Upperclassmen Dominate Week-13IBCA/Subway Player of the Week Awards

by | Feb 4, 2020 | Basketball Blogs, Headlines, RRSN News | 0 comments

Underclassmen have regularly found their way into the weekly awards throughout the 2019-2020 season, but this time five Seniors have earned Week-13 IBCA/Subway Player of the Week honors. Three of the winners eclipsed 40 points, while all of them were outstanding in one way or another. This week, the girls begin their IHSAA state tournament, while the boys focus on finishing the regular season strong.

Winamac Community Senior Will Larkin, Greencastle Junior Brody Whitaker, Evansville Bosse Senior Kolten Sanford, South Bend Riley Senior Jazmen Watts, Kokomo Sophomore Chloe McClain, Oak Hill Senior Taylor Westgate, and Our Lady of Providence Senior Natalie Boesingwere selected as recipients for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 1 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

In District-1, Larkin is the boys’ honoree, while Watts is the girls’ honoree. In District-2, Whitaker is the boys’ winner, while McClain and Westgate share girls’ honors. In District-3, Sanford is the boys’ recipient, and Boesing is the girls’ recipient.

Winamac Community Senior Will Larkin put together a pair of nice outings last week, as the Warriors split the two games. Friday, in a matchup at West Central, Larkin exploded for 45 points on 17-27 from the field, 3-7 from 3-point range, and 8-9 from the free throw line, as they won with ease. The 6-0 guard also chipped in four rebounds, an assist, and four steals in the effort.

The next night, Larkin poured in another 35 points on his way to surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career. He added seven rebounds, a steal, and a blocked shot, but it wasn’t enough, as the Warriors fell to Tippecanoe Valley, 57-49. Larkin now stands at 1,012 points for his career.

Last week, South Bend Riley’s Jazmen Watts helped guarantee her program their first winning season since 2004-2005. In a matchup with Elkhart Memorial on Tuesday night, Watts ran wild, scoring 43 points, grabbing nine rebounds, handing out four assists, and collecting six steals in the easy win.

Two nights later, at South Bend Clay, the 5-8 Senior wing was again up to the task, scoring 27 points in the hard-fought 68-60 win that secured the Riley Wildcats a 12-10 record heading into the state tournament.

Greencastle Junior Brody Whitaker had his way with opponents last week as well. Friday evening, in a Western Indiana Conference tournament game, Whitaker erupted for 47 points, as he buried five of nine 3-point attempts and was 10-13 from the charity stripe. In the outing, Whitaker surpassed the 1,000-point mark. He also grabbed an impressive 16 rebounds and handed out four assists, as the Tigers advanced with a 71-54 win over Owen Valley.

Saturday, the 6-3 guard was at it again, helping Greencastle to another win, this time a 72-61 outcome at Tri-West. On this night, Whitaker scored 29 points, posted another double-double with 10 rebounds, and he dished out five assists while collecting a steal.

Kokomo Sophomore Chloe McClain played just one game last week, but did she ever make it memorable. The 5-7 guard buried seven of ten 3-point shots and was 10-11 from the free throw line, on her way to a career-best 39 points. In fact, with her two assists, she contributed to all but six of her team’s 49 points in a 49-48 win against Muncie Central. McClain also grabbed six rebounds and collected three steals in the North Central Conference win for the Wildkats.

Oak Hill Senior Taylor Westgate also participated in just one contest last week, but it was well worth her time. In a 51-35 win against potential Sectional opponent Eastern (Greentown), the 6-1 Taylor University signee scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, plus she added four assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. Westgate recently became a member of an exclusive club, as she now has 1,476 points and 1,032 rebounds in her outstanding career.

Evansville Bosse point guard Kolten Sanford put together a pair of nice performances last week, helping the Bulldogs split the two games against non-Indiana competition. Friday, Bosse took on Owensboro High School from Kentucky, winning 88-63. Sanford played the role of floor general, scoring 21 points, but also handing out ten assists in the outing. He contributed three rebounds and four steals to the victory as well.

Saturday, in a showcase game, the Bulldogs took on a tough Chicago Bogan squad, falling to the Illinois team 77-56. The 5-8 Sanford again put forth a great effort, scoring 27 points, handing out five assists, while grabbing a pair of rebounds and collecting two steals.

Our Lady of Providence Senior Natalie Boesing is making her second appearance as the District-3 girls’ recipient. She has been a double-double machine this year, and last week was no different. Tuesday, at Crawford County, the 5-11 forward scored 31 of her team’s 39 points, but the Pioneers unfortunately fell 52-39. Boesing also grabbed 11 rebounds and pulled in three steals in the loss.

Two nights later, Boesing led Providence into battle against Floyd Central, this time helping them secure a 43-32 victory and a winning record in the regular season. The Senior forward collected another 15 caroms, as she is now averaging 24.0 points and 10.6 rebounds heading into the state tournament.

This is the 12th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, and the eighth season it is presented by Subway Restaurants of Indiana, a banner sponsor of the IBCA. Subway, in its eighth season as an IBCA sponsor, encourages athletes to “train hard and eat fresh”.

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.

Other Top Nominees for Week-13 (2019-20)

District-1 Boys:Nate Dukich, Lake Station Edison; Michael Eley, Fort Wayne Snider; Will Geiger, Norwell; Ben Jones, Andrean; Landen Jordan, Churubusco; Thomas Latham, New Haven; Christopher Mantis, Lowell; Jylen Petty, South Bend Washington; Joe Reidy, Woodlan; Brett Sickafoose, Whitko.

District-1 Girls:Courtney Blakely, Hammond Bishop Noll; Jessica Carrothers, Crown Point; Trinity Clinton, Penn; Nevaeh Foster, Mishawaka Marian; LilliannFrasure, North Judson-San Pierre; Christian Haggard, Gary Bowman; Bailey Keim, North Miami; Lilly Maple, Maconaquah; Trinity Thompson, Michigan City; Sydney Wagner, Tippecanoe Valley.

District-2 Boys:Braxton Barnhizer, Lafayette Jefferson; Mason Brooks, North Putnam; Luke Brown, Blackford; Tylen Brown, Herron; Jake Chapman, Tri-Central; Gus Etchison, Hamilton Heights; Bernie McGuinness, Guerin Catholic; Sincere McMahon, Crispus Attucks; Braden Smith, Westfield; Payton Sparks, Winchester Community.

District-2 Girls:Maddie Barnes, Speedway; Ella Collier, Danville Community; Jaleigh Crawford, Elwood Community; Tyra Ford, Anderson; Maddi Fulks, Bethesda Christian; Madeline Lawrence, Winchester Community; Alaina Omonodé, West Lafayette; Ashlynn Shade, Noblesville; Lexi Shelton, Mount Vernon (Fortville); Alana Vinson, Roncalli.

District-3 Boys:Blake Barker, Columbus North; Drew Byerly, Franklin Community; Trey Kaufman, Silver Creek; Hagen Knepp, Barr-Reeve; Lane Lauderbaugh, South Decatur; Foster Mefford, Southwestern (Hanover); Connor Nolot, Lanesville; Blake Sisley, Heritage Hills; Isaiah Swope, Castle; KoldenVanlandingham, Northeastern.

District-3 Girls:Darrian Carmean, Vincennes Lincoln; Maya Chandler, Triton Central; Averi Davidson, North Central (Farmersburg); Rebekah Gordon, Heritage Hills; Zayda Hatfield, Terre Haute South Vigo; Kaybree Oxley, Tecumseh; Isabella Reed, Greenwood Christian; Hannah Sisk, Princeton Community; Allison Stogsdill, Brown County; Alaina Thorne, Washington.

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