Each Graduating Class is Represented Among the Six
Week-13 IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week
As the girls begin their postseason tonight, their regular season concluded last week with a number of strong performances. The boys still have four weeks ahead of them before tournament play, but they are also finishing strong throughout the state. As the six honorees were selected for Week-13 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week awards, at least one player from each graduating class, Senior down to Freshman, was selected.
Penn Junior Markus Burton, Avon Senior Chrishon McCray, Evansville Christian Sophomore Josiah Dunham, Pioneer Senior Hailey Cripe, Pendleton Heights Freshman Kaycie Warfel, and Columbus East Junior Saige Stahl were selected as winners for Jan. 24-Jan. 29 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Burton is the boys’ recipient, and Cripe is the girls’ recipient in District-1. McCray and Warfel are both first-time boys’ and girls’ honorees, respectively, in District-2. Dunham is the boys’ winner, while Stahl is the girls’ winner in District-3.
Penn Junior Markus Burton represents District-1 boys for the second time this year after helping the Kingsmen to a pair of wins over the weekend. Friday night, the Kingsmen hosted South Bend Riley in a Northern Indiana Conference game, succeeding by a score of 76-57. Burton was an efficient 12-19 from the field, 3-4 from downtown, and 4-5 from the free throw line, scoring a team-high 31 points. He added nine rebounds and a trio of assists to his stat-line in the triumph.
Saturday, Penn easily defeated Goshen, 70-45. Once again Burton was instrumental in the victory, contributing 23 points in the effort. The 5-10 guard was 9-16 from the floor but a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. He also had a well-rounded game, contributing five rebounds, seven assists, and five steals, helping the Kingsmen move to 13-2 on the year.
Pioneer is on an eight-game win streak, and Senior Hailey Cripe has been a big part of that. Tuesday, at Winamac, the Panthers finished off a perfect 7-0 conference season with a 57-42 win. Cripe was a solid 7-10 from the field, 3-4 from long range, and a perfect 4-4 from the line, scoring 21 points to help Pioneer win the Hoosier North Conference title. She also added six rebounds and three steals.
Thursday, the Panthers hosted Clinton Central, securing their final regular season win with ease. Cripe was spectacular this time out, scoring a career-high 40 points. The 5-6 guard torched the nets with a 16-22 effort from the field, and she was again flawless from the line, knocking down all six free throws. The University of Kansas softball commit also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists, and collected four steals in her final home game.
Avon Senior Chrishon McCray has been strong all year, but last week was by far his best. The Orioles have been a little snakebitten all year, and Wednesday night they lost a nailbiter, 82-80, to Decatur Central in overtime. McCray did his part, though, pouring in 42 points in the close loss. He was 13-23 from the floor, knocking down 4-8 shots from deep and 12-16 from the line. McCray also snagged seven caroms and dished out six assists, but it just wasn’t enough.
Two nights later, Avon responded with a huge 59-57 win at Westfield in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference matchup. McCray was again strong, as he put another 33 points on the scoreboard. The 6-0 guard, committed to Kent State University for football, used the charity stripe to his advantage once again, going 11-13 from the 15-foot mark. He added six rebounds, and three more assists in victory.
Freshman Kaycie Warfel is turning heads in Pendleton, as she helped the Arabians finish off a 17-5 regular season last week. Monday evening, Pendleton Heights traveled to Eastern Hancock, where they knocked off the Royals, 61-47. Warfel was 10-18 shooting it, plus she added a 14-18 effort from the free throw line, scoring a career-high 34 points. Additionally, the youngster posted a double-double with her 10 rebounds, and she picked off six passes as well.
Wednesday night, Warfel and the Arabians suffered a 73-56 loss at the hands of the Noblesville Millers. The 5-8 wing had a solid showing against one of the more elite backcourts in the state. Warfel still managed 19 points in defeat, plus she collected another seven rebounds, five of which were at the offensive end of the floor.
Thursday, however, Pendleton Heights bounced back with an impressive win against Pike, 76-71. The Freshman again took to the charity stripe, knocking down 15 of her 18 attempts. She also made seven field goals, scoring 29 points in total. Add to that five rebounds, four assists, and four steals, and Warfel completed her strong week with a nice all-around effort.
Evansville Christian has won three in a row, and against bigger schools. In a pair of victories last weekend, Sophomore Josiah Dunham was key. Friday, against Gibson Southern, it took an extra four minutes, but the Eagles won 76-66 in overtime. Dunham was just 9-17 from the field, but he buried 11-12 shots from the charity stripe, scoring 29 points in the contest. His six rebounds, four assists, and four steals certainly helped in the overtime performance.
Saturday, the Eagles returned to the floor to knock off Tecumseh, 66-47. Dunham once again tossed in 29 points, but this time it was due to a blistering 11-13 shooting, 5-7 of which were from deep. The 6-0 point guard added another six rebounds, and he picked up three more steals, as the 10-6 Evansville Christian squad is looking to post its second winning season in just four years of existence.
Columbus East Junior Saige Stahl has really found her footing this season, and she is the District-3 girls’ winner for the second time. East had just one game last week, but it was a big one, as the now #11 Olympians knocked off #12 Silver Creek, 65-61. Stahl, a 6-1 Junior forward, posted a double-double in the big win, scoring 22 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. She was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line, plus she added a pair of assists and a pair of steals to her other contributions.
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-13 (2021-22)
District-1 Boys: Connor Essegian, Central Noble; Travis Grayson, Chesterton; Karson Jenkins, Fort Wayne Snider; Fletcher Loyer, Homestead; Carson Miller, Bremen; Willie Miller, Lake Station Edison; Joe Reidy, Woodlan; Thomas Snyder, South Bend John Adams; Ajani Washington, Fort Wayne Concordia; Ashton Williamson, Gary 21st Century.
District-1 Girls: Skylar Bos, Covenant Christian (DeMotte); Allison Capouch, Kouts; Asia Donald, Hobart; Taylor Fordyce, Carroll (Fort Wayne); Nevaeh Foster, Mishawaka Marian; Kendal Johnson, Lewis Cass; Jyah LoVett, Fort Wayne Snider; Lilly Maple, Maconaquah; Cierra Pipkins, Griffith; Abigail Tomblin, South Central (Union Mills).
District-2 Boys: Isaac Andrews, Wapahani; Reggie Bass, Arsenal Tech; Brock Buckley, Covenant Christian (Indianapolis); Jake Chapman, Tri-Central; Ryan Conwell, Pike; Christian Johnson, Parke Heritage; Nate Matelic, Speedway; Aaron Pickel, North Putnam; Kyle Thomas, Cloverdale; Javon Tracy, Decatur Central.
District-2 Girls: Gracie Gilland, Wes-Del; Ally Madden, Blue River Valley; Teresa Maggio, McCutcheon; Michelle Rodkey, Rossville; Isabelle Saylor, Tri-West; Ashlee Schram, Tipton; Jada Stansberry, Alexandria-Monroe; Grace Stapleton, Eastern Hancock; Meredith Tippner, Noblesville; Kelsey Waggoner, Cardinal Ritter.
District-3 Boys: Matthew Arthur, New Washington; Jack Benter, Brownstown Central; Caleb Dewey, Edinburgh; Connor Foley, Jasper; Drew Howard, Forest Park; Hunter Johnson, South Decatur; Caleb Mergenthal, East Central; Lucas Mitchell, Waldron; Trent Sisley, Heritage Hills; Jahni Summers, Evansville Harrison.
District-3 Girls: Cortney Dove, Princeton; Christina Geer, Evansville Christian; Keegan Kaiser, Floyd Central; Kencia Levasseur, Washington; Reagan Martin, Owen Valley; Samantha Secrest, North Central (Farmersburg); Gracie Shorter, Sullivan; Zoe Stewart, Terre Haute North Vigo; Bailey Tabeling, Trinity Lutheran; Ashlyn Traylor, Franklin Community.
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.
Jan. 3-Jan. 8: District-1 boys: Travis Grayson, Chesterton. District-1 girls: Lilly Maple, Maconaquah. District–2 boys: Braden Smith, Westfield. District-2 girls: Maddy Meek, New Castle. District-3 boys: Brysen Montgomery, Austin. District–3 girls: Kendall Hale, Cannelton.
Jan. 10-Jan. 15: District-1 boys: Connor Essegian, Central Noble. District-1 girls: Kelly Ratigan, South Bend St. Joseph. District–2 boys: Kyle Thomas, Cloverdale. District-2 girls: Teresa Maggio, McCutcheon. District-3 boys: Hunter Johnson, South Decatur. District–3 girls: Zoe Stewart, Terre Haute North Vigo.
Jan. 17-Jan. 22: District-1 boys: Ashton Williamson, Gary 21st Century. District-1 girls: Jyah LoVett, Fort Wayne Snider. District–2 boys: Ahmere Carson, Anderson. District-2 girls: Bailey Parham, Tri. District-3 boys: Tucker Biven, New Albany. District–3 girls: Ava Weber, Corydon Central.
Jan. 24-Jan. 29: District-1 boys: Markus Burton, Penn. District-1 girls: Hailey Cripe, Pioneer. District–2 boys: Chrishon McCray, Avon. District-2 girls: Kaycie Warfel, Pendleton Heights. District-3 boys: Josiah Dunham, Evansville Christian. District–3 girls: Saige Stahl, Columbus East.
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