Indiana
Shots, blocks & boards: Vote for IHSAA girls basketball players of the week (Dec. 26-30)
IHSAA girls basketball: Greensburg defeats Roncalli 60-55
Greensburg defeats Roncalli 60-55 on Friday, December 29, 2023.
Clark Wade/IndyStar
IndyStar will be recognizing the top basketball players in Indiana with our players of the week poll.
Scroll to the bottom of the article to vote. Voting is open until noon Friday. You can vote once per hour.
Congratulations to Evansville Reitz’s Norah Miller on being voted Player of the Week for Dec. 11-16! Miller finished with 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting in a win over North Posey. She rounded out her line with 10 rebounds, five assists and seven steals.
Congratulations to Zionsville’s Allie Caldwell and Carroll (Flora)’s Alli Harness on being selected Players of the Week for Dec. 18-23!
Player of the Week winners will be honored at IndyStar’s Indiana Sports Awards this spring.
Insider: Wrapping up the Twin Lakes Holiday Tournament
Here are this week’s nominees.
Addison Bowsman, Twin Lakes
The junior matched a school record with 46 points on 13-of-25 shooting (5-for-6 from 3) in an overtime loss to Bishop Chatard last Thursday afternoon. Bowsman rounded out her line with five rebounds, five assists and three steals before fouling out in the extra session. She finished the three-game Twin Lakes Holiday Tournament with 99 points, 36 field goals, 18 rebounds, 21 assists and 10 steals.
Addison Davis, Danville
The junior scored a triple-double vs. Frankfort, logging 18 points, 16 rebounds and 12 steals (plus seven assists and a block). She hit 9-of-18 shots from the field.
Aijia Elliott, Kokomo
The senior blocked six shots and scored 18 points in a one-point loss to Batesville at a tournament in Scottsburg. She logged 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals the day before vs. Borden, then tallied eight points and nine rebounds against Eastern.
Myah Epps, Homestead
Epps racked up 30 points to lift the Spartans to a 61-50 win over Pike on Wednesday.
Kennedy Fuelling, Norwell
Fuelling put up 22 points in a loss to Fort Wayne Snider, then poured in a team-high 32 points to help the Knights erase a six-point deficit and knock off Valparaiso.
Ashley Fulton, Southwestern
Fulton racked up 61 points, 14 rebounds, 18 assists and 10 assists over four games for the Rebels. Her week was highlighted by a 20-point, six-assist performance vs. Class 2A No. 11 Brownstown Central (Southwestern lost by a point).
Kenzie Garner, Sheridan
Garner scored 26 points on 12-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds, four assists and five steals in a win over Beech Grove. She picked up 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a loss to Alexandria-Monroe.
Becca Gerdt, Valparaiso
Gerdt shined in game one of the Noblesville Holiday Tournament vs. the host Millers, recording 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting with 15 rebounds, three assists and a steal. She went for 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in the nightcap vs. Norwell.
Insider: Wrapping up the Noblesville Holiday Tournament
Charlee Gibson, Blue River Valley
The junior matched her season-high with 23 points (8-of-12 shooting) on Dec. 29 vs. Blackford, then reset it a day later with 32 points vs. Southwestern (Shelbyville). She went 12-for-20 from the field vs. the Spartans with six 3-pointers, and rounded out her line with eight rebounds and five steals.
Kennedy Holman, Hamilton Southeastern
Holman enjoyed a career day vs. North Central, finishing with 11-for-18 from the field for 26 points. The sophomore also dished out five assists and picked up four steals. Holman recorded 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals vs. Decatur Central.
Jayla Keithley, Morristown
After being held to six points against Milan, Keithley scored 17 points in back-to-back games. She added eight rebounds, three assists and a steal vs. Cambridge City Lincoln, and seven rebounds, three assists and four steals against Scecina.
Olivia Nickerson, Twin Lakes
Nickerson drilled six 3-pointers to surpass Oregon-Davis’ Aubrey Minix as the state’s all-time leader for 3-pointers made with 364. The Bethel-bound senior pushed her total to 368 with four threes over two games Thursday, with her 20-point effort vs. Chatard making her Twin Lakes’ all-time leading scorer. Nickerson totaled 70 points in three games.
Mia Robbennolt, Bloomington North
Robbennolt cleared 1,000 career points amidst a strong showing at the Lebanon tournament. She registered 24 points (9-for-15 shooting), seven rebounds, three assists, five steals and a block vs. Lowell, notched a double-double against Mooresville (13 points, 10 rebounds) and collected 11 points, eight rebounds, and four steals vs. Perry Meridian.
Kyndra Sheets, Columbia City
The senior Huntington commit poured in 13 points in the Hall of Fame Classic opener vs. Indian Creek, then scored 12 points (plus three assists and two steals) against Jennings County.
Insider: What we learned from the girls Hall of Fame Classic
Ruby White, Eastern Hancock
The senior shined against 4A foe Elkhart, picking up 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks in a 60-49 victory.
Ava Wilson, Shelbyville
Wilson cleared 1,000 career points by scoring a career-high 34 points in a win over Madison at the North Decatur tournament. She notched 24 points later in the day against Edgewood. Wilson is one of seven 1,000-point scorers in program history.
Reagan Wilson, Noblesville
Wilson scored 29 points and registered five steals against Valparaiso, then went for 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting in a win over Fort Wayne Snider.
Juliann Woodard, Jennings County
Woodard finished with 21 points, 22 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and a couple steals vs. Lake Central at the Hall of Fame Classic, then logged 18 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game vs. Columbia City.
Sara Zarse, Tri-County
Zarse lifted the Class A Cavaliers to victory over 4A’s Mt. Vernon, registering 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and two steals. She posted six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals against 4A’s McCutcheon in the semifinals, and 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals vs. 3A’s Twin Lakes in the third-place game.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
Indiana
After Surviving Northwestern, MSU Basketball looks ahead to Indiana
Michigan State narrowly escaped with a home win against the now 8–7 Northwestern Wildcats. The Spartans struggled mightily in the first half, entering the break down seven points after scoring just 28 points. Michigan State committed eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.
After a sluggish start, the Spartans regrouped and took control in the second half. Michigan State shot 14-of-27 from the field after halftime, playing with better pace and ball movement.
Jeremy Fears, who picked up two early fouls and began the game 0-of-4 from the field, responded with a strong second half. He finished the game shooting 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Overall, Michigan State was far more composed in the second half against the Wildcats. However, with a matchup against Indiana looming, the Spartans will not be able to afford another slow start like the one they experienced against Northwestern.
Scouting Indiana
Indiana has undergone a similar offseason transformation to another Big Ten opponent Michigan State has already faced: the Iowa Hawkeyes. After parting ways with head coach Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers hired former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries began his head coaching career at Drake, where he posted an impressive 150–55 record. Over his final four seasons with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 108 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
DeVries also went 79–33 in Missouri Valley Conference play, captured three MVC titles, and guided Drake to six of the program’s 11 20-win seasons before leaving for West Virginia.
In his lone season with the Mountaineers, DeVries engineered a significant turnaround, improving West Virginia from a 10-win team to a 19-win team.
Now at Indiana, DeVries has continued that trend of rapid improvement. In Mike Woodson’s final season, the Hoosiers finished 19–13 and missed the NCAA Tournament. This season, Indiana has already reached 12 wins and appears firmly back in the postseason conversation.
The Hoosiers are led by senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, a transfer from Sam Houston. Wilkerson is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range.
Indiana has been strong on both ends of the floor. According to KenPom, the Hoosiers rank 30th nationally in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency.
As Michigan State prepares to face Indiana, the Spartans will need to clean up their first-half execution to keep pace with one of the Big Ten’s more balanced teams. Indiana’s efficiency on both ends of the court, combined with DeVries’ proven ability to elevate programs quickly, makes this a difficult matchup. For Michigan State, a complete 40-minute performance will be essential if it hopes to build momentum in conference play.
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Indiana
Oregon OC Will Stein blames turnovers for CFP loss to Indiana Hoosiers
The Oregon Ducks’ season has ended in heartbreak for the second-straight season. They advanced farther than they did last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals before they succumbed to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers.
In the days leading up to the rematch, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning spoke about what needed to change from the last matchup, and the turnover battle was one of the things he spoke most passionately about. There is no way he can be happy after the Ducks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with each one leading to easy points for the Hoosiers.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked to reflect on this aspect after the game, and he had this to say, “We just spotted these guys 21 points. You know, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over three times in your own territory, plus a pick six.”
Oregon’s defense wasn’t great in this game either, but a lot of their struggles were the result of being asked to shut down an Indiana offense that was often set up in or near the red zone. Stein acknowledged this in his answer, telling reporters, “You don’t do anything good for your defense in that aspect. So obviously, poor job by us taking care of the ball, and it was obviously the big difference in the game.
The Hoosiers scored 28 points off Ducks turnovers, which ended up being the key difference in the 34-point loss. It also doesn’t feel farfetched to believe that Oregon would have played with much more fire if the turnovers didn’t put the game out of reach.
This game will leave a sour taste in this group’s mouth because they know things will never be the same. Stein and Tosh Lupoi are going off to lead their own teams now, along with a ton of uncertainty about which players will remain in Eugene after this loss.
The Ducks had a prime opportunity to achieve glory, but they came up just short yet again thanks to a slew of giveaways.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Indiana
Why Indiana football regretted one Fernando Mendoza play
ATLANTA — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has burned teams throughout the College Football Playoff with his scrambling ability.
Mendoza was lights out through the air in a 56-22 win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Friday night, but he made a handful of plays with his legs again starting with a 21-yard gain early in the second quarter that helped the No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) flip the field.
Mendoza’s sneaky athleticism has put pressure on defenses already struggling to contain IU’s impressive arsenal of skill players, but there came a time in the CFP semifinals where the coaching staff asked him to put that scrambling ability in his back pocket and keep it there.
“Coach (Chandler) Whitmer was in his ear about getting down as quickly as possible,” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan told The Herald-Times.
Re-live IU’s 2025 season
The Heisman winner had the large contingent of IU fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium holding their breath while he was weaving through defenders and taking hits with his team up by four possessions coming out of halftime.
Mendoza lost the ball in the third quarter while getting tripped up from behind on a run up the middle after busting out a spin move on the play to gain extra yards.
While the coaching staff appreciates Mendoza’s competitiveness, they didn’t want him putting himself at risk with the team less than two quarters away from playing in the national title game.
“We were very conscious (of the situation),” Shanahan said after the game.
Mendoza had one more carry after that off an RPO near the goal line right after IU blocked a punt. It was a play call that Shanahan immediately regretted with Oregon loading up the box.
“That wasn’t the best position to put him in,” he said.
Mendoza closed out the game for the Hoosiers under center by simply handing the ball off while the Hoosiers put the finishing touches on another lopsided win. He threw for 177 yards (17 of 20) and finished the game with more passing touchdowns (five) than incompletions (three) for the sixth time this season.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning had high praise for Mendoza’s overall performance after the game, but he became the latest in a long line of opposing coaches to mention his scrambling ability in the same breath as his arm talent.
“The guy makes the right decisions,” Lanning said. “You consistently see if he sees the right coverage, you know, he takes the ball where it’s supposed to go, dictated by coverage. I think he did a great job again on the scrambles early. I thought we had him boxed up in the third down early in the game, which was critical and was able to scramble for a first down.”
Shanahan underlined Mendoza’s decision-making as well in talking about the growth he’s seen from the quarterback this season and his improvisational skills (and when to use them) are a big part of that.
“He makes my life and my job so much easier,” Shanahan said. “I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I don’t know if that was the confidence he got from winning Heisman or beating Ohio State, I feel like we are on the right path. We got one more to go.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
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