Ballplayers from all parts of the state have begun 2024 strong, posting explosive scoring outputs, as well as big assist and rebounding numbers each night.
Though Northern Indiana saw postponements throughout the weekend, a 55-point performance on the girls’ side heated things up earlier in the week, while Southern Indiana saw a young man rewrite his school’s record book, surpassing a prior mark set by a Hall of Famer you are sure to know.
Culver Community senior Jack Rodgers, Argos senior Samantha Redinger, Greenfield-Central junior Braylon Mullins, McCutcheon freshman Lillie Graves, Springs Valley junior Deion Edwards, and South Knox junior Ella Bobe have been selected for Jan. 8 – Jan. 13 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Rodgers is the boys’ winner and Redinger the girls’ winner in District-1. Mullins and Graves take home boys’ and girls’ honors, respectively, in District-2. Edwards was selected as the boys’ recipient, while Bobe is the girls’ recipient, in District-3.
In his only game of the week last week, Culver Community’s Jack Rodgers helped the Cavaliers to a 78-56 victory over Community Baptist Tuesday evening. The 6-0 point guard set a career high by scoring 39 points in the win. Additionally, Rodgers posted a double-double with 12 rebounds, 6 of which came at the offensive end of the floor. For good measure, the senior guard added 7 assists and 4 steals to his stat line.
Argos senior Samantha Redinger is making her second appearance here this season. She is currently leading all Hoosier ladies with a 32.0 point per game scoring average through 18 games, and last week she was well above that mark. In a 79-54 win against Oregon-Davis on Thursday, the 5-7 wing erupted for 55 points on an efficient 18-of-34 shooting, including a 10-of-20 performance from 3-point range. In addition, Redinger added 9 rebounds, 6 steals, and a pair of assists in the triumph.
Greenfield-Central picked up a pair of nice wins over the weekend, and junior Braylon Mullins was a huge part of their success. On Friday, the Cougars took a big Hoosier Heritage Conference win, 70-50, against New Castle. Then Saturday, in their return to the court, they took care of Hancock County rival Eastern Hancock, 64-31. To begin his weekend, Mullins put together an all-around effort against New Castle, scoring 26 points, pulling down 8 rebounds, handing out 4 assists, and collecting 5 steals. Saturday, the 6-5 guard was even better, pouring in 44 points on 16-26 shooting, including 8-15 from deep. In doing so, the Junior’s 44th point also represented his 1000th point of his career. In this memorable outing, Mullins added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, helping the Cougars to a perfect 13-0 record thus far.
Freshman Lillie Graves is certainly making her mark early in her career for McCutcheon. Last week she managed a pair of 30-point scoring games, as the Mavericks moved to 17-2 on the season, already six wins better than in 2022-2023. In a big win Tuesday against Carroll (Flora), 56-49, the 6-0 wing posted a double-double with 34 points and 15 rebounds. She was 12-of-14 from the charity stripe, plus she added a pair of assists and 4 steals. Saturday, in a comfortable win at Muncie Central, Graves followed that up with 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting, she pulled down 10 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive, posting her second double-double of the week, plus she contributed 3 assists and a pair of steals.
Springs Valley is having a nice season so far with a 10-4 record, plus they are winners of seven games in a row. Last weekend was exciting for the Blackhawks, as they won a pair of games in overtime. Friday night, they traveled to West Washington, escaping by a 60-58 margin for the Patoka Lake Conference win. Junior Deion Edwards didn’t shoot it great in this one, but he still managed to contribute, adding 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the nail-biter. It was the next day’s game that was one to remember for the 6-4 forward. Saturday, both teams were dropping buckets as quickly as the temperature outside, forcing the Blackhawks to win another overtime thriller, 101-98, over Austin. In this particular game, Edwards was 19-of-31 from the field, 2-of-5 from downtown, and 16-of-18 from the free throw line, scoring 56 points. In addition, the junior forward broke the single-game school record set by a gentleman you might have heard of…Larry Bird. Edwards also posted a double-double with 14 rebounds, hauling in an impressive 11 of them at the offensive end of the floor. He also handed out 4 assists and collected 3 steals in the high-scoring affair.
Junior Ella Bobe has helped South Knox to an 18-1 record this year, with their only loss coming in overtime. Last week, the Spartans posted a 3-0 mark, and Bobe was great across the board in all three games. Tuesday, in a 77-47 Blue Chip Conference win at Wood Memorial, the 5-9 guard scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, she grabbed 8 rebounds, handed out 3 assists, and she stole the ball 3 times. Tuesday, at home, the Spartans picked up an easy win against North Daviess. In limited time, Bobe scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting, she dished out 8 assists, collected 5 rebounds, and picked up 2 steals. Saturday was more of the same, as South Knox traveled to Vincennes Lincoln, winning in impressive fashion, 75-37. The junior guard scored another 24 points, this time on 10-of-15 shooting, plus she added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals to her weekly totals. For the week, she shot a blistering 69% from the field, while averaging 7.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
This is the 16th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, andthe fourth 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.
