The Northeast Indiana area was filled with talented teams and players this season. Multiple teams made the state finals in Indianapolis, many individual players were honored with All-State and Indiana All-Star titles.
In the midst of that was Kennedy Fuelling, Norwell’s standout and the all-time leader in scoring in program history. During her outstanding senior season, Fuelling led the charge for Norwell to succeed at the highest level and was the last player to have the ball in her hands during the Class 3A state title game.
For all of her successes on the court and in leadership, Fuelling stood above the rest to Outside the Huddle, which is why she is our 2023-2024 Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
This comes after a senior season where Fuelling scored 21.4 points per game to go with 3.8 steals, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.
At the beginning of Fuelling’s freshman season, as sister Kaylee was finishing her own stellar career at Norwell, the Knights’ coach Eric Thornton was very high on Kennedy’s abilities on the court. During a photo shoot with Outside the Huddle that preseason, Thornton was very forward about how well he thought the younger Fuelling would progress in her career.
“Kennedy always had it, even early on. It was obvious in 6th grade that Kennedy was going to be special. She could catch and shoot at that age, which is the most important skill in the game,” Thornton said. “As she began to get more comfortable with attacking the basket in middle school, we knew she’d contribute at the varsity level as a freshman. Kennedy came off the bench that season during Kaylee’s senior year, and then during these last 3 years, she just took off.”
“It meant a lot to me that Coach Thornton believed in me from the beginning. I always wanted to make him proud and I never really felt pressure from that, his belief in me, pushed me to want to work harder and get better every day. His confidence in me really helped me grow as a player and as a person,” Fuelling said.
During her senior season, Fuelling stepped up to a higher level as she led Norwell to not only a NE8 title amongst a crowded and talented conference, but also that Class 3A state finals appearance.
Norwell went 23-5 during the 2023-2024 season, tying the highest win total in team history with 2015-2016, where they lost in the Regional round. Amongst Norwell’s banner victories this past regular season were at Warsaw and Columbia City. The Knights won 12 straight behind Fuelling’s lead heading into February 24’s Class 3A state title game. Norwell fell behind Gibson Southern early in that one, but willed their way back to within three in the closing moments.
During the run to the state finals, Fuelling said her favorite game of the season came in semi state against Hamilton Heights. She said there was a lot of confidence and excitement from the team and they never doubted themselves as they fed off a unique atmosphere.
Fuelling never left the floor in the final game of her career, scoring a team second best 15 points while registering seven steals in the state title game. In the closing seconds, trailing by three, Norwell ran an inbounds play to Fuelling, who pump faked by her defender but her three point shot bounced off the rim. While it wasn’t the “storybook” ending, it only made sense that Fuelling had the final look in the most successful season of Norwell basketball to date.
“She makes it so much fun for everybody, and people are drawn to her as a result. As an athlete, Kennedy has a totally different mentality and is a fierce competitor. She wants nothing to do with gesturing or talking to the opponent. Kennedy wants to beat you and can just take over a game without dominating the ball. Everything about her goes back to how much she enjoys being a part of something bigger than her,” Thornton said.
Team success wasn’t the only thing that was percolating around Fuelling. There were a lot of career milestones both personally and program wide that she was chasing. According to Thornton, Fuelling’s focus helped stay on the team even as certain situations pushed her pursuit of Jessica Rupright’s Norwell career scoring mark further back. When the team received a Sectional bye, it was a positive for the team but one less game for Fuelling to try and get that title. Less than benchmark shooting games against Bellmont in the Sectional final and in the Regional game against Benton Central didn’t make the individual mark easy, but she still accomplished it and Thornton said that made it more appropriate to be able to celebrate her individual success along with the team moving on to semi state.
“It meant a lot to me to have achieved these milestones in such a great program. Although they might be individual milestones, they are a testament to the girls around me, and their hard work everyday. they set me up for success and they supported me all the way through. I wouldn’t be where I am without my teammates,” Fuelling said. “It was very important for me to stay focused on the bigger picture. It feels good to have individual success, but success is sweeter when it’s shared. We had big goals as a team and every goal we achieved meant so much knowing that we did it together.”
She did fall three point shy of Teri Rosinski’s single season scoring mark of 601, but Fuelling now sits second, seventh and seventeenth on that same list, showing how balanced she was in amassing her all-time record scoring.
The rest of Norwell’s record book is filled to the brim with Fuelling’s name. She finishes as the all-time Norwell girls basketball scoring leader with 1,650 points and she also holds the single game scoring record with her 40 scored as a junior against Concordia Lutheran. Fuelling’s 21.4 points per game is third for the program, but her junior season of 21.8 sits second.
Fuelling also runs the three point record book with the top three single games of 11, 9 and 8 makes while she sits first, second and seventh in three pointers made in a season and first in a career at 284 makes, which sits 98 above second place.
Postseason she was named named IBCA Senior Supreme 15 All-State.
Fuelling’s work over her career helped her continue to build a special culture. Thornton says she was very close with the underclass as well and she was able to be a leader to them both verbally and through what she showcased, working each day and wanting to be first in every drill. 60 of the players in Norwell’s feeder system between third and eighth grade came and say together to watch the state finals and Fuelling’s impact was big in that.
“Throughout these past four seasons and into our recent state tourney run, so many girls who play in our feeder system got to watch a little freshman who came off the bench develop into a tremendous leader and one of the best players in the state,” Thornton said. “That’s the legacy that Kennedy leaves to our program.”
For Fuelling, she sees that impact she made on the culture but she hopes her impression, in the long term, is bigger than all of her individual and team successes on court.
“I hope that the big impression I leave on Norwell girls basketball is to always have fun and appreciate the people around you. The people that you get to share these experiences with is what makes the sport so fun,” she said. “Playing Norwell basketball is special. My message to future Lady Knights would be to never take for granted the amount of support you receive, both on and off the court. At the end of your four years, it’s not about how many trophies you win or records you break, it’s about the relationships you build and the positive impact you can have on others.”
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