Four Record-setters Headline IBCA Players of the Week

(1-27-26)  Bloomfield senior Blake Neill surpassed 2,000 career points, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) senior Luke Ertel and McCutcheon junior Lillie Graves each set school career scoring marks, and Center Grove senior Gracyn Gilliard broke her own school record for points in a game. Thus, these four standouts headline the honorees in this week’s IBCA Player of the Week program.

Wawasee senior Stephen Akase, Manchester sophomore Wyatt Schroll and Angola sophomore Kendall VanderWal join Neill, Ertel, Graves and Gilliard as Week 12 winners in the IBCA Player of the Week program for 2025-26.

Also, the Frankton boys’ team, the Kouts boys’ team, the Kankakee Valley girls’ team and the Whitko girls’ team each was cited as an IBCA/Ballogy Team of the Week for respective performances during the week of Jan. 19-24 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

       

Players of the Week are selected by IHSAA district – Akase, Schroll and VanderWal for District 1, Ertel and Graves for District 2, and Neill and Gilliard for District 3. Teams of the Week are cited at the discretion of the program coordinators, former Martinsville coach Kip Staggs for boys and former Brownsburg coach Debbie Smiley for girls. Players and teams are recognized based on all performances in a Monday through Saturday week.

Neill scored 29 points in the only game of the week for the Bloomfield boys, who improved to 10-4 with a 63-48 decision over Eastern Greene. The 6-6 wing added 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots while pushing his career scoring total to 2,024 points, 190 points away from breaking the Greene County record of 2,213 points set by Lincoln Hale, a 2021 graduate of Linton-Stockton. Neill connected on 11-of-18 field goals, 1-of-4 3-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws while crossing the 2,000-point plateau.

 

Ertel averaged 27.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and posted a triple-double while leading the Class 4A No. 4 Mt. Vernon (Fortville) boys to two victories while earning his third Player of the Week citation of the season. The 6-2 guard opened with 33 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 64-52 victory at Avon. The Purdue recruit followed with a triple-double – 22 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists – plus two steals as the Marauders (14-2) beat Hamilton Southeastern 69-50. The latter game pushed Ertel’s career point total to 1,397 points, passing the previous school mark of 1,390 points set by 1998 graduate Tim Miller. In the two games, Ertel went 17-of-37 from the field, 10-of-23 from distance and 11-of-12 from the line. He previously was recognized Dec. 8-13 and Dec. 22-27.

Akase and Schroll shared boys’ District 1 accolades.

A 6-7 forward, Akase poured in 40 points while adding seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in Wawasee’s only contest of the week, a 57-41 decision at Plymouth. Akase made 12-of-13 field goals and 16-of-17 free throws as the Warriors improved to 11-4.

  Schroll averaged 35.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.5 steals as the Manchester boys won twice. The 5-10 guard tallied 31 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals as the Squires edged Rochester 51-47. He followed with 40 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steals in a 74-48 victory over Adams Central. For the week, Schroll hit on 23-of-29 shots, 10-of-13 3-pointers and 15-of-20 free throws. The shooting totals included 13-of-15, 7-of-8 and 7-of-11 in the 40-point outburst as Manchester improved to 6-9.

VanderWal earned Player of the Week honors for the second time after averaging 27.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three games for the Angola girls (15-6). The 5-8 guard tallied 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 63-27 victory over Westview. She provided 29 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and seven steals in a 70-36 decision over Churubusco. VanderWal completed her week with 34 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal as the Hornets (15-6) beat Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 67-46. In the three games, she was 37-of-56 on field goals and 7-of-13 on free throws. VanderWal previously was a Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 24-29.

Graves became McCutcheon’s all-time scoring leader by pushing her career total to 1,440 points, eclipsing the mark of 1,416 points set by 2012 graduate Lakan Hasser-Smith. Graves opened with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in a 80-38 victory at Danville. The 6-1 guard followed with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks as the Mavericks (18-5) topped Western 85-46. In the two games, Graves went 24-of-32 from the field, 6-of-11 from distance and 2-of-4 from the line.

Gilliard also is a second-time honoree after she averaged 33.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and broke her own single-game scoring record for the Class 4A No. 3 Center Grove girls (20-0). The 5-11 wing provided 28 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 49-36 decision over Class 3A No. 7 Indianapolis Cathedral. The Davidson College signee topped that by scoring 38 points with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block as the Trojans beat Class 4A No. 5 Hamilton Southeastern 64-43. She eclipsed her previous best of 37 points, set earlier this season against Indian Creek, for the CG single-game record. For the week, Gillard connected on 22-of-37 shots, 6-of-11 3-pointers and 16-of-20 free throws. She previously was selected Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 3-8.

 Team of the Week honors went to Frankton and Kouts for boys as well as Kankakee Valley and Whitko for girls.

 The Frankton boys, 10-4 overall and coached by Brent Brobston, posted two victories. The Eagles knocked off Class 2A No. 6 Blackford 55-24 and Wes-Del 58-36. The Class A No. 1 Kouts boys, 13-0 overall and coached by Kevin Duzan, went 3-0 to win the Porter County Conference Tournament. The Mustangs defeated Morgan Township 66-49, South Central (Union Mills) 56-37 and Washington Township 79-60.

The Kankakee Valley girls, 17-3 overall and coached by David Walstra, recorded a trio of triumphs. The Kougars outlasted Knox 71-33, Andrean 39-25 and Griffith 61-40. The Class 2A No. 1 Whitko girls, 20-1 overall and coached by Justin Jordan, also notched three victories. The Wildcats beat Fort Wayne Wayne 70-29, Maconaquah 76-34 and Northfield 71-38.

This is the 18th season for the IBCA Player of the Week program. This is the second season for the IBCA Team of the Week program and the second season the Team of the Week program is presented by Ballogy, an IBCA corporate partner.

Coaches may nominate players and teams via buttons on the IBCA website (in.nhsbca.org). Coaches must be a current-year member for their players and/or team to be selected for a weekly award. Girls’ winners are chosen from now through Monday following the IHSAA girls’ State Finals. Boys’ winners are chosen from now through the Monday following the IHSAA boys’ State Finals.

2025-26 IBCA weekly honorees

            Nov. 3-8 – District 1 girls: Laniah Davis, Marquette Catholic. District 2 girls: Kenzie Koch, Eastern Hancock. District 3 girls: Gracyn Gilliard, Center Grove. Teams of the Week (girls): North Knox, South Central (Elizabeth), Warsaw.

            Nov. 10-15 – District 1 girls: Leah Shappell, Leo. District 2 girls: Adah Hupfer, Pendleton Heights. District 3 girls: Emily Parker, Boonville. Team of the Week (girls): Homestead.

            Nov. 17-22 – District 1 girls: Sarah Thompson, Oregon-Davis. District 2 girls: Kennedy Holman, Hamilton Southeastern. District 3 girls: Mollie Ernstes, Jennings County. Teams of the Week (girls): Crown Point, LaPorte.

            Nov. 24-29 – District 1 boys: Josh McBride and Nick McBride, Norwell. District 1 girls: Kendall VanderWal, Angola. District 2 boys: Brayden Thiele-Hahn, Rossville. District 2 girls: Carly Davison, Clinton Central. District 3 boys: Anthony Fresh, Charlestown. District 3 girls: Natalie Stenger, East Central. Teams of the Week (boys): Corydon Central, Plainfield. Team of the Week (girls): Maconaquah.

            Dec. 1-6 – District 1 boys: Mack Welker, Homestead. District 1 girls: Hillary Labis, Westville. District 2 boys: Drew Matelic, Speedway. District 2 girls: Riley Suarez, Hamilton Heights. District 3 boys: Wyatt Jones, Borden. District 3 girls: Hannah Higgs, Evansville Christian. Team of the Week (boys): Indianapolis Cathedral. Team of the Week (girls): Borden.

            Dec. 8-13 – District 1 boys: Charles Hardiman, Merrillville. District 1 girls: Allison Ambers, Northridge. District 2 boys: Devin Bolden, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, and Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 2 girls: Elliot Leffler, Roncalli. District 3 boys: Jake Prior, Heritage Hills. District 3 girls: Maddy Shirley, Evansville Central. Teams of the Week (boys): Lawrence North, Northridge. Team of the Week (girls): Floyd Central.

            Dec. 15-20 – District 1 boys: Daniel Selking, Bellmont. District 1 girls: Konley Ault, Bluffton. District 2 boys: DeZhon Hall, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks. District 2 girls: Shania Curry, Ben Davis. District 3 boys: Noah Vance, Christian Academy of Indiana. District 3 girls: Haley Wagoner, Center Grove. Teams of the Week (boys): South Bend Riley, Taylor. Team of the Week (girls): Hamilton Southeastern.

            Dec. 22-27 – District 1 boys: Dikembe Shaw, Crown Point. District 1 girls: Brooke Zartman, Warsaw. District 2 boys: Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 2 girls: Carly Davison, Clinton Central. District 3 boys: Dane Caldwell, Silver Creek. District 3 girls: Emery Stroud, Crawford County. Teams of the Week (boys): Crown Point, Gibson Southern, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). Team of the Week (girls): Valparaiso.

            Dec. 29-Jan. 3 – District 1 boys: Brady Scholl, Northridge. District 1 girls: Joslyn Bricker, Warsaw. District 2 boys: Noah Smith, Plainfield. District 2 girls: Zoey Wood, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 3 boys: Braxton Bowman, Crawford County. District 3 girls: Claire Larrison, Greensburg. Teams of the Week (boys): LaPorte, Indianapolis Riverside, Silver Creek. Team of the Week (girls): Homestead.

            Jan. 5-10 – District 1 boys: Bryce Wilcox, Southwood. District 1 girls: Kamri Rowland, Rensselaer Central. District 2 boys: Jaxson Johnson, Muncie Central. District 2 girls: Alyx Kendall, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard. District 3 boys: Dorion Bowen, Evansville Bosse. District 3 girls: Paige Schnaus, Gibson Southern. Teams of the Week (boys): Oak Hill, South Dearborn. Teams of the Week (girls): Plainfield, Princeton.

            Jan. 12-17 – District 1 boys: Tim Knoll, LaPorte. District 1 girls: Myah Epps, Homestead. District 2 boys: Harper Baker-Lands, Plainfield. District 2 girls: Maya Layton, Lafayette Jefferson. District 3 boys: Kamden Partenheimer, Forest Park. District 3 girls: Juliana Davis, Madison. Teams of the Week (boys): Lawrence North, Westview, Whiteland. Team of the Week (girls): Bluffton.

            Jan. 19-24 – District 1 boys: Stephen Akase, Wawasee, and Wyatt Schroll, Manchester. District 1 girls: Kendall VanderWal, Angola. District 2 boys: Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon (Fortville). District 2 girls: Lillie Graves, McCutcheon. District 3 boys: Blake Neill, Bloomfield. District 3 girls: Gracyn Gilliard, Center Grove. Teams of the Week (boys): Frankton, Kouts. Teams of the Week (girls): Kankakee Valley, Whitko.