Top Backcourts in Class 2A
Indiana has always been known for its strong guard play, and this year Class 2A should also have some really dynamic guards lighting up the scoreboards. With most Class 2A teams not being terribly deep, we focused the selection of…
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Continue ReadingIndiana has always been known for its strong guard play, and this year Class 2A should also have some really dynamic guards lighting up the scoreboards. With most Class 2A teams not being terribly deep, we focused the selection of these Top-5 backcourts on their two best guards / wings, but we’ve listed as many of their perimeter players as we are aware of. The teams who made the cut are arranged alphabetically by school name.
Bailey Everett of Covenant Christian
Covenant Christian School (Indianapolis, IN)
Covenant Christian looks to field a tremendously strong, three-guard lineup this season, but our faith in the quality of this group lies a great deal on two newcomers to the Varsity team. The lone returnee is 2019 guard Bailey Everett (18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 3.0 spg). Bailey started out the season on fire, and in fact she scored a season-high 27 points in a late-December game, before missing the rest of the season. Her return gives the Warriors a dynamic offensive option who can play off the bounce or hit shots from the outside. The first newcomer is 2020 guard Ilani Williams-Harris. Ilani transferred in from Brownsburg last year, and she wasn’t able to play Varsity immediately. This year, the quick / fast and athletic combo guard should bring a whole new dynamic to the Warriors’ lineup they haven’t seen in a few years. She’s an explosive attacker, aggressive in transition, and she can cause problems defensively for opponents as well. The third member of this trio is 2021 guard Bonnie Lew Ludlow, a recent transfer from Avon. Ludlow is a strong, tough-nosed, and gritty guard. She has great court awareness and a well-rounded skillset. With Everett and Williams-Harris, she’ll be the unassuming third person who could really hurt teams. 2019 guard Shelby Yates (1.6 ppg) and 2021 guards Hana Anderson (1.4 ppg) and Nicole Gruesser (0.9 ppg) add depth.
Sierra Southard of Frankton
Frankton H.S. (Frankton, IN)
While Frankton graduated their most talented guard in Sydney Tucker, now playing at the University of Evansville, they still return a skillful and fairly deep backcourt. 2019 combo guard Sierra Southard (8.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.9 spg) is their leading returning scorer. She is just solid, rarely makes mistakes, and she can run offense, hit shots outside, or pick her spots and attack the basket for scores. The girl who I think will make the biggest jump this season is 2020 wing Addie Gardner (6.8 ppg, 30 made 3s). She has grown to 5-10 now, and she had a really nice Summer on the grassroots circuit. Last year, with Tucker in the fold, Addie was more of a shooter they hid. But this year, she’ll need to be a focal point and a complete scorer. Addie’s younger sister, 2021 combo guard Ava Gardner (2.3 ppg), has also grown and gained strength since last season, and she’ll be a nice complimentary player in the backcourt. But look for Tucker’s younger sister, 2020 guard Bailey Tucker (3.6 ppg), and 2020 guard Aleyah Rastetter (4.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg), to have an impact as well. Both already have significant big-game experience for the Eagles.
Kelsey Mitchell of Tipton
Tipton H.S. (Tipton, IN)
Tipton’s entire roster is nearly all guards and wings right now, so there are plenty of players to choose from. While Senior Cassidy Crawford (20.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.1 spg, 2.1 bpg, 37 made 3s) stands 6-feet tall, she’s actually more of a perimeter player than anything. She is tremendously long, fluid, and she has some bounce as well. 2019 guard Kelsey Mitchell (8.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 31 made 3s) is kind of the gritty, tough-nosed, attacking combo guard who can kill you off the bounce, but who can hit the open 3-pointer if you disrespect her outside. 2020 guard Gracie Phillips (5.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg) is another nice little combo guard who just plays hard and can do a little of everything skillfully. From there, the Blue Devils could turn to a pair of talented Freshmen. Ella Wolfe and Abigail Parker are both wings who have balanced skillsets and good all-around athleticism. Wolfe is more of a true guard, while Parker is more of a wing forward.
Maya Chandler of Triton Central
Triton Central H.S. (Fairland, IN)
Without question, Triton Central is one of the deepest, most talented teams in Class 2A this season. While their frontcourt will draw more attention, and while being a little undersized, these mighty mites of TCHS could prove to be the deciding factor in several games this season, and they might be the key to how deep they make it in the tournament. Leading the way will be 2020 point guard Maya Chandler (14.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.2 apg, 3.4 spg). Maya was always more of a do-everything type of guard, but last season she became more of a full-time point guard. She brings toughness, athleticism, and the ability to put up points or distribute, whichever is needed. Being a coach’s daughter, she always thinks the game fairly well. 2021 point guard Taylor Heath is another guard who I’ve heard is very skilled and capable, but she missed the entire 2017-2018 season with an injury. They have high hopes for her this year, and she will likely start now that she’s fully healthy. They’ll be complimented by 2020 combo guard Grace Crist (4.6 ppg). Grace is a very good shooter with some range, and if she can improve her shot selection, she could be lethal for them because defenses will need to focus on other players first. 2021 guard Makenzie Ryle was at TCHS last season, but she began last season injured and spent the rest of the year working her way back. She is smallish, but she’s quick / fast, tough, and she is a great hustle player who will do whatever her team needs to succeed. She’s a good teammate and should bring a lot of intangibles to the lineup.
Hannah Graft of Winchester
Winchester Community H.S. (Winchester, IN)
Winchester’s strength is absolutely in their frontcourt, but like Triton Central, they too have an incredibly deep and talented roster, and an underappreciated backcourt. 2019 point guard Hannah Graft (9.2 ppg, 2.9 apg, 3.2 spg, 56 made 3s) is the unquestioned leader of this position group. She is smallish, but she’s strong, tough-nosed, and gritty. She does whatever her team needs to win, and she’s a more than capable perimeter shooter who can burn teams outside when they pay too much attention to the Golden Falcon bigs. 2020 guard Becca Chamberlin (8.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.4 spg, 48 made 3s) is another lethal weapon around the perimeter, and she runs through offense hunting jump-shots. Depending on the availability of 2020 forward Madeline Lawrence early in the season, I anticipate Chamberlin having her number called a lot more this season. Hannah’s twin, Sarah Graft (2.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg), is another solid guard who should see a lot more playing time early this season as they sort out a rotation. If they are to make a return to Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, they’ll need these three to be feisty once again.
Also Heavily Considered Were:
Andrean
Bluffton
Boone Grove
Eastern Hancock
Hammond Bishop Noll
Lafayette Central Catholic
Linton-Stockton
Monrovia
Header photo of Addie Gardner of Frankton; photo courtesy of heraldbulletin.com. Photo of Bailey Everett courtesy of Covenant Christian’s Hudl account. Photo of Sierra Southard courtesy of heraldbulletin.com. Photo of Kelsey Mitchell courtesy of kokomotribune.com. Photo of Maya Chandler courtesy of the Indiana Flight Twitter account. Photo of Hannah Graft courtesy of the NuVision Sportz freeteams.com page.