Paige Schnaus named Southwestern Indiana girls basketball Player of the Year

Paige Schnaus put together a season that separated her from a strong Southwestern Indiana field. The 6-foot-2 Gibson Southern forward was named the region’s girls basketball Player of the Year after posting 20.9 points and 9 rebounds per game, while also stacking up 26 assists, 28 steals and 39 blocks for the Titans.

Her production came with efficiency that made the numbers hit even harder. Schnaus shot 50% from the field, 42% from 3-point range and 77% at the free-throw line, a rare blend for a forward with her size and workload. That two-way impact helped lift her beyond a local honor and into statewide conversation.

Schnaus was also named to the 2026 Indiana Girls Junior All-Star Core Group, one of seven players selected. That puts her among the state’s top young players and gives the Southwestern Indiana honor a bigger frame: Schnaus was not just the best player in the region, she was one of the names Indiana coaches and evaluators pointed to when identifying the next wave of elite talent.

Her season included several games that showed why. Schnaus scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a win over Princeton, then delivered a career-high 37 points in Gibson Southern’s win over Tell City on Jan. 10, 2026. Those outings reflected the same range that showed up across the full season, from scoring around the basket to stretching defenses from long range.

The honor also fits a larger arc at Gibson Southern. As a freshman, Schnaus was already central to the program’s 2024 Class 3A state championship run, finishing the title game win over Norwell with 12 points and 16 rebounds. She later appeared on Indiana Futures Game rosters in 2024 and 2025, a sign that her rise has been building for several seasons and has now reached a statewide level that few players achieve.