Three Hamilton County basketball players have honored as the IBCA/Franciscan Health Player of the Week over the past month.
Fishers’ Katie Burton won the award for Girls District 2 for her efforts during Week 8 (Dec. 21-26), while Noblesville’s Ashlynn Shade received the award for Girls District 2 for her play during Week 9 (Dec. 28-Jan. 2). Hamilton Heights’ Gus Etchison earned the Boys District 2 honor after his performance during Week 10 (Jan. 4-9).
Burton is known for putting up big efforts in tough games, and on Dec. 21 she did just that, as the Tigers knocked off previously unbeaten Frankton, 71-62. The 5-9 guard was steady shooting it, knocking down 13-20 shots from the field, 2-3 from long range, plus she made 3-4 from the charity stripe, scoring 31 points in success. Burton, who has committed to the Big East’s St. John’s University, collected 10 caroms to post a double-double, plus she added a pair of assists and a pair of steals.
Shade helped the Millers to four wins during the week of Dec. 28, including the Greensburg Tournament title. First, though, the Millers hosted Avon on Dec. 28 for a Hoosier Crossroads Conference matchup, escaping with a hard-fought 59-52 victory. Shade had to work for her 13 points, but she posted a double-double with 10 rebounds, plus she added five assists and four steals in the big conference win. It was Dec. 30 when they finally headed to Greensburg, knocking off a solid New Palestine group 70-55 in the first round. Shade stepped up in a big way, scoring 27 points on 11-16 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds, handing out a pair of assists, and collecting five steals.
Later that evening, the Millers won the tournament by defeating the host Pirates, 60-37. Greensburg hounded Shade, but she still managed another double-double…her sixth of the year already. The sophomore scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, passed out seven assists, and stole the ball four times. On Jan. 2, Noblesville travelled to Martinsville to take on a very good Artesians team. The Millers won 73-47 to move to 12-3 on the year. Shade was again dialed in, as she made 10 total field goals, plus 7-8 free throws, on her way to 28 points. She added eight rebounds and eight steals in victory.
Etchison is no stranger to the big game, and last Saturday he added another one to his long list of accomplishments, but he also posted a nice pair of additional outings leading up to the weekend. On Jan. 5, the Huskies headed to Lebanon to earn a 60-33 win. The senior guard scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, as Heights improved to 4-1 on the season.
Friday night, the Huskies travelled to Northwestern for a Hoosier Conference game. After 32 minutes of action, plus 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals by Etchison, Hamilton Heights won 69-47 to start the conference year 1-0. The very next day, however, was when Etchison erupted for 43 points. The 6-0 guard did everything in his power to help his team to a victory, but it wasn’t enough, as the Huskies fell, 99-87, to Indianapolis Herron. In defeat, the Western Michigan University commit also contributed five rebounds, seven assists, plus five steals.
This is the second time that Etchison has won the award this season. He shared the Boys District 2 honor after his play during the first week of the regular season, scoring 39 points in a tough 83-78 loss to a quality Mount Vernon team on Nov. 28. Etchison knocked down 13-24 shots, 5-9 3-pointers, and went 8-11 from the free throw line. He also added six rebounds, a pair of assists, a pair of steals, and a pair of blocked shots.
This is the 13th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but the first season it is 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.
