This week begins the IHSAA State Tournament for all of the girls’ teams around the state; however, last week belonged to one guy in particular who nearly scored 100 points in his first two games of the week combined. There was also a 22-rebound performance and a near triple-double, as the ladies wrapped up their regular season.

Six players from around the state have been selected as Week-13 IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week, one boy and one girl from each of the three districts.

Tippecanoe Valley Senior Nolan Cumberland, Yorktown Senior A.J. Dunn, Brownstown Central Junior Jack Benter, Columbia City Sophomore Addison Baxter, West Lafayette Junior Adrianne Tolen, and Owen Valley Senior Reagan Martin have been selected as winners for Jan. 23-Jan. 28 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Cumberland is the boys’ recipient, while Baxter is the girls’ recipient in District 1. Dunn and Tolen are the boys’ and girls’ winners, respectively, in District 2. Benter takes home boys’ honors, and Martin takes home girls’ honors in District 3.

The Vikings of Tippecanoe Valley picked up a pair of victories last week, including a tight 50-46 win against South Bend Riley, and a big 59-57 Three Rivers Conference win on the road at Manchester. Senior Nolan Cumberland was instrumental in both outcomes. The 6-3 guard scored 26 points on 10-15 shooting against Riley, while also grabbing four rebounds in that win. In the triumph over Manchester, Cumberland went for 28 points on a 12-23 shooting performance, plus he snagged another six rebounds, helping the Vikings push their record to 13-3 overall and 5-1 in the conference.

Columbia City Sophomore Addison Baxter helped the Eagles finish their regular season with a pair of wins last week. In a huge non-conference matchup against a very good Fort Wayne Northrop team, the 5-9 guard nearly posted a triple-double with her 21 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, plus she added five steals in the 73-69 road win. Then over the weekend, Baxter helped Columbia City secure the Northeast 8 Conference title with a perfect 7-0 record in an easy win against New Haven. This time out, she scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out five assists, and collected a pair of steals. Columbia City is now 20-2 on the season.

The Yorktown Tigers went 2-1 last week, nearly making it a perfect 3-0, all against good competition. They first defeated a solid Winchester squad, 56-45. Then, in a Hoosier Heritage Conference matchup at New Palestine, they fell to the 15-1 Dragons by a slim 60-53 margin. Yorktown finished their week with a nice 67-60 win against Fort Wayne Carroll. Senior A.J. Dunn was a key contributor each time out for the Tigers. Against Winchester, the 6-2 guard scored 23 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out five assists. At New Palestine, he added 21 points six rebounds, and a pair of assists. But he saved his best for last when they hosted Carroll, scoring 33 points on 11-19 shooting, he posted a double-double with his 13 rebounds, and he distributed another three assists in the win.

Junior Adrianne Tolen has been strong all season for the West Lafayette Red Devils, and she finished her regular season with a pair of nice games against McCutcheon and West Lafayette Harrison. In a comfortable win at McCutcheon, the 5-10 wing scored 27 points, snagged seven caroms, and assisted on a pair of teammates’ baskets. She came back two days later against a good Harrison team, helping the Lady Red Devils to a 59-51 road success. Tolen scored 25 points, grabbed eight more rebounds, handed out four assists, and collected four thefts as well. West Lafayette enters Sectional play with an 18-5 record.

Brownstown Central Junior Jack Benter shot lights-out last week, setting a school record in one game, then setting it again in the very next game. Overall, the Braves won four games, all Mid-Southern Conference games, against Silver Creek (85-74), at Austin (81-45), against Charlestown (81-42), and against Corydon Central (84-53). In the Silver Creek game, the 6-5 guard scored a school record 48 points on 15-26 shooting, including 5-12 from deep, and 13-14 from the charity stripe. He chipped in four rebounds and four assists as well. In the very next game at Austin, the Purdue University commit topped that effort with 51 points on 17-32 from the field, 8-15 from outside, and 9-11 from the free throw line. He posted a double-double with 12 rebounds against Austin, plus he added two assists and four steals.

The Owen Valley Lady Patriots finished their regular season with a nice 51-36 win against White River Valley, giving them 11 wins on the year thus far. 6-0 forward Reagan Martin was outstanding, as the Senior scored 31 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, six of which were at the offensive end of the floor. She also knocked down four 3-pointers on the evening, she blocked four shots, and she handed out a pair of assists. The Lady Patriots begin their postseason play tomorrow night against Indian Creek.

This is the 15^th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but just the third 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.

The Rochester wrestling team captured a third consecutive sectional title Saturday.

It's the program's 13th sectional title.

Rochester defeated second place Maconaquah and North Miami by 79 points.

Individual sectional champions for Rochester

106, Layne Horn

120, Ethan Holloway

126, Aaron Swango

152, Greyson Gard

160, Brant Beck

195, Alex Deming

220, Brady Beck

Also advancing in the postseason for the Zebras:

132, Joey Spencer

138, D. J. Basham

170, Colin Weiand

182, Gavin McKee

Hvywt, Carlos Orduno

Tippecanoe County sinished fifth of the nine teams in the Plymouth sectional field.

Advancing for the Vikings:

113, Thad Shambaugh

120, Joseph Lybarger

132, Galvin Shambaugh

138, Remington Rickel

The Caston Comets dropped their second game of the season in a meeting of top 10 girls basketball teams Tuesday.

#3 (1A) Caston opened the season with 19 consecutive wins before a loss last week to North Miami, 50-44.  Last night, another challenging road trip had the Comets at #9 (2A) Carroll (Flora). The Cougars picked up a 19^th win on the season by holding off Caston, 53-44.

Addison Zimpleman led the Comets in scoring with 12 points. Isabel Scales recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Caston (19-2) ends the regular season with a home game against Bremen on Thursday.

Tippecanoe Valley 47, Wawasee 35

Vikings (18-3) led in scoring by Lily Ault with 10, Gaby Gonzalez with 9 and Kelsey Cox with 8

North Miami 67, Maconaquah 39

Warriors (17-4, 7-2 TRC) secure an outright second place finish in the TRC

#5 (2A) Pioneer 65, Winamac 27

Bluffton 55, Manchester 42

Plymouth 55, Culver Academy 47

Whitko 48, Lakeland Christian 40

#1 (3A) Twin Lakes 76, Logansport 49

Twin Lakes remains undefeated and will finish the regular season with Winamac on Thursday

Tippecanoe Valley 50, South Bend Riley 46

Coach Joe Luce with his 350^th career victory. #14 (3A) Vikings go to 12-3 on the season.

The girls basketball state tournament sectional pairings are set.

On Sunday, the Indiana High School Athletic Association delivered the brackets in preparation for the 2023 state tournament that will culminate at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 25 in Indianapolis.

The sectional round tips off Tuesday, January 31.

Bremen Sectional

Bremen (7-13) will host Class 3A, Sectional 18 and play the second game of the quarterfinals on Tuesday against Rochester (11-11).

A Zebra win Tuesday would mean a Friday semifinal rematch with TRC rival Tippecanoe Valley (17-3).  Rochester lost a low-scoring decision to the Vikings on January 14, 26-15.

The other half of the Bremen bracket has John Glenn (8-13) playing Culver Academy (13-8) in the opening quarterfinal on Tuesday.  The winner would square off against Knox (5-18) in a Friday semifinal.

The sectional championship game is Feb. 4.

Tri-County Sectional

The Caston Comets won 19 games before losing for the first time to North Miami.  They will be the sectional favorite entering the postseason in Sectional 52 at Class 1A Tri-County.

Caston received a bye from the quarterfinal round and will play in the semifinal against the winner of West Central (4-15) and North White (5-17). 

#3 (1A) Caston defeated North White on November 11, 45-34.

At the top half of the bracket, Frontier (5-15) will play Tri-County (10-10) in Tuesday’s opening quarterfinal.  The winner will advance to the semifinal to play South Newton (1-17).

The Hall of Fame’s newest employee, Noah Dahlquist, will take over as the newly created Publications Coordinator in January of 2023.

Dahlquist is a 2019 graduate of Franklin College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Religious Studies. While at Franklin College he served as the Vice President of his Fraternity.

A museum professional, prior to joining the Hall of Fame team, Dahlquist was the office manager at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Additionally, he completed several graduate internships at other notable Indianapolis historical institutions including the Indiana Historical Society, and James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. In these positions he worked to upgrade online presence, social media, conducted tours, and published some of his own work.

Dahlquist will assume similar responsibilities at the Hall of Fame, where his responsibilities will include; to compose our quarterly magazine, create our banquet programs, and assist with our online/social media outlets along with aiding in updating our touch screens in our museum.

Dahlquist is a native of Rochester, Indiana although he currently resides in the Indianapolis area with his wife, Hollyn.

As a trained historian Dahlquist has a passion for the history of Indiana high school basketball and is excited to join the HOF team to help advance its mission.

As National Blood Donor Month continues this January, the American Red Cross celebrates those who give blood and platelets to help save lives − especially now, as we work to ensure a stable blood supply amid the threat of icy winter weather and severe seasonal illness. Donors of all blood types – particularly type O blood donors, the most needed blood group by hospitals – and platelet donors are needed daily to meet demand.

The start of the new year is one of the most challenging times to collect enough blood products, despite the constant demand. One in 7 patients entering a hospital will need a blood transfusion – yet only 3% of the public gives blood.

Don’t wait until there’s a crisis to donate. To book a time to give blood, visit RedCrossBlood.org, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

In partnership with the National Football League (NFL), those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma through Jan. 31, 2023, will be automatically entered to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona*, including access to day-of, in-stadium pre-game activities, tickets to the official Super Bowl Experience, round-trip airfare to Phoenix, three-night hotel accommodations (Feb. 10-13, 2023), plus a $500 gift card for expenses.  

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

Amplify your impact − volunteer! 

Another way to support the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross is to become a volunteer blood donor ambassador at Red Cross blood drives. Blood donor ambassadors help greet, check-in and thank blood donors to ensure they have a positive donation experience. 

Volunteers can also serve as transportation specialists, playing a vital role in ensuring lifesaving blood products are delivered to nearby hospitals. For more information and to apply for either position, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday. 

It wasn't a blowout. 

Culver Academy hadn't scored enough points to put away Rochester in a potential girls basketball sectional preview Wednesday night.

No, not a blowout.  

But Rochester's inability to score made the fourth quarter that much more improbable as the Zebras celebrated Senior Night with a come-from-behind overtime win.

The Indianapolis Colts are sending the Elkhart Cowboys, a 10 and under flag football team from Elkhart, Ind., to the NFL FLAG Championships at Pro Bowl Games presented by Subway, in Las Vegas.

The five-on-five NFL FLAG Championships will include the top girls' and boys' youth flag teams from across the country and around the world.  Games begin on February 3, 2023, and the Cowboys will compete in the tournament as an at-large team. 

The Cowboys will receive flights, hotel and other expenses, courtesy of the Colts. Each participant will receive a ticket to the Pro Bowl Games and East-West Shrine Bowl, as well as a commemorative NFL FLAG performance jersey and other NFL and Colts-branded gear.

“Like tackle football and other sports, flag football teaches young people how to care for their bodies, while also building life skills like teamwork, discipline and commitment,” said Mike Prior, Colts Youth Football Commissioner. “Flag football is becoming more and more popular every day, so we are excited to support Indiana’s own Elkhart Cowboys in their quest for a championship.”

“The Elkhart Cowboys are extremely honored to be noticed and selected by our home state NFL team the Indianapolis Colts, and we are still in shock from their generosity,” said Elkhart Coach David Garcia. “This opportunity provides so much – from getting the chance for our Hoosier boys to showcase their talent on such a large platform to the unbelievable memories that will last a lifetime. We will represent the Colts with all we’ve got!”

With more than 1,600 teams and 500,000 youth athletes across 50 States, NFL FLAG is the largest youth flag football league in the U.S.  NFL FLAG leagues are no contact, giving boys and girls, ages four to 17 and of all abilities, a chance to develop their fundamental football skills in a positive, inclusive environment.

In its first meeting of the new calendar year, the IHSAA Executive Committee voted to change the Boys and Girls Cross Country State Tournaments from a four week format to a three week format.

The decision was one of three rules.

proposals acted upon after being formally presented last month by the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (IATCCC).

By an 11-6 vote, next fall’s state tournaments will be contested on three consecutive Saturdays and begin one week later than previously scheduled. Next season’s sectionals will now be on Saturday, Oct. 14, regionals on Saturday, Oct. 21, and the state finals on the same previously scheduled date of Saturday, Oct. 28.

Since 2014, the cross country tournaments had been run on four consecutive Saturdays with sectionals, regionals, semi-states and state finals. The new format calls for 25 sectionals and five regionals feeding into the state finals while eliminating the semi-state round. The top five teams and top 15 individuals not on a qualifying team will advance from each round to the next. Host sites and sectional assignments will be announced this summer.

“Today was a culmination of several years of discussion around issues within the cross country tournaments,” said Commissioner Paul Neidig. “The three-week tournament will provide more balance at the sectional level, resulting in a more competitive state tournament. The new format will advance 42 additional runners in each race at the state finals. We greatly appreciate the partnership with the state coaches association in developing this new format.”

Two other proposals from the coaches association were unanimously approved including awarding medals to the top 25 finishers in both state meets and creating a common track entry platform that all meets must use throughout the season.

Rochester was defeated by the eventual champion in the team wrestling state duals tournament held Saturday at Brownsburg.

Tell City defeated Rochester in the semifinal, 38-36.  Tell City would advance to down Adams Central for the title. It was Rochester's first loss of the season.

Rochester then defeated Cascade for third place, 53-21.

The Zebras received a first round bye before defeating Prairie Heights in their opening round matchup, 53-19.

South Adams downed Winamac in opening round action, 60-21.  The Warriors then lost to Cowan, 52-24, and then dropped a match for 12th place to West Central, 55-18.  

Josh Douglass probably couldn't have guessed that his 200th career coaching win would come in Caston's game with Culver on Thursday.

After all, the Lady Comets would have to go 17-0 to start the season.  

Third-ranked (1A) Caston has done that very thing after defeating Culver, 63-35.

For Douglass, the milestone career victory is also his 50th win in just his third season as Caston head coach.

Isabel Scales led all scorers with 28 points.  Scales added 10 rebounds and three assists.

Bailey Harness scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds.  All of Harness' rebounds were on the offensive end of the floor.  That powered her other key statistic - 10-for-17 free throws.

Caston (17-0, 6-0 Hoosier North) can cap off an undefeated conference season at Laville Saturday afternoon.

Addison Zimpleman was also in double-figures with 11.

Kennedy Jackson and Rose Peterson led Culver (6-9, 2-3 Hoosier North) with 13 points.

Tippecanoe Valley's Kaydence Mellott poured in 33 points in the Vikings TRC win over Northfield, 61-28.

Tippecanoe Valley is 14-3, 5-0 TRC.

Thursday girls basketball

Bethany Christian 41, Argos 31

Pioneer 70, Frontier 33

Rochester opened up the final month of the girls basketball regular season with a road win Wednesday at Plymouth on GIANT fm Sports.

Other girls action on Wednesday

Peru 60, Tri-Central 43

Southwood 54, Marion 44

Manchester 66, Churubusco 59

Triton 47, Oregon-Davis 31

To manage to overcome some internal obstacle, impasse, or inhibition preventing one from succeeding or progressing.

Or, more simply, getting over the hump.

The Caston Lady Comets finally did on Tuesday night when senior Bailey Harness secured a turnover and converted a fastbreak lay-in that proved to be the game winner on the road at #11 Clinton Central, 47-46.

With a strong post presence in 5’10” Sara Parkison and surprisingly strong 3-point shooting in the first half, the host Bulldogs built a double digit lead.

It was something fans of the third-ranked (1A) Caston Lady Comets had to have wondered. Would Caston get over the four to eight point deficit they faced most of the second half?  

But in the closing two minutes of the contest the Comets pressure defense turned over Clinton Central several times and prevented post feeds close to the basket.  Five of Clinton Central’s 14 turnovers were in the final period.

Caston remains undefeated, 16-0.

A Caston 6-0 run at the end of the second quarter cut the deficit to eight at halftime, 26-18.  But as the game got deeper into the third and then fourth quarter, Caston often got as close as four points only to see Clinton Central answer to grow the lead back to eight on several occasions.

Caston head coach Josh Douglass knew it would be a grind against a quality opponent in Clinton Central (12-3).  The task became tougher when the Bulldogs connected on 4-for-9 3-point shooting. 

Caston pulled to within 37-31 going into the fourth quarter but not because they found an answer for Parkison on the low block.  Parkison scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the third period.

Macee Hinderlider with a key basket that cut Clinton Central's lead to 46-45 with :33 remaining.

But in the fourth, Caston limited Parkison’s touches and doubled the post when she had the ball.  The Clinton Central leading scorer, 15.5 ppg, only scored on a 1-for-2 appearance at the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

Bailey Harness secured the final score of the night on a contested fast break lay-in.

Harness finished with eight points.

Douglass said he knew Harness would come through.

Clinton Central failed on two consecutive inbounds plays as they threw the ball away trying to get a final shot. 

The Comets rally was slowed by struggles at the line.  Caston was 14-for-24 (58.3%) at the free throw line including 10-for-17 in the fourth quarter and a missed front end of a one-and-bonus.

Coach Douglass knows this kind of grind-it-out win is perfect preparation for the upcoming state tournament.

Addison Zimpleman led Caston in scoring with 13.  Isabel Scales scored 12. 

Zimpleman, Scales and Harness each pulled down five rebounds.

Kinzie Mollenkopf added eight points and four rebounds.  Macee Hinderlider added six in the Caston win.

Caston will put its undefeated girls basketball record on the line in a road trip to Clinton Central Tuesday night.

Caston heads to Michigantown for a matchup with the 11th-ranked team in 1A,  Clinton Central (12-2).  Clinton Central's only losses have been to fifth-ranked (2A) Carroll (Flora) (15-2) and to Pioneer (13-2).  

Caston has beaten Pioneer twice this season.

Third-ranked 1A Caston (15-0) fougth through one of the team's closest games of the season in its last outing, defeating Peru, 51-47.

The Comets have had only three other games decided by eight points or less.

Caston has also climbed into the top 25 of this week's overall state girls' basketball poll.  Headlined by 4A powers South Bend Washington, Zionsville, Hamilton Southeasterm, Fishers and Noblesville in the top five, the poll also features Warsaw at #16 followed by Valparaiso at #17.

Caston, ranked 25th, is the only 1A girls basketball team in the poll.  The Comets are behind top-ranked Lanesville and second-ranked Tri-High in the 1A class poll.

Hoosier Basketball Magazine, in its 53rd year, presents an annual comprehensive survey of all high school (boys and girls), college (men and women) and professional (Pacers and Fever) basketball in Indiana.

The 2022-23 issue of Hoosier Basketball Magazine can be ordered now by mail. The website is at www.hoosierbasketball- magazine.com or call/text 317-925-8200.

Twelve high school seniors are featured on Hoosier Basketball's front cover, six boys and six girls. The boys pictured in the middle are Xavier Booker (Indianapolis Cathedral), Markus Burton (Penn), Myles Colvin (Heritage Christian), Joey Hart (Linton-Stockton), Logan Imes (Zionsville), JQ Roberts (Bloomington North). The featured girls front and center are Ashlynn Brooke (Pioneer), Laila Hull (Zionsville), McKenna Layden (Northwestern), Riley Makalusky (Hamilton Southeastern), Karsyn Norman (Bedford North Lawrence), Amiyah Reynolds (South Bend Washington).

Eighteen more boys and girls are pictured on the magazine’s front cover. Photos of boys include Joey Brown (North Central-Marion), Ahmere Carson (Anderson), Jermaine Coleman (Park Tudor), AJ Dancler (Southport), Zane Doughty (Ben Davis), Mason Jones (Valparaiso), Sam Orme (Carmel), Ashton Williamson (Gary 21st Century). Senior girls gracing the cover are Asia Donald (Hobart), Nevaeh Foster (Mishawaka Marian), Rashunda Jones (South Bend Washington), Renna Schwieterman (Jay County), Hailey and Olivia Smith (Fishers), Saige Stahl (Columbus East), Bailey Tabeling (Trinity Lutheran), Josie Trabel (East Central), Amber Tretter (Forest Park).

Five college players are pictured on the front cover including Zach Edey (Purdue), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Cooper Neese (Indiana State), Payton Sparks (Ball State) and Grace Berger (Indiana women).

The Indiana Pacer pictured this season is Tyrese Haliburton.

There are three high school players that appear with action pictures on the table of contents page. The featured players are Jaxson Gould from Warsaw, Flory Bidunga from Kokomo and Jaylen Mullen from North Daviess.

The 2022-23 edition can be ordered by mail now by e-mailing hoosierbbllmag@att.net or you can call/text (317) 925-8200. Newsstand locations such as Barnes & Noble, CVS, Kroger, Martin’s Supermarket, Meijer, Wal-mart and Walgreens will have copies later in the month of January.

Call 317-925-8200 to find a Hoosier Basketball Magazine in your part of the state.