Cripe, Blickenstaff nominated for player of week

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Girls basketball

Pioneer senior forward Madison Blickenstaff was nominated for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association/Franciscan Health player of the week award for District 1 girls for the week of Feb. 8.

Blickenstaff made nine of 13 field goal attempts and scored a game-high 22 points in a 50-25 win over Kouts in a Class 1A regional semifinal at Caston Saturday afternoon. She also tied for team-high rebounding honors with nine and had three steals.

She added seven points and six rebounds in a 65-37 win over Triton in the regional final Saturday night.

The award went to North Judson senior Lilliann Frasure.

Pioneer junior guard Hailey Cripe was nominated for the award for District 1 girls for the weeks of Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.

Cripe averaged 23 points per game in wins over Winamac, Clinton Central and LaVille during the week of Jan. 25. She also scored her 1,000th career point in a 66-37 win over Winamac on Jan. 26.

Cripe also averaged 22.7 ppg in three sectional wins over Caston, Frontier and North White during the week of Feb. 1. She hit seven 3-pointers and outscored the entire Frontier team 32-24 in a sectional semifinal win on Feb. 5.

The awards went to Homestead junior Ayanna Patterson for the week of Jan. 25 and Lakeland senior Bailey Hartsough for the week of Feb. 1.

350 tickets left for semistate: Pioneer athletic director John Bingaman reported on his Twitter account Thursday that Pioneer still has 350 tickets left of its allotment for its semistate game against Northfield.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online only at https://secure.payk12.com/school/_/285/events/192649.

Game time is 1 p.m. Saturday at Logansport.

Pioneer junior guard Hailey Cripe attempts a free throw during the Class 1A regional final against Triton at Caston Saturday. Cripe scored a game-high 20 points in a 65-37 Pioneer win. (photo by Dee Brown)

Pioneer senior forward Madison Blickenstaff waved to the crowd during pregame introductions before the Lady Panthers’ 65-37 win over Triton in the Class 1A Caston regional final Saturday. Blickenstaff had seven points and six rebounds. She also had 22 points and nine rebounds in Pioneer’s 50-25 semifinal win over Kouts earlier Saturday. (photo by Dee Brown)