STATE FINALS: Castle upsets top-ranked SB Washington in record-laden 4A thriller, 83-72

By Colin Altevogt
Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS ���?? The ending matched the story line.

In the final game of the IHSAA girls basketball state tournament
March 4 at Conseco Fieldhouse, No. 11 Castle upset top-ranked and heavy
favorite South Bend Washington, 83-72, in the Class 4A state
championship game.

The finale, which saw 23 4A records set or tied, was a fitting end to a postseason stacked with upsets.

The Knights, who did not crack the Top 10 all season, very well may
have been the biggest giant slayers in the state. Castle upset No. 2
Jeffersonville, eighth-ranked Hamilton Southeastern, and finally No. 1
Washington en route to capturing the state title.

The championship is Castle���?�s first in girls basketball. And the 23 records may be a world record, for all we know.

The loss ends a near-fairy tale season for South Bend Washington ���??
but don���?�t cry too hard for the Panthers, who will return their entire
starting lineup next year, including freshman phenom Skylar Diggins. In
her first season of high school basketball, the 5â�?��?�8â�?� guard led the
state in assists, shot the seventh-best percentage from 3-point range,
and ranked 11^th in points per game while leading her team to the 4A finals.

And Diggins kicked off this game, nailing a three ten seconds into
the contest. In a fast-paced first quarter that would seem to benefit
the smaller, quicker lineup of Washington, it was the underdog Knights
who built their lead into double digits. Diggins ended the period on
another three with five seconds remaining, but Castle led after one,
24-17.

The Knights had no answer early for Diggins. She nailed another
trey, this time 11 seconds into the second stanza, then scored on a
floater in the lane as the Panthers cut the deficit to 26-22.

â�?��?She is not the kind of player I would want to face on a regular basis,â�?� said Castle coach Wayne Allen.

But while Castle had difficulty containing the speedy guards of
Washington early on, the Knights had their way inside throughout.
Junior forward Jasmine Ussery, (5â�?��?�11â�?�) who recorded a double-double by
halftime, scored 22 points and grabbed a Class 4A record 16 rebounds,
while 6â�?��?�1â�?� senior center Maria Olsthoorn chipped in 21 points and seven
rebounds.

Castle’s 6’1″ center Maria Olsthoorn (44) gets her shot blocked by South Bend Washington’s Shalana Murray (22).  Photo by Scott Sampson

Phillips, the sophomore guard shooting for two here, is one of five Panther starters who will return in 2006-07. Photo by Scott Sampson

â�?��?Castle tonight just out-sized us,â�?� said South Bend Washington coach Marilyn Coddens.

With their lead dwindling midway through the second quarter, the
Knights responded, holding Washington scoreless for 5:28 during a 16-0
run.

The game was nearly over approaching intermission until the Panthers
went on a 10-1 spurt of their own. Once again, Diggins knocked down a
crucial three, this time with no time on the clock, and the Panthers
trailed by just 10 heading into the locker room at 43-33.

The non-stop action continued in the second half. Washington cut the
lead down to seven at the 4:28 mark of the third, but Castle got
consecutive three-point plays from senior point guard Stephanie
Gehlhausen and Olsthoorn scored to bulk the margin back to 57-44.

With eight minutes left to play, Castle had a comfortable 12-point
lead. South Bend senior Paris Wright hit two shots outside the arc in
the first minute of play, however, and with seven minutes to go the
Panthers trailed by only six, 62-56.

Washington���?�s inability to defend the interior was magnified down the
stretch, though. Needing to distance themselves once again, the Knights
pounded the ball inside to their post players.

Working the ball to the interior resulted in an abundance of Panther
fouls, including from Diggins, who picked up her fourth with 5:53
remaining.

Then the casualties started.

Junior forward Ashley Varner fouled out with 4:20 left. Within 90
seconds, sophomore forward Shalana Murray had joined her on the bench.
Then Castle���?�s Katelyn Smith, who scored all 11 of her points in the
first half, picked up her fifth with 3:47 to go.

Still up 74-64 with 2:53 left, Ussery knocked down a pair from the
line for the Knights. Washington sophomore guard Emily Phillips, who
scored 18 for the Panthers, missed a long jumper on the other end, and
that was game.

With just under a minute left, Olsthoorn scored on a layup, inciting a chant of â�?��?We won state!â�?� from the Castle faithful.

Ussery and Olsthoorn were joined in double figures by Smith and
Gelhausen (16 points), who added six assists and four steals in 30
minutes of battling Washington���?�s full-court pressure.

Diggins finished the game with 22 points on 7-of-21 shooting to lead
the Panthers, who also got double-digit offensive outputs from Phillips
and junior guard Sherice White (12 points).

Castle, which entered the game with a solid .426 field goal
percentage, hit exactly 50 percent from the floor ���?? in the first half
(15 of 30), in the second half (9 of 18), and for the game (24 of 48).
Washington, meanwhile, came into this instant classic hitting .484
(with an amazing four starters above 51 percent), but the Panthers were
held to just 32.4 percent shooting on this night of Knights.

Castle’s Katelyn Smith looks to get rid of the ball against the Panthers’ Sherice White (32). The Knights were able to find an answer to Washington’s full-court pressure defense.  Photo by Scott Sampson

Ussery (40) goes for one of her many inside buckets as Washington’s undersized defenders, including Paris Wright (10), try to help out. Photo by Scott Sampson

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