IFN Girls Basketball All-Area
WARSAW – Another year has come and will soon be gone on the hardcourts, and some of the top girls basketball players in our area got a year better. Our 2016 Ink Free News First and Second Teams have a lot of the same faces as our 2015 list, which is OK. It shows the level of quality players we have playing in front of us each night.
Our Player of the Year was also the recipient last year, and could possibly make it three times next year if she keeps on trucking the way she has. Tippecanoe Valley junior Anne Secrest headlines our All-IFN First Team in what was a very strong and balanced group of girls basketball players.
IFN First Team
Anne Secrest, Tippecanoe Valley – Secrest has been the pillar of Tippecanoe Valley’s second-straight 20-win run. See her full story here.
Dayton Groninger, Warsaw – Teams know she is the shooter, and Dayton Groninger still manages to fill the cup. The junior guard/forward has been Warsaw’s featured scorer this season in what has become the second-toughest schedule in the state regardless of class. Groninger averaged almost a double-double this season at 13 points and eight rebounds per game, recording seven of them this season. Groninger also chips in two assists and nearly two steals per game. She also shoots 79 percent from the free throw line and leads Warsaw in every major offensive and defensive statistical category. Her 28 points in a win against Wabash was a career-high.
Aly Reiff, Whitko – Reiff has only gotten better with age, and is again leading Whitko along a fine season. Reiff has been the focal point of defenses all season, but still has put up huge numbers. The junior guard is scoring 19.7 points per contest to go with 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.8 steals per game and is shooting 49 percent from the floor and 71 percent from the line. Reiff scored 20 or more points 12 times for the Wildcats and passed the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season, and in three years is already the Whitko career scoring leader and holder of multiple school records. Thursday night Reiff verbally committed to the University of Xavier.
Kylee Rostochak, Wawasee – Rostochak has been the go-to player for Wawasee for most of her career, and nothing changed this season. The senior guard is the only Lady Warrior scoring in double figures (14.5) and is also first on the team in assists, third in rebounds and has hit 29 three-pointers this season. Rosotchak passed the 1,000-point mark for Wawasee, becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach the mark joining Shanna Zolman, KiLee Knafel and Taylor Goshert.
Hannah Wanemacher, Triton – It’s safe to say without Hannah Wanemacher, Triton wouldn’t be in the position it is in. Wanemacher’s scoring prowess ballooned from her freshman to sophomore season, going from just 25 points TOTAL in year one to scoring a career-high 26 points against Pioneer. Wanemacher is averaging 14 points per game this season, and has done much of the damage from behind the three-point stripe, hitting 40 bombs and is a 77 percent free throw shooter. Wanemacher’s leadership helped the team to a HNAC title in the conference’s inaugural season.
IFN Second Team
Meredith Brouyette, Tippecanoe Valley – Brouyette’s three-point shooting became legendary in the team’s state run last year, but has been necessary this year. The junior bomber has drilled 43 threes, so many coming during long Valley scoring runs. Her 14 points in five minutes against Triton was a sight to behold, and she scored 19 points in just 17 minutes against Logansport. She has also grabbed three rebounds per game and has 26 steals.
Madi Graham, Warsaw – Graham has been the second scoring option for a Warsaw team that has become more steady on offense the second half of the season. Averaging 8.5 points per game, Graham adds support for Groninger, even taking key shots down the stretch as she did in the season finale against NorthWood in a 19-point effort that yielded an overtime win. Graham’s shooting kept Warsaw in the game against Class 3-A No. 3 St. Joe, and her combined 29 points and 18 boards led Warsaw past NLC foes Wawasee and Concord.
Brynda Krueger, Tippecanoe Valley – Possibly the most unheralded of the Vikings is Krueger, who does a little bit of everything. Krueger’s seven points and four assists per contest are as quiet as anyone in the area. More importantly, Krueger can spell both guard and forward positions but also has developed into a solid defender, recording four rebounds and over two steals per game. Her best game was a monster against West Noble, recording 14 points, eight assists, eight steals and six rebounds in a big win.
Jen Reiff, Whitko – The other ‘Reiff’, pronounced ‘reef’ to Aly’s ‘rife’, Jen has become notable in her own right for the Wildcats. Picking up her scoring touch this season, Reiff was scoring 11.6 points per game to go with a 57 percent field goal percentage and 75 percent free throw mark. Reiff, however, has picked up the scoring slack for Whitko, dropping 24 points on Wawasee before sending in a career-high 30 points against Lakeland. Reiff also averages roughly four rebounds, three assists and three steals per game this season.
Rachel Sand, LCA – Often overlooked in the shadow of Tiger Town, Rachel Sand has quietly put together another solid season for Lakeland Christian Academy. Helping the team to 12 wins, Sand averages 12 points and 6.5 boards a game. Double doubles in three games all helped the Lady Cougars to wins this season, and Sand has also chipped in 41 steals and 37 blocks throughout the year.