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. 25-21
No. 25: Dessi Pope, Snider
Dessi Pope arrives at Snider with two productive varsity seasons behind her at Blackhawk Christian and the ability to make an immediate impact in the Panthers’ backcourt. As a sophomore in 2025–26, she averaged 14.0 points, 6.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals over 26 games, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three. She can score when a defense gives her space, create chances for teammates and disrupt possessions at the other end. Pope was already an Outside the Huddle All-Freshman selection after averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 assists in her debut season; the jump in her scoring as a sophomore gives Snider another accomplished playmaker.
COACH’S QUOTE ON POPE
“Dessi Pope adds great quickness and shooting to our team. She is an extremely hard worker and has a desire to be great. The strongest attribute of her game is passing, and her basketball I.Q. This will make Desi very valuable to our team as well as our program.” – Snider coach Reggie Tharp
No. 24: Rian David, East Noble
Rian David gives East Noble a proven scorer and an outside shooting threat heading into her senior season. She averaged 10.8 points, 4 rebounds and 2.2 steals as a junior in 2025–26, shooting 47 percent from the field, 41 percent from three and 86 percent at the free throw line. Her 280 points ranked second on the team, and her three-point percentage led the Knights. David’s scoring and defensive production will lead an East Noble lineup that will be somewhat inexperienced. David was solid during a Sectional title week last season, averaging 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds during the three game title stretch.
COACH’S QUOTE ON DAVID
“Rian has continued to get better and better each season over the last three years. She is a remarkable person and one of the hardest workers I have had the opportunity to be around. This season will be an important one for her as she steps into a bigger leadership role and becomes a more vocal presence within our program. I’m excited to see her continue to grow, lead, and establish herself as one of the best players in the area while continuing to do things the right way.” – East Noble coach Britain Isaacs
No. 23: Bri’Tanya Diederich-Williams, Wayne
Bri’Tanya Diedrich-Williams brings a proven scoring presence to Wayne after transferring from South Side, where the 5-foot-7 junior guard averaged 18.3 points, 5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.1 assists per game last season while earning first-team All-SAC honors. Her ability to produce offensively and create turnovers gives the Generals another impact player alongside returning standout Davianna Irons. Diedrich-Williams has already been a big part of Wayne’s flag football team this fall. Last winter, she had a career best 39 points against North Side and 35 opposite Bishop Luers.
COACH’S QUOTE ON DIEDERICH-WILLIAMS
“Bri’Tanya Diedrich-Williams is a top player in the area that brings leadership and makes players around her better she was a top 5 scorer in the SAC last year as a sophomore we are looking for her to do great things for our program in the future.” – Wayne coach Lawyer Smith III
No. 22: Ana Lehman, South Adams
Ana Lehman gives South Adams a guard who can affect the game well beyond scoring. As a sophomore in 2025–26, the 5-foot-10 Lehman averaged 14.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 1.9 assists across 22 games, improving on her freshman averages of 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds. She recorded six double-doubles and finished the season with 15 points in the Starfires’ sectional game against Bishop Luers. Now entering her junior year, Lehman brings South Adams a proven scorer, rebounder and defensive playmaker to build around.
COACH’S QUOTE ON LEHMAN
“Ana is everything you’d want in a player. She has a great attitude. She’s constantly working on her game to get better. When you look up “Gym Rat” on Google there’s a picture of her. She’s able to drive, create her own shot, or shoot the 3 from deep. For us to be successful, it starts with Ana. She handles the ball a lot for us; she is our leading scorer; she is our leading rebounder; she leads us in steals. I’m thankful that I get to coach her.” – South Adams coach Brett Freeman
No. 21: Davianna Irons, Wayne
Davianna “Diva” Irons enters her senior season as the cornerstone of Wayne’s lineup, bringing proven scoring ability and experience to the Generals. The 5-foot-9 guard/forward led Wayne with 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting 53 percent from the field. Her offensive production included 27 points against Bishop Luers and 26 against Huntington North, demonstrating her ability to deliver against area competition.
COACH’S QUOTE ON IRONS
“Diva Irons is a top player in the area that can score from anywhere on the floor she’s also a solid rebounder this year she’s 199 points away from her 1000 points.” – Wayne coach Lawyer Smith III
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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