Evaluating wide-open 2025 Indiana Miss Basketball race as season enters final month

Posted by Admin January 8, 2025 Basketball

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We’re into the final month of the high school girls basketball regular season, which means we are due for a Miss Basketball update.

This year’s race has been exceptional.

Here is a list of who I view as the current Miss Basketball frontrunners based on their performance this season and overall body of work. This will undoubtedly evolve over the coming weeks. To that end, I’ve also included a few other 2025 standouts who, if nothing else, should be in the Indiana All-Stars conversation.

Players are listed in alphabetical order

The frontrunners

Baxter has forced herself into the Miss Basketball conversation with a brilliant senior season. Tasked with leading a largely retooled Eagles outfit, the 5-9 Butler commit has been putting up monster numbers and guided CC to a 13-3 record that includes notable wins over No. 6 Homestead, Norwell, Bishop Chatard, No. 18 McCutcheon and Valparaiso, with the losses against Fishers, No. 10 Brownsburg and No. 3 Warsaw. She is a capable ball-handler and a prolific scorer, and closed out 2024 with 93 points over a three-game run at Twin Lakes as she closes in on the program’s all-time scoring record.

Columbia City is among the favorites to emerge from the 3A North and a deep state tourney run would add some serious shine to Baxter’s resume.

Avery Gordon, Brownsburg

The 6-6 center is a machine in the post, averaging 21 points on 60% shooting with a respectable 63% mark at the free throw line. Gordon, who also clocks 9.5 rebounds and a career-best 3.0 blocks per game, is such a unique talent. She takes full advantage of her size around the basket and has steadily improved her efficiency as a shooter. The Purdue commit‘s career resumé includes a sectional championship (2023) and among the highlights on her 2024-25 game log is last week’s lopsided upset of Center Grove, wherein she racked up 33 points (13-of-19 shooting), 11 rebounds, six blocks and two steals.

Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central

The Mississippi State recruit recently added another historic line to her decorated resumé, surpassing Kyle Guy as Lawrence Central’s all-time leading scorer. The 6-1 shooting guard is distinguished by her athleticism and versatility, which she takes full advantage of on both ends of the floor, averaging 23 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. She’s impressively efficient, too, committing fewer than three turnovers per game with a 49% shooting percentage.

Lampley has led the Bears to new heights in her career, improving their record from 12-11 and 16-8 her first two seasons, to 46-2 since the beginning of her junior year, a run which included a 39-game win streak.

Maya Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern

The IU commit is an explosively efficient scorer, shooting 50% from the field, 47% from 3 and 81% at the line. Makalusky’s range as a shooter — she’s proficient at bombing 3s from the logo — improved strength and expanded versatility make her a nightmare matchup for most teams. To that end, she’s averaging 22.3 points, a career-best 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals, while trimming her turnovers per game average to 2.5. Makalusky has taken strides defensively, as well, using her length and quickness to harass opponents and help generate turnovers and stops for the top-ranked Royals.

Kira Reynolds, South Bend Washington

The first word that comes to mind when describing the Purdue-bound Reynolds is dominant. Like, jaw-droppingly dominant. A model of consistency as a scorer over the past three seasons, the 6-3 Reynolds makes it look effortless, using her length to impact the game in a variety of ways. She’s pouring in 17 points per game and has upped her averages in rebounds (13.5), assists (6.3), steals (3.5) and blocks (6.5). Reynolds, who is believed to be the first player in state history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 500 blocks, is a double-double machine and has a few triple-doubles this year. She registered a quintuple-double over the weekend against New Prairie, recording 14 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists, 11 steals and 10 blocks.

Meredith Tippner, Noblesville

Tippner has performed brilliantly as the leader of a youthful Millers outfit, averaging 25.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.3 steals. She’s been required to take more shots than previous seasons, but has managed to improve her percentages from a year ago, firing 46% from the field, 38% from 3 and 78% at the line (a marked improvement from a year ago).

The Miami commit, who garnered Miss Soccer plaudits in the fall, uses her long reach, high-motor and speed to create chaos defensively, and has done well to help foster the development of her younger teammates.

Names to monitor

Laila Abdurraqib, Lawrence Central

Abdurraqib, a New Mexico commit, has maintained her excellence running point for the defending 4A champions, averaging 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and over two steals, while also lowering her averages in both turnovers and personal fouls per game. She’s remarkably steady under pressure and serves as the sparkplug for Lawrence Central.

Hadley Crosier, Lanesville

Among the potential small-school candidates, Crosier probably brings the strongest resumé with 39 wins and back-to-back state championships. The Maryville committed guard tore her ACL early in last year’s state final, but returned for the start of her senior year and is averaging around 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals, while also defending at an impressively high-level.

Vanessa Wimberly, Lake Central

The 5-6 guard, who cleared 1,000 career points last week against Homestead, is having a career year offensively, averaging a career-best 16 points and three assists, plus five steals through 15 games. She’s done some of her best work against the toughest teams on the schedule (Penn, Avon and Homestead) and has a strong resumé with last year’s 4A runner-up finish and two semistate final runs — both of which included upsets of South Bend Washington.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.