First team
Paige Aguilera | Boone Grove
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Height: 5-10
Stats: 14.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.8 spg, 1.3 apg
Analysis: Aguilera signed to play Division I soccer with Wright State this winter, but she made her final competitive basketball season quite memorable. The Wolves won 10 of their last 12 games, and Aguilera spearheaded that run by averaging 14.9 points a contest. What sets Aguilera apart was her play on defense.
Quote: "(Aguilera) has to be one of the most disruptive forces that I have seen defensively this year. Paige has been a defensive stopper for almost every single team that we have played against this season. She has held some of the best players in the area to limited numbers." — Boone Grove coach Candy Wilson
Jessica Bell | Lake Central
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Height: 5-10
Stats: 11.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg
Analysis: Bell was a powerful presence inside, could step back and shoot a jumper, and gave the young Indians strong senior leadership. She was difficult to stop as she led Lake Central to a sectional title.
Quote: "She's a tough match-up and she's so relentless on the boards because she's physical and has zeal that she's reading them off the rim and going up to get (the rebound). She's not the tallest, but she's probably one of, if not the, strongest on the team." — Lake Central coach Marc Urban
Brianna Blackwell | Whiting
Position: Guard
Year: Junior
Height: 5-9
Stats: 16.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 3.6 apg
Analysis: Blackwell could rarely be stopped, helping to lead Whiting to its first Class 2A sectional title. Though just a junior, she was happy to take a leadership role and helped corral her team to beat Bishop Noll for the first time in three chances in the sectional title game.
Quote: "They did not allow her to get any shots from the perimeter, and we knew they were going to guard her like that, so she tried to create shots for herself. She did that very well." — Whiting coach Kevin Moynihan, after Blackwell scored 19 points with five steals in the regular season against Wheeler.
Katie Bobos | Lowell
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Height: 6-0
Stats: 15.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.6 spg
Analysis: Bobos didn't disappoint in her senior year, and showed a lot of fight as an inside player. She was also unafraid to step out to shoot the 3, hitting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. She'll play college ball at West Florida.
Quote: “I don’t think Katie knows how good of an athlete she can be. ... We’re only 23 practices in. From the first practice to now, she’s really elevated her game, both offensive and defensively.” — Lowell coach Matt Welsh after Bobos scored 17 in the third game of the season.
Trina Coleman | Morgan Township
Position: Guard
Year: Junior
Height: 5-7
Stats: 14.6 ppg, 1.1 bpg, 2.3 apg, 3.8 spg, 4.1 rpg
Analysis: Coleman battled injuries in the beginning of the season, but the Porter County Conference MVP regained her health and fueled a late run for the second consecutive season. Coleman scored 15 points or more 12 times this season and averaged 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 80 percent from the free-throw line in the postseason.
Quote: "(She is the ) best all-around player in the PCC, heart and soul of two-time sectional champion team, (and) played through a serious shoulder injury all season." — Morgan Township coach Kevin Krieger
Keshyanna Cooper | Michigan City
Position: Forward/Center
Year: Senior
Height: 6-0
Stats: 15.4 ppg, 16.8 rpg, 4.4 bpg
Analysis: At times, she was a dominating force. She had 13 points and 16 rebounds in the second half of the Class 4A Portage Sectional championship against Merrillville.
Quote: "She has overcome a lot the last two years and has matured greatly. By far the most feared player in the region. She altered shots constantly, improved her offensive game, and again was the most dominant feared player and difference maker." — Michigan City coach Mike Megyese
Victoria Gaines | Merrillville
Position: Forward/Guard
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6-1
Stats: 13.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.4 spg
Analysis: Gaines started her second season coming off of an ACL injury and was forced into a new role. She played decidedly stronger as the year went on and had her best games in the regional, when she combined for 42 points as the Pirates reached the regional title game.
Quote: "She's the real deal. She doesn't just shoot; she gets the rest of her team involved." — Chesterton coach Jack Campbell after Gaines scored a career-high 27 against the Trojans.
Tiajaney Hawkins | E.C. Central
Position: Forward/Guard
Year: Sophomore
Height: 5-10
Stats: 13.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.8 spg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 bpg
Analysis: Hawkins tied her career high of 27 in a single half against Gavit. Her athleticism makes her tough to guard, as she can hit from almost anywhere she takes a shot. She has a strong upside with two more years and is planning a strong summer regimen of AAU basketball.
Quote: "She's got extraordinary athletic ability. She can almost jump up and out-rebound anybody from any position in the lane. We've told her that to survive all the banging that her body takes down low for the next three years, you have to get smarter when you go and rebound. We've had to teach her to get rebounding position, both offensively and defensively, just to avoid the chance for another injury." — E.C. Central coach Eric Kundich
Naomi House | Bishop Noll
Position: Guard
Year: Freshman
Height: 5-6
Stats: 14.4 ppg
Analysis: Just a freshman, House will continue to haunt GSSC foes for the next three years. She's unafraid to shoot the 3, she can hit a quick jumper and rebound the ball. Her goal is the WNBA, and she's doing everything she can to put herself in a position to reach it.
Quote: "She's very aggressive offensively. She's not afraid to take the shot and drive the lane, yet she's still an unselfish player." — Bishop Noll coach Vanita Gary.
Nicki Monahan | Portage
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Height: 5-9
Stats: 17.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.8 spg.
Analysis: The Times' Region Roundball Rumble's 3-point shootout champion was not only a perimeter threat for the Indians. Monahan can score from several spots, ending her career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,157 points.
Quote: "It's hard to put into words what Nicki has meant to us. She's been a leader on the court and in all facets of life: in the classroom and community. Her dedication and the time she devotes shows what a truly special person she is." — Portage coach Chris Seibert
Dariyan Morris | Merrillville
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Height: 5-3
Stats: 15.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 3.5 spg
Analysis: She holds the No. 2 spot in the Merrillville record books with 40 3-pointers in a single season, as she took over a role as the go-to guard for the 23-2 Pirates. The Times Player of the Year had athletic ability that put her quickly on the map as defenses tried to shut down other Pirates threats.
Quote: "She wasn't just one dimensional. She'd hurt you if she could hit the 3, she'd take it to the hole, she'd find the open person. Her game has improved so much in a matter of a year." — Merrillville coach Amy Govert.
Blayr Poston | Hanover Central
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Height: 5-6
Stats: 20.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.8 spg
Analysis: Poston entered high school with the goal to beat the Hanover Central record for points. She reached it this season. Her tenacity was unwavering as she led the region in scoring. A hand injury forced her to sit this season and she was missed in the games she couldn't play. She is a firecracker from the start of the game and finds a way to score from any and every point on the floor.
Quote: "She's got a way of making things happen. She's really athletic. When she wants the ball, she's hard to guard." — Hanover Central coach Doug Nelson
Second Team
Sammi Adams | Griffith | Sr. | G
Stats: 13.4 ppg, 2.4 spg, 1.6 apg
Analysis: A player with tenacity, Adams is quiet off the court, but hard to miss on it. She led the Panthers to a fourth consecutive sectional title.
Jameka Collins | Michigan City | Sr. | G
Stats: 10.5 ppg
Analysis: Finished her career as a focal point of the team, scored in double figures 11 times.
Amari Ferguson | West Side | So. | G
Stats: 8.9 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.2 spg
Analysis: Part of a tough 1-2 combo at West Side, Ferguson's ball-handling skills make her a difficult stop.
Nickole Finch | Wheeler | Jr. | F
Stats: 16.1 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 spg
Analysis: Continued her play as the team's go-to scoring option.
Lexus Fox | West Side | So. | G
Stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.8 spg, 1.9 apg
Analysis: A relentless scorer, Fox has a hefty upside that should have Cougars' fans smiling for the next two years.
Mackenzie Kreutz | Lowell | Sr. | C
Stats: 11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Analysis: Kreutz gave the Red Devils another inside threat that took pressure off of Katie Bobos. Kreutz's energy gave her team a boost that was palpable when she was forced to sit with an ankle injury.
Citlali Lopez | Whiting | Jr. | G
Stats: 13.6 ppg, 3.9 apg, 4.7 spg
Analysis: The junior scored 20 points in the regional game and tallied 51 points in the postseason. Her tenacity as an outside shooter and her speed made her tough to stop.
Toni Murphy | Michigan City | Sr. | G
Stats: 18.4 ppg
Analysis: The program's second all-time leading scorer (1,439 points) led the Wolves in scoring this season.
Brenda Pennington | Bishop Noll | Fr. | G
Stats: 9.7 ppg
Analysis: Pennington is willing to give life and limb for her team, cracking a tooth diving for a ball this season. She'll be a force and a leader over the next three years at Noll.
Caroline Puntillo | Chesterton | Sr. | G
Stats: 16 ppg, 5 rpg
Analysis: Despite being the lone scoring option for the Trojans, she scored at least 12 points in all but one game she played this season.
Lauren Stokes | Kankakee Valley | Jr. | G
Stats: 12.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 3.4 spg
Analysis: Stokes quietly led a Kougars team that made its fair share of noise this season. After a slow start, K.V. picked up the pace as the season progressed thanks to Stokes' pestering defense.
Tara Zlotkowski | Lake Central | So. | G
Stats: 10.1 ppg, 1.4 spg, 3.1 rpg, 32 3-pointers
Analysis: Almost impossible to stop from the outside, Zlotkowski's fearlessness was a surprise to defenses.
Honorable mention
Duneland Athletic Conference
Crown Point: Katija Tarailo, Abby Kvachkoff, Taylor Equihua. Lake Central: Lindsey Kusbel. LaPorte: Kelsey Gushrowski, Jaclyn Heath. Merrillville: AJ Downs, Amber Sturdivant. Michigan City: Michal Miller. Portage: Kaitlyn Doud. Valparaiso: Grace Withrow.
Great Lakes Athletic Conference
Clark: Dulce Garcia, Anastasia Holden. Gavit: Shanika Thornton, Sheila Morris-Rogers. Hammond: Shakia Carroll. Morton: Aexis Casas, Antoinique Johnson, Keonna Baldwin.
Greater South Shore Conference
Bishop Noll: Elena Sobilo. Calumet: Theresa Strong. Lake Station: Joanna Dwyer. North Newton: Morgan Lang, Mariah Boezeman. River Forest: Alondra Avalos. Wheeler: Allie Stevenson. Whiting: Abby Bondi.
Northwest Crossroads Conference
Andrean: Brenna Boyle, Jessica Gray, Madison Lesch. Griffith: Emma Blackard, Taylor Austin. Highland: Brianna Williams. Hobart: Caitlin Leath, Zoe Wilson. Kankakee Valley: Bethany Jansma. Lowell: Carly Austgen. Munster: Bernadette Grabowski, Jordan Cole.
Northwestern Conference
Lew Wallace: Alexis Dennie, Brionia Haynes. Roosevelt: Lynesha Harris. West Side: Dejah Joshua, Mariah Hopkins.
Porter County Conference
Boone Grove: Nicole Malouhos. Hanover Central: Kristen Roper, Frankie Turturillo. Hebron: Bre Lewin. Kouts: Jayla Crump, Allie Zimmerle. LaCrosse: Gabbie Sievers. South Central: Riley Popplewell, Jill Rosenbaum. Washington Twp.: Heather Burton.
Others
21st Century: Ophelia Palmer. Bowman Academy: Joshlynn King. Covenant Christian: Calli Beezhold, Rachel Schurman. E.C. Central: Dariyelle Ricks. Gary Lighthouse: Kennesha Trambles. Rensselaer: Laura Tonner, Emilie Ziese, Aimee Mattocks. Westville: Shaina Jacks.
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