GBB 1A STATE FINAL: #2 FW Canterbury repeats over #1 Vincennes Rivet, 69-65

FORT WAYNE – “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the Class A state championship game. In the next 90 minutes, you will be given an instructional seminar in how the game of basketball is supposed to be played.” 

That should have been the public address announcement prior to second-ranked Fort Wayne Canterbury’s 69-65 victory over No. 1 Vincennes Rivet for the 1A title March 6 – the second straight season that Canterbury upended top-ranked Rivet. That’s because on this championship Saturday, the small schools delivered the big prize.

The day’s first lesson came in a first-quarter performance from Rivet that was a textbook example of how to overcome an opponent with superior size. The Patriots employed a smothering man-to-man defense that consistently kept Canterbury’s Indiana All-Star candidate, 5’11” center Tabitha Gerardot, surrounded by defenders with enough pressure on the perimeter to discourage any attempts to pass her the ball. 

The private school Patriots blocked out to perfection, allowing them to control the boards against the taller Cavaliers. They then pushed the ball in transition at every opportunity so that Canterbury could not clog the lane defensively with that height. 

It all worked to near perfection. Rivet limited Canterbury to 3-of-13 shooting, held Gerardot – whom Rivet coach Tim Young referred to as “an unbelievable force” – scoreless, and raced to a 13-8 lead after the initial eight minutes.

The second lesson, “How To Make In-Game Adjustments,” was delivered by Canterbury. The Cavaliers made some changes at the quarter break and changed the way the game was being played. They slowed the tempo considerably and used much more patience in the half court trying to find Gerardot. 

Canterbury (25-2) increased its own defensive pressure and forced Rivet onto uncustomary turnovers. Gerardot became more aggressive, and hence more of an offensive weapon. 

The adjustments brought the Cavaliers back to eventually grab a 23-22 lead late in the half and trial by only 25-23 at intermission.

Lesson No. 3 was delivered by both squads. It was all about how to battle for control. Canterbury pushed its advantage. With Rivet now forced to concentrate even more on stopping the powerful Gerardot, the Cavaliers started the second half by opening up the perimeter attack. 

An 8-2 run gave them early command in the period with a 31-27 lead. The Patriots responded by instituting full-court pressure to return the game back to the open-court style that had served them so well early. 

It worked. Canterbury turned the ball over three times versus the press and hurried a number of ill-advised shots. The problem for Rivet, however, was an inability to take advantage. 

The Patriots shot only 6 of 15 from the field in the third stanza, while Canterbury sniped at an 8-for-14 clip on the strength of its hot early shooting. The end result was that despite the turnovers, Canterbury held a four-point advantage heading into the fourth at 44-40.

The early minutes of the final quarter saw the two squads trade 4-0 runs. Rivet tied the game at 44 with 6:23 to play, then Canterbury regained its four-point advantage. Rivet landed another haymaker with a 5-0 spurt, giving the Patriots the lead at 49-48. 

That is when the day’s last instructional lesson was delivered. It came via Canterbury and was called “How To Use Your Superstar for Ultimate Victory.”

Gerardot, who entered the final eight minutes with 11 points, responded to Rivet taking the lead by cashing in an old-fashioned three-point play. Her post move leading to that basket was a thing of beauty, and it was also the key play of the entire game. 

The standout senior went on to score 16 points in a physical fourth quarter, including a procession of deadly free throws in the closing minutes.

“You don’t replace her – she is absolutely one of the finest basketball players you will ever see,” said 12th-year Canterbury coach Scott Kreiger. ”She’s a big-game player, she brought it again today.”

Rivet never fell from striking distance, but the Patriots could never again mount a charge to the front as one female fan shrieked, “This is basketball, ref, not frickin’ WRESTLING!”

The moral of the fourth quarter was that intensity fades and speed fatigues, but size never shrinks. When that size is as talented as Gerardot, it becomes lethal late in a game.

The 1A final was by far the most entertaining game of the day. These two clubs are tremendously coached, completely disciplined, and overwhelmingly skilled. It marks the second straight battle between the two for the championship with Canterbury grabbing both tilts in close decisions. 

The Cavaliers utilized a veteran group in winning their third straight 1A crown, and Gerardot now heads to the collegiate level. 

“Someday I’ll tell you how to sum this up, but right now I can’t put it in to words,” Kreiger said. “And we’ve been living this dream for three years and you just never want it to stop. It’s just an amazing, exhilarating feeling to share it with these kids and these coaches, and our school and community.

“It’s more than about the tournaments and the trophies. I think it’s the relationships and that they trust each other. What they do together is important. They represent themselves, the school, and community with great honor and integrity. As a coach, that means more than any championship you can ever win.”

On the other hand, Rivet is loaded with underclassmen and poised for yet another run at the small-school title.

“We got beat by a very good basketball team today, but it seemed like they got every bounce and every break,” said Young, now 68-7 in three seasons at the tiny Vincennes school. “We’ll be back. Things have turned around at Rivet High School. Things are looking bright.

“Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade girls are in the gym wanting to play for Rivet. If you think things are over for Rivet, you better think twice.”

Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Tabitha Gerardot of Fort Wayne Canterbury as the winner of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, will present a $1,000 scholarship to the school in her name.

The award is named in honor of former IHSAA Assistant Commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1999. It’s presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was nominated by her principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability.

Gerardot helped lead the Cavaliers to three straight Class A state finals championships and holds the top spot as the single-game rebounding leader in Class A with 17 boards, which she set in 2008 and matched again in 2009.

She is a member of the *** Laude Society, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and the Canterbury Peer Tutoring Program. Tabitha is active in her church youth group and has volunteered with the Women’s Care Center and Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne. Most recently, she coordinated a donation program to assist Burmese refugees living in the Fort Wayne area.

Academically, the daughter of Chris and Pam Gerardot of Fort Wayne is ranked seventh in her class and has been named to the Headmaster’s List every semester. She will attend Valparaiso University this fall and major in foreign language.

The box score:

Vincennes Rivet 13 12 15 25 – 65

Canterbury 8 15 21 25 – 69

## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min

21 WEHRHEIM, ERIN f 2-6 0-1 1-2 1 2 3 4 5 3 1 2 0 24

44 MONTGOMERY, EMILY f 2-7 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 3 4 1 0 0 1 15

03 MEEKS, CHELSEA g 3-14 1-4 11-12 3 3 6 2 18 2 4 0 5 29

14 BROCKSMITH, CASAND g 7-14 0-0 0-0 3 3 6 3 14 1 2 0 3 27

22 YOUNG, SARA g 5-11 5-10 0-0 1 3 4 5 15 4 8 0 1 27

02 FINCH, JULIA 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4

11 BROCKSMITH, VICTORI 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+

15 KELLER, ELIZABETH 1-5 0-0 1-2 3 7 10 1 3 3 3 0 3 22

24 NIEHAUS, MALLORY 2-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 1 4 0 1 1 0 10

34 TUCKER, LAUREN 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2

Totals 23-60 6-15 13-16 14 23 37 22 65 14 19 3 13 160

FG % 1st Half: 9-30 30.0%, 2nd half: 14-30 46.7%, Game: 23-60 38.3%

3FG % 1st Half: 2-7 28.6%, 2nd half: 4-8 50.0%, Game: 6-15 40.0%

FT % 1st Half: 5-6 83.3%, 2nd half: 8-10 80.0%, Game: 13-16 81.3%

## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min

22 KREIGER, CASSIE f 4-13 1-4 5-5 1 3 4 3 14 0 3 0 0 30

34 MOYLE, MADISON f 2-9 0-0 2-2 0 3 3 2 6 1 2 0 1 23

33 GERARDOT, TABITHA c 8-13 0-2 11-13 5 7 12 4 27 4 4 3 5 31

00 PEDRO, BECKY g 3-8 0-2 2-4 0 2 2 1 8 5 5 1 3 31

20 WELLS, PAIGE g 4-8 1-1 1-2 1 2 3 2 10 2 1 0 6 30

23 SEKAR, MOLLY 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+

32 FARLEY, BAILEY 1-2 0-0 2-2 2 4 6 1 4 0 3 0 0 11

40 TROXEL, MATTE 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4

Totals 22-53 2-9 23-28 11 23 34 13 69 13 19 4 15 160

FG % 1st Half: 9-26 34.6%, 2nd half: 13-27 48.1%, Game: 22-53 41.5%

3FG % 1st Half: 0-4 0.0%, 2nd half: 2-5 40.0%, Game: 2-9 22.2%

FT % 1st Half: 5-6 83.3%, 2nd half: 18-22 81.8%, Game: 23-28 82.1%

Points …

• In Paint: Rivet 24, Canterbury 40

• Off T/O: Rivet 13, Canterbury 14

• 2nd Chance: Rivet 6, Canterbury 16

• Fast Break: Rivet 4, Canterbury 12

• Bench: Rivet 9, Canterbury 4

Largest lead: Rivet by 8 2nd-06:24, Canterbury by 7 4th-00:17

Score ties: 5

Lead changes: 9

Officials: Gregory Reece, Bob Filipek, Jeff Gwin