CHARLESTOWN

Basketball is almost always in season for high school players across Indiana.

Whether it’s just getting some shots up, or playing in a round-robin shootout, players take heed of the opportunity to better their team most every chance they get.

Both the Brownstown Central and Crothersville girls’ basketball teams concluded summer play on Friday, as both squads ventured to Charlestown High School for a shootout.

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Braves go 3-0 to end summer

Brownstown’s squad is getting some much deserved rest right now.

In June, the Braves played 28 games.

“We’ve had a really busy summer,” Braves varsity coach Karla Rieckers said. “We started by going over to Bloomington for a shootout the first Saturday in June. We then played four games in the Bloomington League before going to the Linton-Stockton Tournament. We then substituted a league game to play some conference schools. We played three games in Whiteland and then another three today (Friday).”

The Braves beat Crothersville 40-30, Vincennes Lincoln 57-22 and the host school 41-30 on Friday.

Brownstown, which went 18-8 last season, lost three starters  to graduation — Shelby Stuckwisch, Kristen Stuckwisch and Madison Klinge — but will have five seniors this season: Tayler Garland, Payton Farmer, Hayley Thomas, Claire Poulton and Shelby Reynolds.

Juniors Ashley Schroer, a three-year starter, and Halle Hehman will also play significant roles for the upcoming season.

The Braves will also have some other juniors that will see floor time as well as some sophomores and freshman in the mix.

“I feel like this summer has been going really great,” Poulton said. “Our chemistry is so good. I really have fun playing with these girls. We are constantly pushing each other to get better.”

The Braves have faith in the players they’re pulling up to varsity this season.

In the 2017-18 season, the Braves’ junior varsity, coached by Lee Ann Borden, went 20-0.

“I think they’re doing great,” Rieckers said. “Claire (Poulton), Shelby (Reynolds), Avery (Koch) and Katherine (Benter) dressed some varsity, but all played JV. When you have a JV team that’s undefeated, and comes up to varsity, it brings another level.”

Both Poulton and Rieckers said that this year’s team will distribute the ball well and play with speed.

“I think everyone gets along really well,” Rieckers said. “I don’t think  anyone cares who scores the points. I think our team chemistry is really good. I also think running with be a strength. We don’t’ ahve a lot of height — which we seem to battle ever year — but we can get out. Everyone pretty much on our team can handle the basketball.”

Adding more, tougher, games to the schedule has been a benefit to the Braves’ development, Rieckers said.

“This summer, I wanted to load us up with more games,” she said. “Kristen Stuckwisch was our point guard last year, and she graduated, so we will have a new point guard. We are trying to get everyone to mesh together. Last summer, we didn’t play as many games. At the coaches clinic, I was talking to some of the coaches and they said they play 25 games throughout the summer. We tried to get in to playing better competition. We went to Whiteland and played all (Class) 4A schools. If we want to get better, we have to play better competition.

They’re fun to be around and coach. It has been a good summer.”

Tigers wrap up successful month of play

Crothersville brings a mix of experience and new faces to its program for the 2018-19 season.

In an effort to play better schools, the Tigers added the recent shootout to their schedule this summer.

The Tigers lost to Brownstown (40-30), North Harrison (39-28), Lawrenceburg (53-44) and Charlestown (55-51) on Friday.

Despite going 0-4 at Charlestown, the Tigers feel good about the direction they’re heading.

After losing a pair of scrimmages at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse to start the summer, the Tigers went 4-0 in some games at Indiana Wesleyan. They dropped three games at Triton Central, but went 8-0 in their league at Edinburgh before going to Charlestown.

“I think we’re going to be a really good squad once we get everyone together and into the season,” Tigers coach Kevin Hensley said. “I think, by the end of the season, we will have a pretty solid group. We have all of the ingredients we need to have a good season. As long as everyone stays healthy and keeps working, I think we can handle just about any team we play.

“The biggest part (of playing in the summer) is just working on their game. Maybe not so much drills, but working on individual game: Shots, ball-handling, passing and that stuff.”

The Tigers — which finished 13-10 last year after a 19-9 season in 2016-17 — graduated one senior from last year’s roster. They will have five seniors this upcoming season, including the program’s all-time 3-point leader in Piper Hensley, four-year varsity player Maddie Riley and last year’s county leading scoring, totaling over 400 points, Tayler Brewer.

“We have been playing really well and really fast like my sophomore year when we won sectionals,” Piper Hensley said.  “Last year, we slowed down a little. This year we are getting back to a faster pace, and getting back to where we played best.”

Other players that return with significant varsity playing time are juniors Bekah Cook, Makayla Helt and sophomore Grace Wilson.

Coach Hensley said he is challenging Piper, Makayla and Maddie to step up into leadership roles.

On top of the returning players, the Tigers are adding a pair of transfers to the mix.

Senior Nihna Burton (formerly New Albany) and junior Makinzee Isley (formerly Scottsburg) will both join the Tigers this season and have the opportunity to compete for starting positions/minutes.

“(Burton) has a motor that just keeps going,” coach Hensley said. “It’s kind of like how Katrina (Christian) was. She doesn’t slow down. There are fast breaks and she will catch up and take the ball. She gets after it on the defensive end.

“Makinzee, she’s just so mentally tough. She’s not afraid to mix it up at all. She’s going to be a huge part of our game.”

Piper Hensley said that the team has welcomed the transfers with open arms.

“They have helped tremendously,” she said. “They both know the game really well. They fit in really well with the returning girls. I think we’re going to go on another really good run again. I think we will win a lot of ball games. It will be fun to watch.”

Coach Hensley said that the junior varsity has done really well this summer, and has seven freshman on the team.