For the eighth 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 2026-2027 season.
Want to know how we come up with our rankings? Click here.
A few insights into Bounce’s protocol:
- This is based on high school impact, not college potential. We get it, there are D1 athletes here lower than non-D1 athletes. This isn’t a recruiting database, this is based purely off of high school output.
- No newbies. Players with previous varsity playing time only
Today, we continue the countdown on the girls hoops side with positions No. 35-31
No. 35: Avery Leech, Garrett
Avery Leech made an immediate impact for Garrett as a freshman, averaging 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 steals across 23 games. She gave the Railroaders consistent production on both ends of the floor, including 16-point performances against Angola and Bishop Dwenger. Named to Outside the Huddle’s All-Freshman Team and its NECC breakout player, Leech enters her sophomore season with a year of substantial varsity experience and the chance to take on an even bigger role for Garrett.
COACH’S QUOTE ON LEECH
“Avery had a strong freshman season for us last year, and she has taken another leap forward in her development. She never takes a rep off and competes in everything she does. She creates a tough matchup with her combination of speed and strength. We are looking forward to a big sophomore season from her.” – Garrett coach Wade Hantz
No. 34: Kyla Kjendalen, DeKalb
Kyla Kjendalen brings energy on both ends of the floor for DeKalb. As a sophomore in 2025–26, she led the Barons with 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game, numbers that show how often she can change a possession. She delivered one of her strongest performances in a conference win over Huntington North, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding five rebounds and four steals. She averged 10.8 points per game last season and had a midseason stretch where she scored in double figures for 10 straight games and posted a double double against Lakeland. Entering her junior year, Kjendalen gives DeKalb a defender who can also make a scoring impact.
COACH’S QUOTE ON KJENDALEN
“Kyla brings high energy on both the defensive and offensive ends of the floor. She can score at all three levels and is coming off a breakout season. Now, she enters this year even more hungry and motivated to prove that last season was only the beginning.” – DeKalb coach Mark Pixley
No. 33: JaeLynn Pickett, Blackhawk Christian
JaeLyn Pickett has grown into a commanding presence for Blackhawk Christian. She started all 25 games in 2025-26 and averaged 11.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 51.6 percent from the field. The Braves finished 17-9, and Pickett’s strength and athleticism were central to their play around the basket. Her coach believes her growing confidence and developing outside shot could make her even tougher to guard this season: if defenders have to follow her to the perimeter, Blackhawk Christian’s guards will have more room to attack. Just as valuable is the leadership her coach sees in her—teammates gravitate toward Pickett, who is ready to take on an even bigger role as a junior.
COACH’S QUOTE ON PICKETT
“JaeLyn has made tremendous strides over the last couple of years, and as her confidence continues to grow, I truly believe the sky’s the limit for her. She is strong, athletic, and has developed an outside game that will be a huge asset to our offense this season. Her ability to knock down shots from the perimeter forces defenses to extend and guard her. She has a presence about her that people are drawn to, and her teammates naturally gravitate toward her.” – Blackhawk Christian coach Steph Gongaware
No. 32: Sophie Eisenhut, Bluffton
Sophie Eisenhut became the anchor of Bluffton’s interior defense last season. As a junior, she averaged 10 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, finishing with 241 boards and 78 blocks in 24 games. Her rebounding rose sharply from 3.8 per game as a sophomore, and she added 5.2 points, 1.7 steals and 1.4 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field last season. Eisenhut gives the Tigers a player who can finish a defensive possession with a rebound, challenge shots around the rim and create second chances at the other end. Entering her senior season, that presence in the paint will be central to Bluffton’s success and after inclusion on the OTH All-Defensive team, she is clearly one of the best post players in Northeast Indiana. Against Huntington North, Eisenhut had 15 points, 18 rebounds and 9 blocks.
COACH’S QUOTE ON EISENHUT
“Sophie is awesome as a rim protector, a rebounder at both ends and a post defender. She has been doing it for 3 years with last year being the main post and playing lots of minutes. She is the key to our very successful pressure zone and the key to our very successful transition game as she forces quick shots, gets deflections, alters shots, blocks shots, and gets rebounds to start our break.” – Bluffton coach Doug Curtis
No. 31: Kaydintz Bales, Central Noble
Kaydintz Bales heads into her senior season as one of Central Noble’s most dependable all-around players. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 12.4 points, 7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals across 25 games last winter, and her 74 made free throws led the Cougars. Bales delivered when the games mattered most, scoring 16 points in a sectional win over Churubusco and 18 in the sectional loss to Eastside. With her scoring, work on the glass a lot for a guard and postseason experience, she gives Central Noble an established leader to lean on.
COACH’S QUOTE ON BALES
“Kaydintz has grown as much as any player I have coached at CN – both as a player and a leader. During the final third of last season, she was playing the best basketball of her career and developing into the kind of leader our team will need for this season. She understands that leaving the legacy that she envisions is about far more than her defense, scoring and rebounding – it is about the standard she establishes and the impact she has on those around her.” – Central Noble coach Sam Malcolm
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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