2 weeks Ago By The Star Press
The 2024-25 girls basketball season in Muncie was a memorable one.Five teams in the area won at least 15 games — Daleville, Delta, Monroe Central, Wapahani and Yorktown. Although no team from the area has made a state championship run since Winchester in 2019, this year's postseason featured two great runs from the likes of Monroe Central and Delta.
Monroe Central won its first sectional title since 2019, winning each sectional game by at least 25 points. The Golden Bears were led by a senior trio of Maleigh Ervin, Sydney Patterson and Addy Puckett that established a new standard for a program that had gone 3-15 the year before they started playing.Delta's season was truly unprecedented.
The Eagles had their first winning season since 2011-12 and won the Delaware County Tournament for the first time since 2019. In the postseason, Delta defeated arch-rival Yorktown to win its first sectional title since 1993, then went on to win its first regional title in school history. The Eagles' run came to an end in semi-state with a loss to eventual 3A champion Norwell.
More: How a fiery speech sparked Shenandoah baseball to 18th-straight conference win ThursdayMore: Daleville's Alex Ramirez is The Star Press IU Health Athlete of the Week, April 7-12After their history-making season, Delta has swept The Star Press Player and Coach of the Year awards.Delta junior Jillian Barr is The Star Press 2024-25 Girls Basketball Player of the Year, and Delta's Ty'Ronda Benning is Coach of the Year.Benning's turnaround of the Delta girls basketball program has been remarkable.
The Eagles had struggled for years before her arrival in 2023. It had been over a decade since Delta finished above .500, and the school's sectional title drought had just hit three decades.
After leading the Eagles to a 12-12 record in her debut season, Benning took the Eagles to new heights this season and has now added The Star Press Coach of the Year to her young resumé.Barr was the catalyst for Delta's historic season, particularly the postseason run. In sectionals, she scored 13 points against Hamilton Heights, 26 against Jay County and a career-high 31 against Yorktown in the championship.
Barr led Delta to its first regional championship ever with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double on 7-for-10 field goal shooting.Barr etched her name into the Delta girls basketball record books by becoming the school's sixth 1,000 point scorer and all-time leading rebounder. For the season, Barr averaged a double-double with 16.
2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. She also averaged four steals, 2.
4 blocks and 1.7 assists per game.Delta finished the season at 18-8.
With zero seniors on the roster, the Eagles have high hopes for the future.All 16 players that were nominated in our Player of the Year poll made The Star Press All-Area teams, which was split into four teams of five. The Star Press staff decided which players made each team.
Without further ado, here is our full All-Area girls basketball teams for the 2024-25 season:2024-25 Star Press All-Area Girls Basketball TeamPlayers listed in alphabetical order.First-TeamKimber Abshear, senior, Wapahani: 12.3 ppg, 10.
9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 4.1 bpg, 2.
2 spg, 59% field goal shootingJillian Barr, junior, Delta: 16.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.
7 apg, 2.4 bpg, 4 spg, 52% FGSydney Patterson, senior, Monroe Central: 13.4 ppg, 3.
5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 3.5 spg, 36% FGHallie Schwieterman, sophomore, Jay County: 18.
9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 3.
8 spg, 36% FGLilly Sylvester, junior, Yorktown: 15.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.
5 apg, 0.5 bpg, 1.6 spg, 42% FGSecond-TeamAddy Barnes, junior, Delta: 10.
4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.
2 spg, 34% FGAddisyn Gothrup, junior, Daleville: 14.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.
6 apg, 2.2 spg, 41% FGCarlee Lanzer, freshman, New Castle: 12.7 ppg, 5.
3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.5 spg, 34% FGEmily Luce, junior, Wapahani: 11 ppg, 3.
1 rpg, 5.8 apg, 3.9 spg, 39% FGAlivia McCoy, senior, Winchester Community: 16.
9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.3 spg, 0.
9 bpgThird-TeamOlivia Conklin, sophomore, Yorktown: 11.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.
7 apg, 2.3 spg, 41% FGGlory Ellis, senior, Union (Modoc): 13.2 ppg, 8.
5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 5 bpg, 2.2 spg, 33% FGKei'Maija Hickey, freshman, Muncie Central: Fan Vote winner, no available stats, led Bearcats to eight wins after just two wins in 2023-24Sydney Jackson, junior, Muncie Burris: 17.
2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 4.
6 spg, 2.9 bpg, 31% FGGabbi Patrick, junior, Shenandoah: 11.1 ppg, 8.
9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.6 spg, 35% FGFourth-TeamCaroline Caward, sophomore, Wes-Del: 7.
4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.
7 spg, 27% FGRylee Heiser, junior, Blackford: 6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.
4 apg, 0.6 spg, 33% FGTrishell Johnson, senior, Daleville: 9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.
5 apg, 4.3 spg, 2.8 bpg, 32% FGElla Schmidt, senior, Blue River Valley: 10 ppgElizabeth Sizemore, senior, Cowan: 8.
1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1 apg, 1.1 spg, 29% FGAll-Defense TeamKimber Abshear, senior, WapahaniElizabeth Bamidele, junior, DeltaJillian Barr, junior, DeltaGlory Ellis, senior, Union (Modoc)Trishell Johnson, senior, Daleville2024-25 Star Press Girls Basketball AwardsPlayer of the Year: Jillian Barr, junior, DeltaCoach of the Year: Ty'Ronda Benning, DeltaDefensive Player of the Year: Kimber Abshear, senior, WapahaniFreshman of the Year: Carlee Lanzer, New CastleSixth Player of the Year: Olivia Marshall, junior, DeltaFan Vote Player of the Year: Kei'Maija Hickey, freshman, Muncie CentralContact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.
gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: The 2024-25 Star Press Girls Basketball All-Area team is here.
