For the second time this season, Greenfield-Central’s Dylan Moles was selected an IBCA district player of the week.
The Daily Reporter File Photo
By Brandon Bradley
For the IBCA
For the second time this season, Greenfield-Central senior guard Dylan Moles was named an Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week.
Moles led the way in the Cougars 69-53 win at Plainfield last Wednesday. It was the Cougars’ school-record 21st win of the season. The team is also on a school-record 18-game winning streak.
The 6-3 guard was on target against the Quakers, knocking down 9 of 13 shots from the field. He was also perfect from beyond the arc (2 of 2) and from the charity stripe (9 of 9). In total, the Marian University commit scored 29 points, collected four rebounds, dished out five assists, and stole the ball three times.
Previously, Moles was selected for the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 4.
Weekly, the IBCA names players of the week for both boys and girls basketball.
Saturday marked the conclusion of the 2022-2023 IHSAA girls’ basketball season, as four state champions were crowned in Bedford North Lawrence, Fairfield, Forest Park, and Lanesville.
This week, the IBCA uniquely honored one player from each of the girls’ state championship teams instead of the traditional player from each district.
All-in-all, seven Hoosier high schoolers received IBCA/Franciscan Health Players of the Week in each of their respective classes and districts. Bedford North Lawrence junior Chloe Spreen, Fairfield senior Morgan Gawthrop, Forest Park senior Amber Tretter, and Lanesville senior Linzie Wernert, East Chicago Central sophomore Dominique Murphy, Moles, and South Knox senior Dakota Candler are being honored as recipients for Feb. 20-Feb. 25 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
Spreen (Class 4A), Gawthrop (Class 3A), Tretter (Class 2A), and Wernert (Class 1A) each helped lead their teams to girls titles on Saturday. Murphy is the boys winner for District 1, Moles is the boys winner for District 2, and Candler is the boys’ winner for District 3.
Saturday, Spreen helped the Lady Stars to their fifth state championship, in a 46-42 win over Fishers. The 5-9 guard scored 14 of her 20 points after halftime, including eight points in the fourth quarter. Overall, she was 9 of 14 from the field and 2 of 3 from the charity stripe.
Gawthrop helped deliver the first girls’ basketball title to the Falcon faithful Saturday, as she posted a double-double in their hard-fought, 49-42 win against Corydon Central. The game was tight throughout, but Fairfield used a 7-2 third quarter to separate, and Gawthrop grabbed five of her team-high 12 rebounds in that stanza. Overall, the 5-8 wing had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The Forest Park Lady Rangers repeated as Class 2A state champions Saturday, knocking off Lapel 38-37. Tretter, ac6-1 forward posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, nine of those rebounds allowed them more shot opportunities, as they came at the offensive end of the floor. The Miami of Ohio commit added three assists, three steals, and three blocked shots.
Wernert led Lanesville to its first-ever state championship, a 60-41 win over Bethany Christian.
The 5-8 forward contributed in a number of different ways. She was a solid 6 of 10 from the floor and scored 13 points. She nearly posted a double-double with nine rebounds. Additionally, she handed out four assists and collected a pair of steals. She was named the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award winner for Class 1A girls’ basketball.
Murphy, a 6-5 sophomore, helped the Cardinals to a pair of wins over Andrean (76-58) and Griffith (84-57).
Against Andrean, he made 13 of 19 shots, knocked down 2 of 4 from deep, and hit 6 of 7 from the line, scoring 34 points.He also managed six rebounds and a pair of steals.
Candler put together a pair of nice performances last week, as he helped South Knox to a pair of victories. In a Tuesday matchup at Pike Central, the 6-5 forward made the game-winning three-point play with just five seconds remaining, as the Spartans knocked off the Chargers, 60-58. He finished 12 of 17 from the field, and was 4 of 5 from the line, scoring 28 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out three assists.
On Thursday, South Knox took care of Wood Memorial, 69-39, to finish second at 7-1 in the Blue Chip Conference. The senior forward was again strong, knocking down 11 of 14 shots and scoring 24 points.
