MADISON – Wisconsin’s Junior Day effort last weekend provided almost immediate results.

Tayshon Bardo, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound receiver from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, announced his commitment to the Badgers on Tuesday afternoon on X.

The three-star prospect is the second known commit to Wisconsin’s 2026 class. Another Indiana standout, offensive lineman Benjamin Novak of Merrilville, announced his commitment in October.

Bardo was on campus last weekend as part of UW’s Junior Day. He also attended the UW-Oregon game Nov. 16.

Bardo is listed as a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247sports and On3. He had announced 17 Division I offers that included Michigan State, Indiana and Vanderbilt. He announced his offer from Wisconsin on Oct. 28.

More: These 11 prospects were on campus last weekend for Wisconsin football’s Junior Day

The season’s done, campaigning is complete and the votes have been cast. That’s right, folks. It’s almost time to crown the 2025 IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball. I have no idea who it will be and, as a reminder, had literally no involvement in the process beyond the single (1) vote I cast Tuesday. (I know there will still be knuckleheads who yell at me/IndyStar about it, but at least you — someone who is decidedly not a knucklehead — will know better.) 

As we await the final results, let’s evaluate the field. (Have your say in poll at bottom of article.)

Indiana All-Stars predictions: Picking state’s best seniors is never easy

The frontrunners

Addi Baxter, Columbia City

Baxter capped her decorated career by leading Columbia City to its first sectional and regional titles since 1999-2000. The Butler-bound guard averaged 24 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 5.3 steals for the semistate runner-up Eagles, who finished the season 24-5. Baxter holds the school records for career points (1,859), assists (523), steals (478) and field goals made, plus season records for field goals, points, assists and steals.

More: ‘She’s been told she’s not good enough at basketball her entire life.’ Now, she’s a budding star.

Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central

The record-setting Mississippi State commit led the Bears to new heights during her four seasons, collecting 81 wins and the first state championship in school history (2023-24). Individually, she set the school scoring record with 1,802 points, and rounded out her line with 580 rebounds, 209 steals, 201 assists and 52 blocks. Lampley enjoyed a career year as a senior, averaging 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.6 steals over 24 games.

Maya Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern

The sharpshooting Makalusky led the Royals to their first sectional and regional championships since 2018-19, then nearly led them to a semistate crown, totaling 37 points, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals against Valparaiso and Warsaw. The IU commit finished the season averaging 22.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, and is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,933 points.

Sectional 8 wrap: Maya Makalusky shares win with sister; Westfield seniors say goodbye

Kira Reynolds, South Bend Washington

Reynolds is immortalized among the state’s greatest shot blockers of all time. The 6-3 forward totaled 170 as a senior (6.5 per game), leaving her with 593 for her career. She also averaged 14.8 points on 52% shooting, 13.4 rebounds (4.9 offensive), 6.0 assists and 3.5 steals for the sectional champion Panthers. The Purdue-bound standout finished her career with 1,444 points (57% shooter), 1,184 rebounds, 380 assists and 221 steals.

Meredith Tippner, Noblesville

Tippner’s athletic exploits include a state basketball title her freshman year, three consecutive state soccer championships and a 155-25-6 cumulative record between the two sports. She set the single-season scoring record as a senior, pouring in 623 points (26 ppg) against the state’s ninth-toughest schedule. The Miami commit also averaged 9.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.0 steals this season, and finished her career ranked second all-time in points (1,779), rebounds (913) and assists (337), and with a school-record 326 steals.

The contenders/dark horses

It would not surprise me to see either player among the finalists.

Hadley Crosier, Lanesville

Crosier, a Maryville (Mo.) commit, underwent ACL reconstruction surgery on March 1, 2024. She worked tirelessly over the summer and returned in time for the start of her senior season on Nov. 14. A two-time Class A state champion, Crosier led the Eagles to their seventh consecutive sectional championship as a senior, averaging 17 points, 3.5 assists and 4.3 steals. She finished her career with 1,378 points (second all-time) and school records for steals (423), assists (402) and 3-pointers (119), plus a record of 104-9.

More: She wasn’t going to let ACL tear derail her senior season or shot at IHSAA hoops 3-peat.

Avery Gordon, Brownsburg 

The Purdue-bound Gordon finished her career second on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,626 points, to go with 816 rebounds and 227 blocks. She was a wickedly efficient scorer throughout her career (56%), and finished out her four-year career with a stellar senior campaign, setting career-highs in points (20.3 per game), rebounds (10.3 per game), blocks (80 total) and double-doubles (14).

Have your say: Who should win 2025 IndyStar Miss Basketball?

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.