Ashley Schroer says most of the things she accomplished and the goals she reached while playing basketball at Brownstown Central came from teamwork.
One accomplishment was helping the Braves set a school record for wins in a season.
“The offensive part of the game came from teamwork,” she said. “This past season as a team, we really worked on our roles as individuals, and I was given a scoring role. At the end of every game, you want to put more points on the board than the opposing team, and this past season, we achieved this by winning 26 games."
Going into the season, she said one of her goals was to reach 1,000 career points. She did that Jan. 7 at home against Madison.
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“Only having to achieve 10 points this game (to reach 1,000), I got exactly that," she said. "My teammates really helped me achieve this goal, especially that night, and I am thankful. Without the help of my coaches and teammates pushing me to perform my best, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this goal, and to be second on the all-time scoring list, it is really an achievement."
In compiling a record of 26-4, the Braves won the Toby Yoho Classic, won sectional and regional trophies and tied for the Mid-Southern Conference title. The Braves had a 12-game win streak late in the season.
Schroer enjoyed cutting down the nets for winning the tournaments.
“There is no better feeling than climbing up that ladder and cutting down a piece of the net,” she said.
For all of her accomplishments, Schroer has been named The Tribune’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Braves coach Brandon Allman said she is very deserving of that honor.
“She was an outstanding leader," he said. "She was a take-charge person in the locker room. She broke our huddle all the time. She was going to will our team to win. She was not going to lose. She picked up girls when they were down. Her work ethic at practice was second to none. Her family owns a business, and she is not afraid of hard work."
Allman said Schroer took 10 charges on the season, which he thinks is the biggest game changer in basketball.
“We played against a lot of good post players, and she made it harder for them to score,” he said.
Schroer said she took a charge her freshman year and ended up with concussion, so the next two years, she very rarely took a charge.
“Allman loved to tell us stories about him playing back in the day and how one of his specialties was taking charges," she said. "He told us how taking a charge can boost the team’s confidence and completely turn the game around. Taking charges brought much excitement and hype to my team and the fans watching, and these were some of my key memories from the past season."
Being one of the tallest and strongest players on the team put more pressure on Schroer to go after rebounds.
"Our team was not tall by any means; therefore, it was a part of my role to rebound the ball every time it went up to the hoop," she said. "I enjoy a battle. It gives me something to feel accomplished about to work harder for. Nothing has been given to me easily.”
Schroer finished the season strong by scoring 103 points in the Braves’ six tournament games, including a season-high 26 against against West Vigo in the sectional championship game and following that with 21 against Cardinal Ritter in the opening game of the regional.
“Nobody was playing at her level during the IHSAA tournament," Allman said. "In the two regional games, her numbers were 21 points, 15 rebounds (against Ritter) and 17 points, nine rebounds (against Heritage Christian)."
On the season, Schroer averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.4 steals.
She was named to Hoosier Basketball Magazine’s Top 100 and was invited to the Top 60 Workout. She was named to the all-Mid-Southern Conference team four straight years and earned Indiana Basketball Coaches Association senior all-state honorable mention.
She also was named to the HBCA all-District 4 team, selected as an HBCA regional all-star and received the IBCA Player of the Week honor.
Schroer said she felt like the Braves achieved a lot this past season.
“No one really had confidence in the Lady Braves except us girls and our coaches," she said. "Allman would tell us we are the underdogs and need to make a statement. He gave us hope. We had several close games, some we should have won, but most we pulled through because we were a team who never gave up and had a very strong understanding for the game of basketball."
Schroer has many fond memories of her career.
“Playing as a Lady Brave the past four years has been a privilege and an honor," she said. "Although the understanding of the game of basketball seemed to come easy for me, I’ve been playing since second grade and played AAU every summer since.
“I enjoy the excitement that comes with the game," she said. "I fell in love with the game when I was younger and haven’t stopped playing since; however, the semistate game against Salem is the last time I will lace up my shoes for another game."
Schroer will attend University of Kentucky and study animal science/pre-veterinary.
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Joining Brownstown Central senior Ashley Schroer on the all-Jackson County team for girls basketball are:
Halle Hehman, Brownstown Central (senior)
Averaged 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 steals. High-point game: 15 against Forest Park. Named to the Toby Yoho Classic all-tournament team. “She did a little bit of everything this season to help our team be successful. She had to defend much bigger girls and was very successful doing that,” coach Brandon Allman said.
Makayla Helt, Crothersville (senior)
Averaged 11.2 points. High-point games: 23 against South Decatur and 17 against Edinburgh. She had 97 assists (4.4 average) to move into fourth place for a season. She also ranks fourth in career assists with 209.
Aidan Hiester, Seymour (senior)
Averaged 7.3 points. High-point games: 16 against New Albany and 15 against Batesville. Averaged 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Received coaches award and was named Hoosier Hills Conference honorable mention.
Hannah Sabotin, Trinity Lutheran (senior)
Averaged 9.1 points. High-point games: 19 against Southwestern (Hanover) and 15 against Brown County. Averaged 9.8 rebounds. “She has a motor that never stops when she is going for a rebound,” coach Mike Lang said.
Katherine Benter, Brownstown Central (junior)
Averaged 15.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. High-point games: 29 against Silver Creek, 25 against Brown County and 24 against Scottsburg. Named to Toby Yoho Classic all-tournament team, all-Mid Southern Conference, Indiana Basketball Coaches Association junior all-state honorable mention and IBCA District 3 honorable mention.
Addy Cole, Crothersville (junior)
Averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. High-point games: 26 against Clarksville, 22 against Cannelton and 21 against South Central. Named to all-Southern Athletic Conference team.
Grace Meyer, Seymour (junior)
Scored 420 points for an average of 16.8. High-point games: 33 against Shelbyville, 29 against Silver Creek and 27 against Jennings County. Averaged 7.8 rebounds and was named all-Hoosier Hills Conference, Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association all-state third team and Indiana Basketball Coaches Association underclass all-state honorable mention.
Sydney Jaynes, Trinity Lutheran (junior)
Averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.2 blocks. High-point games: 27 against Hauser and South Ripley and 26 against Orleans. Topped 1,000 points in her career, selected the Cougars’ most valuable player and named to the Toby Yoho Classic all-tournament team and IBCA underclass all-state. “She is not just a 6-3 post player. She led the team in assists, was a threat to shoot the 3 and was able to help beat the press when teams pressed us,” coach Mike Lang said.
Grace Schrader, Seymour (sophomore)
Averaged 9.7 points. High-point games: 24 against Jennings County and 21 against Greenwood and Batesville. Named Seymour’s most improved player.
Maddy Hackman, Brownstown Central (freshman)
Averaged 10.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 steals. High-point game: 19 against Corydon Central. Set the school record by making 79 3-pointers. “Best shooter in the county,” coach Brandon Allman said.
Bailey Tabeling, Trinity Lutheran (freshman)
Highest-scoring freshman in the state among all classes with 598 points for an average of 21.5 per game. Scored the winning basket in the sectional win over Edinburgh, scored in the 30s five times and earned IBCA underclass all-state honorable mention. High-point games: 36 against Edinburgh and Crothersville.
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