Three North girls named to Indiana Junior All-Stars

Three Columbus North girls basketball players were among the 18 chosen for the Indiana Junior All-Star team announced by the Indianapolis Star on Wednesday.

North guard Maliah Howard-Bass was one of the six players selected as the core group that will play in both exhibition games against the senior All-Star team in June. That sextet will be joined for one game by six players from the North and for the other by six from the South.

Chosen for the South team were two other Bull Dogs — center Imani Guy and point guard Ashlyn Huffman.

The picks were made by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection committee.

“They’re three very good players,” North coach Pat McKee said. “I’m delighted that they’re going to have the opportunity to showcase themselves and our program on a bigger stage again.”

Howard-Bass, who led Columbus North in scoring (18.6 ppg) and steals (81) this season, is joined in the core group by Plainfield’s Riley Blackwell, Dana Evans of Gary West, Karissa McLaughlin of Homestead, Zion Sanders of Evansville Central and Madison Wise of Greenfield.

Guy blocked 92 shots for the Bull Dogs, while Huffman had 125 assists and 62 steals before a torn meniscus ended her season in the regional final. She is expected to be fully healthy by late spring.

The South group also includes Kayla Casteel of Plainfield, Katie Helgason of Greenfield, Alexis Thomas of Evansville Central and Macee Williams of Fountain Central.

Chosen from the North were Nicole Konieczny and Daly Sullivan of South Bend St. Joseph, Hamilton Southeastern’s Bre Lloyd, Covenant Christian’s Rachel McLimore, Madisen Parker of Homestead and Anne Secrest of Tippecanoe Valley.

The coaches for the Junior All-Stars, as well as the game dates and locations, will be announced at a later date.