Adams Central scorer Ava Stafford signs with Albion College

Ava Stafford’s signing with Albion College says as much about Adams Central as it does about one player. The senior guard has spent the past two seasons as one of the Jets’ most reliable scoring options, and now her path from Monroe to Albion, Michigan, stands as the clearest example of a smaller Indiana program producing college-ready talent.

Adams Central Athletics confirmed on May 15 that Stafford will attend Albion and join the women’s basketball program. The school paired her announcement with Ethan Crockett’s decision to continue his career at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, a reminder that this senior class is sending multiple athletes on to the next level.

For Stafford, the resume is built on production and shot-making. Outside the Huddle reported last fall that she averaged 10.4 points per game and earned second-team All-ACAC honors, a line that underscored her importance as a returner entering the 2024-25 season. Prep Girls Hoops listed her as a 5-foot-7 shooting guard in the 2026 class who also plays club basketball for Midwest Explosion, a profile that fits a player who has already shown she can carry offense from the perimeter.

That scoring punch was on full display in December, when Stafford buried a school-record seven three-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points in Adams Central’s 55-39 win over South Adams. It was the kind of performance that separates a steady high school scorer from a player who can change the shape of a game with volume shooting.

Those are the traits Albion is getting now: a senior who has already been trusted as an offensive anchor, and who has answered that responsibility with consistency. For Adams Central, Stafford’s commitment is a sign that the program’s recent success has not been built only on one strong season or one hot stretch. It has produced a player whose production held across multiple years and translated into a college opportunity.

That matters for younger players across Indiana, especially at smaller schools that want evidence that their path can still lead somewhere. Stafford’s route shows that a strong season, a role built on trust, and the ability to deliver in big scoring moments can still move a player from a rural high school gym to the college game.