Greenfield-Central’s Brooklyn McConnell makes a long pass against New Palestine during last year’s sectional.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — This is a rarity for Bradley Key, now in his seventh year as head coach of the Greenfield-Central girls basketball team.
He has mostly seniors, veteran underclassmen and the majority of the lineup back from a team that went 17-7 overall and 5-2 and finished runners-up in the Hoosier Heritage Conference in the 2023-24 season.
“We had a good summer,” Key said. “It’s fun to get out there and have a bunch of upperclassmen. It was the first time in quite some time, in the summer, we were the older team on the court. A lot of times it showed. .. It’s a senior-led team and that’s awesome. It’s something we haven’t been able to say in a long time.”
Seniors Chaney Brown and Brooklyn McConnell are both four-year starters. Senior Madison Sonsini moved in from Richmond last year and has been a standout since she stepped on the gym floor.
“Our freshman year we all kind of got thrown in there and it was a little rough at first,” McConnell said. “Now, with our team chemistry, we’ve grown a lot and developed more. We’ve worked really hard to get here.”
“We have a good team dynamic,” Brown added of the now veteran Cougar team. “Everybody is positive and helping one another.”
Sophomore Izzy Silcox started most every game as a freshman and seniors Josie White, Addi Herrin, Kynsey Hasty and Leilani Forshey, along with junior Juliann Jones and sophomore Ainsley Robinson all have varsity experience and give the team some solid depth.
Sonsini, a versatile 6-footer that has verbally committed to Spring Arbor University, is the team’s top returning scorer (14.6) and rebounder (9.2).
“I definitely think we’re going to have an even better year than last year,” Sonsini said. “We each bring something different to the table. All of us have a very different skill set. Over the summer we’ve been able to work on making each other better and finding things we can develop on to make us a better team.
“I think that’s what’s going to make us good this year. We have so many different options, a deeper bench, we’re going to get more opportunities to push the ball and do a lot of things that we couldn’t do in the past.”
Brown went over the 1,000-point plateau last year and averaged 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and a team-high 2.3 assists.
McConnell, an IU-Columbus commit, just missed double-digits at 9.9 points per contest. She made 42 3-pointers, third most in the HHC last year and most of any returning player.
Silcox averaged 8.1 points in her rookie season and was second on the team in treys with 35. All four returning starters had at least 20 3-pointers.
Herrin and Hasty have also knocked down perimeter shots in varsity games. White, who started some as a freshman, but did not play basketball last season, gives more depth to the backcourt. Robinson is also a scrappy guard, while Jones and Forshey are frontcourt players that can add to rebounding and inside play.
The Cougars have a challenging opener, hosting Lapel, the 2A state runner-up in 2023 and a semi-state qualifier in 2024.
“I think our goals are always [winning] the sectional and to compete for a conference [title], but one of our big goals is to know at the end of the day we gave everything we could,” Key said. “I think last year, 17 wins was awesome, but I felt like there were times it just felt a little empty. Our practices, the first seven or eight have been intense. We’ve got players coaching each other up. It feels different and that’s exciting for me.”
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2024-25 Greenfield-Central girls basketball roster
No.;Name;Grade;Height;Pos.
1;Ainsley Robinson;10;5-5;G
2;Brooklyn McConnell;12;5-4;G
4;Juliann Jones;11;5-7;F
5;Madison Sonsini;12;6-0;G/F
11;Izzy Silcox;10;5-6;G
12;Chaney Brown;12;5-10;G
15;Kynsey Hasty;12;5-5;G
20;Josie White;12;5-6;G
21;Addi Herrin;12;5-4;G
24;Paislee Brown;9;5-8;G/F
31;Leilani Forshey;12;5-8;F
Head coach: Bradley Key
Assistant coaches: Megan Henderson, Meghan Dawson, Maggie Walters, Grant Prewitt
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2024-25 Greenfield-Central girls basketball schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Nov. 5;vs. Lapel;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 7;at Greenwood;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 12;at Center Grove;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16;at Guerin Catholic;1:30 p.m.
Nov. 19;at Richmond;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 22;vs. Pendleton Heights;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25;at Heritage Christian;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3;at Chatard;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6;vs. Tri;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 13;vs. New Palestine;6 p.m.
Dec. 17;at Shelbyville;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21;vs. Delta;1:30 p.m.
Dec. 26;at Lebanon Tournament;TBD
Dec. 27;at Lebanon Tournament;TBD
Jan. 4;vs. Connersville;1:30 p.m.
Jan. 7;at Perry Meridian;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14;vs. Anderson;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17;at New Castle;6 p.m.
Jan. 21;vs. Muncie Central;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24;at Mt. Vernon;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28;vs. Yorktown;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30;at Southport;7:30 p.m.
