Westfield senior Braden Smith was among the selections for the Week 10 IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week, which are announced every Monday during the high school basketball season.
Smith won the award for District 2 boys, joining Chesterton senior Travis Grayson (District 1 boys), Maconaquah senior Lilly Maple (District 1 girls), New Castle senior Maddy Meek (District 2 girls), Austin senior Brysen Montgomery (District 3 boys) and Cannelton junior (Kendall Hale) (District 3 girls).
The Shamrocks began their three-game week with a Tuesday night matchup against Mount Vernon, ending the evening with an 87-78 victory. Senior Braden Smith posted a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists in the ‘Rocks first win in five days. Smith knocked down 11 of 15 shots from the field, a pair of treys, and all six of his free throw attempts. He also chipped in five rebounds and a blocked shot for good measure.
Friday night, Westfield traveled to Yorktown, winning convincingly, 68-36. In somewhat limited time, the 6-0 point guard scored 14 points, grabbed four caroms, handed out four assists, and picked up a pair of steals. Smith was a solid 6-12 from the field and 2-5 from long range.
Saturday was the big one, though, as Westfield hosted the Carmel Greyhounds. Smith, a Purdue University commit, knocked down 5 of 9 from deep, on his way to 28 points in the contest, as the Shamrocks narrowly defeated the Greyhounds, 43-42. The senior guard again contributed in other ways, adding five rebounds and three assists in the rivalry game.
OTHER PLAYER OF THE WEEK HIGHLIGHTS
The Chesterton Trojans picked up two wins last week, to push their overall record to 11-0. Senior Travis Grayson has been a big part of their success, and he got the ball rolling in their 77-48 win over Bishop Noll Tuesday night. Grayson scored 22 points and handed out nine assists in the victory, affecting more than half of the Trojans points in one way or another. He added a pair of rebounds and three steals in the effort.
Saturday, the Trojans traveled to Merrillville for their first Duneland Conference matchup. This time, Grayson scored a career-high 32 points in a hard-fought, 76-68 triumph. The 5-10 point guard contributed six more assists, seven rebounds, and four steals, as Chesterton began their conference season with a win. For the week, Grayson was 19 of 29 from the field and 17 of 22 from the free-throw line.
Maconaquah senior Lilly Maple has performed at a high level all season, and Saturday was no different. The 5-7 guard helped the Lady Braves to double up Three Rivers Conference rival Wabash, 54-27. In the win, Maple scored 27 points, she knocked down three 3-pointers, and she buried all four of her free throw attempts. Add to that seven rebounds, five steals, and another eight deflections, and she played both ends of the floor equally well.
New Castle senior Maddy Meek had a career performance Thursday against a good Wapahani squad. The 5-8 forward scored 32 points on 10-19 shooting, plus she was dangerous outside, knocking down seven shots from 3-point range in the 66-49 win. Additionally, Meek grabbed 18 big rebounds in the victory, helping the Lady Trojans to their fourth win in their last five tries.
Austin Senior Brysen Montgomery lit it up last weekend in a Friday/Saturday tilt. Friday evening, the Eagles traveled to Mid-Southern Conference rival North Harrison, falling 82-63 in a tough one. However, it wasn’t for a lack of production from Montgomery, as he was 17 of 29 from the field and 5 of 12 from deep, scoring 39 points in defeat. He also snagged eight rebounds and three steals in the game.
Saturday, the Eagles were back at it, as Austin hosted another conference opponent in Eastern (Pekin), but again unfortunately losing this one, 78-61. The 6-0 Montgomery remained tough to stop, as he poured in another 37 points on 13 of 27 shooting, including five made 3-pointers and 6-6 from the charity stripe. The Senior guard also managed another seven rebounds in the loss.
The ever-so-tiny Cannelton Bulldogs put together two wins in a row for the first time in three years last week, and junior Kendall Hale was a huge part of that success. Monday, in a tightly contested, 43-38 win over Frederick Fraize (Ky.), Hale scored 27 points, knocking down an impressive 10 of 11 from the free throw line in the close outcome. The Junior also grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked three shots in the win.
Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs traveled to Columbus Christian, where they again won, this time by a 54-43 margin. Hale, a 6-2 post, was again dominant inside, scoring 38 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking eight shots in the victory, nearly posting a triple-double. Hale was 16 of 30 from the field and a perfect 5 of 5 from the free throw line, plus she contributed three assists and four steals on the day.
This is the 14th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, but just the second season it is being 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.
