Laniah Willis showed why Butler made a strong pickup in her recruitment. Willis brought athleticism, skill, and competitiveness to the Midwest Challenge while proving she belongs among the top players in Indiana.

Willis played with confidence offensively and showed the ability to create opportunities for herself and her teammates. Her quickness and ability to attack defenders made her difficult to contain, and she consistently applied pressure on opposing defenses.

Defensively, Willis competed with energy and effort while staying engaged throughout the game. Watching online, her overall presence and impact were easy to notice because of the pace and intensity she played with. She looked comfortable competing against elite talent and continued to make plays throughout the showcase.

A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted the tremendous career Laniah put together for the Lady Bulldogs. This season alone, she averaged 26.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. For her career, she has amassed 2407 points, 1402 rebounds, and 213 steals, helping Lapel to an 84-27 record over her four years, including three Sectional titles, three Regional titles, and a State Finals appearance. This Butler-bound forward is extremely long, very athletic, and always active. She has worked hard on her handle and perimeter shot, plus she’s a monster inside.

Butler commit and Indiana Miss Basketball runner-up, Laniyah Wills, represents Lapel High School in the 2026 IHSAA state tournament.

Laniah is wrapping up her senior season leading the team, averaging 26 ppg for the second straight year on 60% shooting from the field, 12.6 rebs, and 2.3 steals. Laniah has earned herself a top-15 spot in the state and a top-5 spot in her position.

In the sectional rounds, we saw Laniah continue to dominate and lead. In the first game, she goes for 22 on 90% shooting, adding 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Next was the matchup against Taylor High School, which ended in a lopsided 74-10 win. Laniah will once again have an impressive night, scoring 28 points, going 10/15, adding 12 rebounds, and recording 4 steals. The third and final sectional game, Laniah recorded her 3rd double double of the tournament— a stat she’s ranked top 30 in, with 23 pts, 12 boards, and 2 steals and blocks.

Last weekend, the lapel bulldogs were regional champs again after a heartbreaking end to the season last year. We saw them take on the #9 2A-ranked Rensselaer Central bombers. Bulldogs go on to win by 21, 63-42. Laniah ended the game coming up big on the boards on both ends of the floor with 19. Laniah would also end that game, contributing another 20 points.

As lapel looks to get back to the state championship game, they will meet the #3-ranked school in the 2A division, Bremen High School. This semi-state game will take place this weekend in Frankfort @10 am.

I almost feel like Laniah will be penalized a bit for doing too much work too early, as she helped Lapel to a Class 2A State Runner-Up finish as a Freshman. Since then, they have won 2 Sectional titles and a Regional title, so if she can help keep the Bulldogs alive a couple more weekends this season, it could only help her profile. The other thing working against her are the other Central Indiana candidates on this list. Coaches can only vote for one person, and there are four to at least consider from Central Indiana/Indianapolis. But Wills has compiled quite the career stat sheet. She has scored more than 2300 points, grabbed more than 1300 rebounds, and stolen the ball 200+ times, plus she is a 57% field goal shooter for her career.

Laniah has been a monster at the high school level ever since her Freshman year. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, and very athletic. She is a relentless rebounder, and that’s where I feel like she can really help this team. She is someone who can go get a board, and she can keep possessions alive at the offensive end because of it. She has amassed more than 1300 rebounds and nearly 2300 points throughout her career, and those numbers don’t lie. For her career, she has averaged 21.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 57% from the field. Laniah is committed to Butler University.

If anyone can compete with, and even surpass, Shirley’s (above) production in this 2026 class, look no farther than Laniah Wills. Laniah has been a monster since her Freshman year, when she helped lead Lapel to the State Finals. She is a double-double machine, so athletic, and she has continued to sharpen her skillset as she’s gotten older. This season, for example, she’s shooting a career-best 84% from the charity stripe while knocking down 76 of them already. For her career, she is already over 2000 points, 1200 rebounds, and she’s once again averaging impressive numbers (28.1 ppg, 13.7 rpg) as a Senior.

Laniah has always been extremely long and wiry, she is a bouncy prospect, and she plays with a great deal of versatility. Yesterday, she was engaged the entire time, always trying to make a play. She handled the ball quite a bit, and she was more aggressive at trying to score it from the perimeter. She has normally been most comfortable around the paint and mid-post, but as she continues to tighten her skillset and prove she can be a consistent perimeter scorer and defender, opponents are having to defend too many things, now.