Barnhizer, Carrothers Emerge Again During Week-8 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Award
Due to the holiday break, Week-8 saw a much smaller slate of games, as there were only four days available to play with Christmas Eve and Christmas tucked in between. Still, though, six more Hoosier hoopers from around the state were selected as recipients for the Week-8 IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week award. We have another Freshman making a splash in her first nomination, plus two more repeat winners from earlier this season.
Homestead Senior Luke Goode, Lafayette Jefferson Senior Brooks Barnhizer, Barr-Reeve Senior Curt Hopf, Crown Point Junior Jessica Carrothers, Fishers Senior Katie Burton, and Jennings County Freshman Juliann Woodard have been selected as honorees for Dec. 21-Dec. 26 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Goode is the boys’ winner, and Carrothers is the girls’ winner in District-1. Barnhizer and Burton are the boys’ and girls’ recipients, respectively, in District-2. Hopf earns top boys’ honors, and Woodard earns top girls’ honors in District-3.
Homestead’s Luke Goode put together a pair of nice efforts last Tuesday at the Carroll Classic. In their first game of the day, the Spartans held off a feisty Warren Central bunch, beating the Warriors by a narrow 63-60 margin. The Senior guard scored a team-high 21 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds and handing out five assists in victory. Additionally, Goode buried four 3-pointers.
During the Spartans’ second game, the 6-6 Senior got hot, knocking down eight of 12 shots from the field, seven of 10 from long range, on his way to 25 points, as Homestead took care of a talented Brownsburg team, 81-55. Goode, a University of Illinois commit, also snagged eight rebounds and dished out six assists, as #4 Homestead moved to 9-0 on the season.
In her only contest of the week, Crown Point Junior Jessica Carrothers posted a double-double and her second-highest point total of the season, knocking down 13 field goals and a pair of 3-pointers in scoring 28 points for the Bulldogs. The 5-7 guard also grabbed 11 rebounds, completing the double-double, plus she added three assists and three steals for good measure, as #1 Crown Point took care of Hammond Bishop Noll, 81-47, to move to 8-0 at the midway point of the season. Carrothers also claimed District-1 girls’ honors during Week-4.
Lafayette Jefferson’s Brooks Barnhizer was also a Week-4 winner, but as the District-2 recipient on the boys’ side. To win the Week-8 award, the 6-6 wing was again electric over the weekend, helping the #9 Bronchos to an easy, 81-54 win against Indianapolis Shortridge. Barnhizer was 13-19 from the field, 2-4 from deep, and 8-10 from the free throw line, as he poured in 36 points in the win. His 13 rebounds and 11 assists completed the rare triple-double, plus he added four steals and three blocked shots during the contest. Like Goode (above), Barnhizer is headed to the Big Ten, as he has committed to play at Northwestern University.
Fishers Senior Katie Burton is another player used to putting up big efforts in tough games, and last Monday she did just that, as the #5 Tigers knocked off previously unbeaten Frankton (13-1), 71-62. The 5-9 guard was steady shooting it, knocking down 13-20 shots from the field, 2-3 from long range, plus she made 3-4 from the charity stripe, scoring 31 points in success. Burton, who has committed to the Big East’s St. John’s University, collected 10 caroms to post a double-double, plus she added a pair of assists and a pair of steals, helping the Tigers move to 11-1 this year.
It’s not often these days that you see a Class 1A school travel more than two hours to take on a Class 4A heavyweight, but #11 Barr-Reeve did just that last Wednesday afternoon as they took on the 9-0, #1 Carmel Greyhounds. In what turned out to be an outstanding game, Vikings’ Senior Curt Hopf nearly led the Vikings to victory, but Barr-Reeve fell just short, losing 57-55 in overtime. The 6-8 forward was tremendously productive against Carmel’s sizeable frontline, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in defeat. Hopf has given a commitment to play at Bellarmine University next season.
Double-doubles have seemingly become the norm for Jennings County Freshman Juliann Woodard, having posted six in the first nine games of her rookie season. But last week she had a pair of huge double-doubles in a couple of hard-fought wins for the Lady Panthers. Monday, they hosted Hoosier Hills Conference foe Madison, and behind Woodard’s 24 points and 17 rebounds, the Panthers took a 56-50 triumph over the Cubs. Woodard was a solid 10-17 from the field, she buried her first 3-pointer of the season, and she made 3-4 from the free throw line.
The very next day, Jennings County hosted Class 3A power Greensburg (6-1), handing the Pirates their first loss of the season in another tightly contested matchup, 54-50. Woodard did all of her damage from the floor, making 11-16 shots, on her way to 22 points in the win. The 5-11 Freshman front-liner also found her way to 10 rebounds.
This is the 13th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but the first season it is 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-8 (2020-21)
District-1 Boys: Quintin Floyd, Gary 21st Century; Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian; Jamie Hodges Jr., Michigan City; Drew Hogan, Goshen; Jalen Jackson, Carroll (Fort Wayne); J.R. Konieczny, South Bend Saint Joseph; Christopher Mantis, Lowell; Malachi Pearson, Logansport; Cy Sammons, South Newton; Blake Wesley, South Bend Riley.
District-1 Girls: Addi Baker, Northfield; Courtney Blakely, Hammond Bishop Noll; Emme Boots, Bluffton; Lillian Mast, West Noble; Colleen Miller, Northridge; Alea Minnich, NorthWood; Logan Mouser, Peru; MaKaya Porter, Mishawaka Marian; Alivia Short, Wabash; Brynn Shoup-Hill, Goshen.
District-2 Boys: Luke Brown, Blackford; Aidan Cannon, Cardinal Ritter; Ryan Conwell, Pike; Champ Ellis, Union (Modoc); Elijah Mattingly, Central Christian; Logan Pinkerton, Covington; Hunter Pogue, North White; Jayden Taylor, Perry Meridian; Jackson Ullom, Monroe Central; Brody Whitaker, Greencastle.
District-2 Girls: Maci Chamberlin, Blue River Valley; Alyssa Crockett, Westfield; Natalie Howard, Ben Davis; Emma Litzelman, Cardinal Ritter; Skylie Lutz, Union City; Olivia Nickerson, Twin Lakes; Katey Richason, Zionsville; Renna Schwieterman, Jay County; Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville; Megan Wagner, Carroll (Flora).
District-3 Boys: Matthew Arthur, New Washington; Silas Bauer, Loogootee; Peyton Bledsoe, Loogootee; Hayden Cutter, Scottsburg; Cameron Gehlhausen, Evansville North; Drake Moore, Morristown; Treyton Owens, Scottsburg; Lane Sparks, Greensburg; Kolden Vanlandingham, Northeastern.
District-3 Girls: Kuryn Brunson, Franklin Community; Diana Burgher, North Harrison; Braylyn Clendenen, Whiteland; Lauren Foster, Indian Creek; Madison Gray, Union County; Paige Ledford, Jac-Cen-Del; Chloe McKnight, Bedford North Lawrence; Kaybree Oxley, Tecumseh; Isabella Reed, Greenwood Christian; Gracie Shorter, Sullivan.
2020-21 Weekly Winners
Nov. 2-Nov. 7: District-1 girls: Courtney Blakely, Bishop Noll. District-2 girls: Olivia Nickerson, Twin Lakes. District–3 girls: Hope Fox, East Central.
Nov. 9-Nov. 14: District-1 girls: Mariah Wyatt, Wabash. District-2 girls: Tyra Ford, Anderson, and McKenna Layden, Northwestern. District-3 girls: Rebekah Gordon, Heritage Hills.
Nov. 16-Nov. 21: District-1 girls: De’Mour Watson, Elkhart. District-2 girls: Erikka Hill, Shenandoah. District-3 girls: Gracie Adams, Lanesville.
Nov. 23-Nov. 28: District-1 boys: Cole Wireman, Kouts. District-1 girls: Jessica Carrothers, Crown Point. District-2 boys: Brooks Barnhizer, Lafayette Jefferson, and Gus Etchison, Hamilton Heights. District-2 girls: Jayla Smith, Lawrence North. District-3 boys: Kooper Jacobi, Silver Creek. District-3 girls: Sydney Jaynes, Trinity Lutheran.
Nov. 30-Dec. 5: District-1 boys: J.R. Konieczny, South Bend Saint Joseph. District-1 girls: Olivia Smith, Fort Wayne South Side. District-2 boys: Ian Scott, Plainfield. District-2 girls: Skylie Lutz, Union City. District-3 boys: Julian Norris, Evansville Bosse. District-3 girls: Kylee Edwards, Shelbyville.
Dec. 7-Dec. 12: District-1 boys: Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. District-1 girls: Ellia Foster, Bremen. District-2 boys: Brody Whitaker, Greencastle. District-2 girls: Ariana Wiggins, Heritage Christian. District-3 boys: Logan Rohrbacher, East Central. District-3 girls: Abby Fleetwood, Brown County.
Dec. 14-Dec. 19: District-1 boys: Christopher Mantis, Lowell. District-1 girls: Courtney Blakely, Hammond Bishop Noll. District-2 boys: Luke Brown, Blackford. District-2 girls: Alli Harness, Carroll (Flora). District-3 boys: Lane Sparks, Greensburg. District-3 girls: Isabella Reed, Greenwood Christian.
Dec. 21-Dec. 26: District-1 boys: Luke Goode, Homestead. District-1 girls: Jessica Carrothers, Crown Point. District-2 boys: Brooks Barnhizer, Lafayette Jefferson. District-2 girls: Katie Burton, Fishers. District-3 boys: Curt Hopf, Barr-Reeve. District-3 girls: Juliann Woodard, Jennings County.
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