Week-21 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Awards Honors Three Senior State Champions

Week-21 of the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week Awards Honors Three Senior State Champions

       

Saturday saw something we dearly missed in 2020, and that was the conclusion of our cherished high school basketball season. Barr-Reeve, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, Silver Creek, and Carmel each secured their respective class’ crown as State Champions at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but it took overtime in the Class 4A game to finish off a great day of basketball. Now that the dust has settled, three Seniors have been honored as the final 2020-2021 IBCA Players of the Week in their districts.

Blackhawk Christian Senior Caleb Furst, Carmel Senior Brian Waddell, and Barr-Reeve Senior Curt Hopf are the recipients for Mar. 29-Apr. 3 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Furst is the winner in District-1. Waddell is the honoree in District-2. Hopf is the recipient in District-3 for the second consecutive week.

To begin the day Saturday, the Barr-Reeve Vikings became Class 1A State Champions for the second time in six years, knocking off a tough Kouts team, 64-48. It was the Vikings’ seventh appearance in the State Finals since 2002. Senior front-liner Curt Hopf came up huge for Barr-Reeve, posting a double-double of 23 points and 19 rebounds. The 6-9 forward was 8-14 from the field, plus he drew nine fouls and knocked down seven free throws. Hopf’s 19 rebounds set a new Class 1A game record, and they were the third most rebounds in a championship game during the class era. He is headed to play at Bellarmine University in the Fall.

Saturday afternoon, the Class 2A game saw Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian capture their second consecutive state title, defeating Parke Heritage, 55-40. It was their first championship in Class 2A after winning the Class 1A title in 2019. 6-10 Senior post Caleb Furst was key for Blackhawk Christian, as he has been for much of his career, but the Wolves limited his touches in the first half, and he scored just two points on 1-4 from the field over the opening 16 minutes. The second half was much different, though, as the Purdue University signee scored 18 points down the stretch. For the game, Furst was 9-16 from the field, 1-1 from 3-point range, and 1-1 from the line, tallying 20 total points. He also picked up seven rebounds, and he blocked six shots in the effort.

The Class 4A game Saturday night saw two Central Indiana rivals battle it out, and it took them 36 minutes of action, as Carmel finally pulled away from Lawrence North, winning 51-46 in overtime. Carmel Senior wing Brian Waddell was smooth throughout the contest, burying shots of all types, on his way to 20 points in the victory. He was 5-10 from the field, 2-5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. Additionally, the 6-7 Senior pulled down 10 rebounds, posting a double-double on the night. Waddell put together a tremendous tournament run, but he remains uncommitted at this time. This was Carmel’s fifth appearance in the title game since 2012, their third appearance in a row, and their fourth championship since 2012. It was their fifth boys’ basketball crown overall.

This marks the end of the 13^th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but the first season it was presented by Franciscan Health, a corporate sponsor of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Player of the Week winners were chosen each week from each of the IHSAA’s three districts. The girls’ winners were chosen through the conclusion of their season, Saturday, February 27. The boys’ winners were chosen through the conclusion of their season, Saturday, April 3.

Other Top Nominees for Week-21 (2020-21)

District-1 Boys: Jacob Boyer, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian; Zane Burke, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian; Blake Davison, Leo; Zack Troyer, Leo; Cale Wireman, Kouts; Cole Wireman, Kouts.

District-2 Boys: Connor Davis, Parke Heritage; Riley Ferguson, Parke Heritage; C.J. Gunn, Lawrence North; D.J. Hughes, Lawrence North; Josh Whack, Carmel; Charlie Williams, Carmel.

District-3 Boys: Brycen Graber, Barr-Reeve; Isaac Hinton, Silver Creek; Kooper Jacobi, Silver Creek; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Silver Creek; Hagen Knepp, Barr-Reeve.

2020-21 Weekly Winners

Nov. 2-Nov. 7: District-1 girls: Courtney Blakely, Hammond 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 St. 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.

Dec. 28-Jan. 2: District-1 boys: Fletcher Loyer, Homestead. District-1 girls: Courtney Blakely, Hammond Bishop Noll. District-2 boys: Trey Flatt, Covenant Christian (Indianapolis). District-2 girls: Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville. District-3 boys: Stephen Atkinson, Owen Valley. District-3 girls: Ali Saunders, North Harrison.

Jan. 4-Jan. 9: District-1 boys: Jackson Paul, Churubusco. District-1 girls: Lilliann Frasure, North Judson-San Pierre. District-2 boys: Gus Etchison, Hamilton Heights. District-2 girls: McKenna Layden, Northwestern. District-3 boys: Trey Kaufman, Silver Creek. District-3 girls: Vanessa Shafford, Linton-Stockton.

Jan. 11-Jan. 16: District-1 boys: Connor Essegian, Central Noble. District-1 girls: Jessica Carrothers, Crown Point. District-2 boys: Kobe Ward, Danville. District-2 girls: Zakia Rasheed, Bishop Chatard. District-3 boys: Owen Dease, Evansville Reitz. District-3 girls: Koryn Greiwe, Columbus East.

Jan. 18-Jan. 23: District-1 boys: Cole Wireman, Kouts. District-1 girls: Lilliann Frasure, North Judson-San Pierre. District-2 boys: Brody Whitaker, Greencastle. District-2 girls: Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville. District-3 boys: Lincoln Hale, Linton-Stockton. District-3 girls: Diana Burgher, North Harrison.

Jan. 25-Jan. 30: District-1 boys: Jalen Jackson, Carroll (Fort Wayne). District-1 girls: Ayanna Patterson, Homestead. District-2 boys: Luke Brown, Blackford. District-2 girls: Madelyn Bischoff, Roncalli. District-3 boys: Lane Lauderbaugh, South Decatur. District-3 girls: Gracie Adams, Lanesville.

Feb. 1-Feb. 6: District-1 boys: Joshua Fleming, Rensselaer Central. District-1 girls: Bailey Hartsough, Lakeland. District-2 boys: Leyton McGovern, McCutcheon. District-2 girls: Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville. District-3 boys: Lane Lauderbaugh, South Decatur. District-3 girls: Katherine Benter, Brownstown Central.

Feb. 8-Feb. 13: District-1 boys: J.R. Konieczny, South Bend St. Joseph. District-1 girls: Lilliann Frasure, North Judson-San Pierre. District-2 boys: Jesse Hall, Crawfordsville. District-2 girls: Kenna Kirby, Tri-West. District-3 boys: Chandler Moore, Evansville North. District-3 girls: Isabella Reed, Greenwood Christian.

Feb. 15-Feb. 20: District-1 boys: Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. District-1 girls: Olivia Brooke, Pioneer. District-2 boys: Braden Smith, Westfield. District-2 girls: Ally Becki, Brownsburg. District-3 boys: Trey Kaufman, Silver Creek. District-3 girls: Kynidi Striverson, Silver Creek.

Feb. 22-Feb. 27: District-1 boys: Christopher Mantis, Lowell. District-1 girls: Jessica Carrothers, Crown Point. District-2 boys: Jalen Blackmon, Marion. District-2 girls: Ally Becki, Brownsburg. District-3 boys: Miles McGowen, Mooresville. District-3 girls: Haley Rose, Linton-Stockton.

Mar. 1-Mar. 6: District-1 boys: Koron Davis, Gary Thea Bowman. District-2 boys: Brooks Barnhizer, Lafayette Jefferson. District-3 boys: Blake Sisley, Heritage Hills.

Mar. 8-Mar. 13: District-1 boys: Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. District-2 boys: Luke Brown, Blackford. District-3 boys: Colson Montgomery, Southridge.

Mar. 15-Mar. 20: District-1 boys: Cale Wireman, Kouts. District-2 boys: Shamar Avance, Lawrence North. District-3 boys: Curt Hopf, Barr-Reeve.

Mar. 29-Apr. 3: District-1 boys: Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. District-2 boys: Brian Waddell, Carmel. District-3 boys: Curt Hopf, Barr-Reeve.