Week-6 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Program Finds Seven Preps Accepting Honors
Week-6 saw several incredible scoring performances, especially in Districts 1 and 2. There were also a number of double-doubles, school records, and 1000-point achievements to be considered amongst all of the nominees provided this week. In the end, seven individuals stood out as IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week this term.
Penn Junior Markus Burton, Tri-Central Senior Jake Chapman, Edinburgh Junior Caleb Dewey, Homestead Senior Ayanna Patterson, Winchester Junior Caitlyn Campbell, Northwestern Junior McKenna Layden, and Owen Valley Junior Reagan Martin have been selected as recipients for Dec. 6-Dec. 11 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Burton is the boys’ winner, and Patterson is the girls’ winner in District-1. Chapman takes boys’ honors in District-2, while Campbell and Layden share girls’ honors in District-2. Dewey and Martin are the boys’ and girls’ selections, respectively, in District-3.
The Penn Kingsmen picked up a pair of wins last week, pushing their record to 5-0, and Junior Markus Burton was a big part of that success. In a Northern Indiana Conference matchup Tuesday night at New Prairie, the Kingsmen walked away with a lopsided win, earning their second NIC victory of the young season. The 5-10 guard was everywhere, scoring 32 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out six assists, and collecting 10 thefts to post a rare point-steal double-double.
Friday, Penn returned to the court for a neighborly matchup with Concord, again finding success in the way of a 58-40 win. Burton again played much bigger than his size might suggest, scoring another 30 points on the evening. He also collected seven more rebounds, while adding five assists and four steals to his stat-line.
The Homestead Spartans have hit their stride, winning five in a row, including three victories last week, while Senior Ayanna Patterson continues to provide mismatch problems for Spartan opponents. Tuesday evening, Homestead knocked off a talented South Bend Washington team, 65-52, with Patterson posting her first double-double of the week. She reached the mark by scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the win, plus she blocked a pair of shots.
Friday, in a Summit Conference game at Bishop Dwenger, Patterson was even better. The 6-3 forward scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, finishing the game with her second double-double in as many tries on the week. She also protected the paint with three more blocked shots in the effort, helping Homestead to a 4-0 conference record thus far.
Saturday, the Spartans took on the Notre Dame Academy from Toledo, Ohio, and Homestead proved its dominance, winning 71-36. Patterson, a University of Connecticut commit, saved her best for last, scoring 33 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking four more shots in success. It marked her third double-double in three games last week.
Tri-Central and Senior Jake Chapman played just one game last week, but they knocked off a solid Eastern (Greentown) squad, 81-67, in a high-scoring affair Friday evening. Chapman, a 6-3 wing, was 12-21 from the field, 3-5 from deep, and he knocked down a solid 12-15 from the charity stripe on his way to 39 points in their opening Hoosier Heartland Conference contest. Chapman also found time to snag 13 rebounds and hand out a pair of assists in the triumph.
Winchester Junior Caitlyn Campbell put together one of the most consistently impressive weeks of the season to date, doing a little of everything to help the Golden Falcons to a 3-0 record. Tuesday, at South Adams, Winchester began their week with a 65-37 win against the host Starfires. In that matchup, Campbell scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out five assists, and picked up three steals.
On Thursday evening, the Golden Falcons hosted a worthy Wapahani team, again finishing the night with a comfortable 60-40 victory. Campbell, a 5-11 wing, was again a top performer, posting a double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds in the convincing win. She also contributed four assists, a pair of steals, and a pair of blocked shots.
Finally, on Saturday, Winchester pushed their overall record to 10-0 on the season, easily taking care of Cambridge City Lincoln. Campbell was again impressive, putting together yet another double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Junior wing also managed six assists, eight steals, and a pair of blocked shots in limited minutes.
Northwestern Junior McKenna Layden had a record-setting performance last week, as the Tigers knocked off Taylor by a 79-44 margin. In that contest, the 6-2 wing set the single-game school record with 47 points, surpassing the mark (40 pts.) previously set by her older sister, Madison. On the evening, McKenna was 17-24 from the field, a scorching 9-12 from 3-point range, and 4-5 from the free throw line. The nine made 3-pointers were also a school record, again passing her older sister’s seven makes. The Purdue University commit also grabbed nine rebounds and collected six steals in victory.
In their only game of the week last week, Edinburgh and Junior Caleb Dewey picked up their second Mid-Hoosier Conference win of the year and pushed their record to 5-0, with a 67-57 win against North Decatur. The 6-3 guard scored a career high 36 points in the effort, plus he posted a double-double with the 10 caroms he collected. And if that wasn’t enough, the Junior guard managed to find teammates for scores on three more occasions, while also collecting six steals in success.
With double-doubles seemingly being a trend this past week, Owen Valley Junior Reagan Martin contributed a pair of her own in two games last week. First, in a narrow 52-49 loss at the hands of the Bloomington North Cougars Tuesday night, Martin scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Martin was 3-5 from deep and 7-8 from the free throw line, plus she added an assist and a steal in defeat.
In a nice bounce-back game Friday evening, the Lady Patriots knocked off Brown County, 49-44. Martin was again highly productive for Owen Valley, scoring 27 points and collecting 13 rebounds. The 5-11 forward also handed out three assists and blocked a shot, as the Patriots picked up a big Western Indiana Conference victory.
This is the 14th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but just the second season it is being presented by Franciscan Health, a corporate sponsor of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
Player of the Week winners are chosen each week from each of the IHSAA’s three districts. Girls’ winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Girls State Finals. Boys’ winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Boys State Finals.
Other Top Nominees for Week-6 (2021-22)
District-1 Boys: Brayden Betzner, Maconaquah; Connor Essegian, Central Noble; Tyson Good, Lewis Cass; Brycen Hannah, John Glenn; Brauntae Johnson, Fort Wayne North Side; Ben Keil, Lakeland; Fletcher Loyer, Homestead; Luke McBride, Norwell; Marcus Northern, South Bend Washington; Matthew Ross, Peru.
District-1 Girls: Ana Blakely, Marquette Catholic; Jessica Carrothers, Crown Point; Destini Craig, Fort Wayne Snider; Aliyah Hershberger, Concord; Lilly Maple, Maconaquah; Kaydence Mellott, Tippecanoe Valley; Morgan Ostrowski, Garrett; Mila Reynolds, South Bend Washington; Jessie Ringen, Rensselaer Central; Zoe Willems, Bethany Christian.
District-2 Boys: Isaac Andrews, Wapahani; Clayton Bridwell, Twin Lakes; Luke Carroll, Hamilton Heights; Ryan Conwell, Pike; Elhadj Diallo, Brownsburg; Dylan Puent, Indiana Deaf; A.J. Roseman, Bishop Chatard; Braden Smith, Westfield; Wyatt Thornburgh, Blue River Valley; Reis Walker, Speedway.
District-2 Girls: Mariah Claywell, Union City; Kendall Davison, Clinton Central; Malaysha Flanagan, Indianapolis Washington; Kenzie Fulks, Bethesda Christian; Alli Harness, Carroll (Flora); Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central; Ally Madden, Blue River Valley; Riley Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern; Ashlee Schram, Tipton; Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville.
District-3 Boys: Peyton Bledsoe, Loogootee; Jackson Bobo, Lawrenceburg; Cam Craig, Switzerland County; Parker Davis, Southwestern (Hanover); Josiah Dunham, Evansville Christian; Baylin Graf, Bloomfield; Hunter Johnson, South Decatur; Cade Jones, Eastern (Pekin); Branden Northern, Silver Creek; Trent Sisley, Heritage Hills.
District-3 Girls: Alivia Elmore, Jennings County; Lauren Foster, Indian Creek; Hope Fox, East Central; Emily Mattingly, Evansville Memorial; Madelyn Poe, Hauser; Ellie Richardson, Scottsburg; Gracie Shorter, Sullivan; Saige Stahl, Columbus East; Zoe Stewart, Terre Haute North Vigo; Linzie Wernert, Lanesville.
2021-22 Weekly Winners
Nov. 1-Nov. 6: District-1 girls: Mila Reynolds, South Bend Washington. District-2 girls: Emily Livingston, Union City. District–3 girls: Kyia McKinley, Eastern (Pekin).
Nov. 8-Nov. 13: District-1 girls: Julia Mantyla, Northridge. District-2 girls: Isabella Gizzi, New Palestine. District–3 girls: Zoe Stewart, Terre Haute North Vigo.
Nov. 15-Nov. 20: District-1 girls: Asia Donald, Hobart. District-2 girls: Adrianne Tolen, West Lafayette. District–3 girls: Bailey Tabeling, Trinity Lutheran.
Nov. 22-Nov. 27: District-1 boys: Joe Reidy, Woodlan. District-1 girls: RaShunda Jones, South Bend Washington. District–2 boys: Ryan Conwell, Pike. District-2 girls: Camryn Wise, Wapahani. District-3 boys: Hunter Johnson, South Decatur. District–3 girls: Saige Stahl, Columbus East.
Nov. 29-Dec. 4: District-1 boys: Fletcher Loyer, Homestead. District-1 girls: Nevaeh Foster, Mishawaka Marian. District–2 boys: Brady Ruggles, Danville. District-2 girls: Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville. District-3 boys: Wes Aigner, Castle. District–3 girls: Macey Timberman, Northview.
Dec. 6-Dec. 11: District-1 boys: Markus Burton, Penn. District-1 girls: Ayanna Patterson, Homestead. District–2 boys: Jake Chapman, Tri-Central. District-2 girls: Caitlyn Campbell, Winchester, and McKenna Layden, Northwestern. District-3 boys: Caleb Dewey, Edinburgh. District–3 girls: Reagan Martin, Owen Valley.
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