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Indiana girls basketball in good hands as Juniors ‘had something to prove’ vs. Seniors

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Indiana girls basketball in good hands as Juniors ‘had something to prove’ vs. Seniors


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KOKOMO — When Laila Abdurraqib hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half of the Indiana All-Stars Juniors vs. Seniors game, she was mobbed by her teammates as if the group of 12 had been playing together for an entire season.

Some could say it even looked similar to Abdurraqib’s 2024 state championship Lawrence Central squad. But this was only the Junior All-Stars’ second time playing in an official game together.

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“It was a blast; it felt like a high-level AAU game,” Abdurraqib said.

After the first 10 minutes of play, the seniors were ahead of the juniors 27-6. Led by 2024 Indiana Miss Basketball and Alabama commit Chloe Spreen of Bedford North Lawrence, it looked like the “super team” was going to run all over its younger counterparts.

And yet, once Abdurraqib hit that electric 3-pointer 10 minutes later, the juniors only trailed by six points.

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“We came in and we had something to prove,” said Maya Makalusky of Hamilton Southeastern.

Makalusky, an IU commit who averaged 26.1 points per game as a junior, said she and the entire junior team felt confident after the first quarter despite trailing by 21.

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IndyStar Miss Basketball Chloe Spreen following Indiana All-Stars game

2024 IndyStar Miss Basketball Chloe Spreen discusses Seniors’ loss to Juniors and reflects on Indiana All-Stars experience.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough game,” Makalusky said. ” … We were excited because we knew that wasn’t all we had. We trusted the girls and the weapons we had on our team.”

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By the time the third quarter had ended, the juniors had momentarily tied the score and cut the lead to just four points once the buzzer sounded.

“We hit our second gear,” Makalusky said. “It’s a hot gym, everybody’s sweaty, everybody’s tired, so who’s gonna fight harder to win? I think all of us had that; it’s a great class and it’s fun to be a part of.”

With 4:02 left to play, the juniors finally took their first lead. For the brief time remaining in Kokomo’s Memorial Gymnasium, the two sides traded leads until the final seconds.

It came down to a senior possession, controlled by Spreen. Jaylah Lampley, a Lawrence Central junior who was named the 2024 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, picked up Spreen on defense in the post. At first, Lampley said she considered trying to draw a charge. But she stuck to her defensive assignment, forcing a missed layup, grabbing the rebound herself and instantly calling a timeout.

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Makalusky was fouled out of the timeout, hit a free throw and the juniors grabbed the lead, secured further with two more free throws before time expired.

“We kept saying over and over, ‘We’re trying to beat them. We’re trying to make a statement,’” Lampley said. “Just because we’re younger than them, that doesn’t mean we’re gonna let them bully us and let them beat us.”

LC teammates Lampley and Abdurraqib have been together for a plethora of statement wins over the course of the past year, but their bond goes much further back. Abdurraqib said she and Lampley have been playing basketball together since second grade, and being side-by-side for all of their on- and off-the-court accomplishments has been something Abdurraqib doesn’t take for granted.

As for Lampley, she said her on-court approach and relationship with her teammates started in her hometown. She learned from her parents turning defense into offense is what wins championships, made evident through her junior year averages of 18.9 points and 2.1 steals per game.

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On Wednesday, Lampley finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

“We know what it takes to win a state championship; everybody has to be determined, even the bench,” Lampley said. “Everybody has to contribute in some type of way, and I felt like we did a great job of doing that tonight.”

Abdurraqib did come off the bench, dropping five points in her effort. While Abdurraqib started most games for LC, she didn’t approach a supporting role in the All-Stars game with any animosity. She even said it is indicative of the talent the class of 2025 has in girls basketball.

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Noblesville’s Reagan Wilson reflects on Indiana All-Stars game vs. Juniors, playing with Jordyn Poole, upcoming move to Iowa State

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“We’re really skilled, and that’s really a blessing because a lot of states don’t have this much skill in their programs,” Abdurraqib said. “Shooting, attacking, defense, a lot of people don’t really have that.”

Juniors coach Kaley May knows all about what it takes to be a successful player in Indiana. A graduate of Avon and former Butler Bulldog, the Danville head coach recognized how much versatility the junior class has as well.

She said it’s their talent mixed with their confidence that gave her no reason to feel worried after a disastrous first quarter. With a combined 163 points scored and more than half of Memorial Gymnasium filled with fans clamoring to watch the 22 future high-level college athletes play basketball, May said the Junior vs. Seniors game fosters confidence women’s basketball will continue its meteoric rise.

“I’m very excited about the energy that’s around women’s basketball,” May said. “It’s been great in quality for years, it just needed to be recognized. I think now that we finally have the platform, you’re finally seeing the ripple effect not just in the WNBA, but in college and high school. Getting that interest and appreciating the talent these girls have is unbelievable.”

Abdurraqib, who has earned offers from Division-I programs like Ball State, further cemented the future of girls basketball in Indiana is in good hands.

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“We are really in touch with what’s going on right now in the world,” Abdurraqib said. “The Angel Reese’s, the Caitlin Clark’s, the (Kamilla) Cardoso’s of the world … we see what they’re doing and build off that. We just want to go out of Indiana and spread all of that.

“We’re not going anywhere. We’re here to stay.”

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Meredith Tippner on Junior All-Stars sweep, Purdue interest, recruiting

Noblesville’s Meredith Tippner discusses Junior All-Stars win over the seniors and updates her recruiting, including recent visit to Purdue.

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at KSmedley@Gannett.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.

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DoorDash driver accused of pepper-spraying customer’s Arby’s order, resulting in wife falling ill

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DoorDash driver accused of pepper-spraying customer’s Arby’s order, resulting in wife falling ill


Caught red (pepper) handed.

A DoorDash driver has been banned from the app after being accused of dousing an order with pepper spray and causing an unsuspecting customer to fall ill after eating the tainted food.

The sick act was caught on a doorbell camera outside an Evansville, Indiana, home just after midnight on Sunday.

A DoorDash driver sprays an unknown substance on a food delivery order in Evansville, Indiana, on Dec. 7, 2025. Mark Cardin/Facebook

The driver, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, was dropping off an Arby’s delivery to Mark Cardin and his wife, Mandy, when she snapped a confirmation photo before suddenly producing an object from her pocket and spraying the order.

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The blue-haired worker placed the spray back into her jacket pocket before walking away, all in front of the camera.

The couple brought the order inside, unaware that something was wrong with it and began chowing down.

Moments later, Mandy began struggling to breathe.

“I noticed my wife had starting eating and she started choking and gasping, and after she had a couple bites of her food she actually threw up,” he told WFIE.

Mandy and Mark Cardin ordered Arby’s to their home through DoorDash on Dec. 7, 2025. Mark Cardin/Facebook
The sick act was caught on a doorbell camera outside an Evansville, Indiana, home just after midnight on Sunday. Mark Cardin/Facebook

The horrified customer began investigating the cause of his wife’s sudden illness when he examined the order.

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“I had a look at the bag and seen that there was some kind of spray or something,” Cardin said. “The bag had been tampered with. So I pulled up my doorbell camera and seen that the lady who dropped the food off had actually tampered with it on purpose for some reason.”

Cardin shared the photos and videos of the driver to Facebook asking for help in identifying the driver.

He attempted to contact her but found she already blocked him on the app.

Cardin shared the photos and videos of the driver to Facebook asking for help in identifying the driver. Mark Cardin/Facebook

Cardin reported the food runner’s stunt to DoorDash and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is looking to get the driver fired and charged.

“I definitely want to see her prosecuted,” Cardin told WFIE, adding that they had never met her before and had left a tip before the incident.

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The driver has been banned from the app after footage surfaced of the late-night delivery.

“We have zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior. The Dasher in question has been permanently removed from the platform, and our team is standing by to support law enforcement with any investigation,” a DoorDash spokesperson told The Post.

The driver has been banned from the app after footage surfaced of the late-night delivery. Mark Cardin/Facebook

Cardin doesn’t know exactly what was sprayed on the food, fearing it could’ve been worse than it was.

“It’s horrific,” Cardin said. “We assume it’s pepper spray, that’s more than likely what it is, but now in this day and age it could’ve been anything. It could’ve been rat poison, it could’ve been fentanyl. I mean, my wife could’ve been dead.”

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into the driver and could charge her with consumer product tampering, a level 6 felony, according to WFIE.

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If the foreign spray resulted in harm the charge could be increased to a level 5 felony.

“We live in a terrible world right now,” Mark said. “Horrific. People are mean for no reason. There was no reason to do what she done,” Cardin said, encouraging other food delivery app users to be cautious with their future orders.

“I would say to anybody, if you order food on any kind of delivery service, make sure you have a doorbell,” Mark said.

“This is making me second guess ever ordering food from anywhere ever again,” he said.

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Several northeast Indiana cities, counties awarded grants for infrastructure projects

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Several northeast Indiana cities, counties awarded grants for infrastructure projects


NORTHEAST INDIANA (WPTA) – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has announced the list of cities and counties selected to receive funds through its Community Crossings Matching Grant Program.

The Community Crossings program, created in 2016, gives funding to towns, cities, and counties in the Hoosier State that are used for infrastructure improvement projects.

Projects eligible for funding through the program include road and bridge preservation projects that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, along with chip sealing and crack-filling operations.

On Tuesday, the following recipients were announced:

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Allen County, Bluffton, DeKalb County, and LaGrange County were among those that received the largest grants, at $1 million.

You can view the full list of recipients here.

INDOT says the next call for project submissions will open in July. For more information about the program, visit INDOT’s website.

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Indiana, Curt Cignetti emerging in race for elite transfer QB

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Indiana, Curt Cignetti emerging in race for elite transfer QB


Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers head into the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed in the field after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes by a final score of 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game.

Knocking off Ohio State was the biggest statement that Indiana could have sent. Not only did the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes, they completely shut down the former No. 1 team in the nation offensively.

Led by star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who many believe could be the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Hoosiers are a legitimate national championship contender. However, there are some who are looking ahead at next season with questions.

Read more: Texas, Arch Manning Dealt More Bad News After Missing CFP

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Being a long-term championship contender is no easy task. Losing Mendoza to the NFL, assuming he makes that decision, will be difficult to recover from. That being said, there is an intriguing transfer portal option that Indiana could become a favorite to land.

Joe Cox of College Football HQ on SI has named the Hoosiers as potential team to watch when it comes to star Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt in the transfer portal.

“Who would have thought that Indiana would be a QB destination? But if Kurtis Rourke can lead IU to the Playoff and Fernando Mendoza can lead them to No. 1, what could Leavitt do in Bloomington?” Cox wrote. “Assuming Mendoza does go to the NFL (which seems like a foregone conclusion), the spot is open for an immediate splash.”

Leavitt made the decision to enter the transfer portal back on Monday. He has shown elite talent during his time with the Sun Devils.

During the 2025 college football season at Arizona State, Leavitt completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while also running for 306 yards and five scores. He produced those numbers in just seven games.

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Read more: Alabama Named in Paul Finebaum’s Head-Turning CFP Prediction

Last year, Leavitt posted bigger numbers. He threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while completing 61.7 percent of his passes. He chipped in with 443 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Adding Leavitt would undoubtedly keep Cignetti and Indiana in the national championship picture. There will be plenty of other teams with interest in adding him, but the Hoosiers would make a ton of sense.

For more on the Indiana Hoosiers and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.



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