Holiday Tourney Standouts Top Week-9 IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Nominees
Week-9 of the 2021-2022 basketball season saw a large number of holiday tournaments spread throughout the state. While temperatures outside begin to dip, the action inside heated up last week. In total, six more young men and women were selected as the Week-9 IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week in their respective districts.
Fort Wayne Snider Senior Karson Jenkins, Arsenal Tech Senior Reggie Bass, Brownstown Central Sophomore Jack Benter, Mishawaka Marian Junior MaKaya Porter, Blue River Valley Senior Ally Madden, and Jennings County Sophomore Juliann Woodard have been selected as recipients for Dec. 20-Jan. 1 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Jenkins and Porter take home boys’ and girls’ honors, respectively, in Disrtict-1. Bass is the boys’ winner, and Madden is the girls’ winner in District-2. Benter is the boys’ honoree, and Woodard is the girls’ honoree in District-3.
The Fort Wayne Snider Panthers participated in the Huntington North Tournament, finishing as the runners-up. Wednesday, in the opener, the Panthers knocked off host Huntington North in a tightly contested matchup, 68-66. Senior guard Karson Jenkins was strong in the outing, scoring 26 points, while also grabbing five rebounds and handing out five assists in the win.
Later that same day, Snider took on another strong opponent in Lake Central. Once again in a closely contested outcome, the Panthers left victorious, winning 70-63. Jenkins, a 6-1 guard, tossed in another 24 points. The Senior also managed six rebounds and found teammates on five more occasions for scores.
Thursday, in the tournament’s championship game, Snider unfortunately fell, 77-65, at the hands of a now 11-1 Fishers team. Jenkins once again led the Panthers, scoring 26 points, grabbing three rebounds, and picking off a pair of steals. The Senior guard is committed to attend Barry University next season.
The Mishawaka Marian Lady Knights spent their week at the Portage Tournament, finishing in 3rd place in the six-team tournament. The Knights opened up play Tuesday against Indianapolis Cathedral, pulling out a 79-75 nail-biter in overtime. Junior forward MaKaya Porter posted her first double-double of the event, scoring 29 points and securing 12 rebounds. She also managed six assists, three steals, and a blocked shot in the tight win.
The next day, Marian began play with a matchup against a very good Lake Central team, only to fall 41-37. Porter again posted a double-double, scoring 13 points and collecting 10 rebounds, but it just wasn’t enough. The 5-11 forward also handed out four assists, picked up three steals, and blocked a pair of shots in defeat.
Later Wednesday, in the 3rd place game, the Lady Knights played another close one, escaping with a 68-65 win over the McCutcheon Mavericks. Porter scored a game-high 28 points in the win. The Junior also found teammates for scores on six more occasions, grabbed three more steals, and blocked two more shots in success.
The Arsenal Tech Titans managed just one game last week, knocking off host Hammond Central on New Year’s Day, 85-84 in overtime. Senior Reggie Bass was impressive, scoring 32 points on 8-16 shooting, including 5-11 from downtown and 11-13 from the charity stripe. The 6-5 wing also grabbed seven rebounds, handed out nine assists, picked off a pair of steals, and blocked two shots in the victory.
The Lady Vikings of Blue River Valley traveled to Union City last week, winning the Union City Invitational in impressive fashion, and pushing their win streak to nine games in a row. In the opener Wednesday, the Vikings easily took care of the Indiana Math & Science Academy. Senior Ally Madden scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and collected four steals in limited action.
In the semifinal round on Thursday, Blue River matched up with Blackhawk Christian, winning by a comfortable 53-31 margin. The 6-2 post put together a nice double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds, as she simply adds to her collection of double-doubles over her career. Madden also managed a pair of assists, four steals, and five blocked shots in the win.
Later Thursday, in the championship, Adams Central couldn’t contain Blue River either, as the Vikings again won handily, this time 66-32. Madden was strong inside once more, scoring 27 points and snagging another nine rebounds. The Senior, committed to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, also handed out a pair of assists and picked up four steals in the title game.
Brownstown Central spent their time last week participating in the Bobcat of Daviess County Classic at North Daviess High School, where Sophomore Jack Benter continued to add to his stellar young résumé. The Braves opened their play Tuesday, with a nice 58-42 win against Rock Creek Academy. Benter was 10-21 from the field, knocking down four triples and making five free throws, on the way to 29 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and collected two steals in the win.
On Wednesday, Brownstown returned to take on a tough Loogootee team in the semifinals, exiting with a narrow 69-64 victory over the Lions. Benter was even better, scoring 33 points on 11-21 shooting, burying another four shots from deep, and knocking down 7-8 from the free throw line. In this win, the 6-4 Sophomore grabbed six rebounds and blocked a shot for good measure.
In Thursday’s championship game, the Braves fell to a tough Blackhawk Christian (9-0) squad, 77-61. But it wasn’t without another strong performance from Benter, as he still managed another 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. It marked the first loss for the Braves (8-1) this season.
The Jennings County Lady Panthers attended the Ben Davis Classic last Wednesday, winning both of their matchups in the two-game showcase event. The morning game saw them take on Martinsville, winning an easy one, 59-28. Sophomore forward Juliann Woodard was just getting warmed up, as she scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in limited minutes. She also managed three assists and five steals in the first game of the day.
Later that afternoon, Woodard and the Panthers returned to take care of Avon, 66-42. Woodard was outstanding in the second contest, scoring 35 points on 15-23 shooting, plus she buried five free throws. Standing out even more were the 22 caroms she pulled down in her double-double effort against a sizeable Oriole frontline. The 6-0 Sophomore also handed out a pair of assists and blocked three shots, pushing the Lady Panthers to an 11-3 record thus far in 2021-2022.
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-9 (2021-22)
District-1 Boys: Darrion Brooks, New Haven; Tyvon Henry, South Bend Career Academy; Zach Hubartt, Huntington North; Fletcher Loyer, Homestead; Luke McBride, Norwell; Willie Miller, Lake Station Edison; Marcus Northern, South Bend Washington; Cam Webster, Kankakee Valley; Beck Willems, Bethany Christian; Ashton Williamson, Gary 21st Century.
District-1 Girls: Tori Allen, Andrean; Nataley Armstrong, Garrett; Megan Bolen, Knox; Ashlynn Brooke, Pioneer; Asia Donald, Hobart; Julia Mantyla, Northridge; Maddie McSurley, New Prairie; Amiyah Reynolds, South Bend Washington; Trevyn Terry, Prairie Heights; Kylie Wells, Merrillville.
District-2 Boys: Koda Allen, Clinton Central; Landon Biegel, Oak Hill; Blake Buchanan, Benton Central; Jamison Dunham, Pendleton Heights; Aidan Franks, Wapahani; Aaron Humphrey, Tindley Accelerated; Nate Powell, Tipton; Braden Smith, Westfield; Kyle Thomas, Cloverdale; Jordan Turner, Cardinal Ritter.
District-2 Girls: Mariah Claywell, Union City; Kenzie Fulks, Bethesda Christian; Alli Harness, Carroll (Flora); Laila Hull, Zionsville; Teresa Maggio, McCutcheon; Tynlie Neal, Clinton Prairie; Olivia Nickerson, Twin Lakes; Payton Seay, University; Meredith Tippner, Noblesville; Ella Wolfe, Tipton.
District-3 Boys: Peyton Bledsoe, Loogootee; Caleb Dewey, Edinburgh; Josiah Dunham, Evansville Christian; Brady Dunn, Christian Academy; Drew Howard, Forest Park; Caden Huttenlocker, Edgewood; Hunter Johnson, South Decatur; Randy Kelley, Sullivan; Branden Northern, Silver Creek; Trent Sisley, Heritage Hills.
District-3 Girls: Lauren Barker, Columbus North; Madison Brown, West Washington; Hadley Crosier, Lanesville; Lauren Foster, Indian Creek; Karsyn Norman, Bedford North Lawrence; Gracie Shorter, Sullivan; Saige Stahl, Columbus East; Bailey Tabeling, Trinity Lutheran; Josie Trabel, East Central; Ava Weber, Corydon Central.
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.
Dec. 13-Dec. 18: District-1 boys: Brauntae Johnson, Fort Wayne North Side. District-1 girls: Ashlynn Brooke, Pioneer. District–2 boys: Isaac Andrews, Wapahani. District-2 girls: Alli Harness, Carroll (Flora). District-3 boys: Branden Northern, Silver Creek. District–3 girls: Faith Wiseman, Indian Creek.
Dec. 20-Dec. 25: District-1 boys: Ashton Johnson, Fort Wayne South Side. District-1 girls: Kacilyn Krebs, Warsaw. District–2 boys: Armon Jarrard, Mount Vernon (Fortville). District-2 girls: Laila Hull, Zionsville. District-3 boys: Hagen Knepp, Barr-Reeve. District–3 girls: Chloe Spreen, Bedford North Lawrence.
Dec. 27-Jan. 1: District-1 boys: Karson Jenkins, Fort Wayne Snider. District-1 girls: MaKaya Porter, Mishawaka Marian. District–2 boys: Reggie Bass, Arsenal Tech. District-2 girls: Ally Madden, Blue River Valley. District-3 boys: Jack Benter, Brownstown Central. District–3 girls: Juliann Woodard, Jennings County.
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