For the sixth 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 2024-2025 season.
Want to know how we come up with our rankings? Click here.
Today, we continue the countdown on the girls hoops side with positions No. 45-41.
No. 45 – Madison Jones, Fairfield
Coming off a state finals run, Fairfield needed new faces to step up last season and Jones really started to shine once the calendar changed to 2024. Jones became a steady force in the Falcons lineup, averaging 9 points and 4.4 rebounds as a true number two option for the eventual NECC champions. Jones added a lot to the defensive end for the Falcons in a 22-4 season as they won 11 of their last 13 games. Her 1.5 steals per game helped Fairfield to a defensive average of 32.2 points per game.
COACH’S QUOTE ON JONES
“Madison really came on strong in the second part of our season last year. She gained a lot of confidence in herself and she has also put in a lot of work this off season. She has some college interest as well. Similar to Eva [Herbert], I think she will have a huge breakout year. Her work ethic, coachability, and enthusiasm is a coach’s dream.” – Fairfield coach Kyle Hartman
No. 44 – Grace Swank, Central Noble
Swank really started to establish herself as a sophomore a season ago and now will step into a more significant role for the Cougars. The three sport athlete opened her season with a 9 point effort against Bishop Luers, but then scored double digits in four of the next five games, including a season high 17 points against Lakewood Park. Swank secured double digit rebounds in eight games including 13 twice in wins over Bremen and Eastside. Swank averaged 9.7 points and 8.2 rebounds on the season.
COACH’S QUOTE ON SWANK
“Grace Swank’s persona as a high school student far outweighs her ability as a basketball player, and, by the way, she is a pretty darn good basketball player. Grace continues to add shooting range to her offensive game and will again be the anchor and rim protector for our team defensively.” – Central Noble coach Sam Malcolm
No. 43 – Averi Amstutz, East Noble
The lead in a stellar freshman class for East Noble, we are still waiting to see what the peak will be for the class of 2027 in Kendallville but Amstutz is currently the clear cut lead of this group. Averaging a team high 9.5 points per game last season, she acored 14 points in her very first high school game and then scored in double digits eight more times with East Noble posting an 8-1 record when she did hit 10 or more points. She added 2.4 rebounds and two steals per game, including 8 steals against North Side and five more against New Prairie.
No. 42 – Maryn Schreiber, Bluffton
Always playing bigger than her stature may suggest, Schreiber became a headache for other post players in the ACAC last season, averaging 10.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and helping keep the Tigers in the thick of the conference title race. She was a consistent presence, shooting 45 percent from the field while putting up eight double doubles including a 24 point, 12 rebound effort against Heritage and two 15 rebound efforts, in wins over Madison-Grant and North Miami.
COACH’S QUOTE ON SCHREIBER
“Maryn will definitely get more opportunities on offense this season as we put an improved perimeter team around her that should free her up to more 1 on 1’s in the post. Her defensive intelligence and hard nosed rebounding make her a double-double possibility every game.” – Bluffton coach Doug Curtis
No. 41 – Sydnee Kessler, Eastside
Kessler was one of the conference’s breakout players last season as she helped Eastside to a stellar season that fell just shot of their key goals. She averaged a team third best 10.3 points per game while also adding 2.6 rebounds and a stellar 2.4 steals per contest along the way. She was critical in their NECC Tournament title, scoring the first eight points of the game and showing how much of a pace setter she can be with her ability to create on the perimeter.
COACH’S QUOTE ON KESSLER
“Syd is one of the most underrated basketball players in the area, she works very hard all year round. She was our 3rd leading scorer last year and quite often is our best defender. Her leadership has really taken off, and she is ready to lead this program to another great season.” – Eastside coach Mike Lortie
PREVIOUSLY IN THE COUNTDOWN
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