholic H.S.
Tenley Davis
Tenley
Davis
6'1" | PF
Chesterton | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Chesterton H.S.
Gracyn Gilliard
Gracyn
Gilliard
5'10" | SG
Munster | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Munster H.S.
Indiah Hutchinson
Indiah
Hutchinson
5'11" | SF
Hammond Central | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Hammond Central H.S.
Arroya Mongerie
Arroya
Mongerie
5'8" | SG
Munster | 2026
IN
, 2026, Munster H.S.
Kamri Rowland
Kamri
Rowland
5'8" | SG
Rensselaer Central | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Rensselaer Central H.S.
Melaney Williams
Melaney
Williams
5'11" | PF
Merrillville | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Merrillville H.S.
Ellah Young
Ellah
Young
5'7" | SG
Kouts | 2026
IN
, 2026, Kouts H.S.