Lakewood Park Christian’s Avery MacFarlane signs with Saint Francis, stays local

Avery MacFarlane’s final season at Lakewood Park Christian ended with his name all over the program record book, and now the Auburn senior is taking that production a few miles down the road. MacFarlane signed Wednesday afternoon to continue his academic and athletic career at Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, keeping one of northeast Indiana’s most productive small-school players in the same basketball corridor that shaped him.

That matters because MacFarlane was not just a scorer who piled up points in a hurry. He finished his prep career with 1,275 points and 787 rebounds, reached the 1,000-point milestone, and set school records for points in a game, rebounds in a game and rebounds in a season. His senior line, 20.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, showed the kind of all-around impact that made him one of Lakewood Park’s defining players. Another report listed him at 1.5 blocks per game and 282 total rebounds in 2024-25, underscoring how much of his value came from controlling possessions on both ends.

The fit at Saint Francis is a natural one for a player whose game was built on production, toughness and volume. MacFarlane gave Lakewood Park a reliable inside presence and enough scoring punch to post a 41-point game during the season, a reminder that his ceiling was not limited to rebounding and putbacks. For Saint Francis, an NAIA program with a national championship in its history, he brings a player who has already shown he can carry a major workload and fill multiple columns on the stat sheet.

The timing also gives the signing added context. Saint Francis recently named Nate Conley its men’s basketball coach after Chad LaCross retired following 15 years and a run that made him the winningest men’s basketball coach in school history. MacFarlane now joins a program in transition, but one with a track record that still reaches championship level and a fresh staff looking to build its next roster around local and regional talent.

Lakewood Park Christian sits in Auburn, about 10 minutes north of Fort Wayne, so MacFarlane’s move keeps him close to home while opening the door to the next level. For a player who made his high school career by producing every night, staying local with Saint Francis offers continuity, visibility and a path that other small-school players in the area can realistically follow.