Hawaii State | Archive | February, 2007

SOUTHPORT ���?? From the get-go, it was obvious just
by looking at the size of both Ben Davis and Center Grove that the first game
of the Class 4A Southport Regional would be physical. In a sloppy matchup,
unranked Center Grove pulled off the upset against No. 8 Ben Davis, catching all
the breaks that it could in a 53-47 victory.

Being without senior starting guard Brooke Shafer for a Game
2 regional rematch with No. 10 Lawrence North was not the way Hamilton
Southeastern coach Chris Huppenthal wanted it. But senior backup Brittany Kelly
filled in ably with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists to help the
Royals survive an overtime thriller, 49-47.

It seemed that neither Ben Davis nor Center Grove could
figure out the other in the opener at Southport Fieldhouse. Both teams stuck
with their original game plans and made do as much as possible, but one team
pulling away for a comfortable win was going to be completely out of the
question.

After trailing 10-6 after one quarter, Ben Davis woke up a
bit to tie the game at 14 near the midway point of the second period. But Center
Grove answered with an 8-3 run to take a 22-17 lead at halftime. Ben Davis cut
the Trojans���?� lead to 40-37 at the end of the third quarter thanks to a
give-and-go from Dorothy Craig to DeAirra Goss just before the horn sounded.

But four points is all the closer that Ben Davis could get
to Center Grove in the fourth as the Trojans (19-5) were in the bonus the whole
fourth period. Hillary Bowling knocked down two free throws in the final 20
seconds to ice the game and the season for Ben Davis (18-5).

Host Hamilton Southeastern had won its previous meeting
with Lawrence North 55-42. This time, the 25-0 Royals had to face a much peskier
defense, making the rematch tight down to the wire.

Kelly got the nod to start in place of the injured Shafer
and she took full advantage, showing confidence in starting.

â�?��?I knew I wanted to bring it today for Brooke,â�?� a
confident Kelly said. ���?I just stepped up and played my role. I was left open
and if theyâ�?��?�re going to leave me open, Iâ�?��?�ll take the shots they give me.â�?�

Kelly���?�s performance took some pressure off sophomore guard
Courtney Osborn, allowing her to score 15 points, grab six rebounds, and dish
out a few assists of her own despite being blanketed by a feisty LN backcourt
of Azjah Bass and Erica Beeler.

���?I told Brittany
to be herself,â�?� said Huppenthal, alluding to Kellyâ�?��?�s superb skills that made
her one of the state���?�s top soccer goalies and golfers. ���?The kid does good at
everything she does.â�?�

The Royals had their work cut out for them on the
defensive end of the floor as Felisha Johnson, Lawrence Northâ�?��?�s 6’2â�?� junior
center, was a force to be reckoned with. She finished the afternoon with 22
points and 15 rebounds.

â�?��?We had to trap and double off on Johnson,â�?� said Huppenthal.
���?We never quit. Everyone doubts us and they keep waiting for us to lose.

���?Their spirit and character as a team is unbelievable ���??
one of the best of any team Iâ�?��?�ve had.â�?�

Five ties and seven lead changes made this second
semifinal a treat to watch. Coach Jodie Whitaker���?�s Wildcats (21-5) played the
better all-around game, but they gave it away in overtime with mental mistakes
at crucial moments.

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FORTVILLE ���??
Ta���?�Shia Phillips dominated Class 3A No. 6 Brebeuf���?�s 61-48 victory over Whiteland
Feb. 17 in a Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Regional semifinal. The
6â�?��?�6â�?� senior recorded a triple-double with 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 13 blocks
in what is believed to be the first triple-double in Braves���?� history.

���?She���?�s
head and shoulders above the competition,â�?� said Brebeuf coach Kendall
Kreinhagen. â�?��?Itâ�?��?�s amazing to do what she does.â�?�

The Braves
(21-6) went on to capture the regional championship with a 69-39 waltz over Connersville, a surprising 54-48 upset winner over
third-ranked New Castle
in the other semifinal.

Whiteland led
Brebeuf 14-13 at the end of first quarter when it became time for Phillips to
take over. The McDonald���?�s All-American scored 12 points in the second stanza to
help give the Braves an 11-point halftime lead.

When
Whiteland tried to stop Phillips, the other Braves showed up to extend the
lead.

A 13-3 run
to start the third quarter pushed the Brebeuf lead to 21 points. Junior Callie
Curry, who would finish with 11 points, hit two 3-pointers and a layup to key
the run.

With the lead
at 16 entering the fourth quarter, the Braves were content with passing the
ball around and maintaining the lead. Doing so, however, gave them a little bit
of a scare.

Whiteland���?�s
Sarah Condra went off, hitting three 3-pointers in the fourth to cut the lead
to nine and doing everything she could to keep the Warriors in the game. But a
couple of key baskets by Brebeuf���?�s Paige Thomas kept Whiteland at bay.

In Game 2,
Connersville
started on a tear, scoring the first eight points of the game. New
Castle closed the lead down with a 6-0 run, but a trend had been
established: Every time that New
Castle got close, the Spartans would pull away and
seize control of the game.

Trailing
23-19 at halftime, the Trojans were able to fight their way to their first lead
of the game at 25-23. But Connersville
bounced back to reclaim the lead at 32-30, and the Spartans never looked back.

Connersville increased the lead to seven points,
and the lead never got much smaller through the rest of the game. New Castle (23-3) wasted
a solid performance from senior Corie West, who scored 20 points in what would
be her final game in green and white.

Connersville was paced to victory by Laura
Richards with 19 points, and Amanda McDivitt added 12.

The championship
game proved to be not much of a contest as Brebeuf rolled to a lopsided 69-39 victory
over Connersville
(15-10). Phillips led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Brebeuf
will face ninth-ranked Evansville Bosse (22-3) Feb. 24 at the Jeffersonville Semistate.

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By Matt Kopsea

Southbendtribune.com

MONTICELLO – Becky Newsom had no problem being the center of attention Saturday night.

The
6-foot-1 senior tallied 20 points and hauled down 12 rebounds, helping
top-ranked St. Joseph’s cruise to 62-44 victory over Gary Roosevelt in
the championship game of the Class 3-A Twin Lakes girls basketball
regional at the Tee Pee.

Newsom scored 10 straight points in the
second quarter as the Indians (23-2) used a 15-4 run to open up a
17-point cushion and capture their fifth straight regional crown.

Next up for St. Joe is a semistate date with Wawasee next Saturday afternoon at either North Side Gym in Elkhart. The site will be determined this afternoon.

Gary Roosevelt, which defeated Hammond, 48-45, earlier in the day, closes its season at 17-9.

After
coming up with 13 points and 20 boards in the morning against Twin
Lakes, Newsom was able to just pick up where she left off by coming up
with 13 and 10 respectively in the first half alone.

“Rebounding
is my favorite part of the game,” Newsom said afterwards while
clutching a piece of the net. “I love it because it allows me to be
aggressive. The coaches are always telling us we need to play that way
when we’re in there, so it’s really no big deal for me.”

Tennessee-bound
guard Sydney Smallbone also lent a big helping hand to the Indians’
cause with 10 of her game-high 22 points in the opening half.

The
5-10 Smallbone now has 1,700 career points and needs only two next week
to break Melissa Lechlitner’s school-record of 1,701.

“We
don’t get outrebounded much and the two games we did this season were
our only two losses,” said St. Joe coach Mike Megyese, whose club had a
34-27 rebounding edge. “Becky had a lot to do with our success today by
having a great tournament. She played real well and was dominating at
times.”

Behind the play of LaTice Jones and Tatianna Washington,
the Panthers managed to cut the deficit to 10 points (35-25) midway
through the third quarter.

A 16-7 St. Joe spurt, though, proved to be too much for Roosevelt to overcome.

“Their height and experience were really the difference tonight,” said Roosevelt
coach Melonie Martin. “It’s difficult enough dealing with two people
6-1 (Newsom) and 6-5 (Kristen Dockery), but the fact we played a real
physical game this morning I think took a toll on our legs in the
second half.”

Jones finished with 20 points and Washington added 16 for Roosevelt.

“Our
goal defensively was to force them outside because we didn’t think they
were a very good shooting team,” Megyese added. “Although we looked a
little sluggish today at times, the bottom line was we made enough
plays to move on.â�?�

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By Bill Keane
Tmnews.com

FERDINAND ���?� Mtichell turned one of the ugliest games you���?�ll likely ever see into a glorious victory Saturday night, holding the Class 2A, fifth-ranked Southridge Raiders to a mere 29 points in the championship game of the Forest Park Regional.

Despite shooting just 25 percent (8-32) from the field, being outrebounded by a dozen (37-25) and only scoring 37 points, the Blueackets claimed their first ever regional title by holding the Raiders under the 30-point mark and committing a mere five turnovers themselves.

â�?��?You always hear the saying, defense wins championships, and I truly believe that after tonight,â�?� Mitchell coach Ross Simpson said, â�?��?because we played defense the whole night and we took care of the basketball. We only had five or six turnovers all night and anytime we can do that weâ�?��?�ve got a shot at winning, because our defense and pressure will bother most teams and I really think their guards were bothered by our pressure tonight.â�?�

â�?��?Whether itâ�?��?�s an eight-point win scoring 70 points or an eight-point win scoring 37 points, you have to be able to win the **** game come tournament time and we did that.â�?� Mitchell used a relentless full-court trap to help force the Cascade Lady Cadets into 28 turnovers in the Jacketsâ�?��?� 58-38 semifinal victory Saturday afternoon, and while Southridge had only 11 miscues in the finale, Mitchellâ�?��?�s constant pressure played a key role in the Raiders shooting just over 23 percent (10-42) from the field and 42 percent (8-19) from the free throw line.

â�?��?We pressed early on just to maybe get them fatigued and get them into foul trouble,â�?� Simpson said. â�?��?We used a lot more bench than what they used and they had four girls with two fouls in the first half and we held them scoreless for a long time and for us to do that, with it being the physical type of game it was, shows the heart our kids have.â�?�

Seniors Anne Trevithick and Courtney Pickens each picked up foul No. 4 in the third quarter, but some solid play by the rest of the club, along with a focused effort by the two seniors down the stretch, helped the Jackets pull off the upset.

â�?��?They sure do get some ticky-tack fouls and I donâ�?��?�t know why, but thatâ�?��?�s part of it,â�?� Simpson said. â�?��?But they were smart towards the end of the game. They came up with big rebounds and they hit their free throws. Southridge was one and done every time they took a shot. We held them to 29 points and they banked in a three to get there, so we feel really good about our defense right now.

â�?��?Theyâ�?��?�re about as physical a team as weâ�?��?�re going to play. Theyâ�?��?�re all strong and athletic and they may have outrebounded us, but come the last three or four minutes of the game, they didnâ�?��?�t, and thatâ�?��?�s when it counts.â�?�

The Raiders, who finished the season with a 22-2 mark, had a much easier time in their 56-46 semifinal victory over Charlestown (21-5), but they never got into an offensive flow against the Jackets, who ran out to a 7-0 lead and never trailed in the contest.

â�?��?Thatâ�?��?�s by far the best team defense weâ�?��?�ve played,â�?� Simpson said. â�?��?You really canâ�?��?�t pick just one person who played great defense. Jordan Wilson putting pressure on the ball all night long, Courtney and Anne taking care of the interior and Amanda Trambaugh stopping their leading scorer all night were all big keys for us.

â�?��?Then Aften Ferguson coming in and beating and banging inside was big, and really anybody we put in did a great defensive job. So it was a team effort and thatâ�?��?�s what youâ�?��?�ve got to have at tournament time. Defensively the whole tournament so far, weâ�?��?�ve really shut down the leading scorers from the other team.â�?�

The Jackets (19-6) will take on defending state champion and top-ranked Heritage Christian (24-3) in semistate action at Southport High School Saturday at 1 p.m.

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HUNTINGTON ���?? It was another postseason disappointment in the same building for Fort Wayne South.

In a
back-and-forth game, the Class 4A No. 3 Archers fell to No. 7 Anderson
91-87 in overtime Saturday as the Indians won the Huntington North
Regional title.

South Side lost in the sectional finals last year at North Arena to host Huntington North.

���?We have lost
some tough ones here, thatâ�?��?�s for sure,â�?� South Side coach Andy Rang
said. ���?I am just really proud of the effort my girls gave, not just
tonight, but all year long. I am sorry to see it end because this is a
really special group of girls.â�?�

Both teams were
novices in winning a regional title because the Archers just won the
school���?�s first sectional title last Saturday at Northrop, while Anderson hadn���?�t won a regional title since 1994.

Before fouling out in overtime, Sha���?�la Jackson led South Side (23-2) with 33 points.

â�?��?I am kind of upset, but we accomplished a lot of things,â�?� Jackson
said of the school-record 23 wins and an SAC tournament championship.
���?We really had a good mind-set and played as a team. We had a good
chemistry.â�?�

In overtime, Anderson scored the first eight points of the extra session to open up an 81-73 lead and hit its free throws to hold off the Archers. Anderson (24-2) made 27 of 45 from the line.

Jackson picked up her fifth foul with the Archers trailing 83-76 in the overtime.

â�?��?It was upsetting because I really wanted to be in the game,â�?� she said. â�?��?I just really wanted to win.â�?�

It was the high-scoring game many were expecting.

Anderson is No. 1 in the state in points scored with 72.3 points per game, while South Side is No. 4 at 70.9.

The two teams combined to hit 60 of 136 field goals and 49 of 77 from the free-throw line.

â�?��?It was a track meet,â�?� Rang said. â�?��?They have a lot of weapons.â�?�

Shavonda Price���?�s
shot with a couple of seconds left in regulation was blocked and the
scored remained tied at 73. Price added 19 points for South Side.

Jackson���?�s layup with 45 seconds left tied the game at 73.

Lakeisha Noethtich���?�s three-point play gave Anderson a 67-66 lead.

Jackson���?�s three-point play early in the fourth gave the Archers a 60-52 advantage.

Marceya Mingo,
who sprained her ankle in the sectional opener and missed the
semifinals and championship game, came off the bench in both regional
games for the Archers.

Mingo had 12 points in the finals.

South Side outscored Anderson 11-3 to open the third and open up a 47-36 advantage and would lead 51-47 entering the fourth.

In the second quarter, tied at 32, the Archers got four of the final five points of the half to lead 36-33 at the break.

South Side led 25-17 on a three-pointer from Mingo. Anderson, though, went on a 9-2 run to take a 28-27 lead.

Led by 10 points from Jackson, the Archers led 18-13 after the first quarter.

Anderson took a
short-lived 11-10 lead, but South Side turned up the defensive pressure
and outscored the Indians 8-2 (including three layups from Jackson)
over the final couple of minutes of the first.

South Side beat Logansport 64-32 in the regional semifinals to make the appearance in the school���?�s first regional finals.

Anderson advanced to the championship game with an 82-77 win over Carroll in the semifinals.

The Chargers (15-10) put up a fight against the Indians, even when they were down by double digits in the fourth quarter.

Carroll stayed in the game by outscoring Anderson 33-0 on three-pointers.

The Chargers hit 11 of 26 from beyond the arc, including 8 of 17 in the second half.

The Indians missed all eight of their three-point attempts.

���?We knew we had
a tough task coming in,â�?� Carroll coach Tony Harl said. â�?��?We were going
to have to battle every step of the way, and I think we did that.

���?You can point
to various things in the game that says we came in here with the idea
that we could get the job done, and we played as hard as we could to do
it.â�?�

Taryn Oyer scored a game-high 32 points for Carroll and was 6 of 16 on three-pointers.

Alex Feiger added 18 points, including 12 of 13 from the free-throw line.

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Center Grove is all smiles for a team picture after slaying No. 1. Photo by Jay Alley

SOUTHPORT ���?? Center Grove hung around all game against Class 4A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern Feb. 17 in the Southport Regional championship before waiting literally until the last second to pounce.

 

A free throw by senior Hillary Bowling put Center Grove up a point with just one second showing on the clock. Southeastern was unable to get off a last-second shot and the Royals lost their first game of the season, 44-43.

A basket inside by freshman center Kristen Gliesmann at the 1:10 mark of the fourth quarter gave the unranked Trojans the lead at 42-41. With a minute to go, Southeastern reclaimed the lead on a pair of free throws by senior Brittany Kelly.

Thirty seconds later, Bowling missed the front end of a one-and-one after being fouled by Royal forward Michelle Harrison. But Brittney Shaner secured the offensive rebound for the Trojans, and Harrison was again whistled for the foul, her fifth. Shaner split a pair to tie the game at 43.

Southeastern standout Courtney Osborn, who was held to six points on 2-of-9 shooting, missed a jumper from behind the arc. Frantically trying to get the ball down the court, Bowling was fouled in the backcourt by Erinn McGee.

â�?��?(The official) called it,â�?� Hamilton Southeastern coach Chris Huppenthal told the Indianapolis Star. â�?��?We have to live with it.â�?�

Center Grove’s Hillary Bowling drives inside during this close regional match. Photo by Jay Alley

Southeastern had opened up a 15-6 lead after going on an 11-2 run. Center Grove answered with a 9-0 spurt of its own to tie the game. Southeastern���?�s Paige Smith hit one of two foul shots after being fouled under the basket before Alex Dewitz scored to reclaim the lead for the Trojans, 17-16.

It would be their only lead until the final minute of the game.

Royal sophomore Paige Smith led all scorers with 12 points. Bowling and Heidi Reisinger put in 10 each for Center Grove.

 
The regional championship is Center Grove���?�s first since the 2000 season. The Trojans, who last played in the state finals in 1996, will take on Columbus East Feb. 24 at the Southport Semistate for a ticket to Conseco Fieldhouse.

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Girls Basketball Coordinator

BATESVILLE
– Southwestern (Hanover) stormed back from a double digit deficit in
the fourth quarter, but ultimately couldn���?�t take the lead as top-ranked
and defending state champion Heritage Christian prevailed, 59-56 in a
battle of the top two teams in class 2A.

The
Eagles led by seven with 1:17 left in the game but could never quite
put away No. 2 Southwestern. Heritage Christian benefited from a
controversial intentional foul call with five seconds to go as the
Rebels were desperately trying to preserve the clock.

Emily
Anderson missed both free throws as the raucous Southwestern crowd gave
its opinion on the call. However, Kelly Faris knocked down a pair from
the stripe after the subsequent inbounds pass and the Eagles held on.

���?We���?�ve
got enough leadership that have been through these wars that that
shouldnâ�?��?�t be a problem,â�?� Heritage Christian coach Rick Risinger said.

The
Rebels capitalized off early energy from a partisan crowd filled with
Southwestern students. After one quarter, the Rebels led 17-12.

â�?��?Obviously people liked to be recognized,â�?� Southwestern coach Donna Cheatham said. â�?��?Our community does that very well.â�?�

The
Eagles responded in the second period, going on a 16-7 run, and
appeared to be heading into halftime with a lead. With 28 seconds
remaining, however, a three from Devin Brierly cut the four-point
Heritage Christian lead to one. After a quick shot on the other end,
Jessie Oliver hit a lay-up and the Rebels led 29-28, heading into the
locker room with momentum.

Southwestern
rolled with that momentum after intermission. After Kelly Faris turned
the ball over and Claire Freeman had a shot blocked, the Rebel lead
stretched to five in the first minute.

The Eagles again weathered the storm, trying the contest at 33 each before taking a 43-39 lead into the final quarter.

���?We
just needed to calm down and just play the game,â�?� Faris said. â�?��?We canâ�?��?�t
let the crowd, we can���?�t let their team get in it. We needed to stay
focused.â�?�

A
basket by Courtney Turner put the Eagles up ten, 49-39, with 6:17 on
the clock in the fourth quarter. At this point, Heritage Christian was
on a 21-6 run dating back to early in the third.

Southwestern
junior Kendall Withered, who shot 4-of-6 from the floor, hit a three to
end a three minute drought for the Rebels. With Southwestern down
seven, Withered was fouled shooting a three-pointer that rimmed out.
She hit two of three shots from the line but fouled out on the next
possession.

Down
nine and with their best three-point shooter on the bench, Southwestern
got three the old fashioned way when sophomore Sarah Roth grabbed the
rebound from an errant three and scored to cut into the lead again.

Faris
split a pair from the line to push the lead to seven, but Oliver
answered by hitting one of two on the other end with 1:17 to go. She
became the second Rebel to fall victim to fouls just twelve seconds
later.

Needing
only to convert from the line to ice the game, Heritage Christian
missed four straight, opening the door for a Rebel rally.

A
rainbow three from the right corner by Brierly cut a six-point gap in
half. After Heritage Christian point guard Claire Freeman hit one of
two from the stripe, Katie McKinley nailed another trey to bring the
Rebels within one.

It wasn���?�t to be, however, as the Eagles took advantage of the extra free throw attempts to create the final score.

���?We
cost us the game,â�?� Cheatham said. â�?��?Yeah, we needed a few breaks and we
did not get one. We had our chances and we didnâ�?��?�t take them.â�?�

The
Eagles were dominant on the glass, pulling down 38 boards compared to
Southwestern���?�s 32. Faris and Bre Jones, whose game-high 17 points on
6-of-7 shooting was gigantic for Heritage Christian, combined for 21
rebounds.

The Eagles attempted 20 more free throws than Southwestern.

Heritage Christian advances to play Mitchell in the semistate championship.

Note: Heritage Christian, Shenandoah and Southwestern (Hanover)
all participated in the Batesville regional. Over the past six years,
these three teams have made a combined eight appearances in the state
finals, including two years when Shenandoah represented the north and
played Southwestern.

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