As Crown Point senior Ava Ziolkowski continues to post ridiculous numbers, coach Chris Seibert can’t quite say he’s surprised.
Seibert has seen the steps the 6-foot-1 forward has taken to ascend to that level.
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“We always thought it was a possibility,” Seibert said. “You go through the offseason, you play games in the summer, we’re playing a lot of kids and pretty much putting five in and five out. But there’s games she’s scoring 20, 25 points playing about half the game. So we knew it was a possibility.”
But Ziolkowski has made it happen, averaging 29.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.1 steals for the Bulldogs (6-3) through Monday. On Tuesday, she scored 40 points in a win against Lowell, reaching that mark for the third time this season.
“She’s someone who can score in so many different ways, who’s 6-foot-1, who can get her shot off quickly, who can post up, who can do a lot of things to negate some of the things defensively that other teams want to do to take her away,” Seibert said.
That wasn’t always the case. Ziolkowski, who averaged 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals during a breakout junior season, had primarily been a perimeter player. She relied considerably on her 3-point shooting.
But the Indiana Tech commit has expanded her game, becoming more versatile.
Seibert pointed to the Bulldogs’ win against Hammond Central on Nov. 11, a game in which Ziolkowski hit two 3-pointers but still scored 36 points.
“That’s something that wouldn’t have taken place in previous years,” Seibert said. “If she wasn’t getting four, five, six 3-pointers, there was no chance for her to be able to score at that level.
“She’s worked extremely hard in the offseason to become physically stronger, to make her game more multifaceted.”
Ziolkowski noted a Duneland Athletic Conference win against LaPorte on Nov. 21, when she scored a career-high 42 points.
“I definitely was posting up a lot — four out, one in,” she said. “It definitely was different. I’ve usually been around the 3-point line more. But this year with tiny guards chasing me, I’ll just post them up. That’s what we’ve been working on a lot more this year.
“I’ve definitely worked on trying to be able to score at all three levels — midrange and layups around the basket too.”
Ziolkowski has two games with at least 41 points, three others with at least 30 and has reached double figures in every game.
She was selected for the inaugural Indiana All-Stars Futures games last season, and making the Indiana All-Stars this season ranks among her top goals. Jessica Carrothers and Lilly Stoddard, who were part of the 2021 Class 4A state championship team, and Dash Shaw all have been picked on the girls side for Crown Point since 2020.
Still, Ziolkowski has taken her new level of productivity in stride.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “But I’m definitely glad the season is going well and we’re doing well as a team. My teammates are really helping with getting me the ball. They’ve been really good. It’s been fun.”
It didn’t take long last season for teams to concentrate on attempting to contain Ziolkowski. She has become better equipped to deal with that attention.
“She’s also continuing to become more mentally tough,” Seibert said. “She knows she’s getting two defenders, the other team’s best defender or multiple defenders. She knows she’s the focus of the other team’s scouting reports and trying to take her away. She’s just finding different ways to score.”
Senior guard Madison Dubiel has appreciated Ziolkowski’s efforts.
“She’s been doing great,” Dubiel said. “She’s been staying really consistent. She puts in so much work, the dedication. Me and her work really well together. She knows when I want her to backdoor. She sees it. We’re always on that same wavelength.”
Ziolkowski has also embraced the responsibility of her status as a veteran player. Seven graduated after last season, and the Bulldogs have turned to players who flourished on the junior varsity team.
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“She’s definitely more assertive,” Seibert said. “She understands she is the one player who has varsity experience and really a ton of varsity experience. She was the one part of our state championship team, has played with a lot of great leaders.
“Our last senior class had seven tremendous leaders last year. She’s stepped up to try to not only lead by example but also lead more vocally. She’s done a good job of really taking that leadership role on with a few of our other seniors with this group we have this year.”
Seibert couldn’t ask for much more from Ziolkowski.
“On the defensive end, rebounding the basketball, she’s just really had a fantastic start to the year,” he said. “She is a complete basketball player, and that’s what we really challenged her in the offseason to do. She’s really thrived in that role.
“I’m very happy for her. She’s put a lot of time in and worked extremely hard to get to that point. I’m glad because you don’t always get to see the success, get to reap the rewards of the hard work. So it’s very nice that she’s getting to do that here at least early. Hopefully that will continue throughout the season and into the postseason.”