For the fifth season in a row, Bounce and Outside the Huddle are counting down who they feel are the top 50 individual players in northeast Indiana heading into the 2023-2024 season.
Today, we continue on the girls hoops side with positions No. 15-11.
No. 15 – Molly Baker, Columbia City
Baker has patrolled the interior well for the Eagles so its hard to call last year as a breakout season but she certainly elevated her level of play throughout Columbia City’s strong run as one of the area’s best teams. Columbia City has been able to work through her in critical moments and plays and she has constantly delivered. Baker averaged six rebounds to go with a team third best 12.5 points per game. She also averaged 1.3 assists per game to showcase how well the big moments can see the ball go through her hands.
COACH’S QUOTE ON BAKER:
“Strong rebounder and does not back down from larger post players, has developed a good midrange shot and runs the floor extremely well in transition.” – Columbia City coach Amy Shearer
No. 14 – Gabby Helsom, Homestead
Helsom was one of the state’s breakout freshmen last season as she established herself as a feisty guard who fit in immediately with Homestead’s tempo. She is a do a little bit of everything player that perfectly fits the Homestead mold as she can hurt you a lot of different ways any given night. She averaged 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and steal per game but her real standout strength was her ability to facilitate for the deep Spartan team. Last season, Helsom averaged four assists per game.
COACH’S QUOTE ON HELSOM:
“Versatile and skilled. Gabby is a great shooter who has worked hard to improve her ability to score inside the paint and on the perimeter. She will be hard to defend as she can shoot the three effectively, post up, and runs the floor well. Gabby rebounded the ball well last year and continues to get better defensively.” – Homestead coach Rod Parker
No. 13 – Brooke Winchester, Warsaw
A Ball State commit, Winchester is part of a young breakout core for the Tigers and has a lot of time left to continue to raise her abilities. Coach Lenny Krebs noted that she has worked hard in the offseason on her quickness, ball handling and range which makes her even more scary as she was pretty good at all of those things before. Winchester is a physical player that can create a lot of mismatches with that play, grabbing 1.4 offensive rebounds per game, to go along with a team second best 12.3 points and 1.2 steals per contest. She scored over 20 points on multiple occasions and shot 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from three point range.
COACH’S QUOTE ON WINCHESTER:
“Our style of play forces Brooke to defend players on the perimeter more than most teams and she has not only accepted this challenge but has embraced it. Brooke is a great rebounder, allowing us to finish defensive possessions and start our transition offense. Now that Brooke has verbally committed to attend Ball State University, our goal is to use the next two seasons to put her in a position where she can compete for court time her freshman year.” – Warsaw coach Lenny Krebs
No. 12 – Emma Reust, Homestead
Reust will be looked at as the leader for a Homestead team once back from injury and even before as she leads from the sidelines. Reust is a defensive juggernaut that averaged three steals per game and can be comfortably tasked with defending the best player on the floor every night. Like mentioned previously with Homestead players, fitting the mold of someone who affects the game in a multitude of ways is a killer strength of hers. Last season, she averaged 8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Reust is beyond scrappy and runs the floor well to make the offense flow so much easier.
COACH’S QUOTE ON REUST:
“Great leader. Emma is the soul of our team this year as she will provide leadership, experience, and share her unique ability to make everyone around her play to their potential. Emma is one of the top defenders in northern Indiana, rebounds well for her size, and is a consistent scorer. A true competitor who understands the details needed to win.” – Homestead coach Rod Parker
No. 11 – Joslyn Bricker, Warsaw
For those unfamiliar with Bricker, it is time to get well acquainted because she is set to be a staple of Northeast Indiana for years to come. She came off the bench for the first 15 games of her freshman season before, as her coach says, Warsaw had “no choice but to insert her in the starting lineup” due to what she offered the team. By the end of the season, Bricker averaged a team best 12.6 points per game to go along with 1.3 steals, 1.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. In just the second game of her high school career, Bricker scored 20 points in a win over Tippecanoe Valley. She went on to score in double figures 15 more times including each of the last six games of the season. She shot 49 percent from the field.
COACH’S QUOTE ON BRICKER:
“She is a great ball handler who can get down hill against a defender pretty much any time she wants. At the same time she can shoot the three, which makes her very difficult to defend. She is a smart player and sees the floor well, making those around her better. She elevates extremely well and is able to rebound with the bigs on the floor. It is hard to believe Joslyn is just a sophomore…there has been definite improvement in her game since last season and I am excited to see what this season has in store for this young lady.” – Warsaw coach Lenny Krebs
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