Kokomo Tribune

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Class 4A title showdown Saturday night might be the closest thing there is to a national high school girls basketball championship.

Indianapolis Ben Davis comes in ranked No. 1 by USA Today and No. 2 by ESPN Rise Magazine. South Bend Washington is rated No. 1 by ESPN Rise and No. 4 by USA Today. The winner will finish the season unbeaten and almost certainly ranked No. 1 by at least one of those national publications.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is Indiana and this is what it’s all about,” Washington coach Maurice Scott said.

“What a neat opportunity to see. A mythical national championship, and for a state championship,” said Ben Davis coach Stan Benge.

Washington’s Panthers (26-0) reached the state title game each of the past three years under former coach Marilyn Coddens, now the school’s athletic director. Scott, a longtime assistant, has continued the tradition of success in his first season as head coach. Three of his starters, including high scoring Notre Dame-bound Skylar Diggins, also have provided continuity through all four years, including the championship in 2007.

“Experience is always good, especially our starters who have been here before,” Scott said. “We had a tough schedule this year. We had a couple close games and that was real good for us. We got to see what we were made of when it got tough for us, and we prevailed.”

Washington’s claim for national prominence was bolstered by wins over highly ranked teams from New Jersey and Alabama in the National Federation’s T-Mobile Invitational in December. Diggins, a first-team Associated Press All-State selection each of the past two years, led the state in scoring at 29 points a game this season, helping make the Panthers’ 80.2-point average the best in the state.

Ben Davis (29-0), which was ranked No. 1 ahead of Washington in the state coaches association poll, is seeking its third state championship and first since 2001. A victory would make the Giants the first Indiana girls team to win 30 games in a season.

“These are two very good teams, not only good basketball players but good people, teams that get along, teams that work hard,” Benge said. “If I’m an average basketball fan, I want to see this game, because I know both teams are very motivated to get it done.”

Besides the 5-foot-10 Diggins, Washington is led by 5-11 Takoia Larry at 12.4 points a game and 6-3 Jasmine Watson at 11.5. The Panthers have outscored their five tournament opponents by more than 28 points a game.

Ben Davis is led by 5-7 Alex Bentley at 15.6 points and Bria Goss at 11.1. Defense has been the Giants’ strong suit, allowing opponents just 35.2 points a game for the season and 27.5 in the tournament.

The Ben Davis-Washington game will be the last of the four championships at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, following defending champion Fort Wayne Canterbury against first-time finalist Vincennes Rivet in Class A; Oak Hill against defending champion Heritage Christian in a Class 2A rematch from last year; and first-timers Fort Wayne Elmhurst and Owen Valley in Class 3A.

Class 3A

Owen Valley, 24-2 and ranked 10th in the state, comes into the 3A championship game with a 17-game winning streak.

“One of the strengths of our team has been really consistent, solid defense throughout the tournament … and our ability to score from all different areas,” said coach Tom Anderson, whose Patriots reached the finals for the first time by beating three straight Top 10 teams. “We have six or seven girls that can score, and our passing at times this year has really been exciting.”

Owen Valley’s top scorers are twins Heather and Nickole Gonser, 5-9 seniors who average 14.6 and 12.9 points, respectively. The three other starters are also back from last season, giving the Patriots plenty of experience against taller Elmhurst.

The fourth-ranked Trojans are also 24-2, with both losses coming to two other state finalists — Oak Hill and Canterbury. Elmhurst, led by 5-10 senior Lecretia Smith at 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds a game, is also coming into the championship with a 38-23 semistate win over top-ranked Benton Central.

“They want to play a halfcourt game, which is totally opposite of the way we want to play,” Elmhurst coach Mark Redding said of the game plan for Owen Valley. “We want to play a pressure type of game, we want to be up and down and try to use our athletic ability as much as we can, and our speed, and hopefully we can harass and get some turnovers.

Class 2A

There shouldn’t be any surprises in the 2A rematch: Defending champion Heritage Christian returns all five starters from last year, while runner-up Oak Hill has four returning starters led by 6-foot-4 Ashley Pickering at 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds.

The second-ranked Golden Eagles’ only loss in 28 games was in triple-overtime, and they outscored opponents by more than 30 points a game for the season.

And they’re motivated.

“It was something that was a goal of ours, to get back here,” coach Todd Law said. “The kids had kind of an unfinished feeling in their stomach when we left, so we wanted a chance, hopefully, to get back here so we could show the state a little bit better about how we play.”

A win by top-ranked Heritage Christian (25-1, with the only loss against a team from Illinois) would make it only the second in tourney history to win four years in a row. Seniors Kelly Faris (14.1), Claire Freeman (13.4) and Emily Anderson (11.1) have been a part of all three previous championships.

“From a team standpoint of having a core group of ladies … then we’ve had great players along with them that kind of keep that tradition each year,” coach Rick Risinger said. “That combination and the philosophy of teamwork has really enabled us to be here for the fourth year.

“Both teams are basically the same type of teams they were last year, so we’re just looking forward to having another good game,” Risinger said.

Class A

Fort Wayne Canterbury’s championship last year was somewhat of a surprise, even to the Cavaliers themselves.

“This year, the expectation was sort of there, because we had four starters back,” coach Scott Kreiger said. “We didn’t make that a primary goal initially, because we work our season to build up to a peak at the tournament, but once the tournament started, absolutely it was our goal to make it back.”

So far, so good, thanks mainly to junior Tabitha Gerardot, who set a Class A championship record with 17 rebounds last year and averages 23.1 points and 13 rebounds this season. The seventh-ranked Cavaliers (22-4) also get 11.7 points a game from Cassie Kreiger, the coach’s daughter.

But Vincennes Rivet (23-1 and ranked No. 1) has some weapons of its own despite a lineup with no seniors.

“Our young ladies have kept a great attitude,” coach Tim Young said. “The workmanship attitude … has been to me very surprising for their age.”

The Patriots are led by junior Chelsea Meeks at 16.3 points a game and sophomore Sara Young at 10.2. The next five scorers are either freshmen or sophomores.

“They’re just having fun. We’re going to enjoy this week,” Young said. “We know it’s not the end of the world if we come out on the short end of the scoreboard. Our goal is to come up here, perform, showcase our talent and hopefully put on an entertaining basketball game.”



Girls state finals:

At Lucas Oil Stadium, Saturday

First session

Class A — F.W. Canterbury (22-4) vs. Vincennes Rivet (23-1), 10:30 a.m.

Class 2A — Oak Hill (27-1) vs. Heritage Christian (25-1), 40 minutes after Class A final

Second session

Class 3A — F.W. Elmhurst (24-2) vs. Owen Valley (24-2), 6 p.m.

Class 4A — S.B. Washington (26-0) vs. Ben Davis (29-0), 40 minutes after 3A final

TV info

Games available on cable only. The Indiana Cable Network (Comcast ch. 16) will carry all four games.

— The Associated Press