North Central failed to score 80 points in any of its three losses on the year, and had not reached the mark in any of its first four postseason games. Jeffersonville, meanwhile, entered the semi-state game having just knocked off No. 1 Bloomington South 58-56 in the regional final, ending the Panthers’ 49-game winning streak.
The North Central Panthers would not be contained on Saturday, as they never trailed in a 82-77 win over the Red Devils. Purdue-bound Terone Johnson put up 13 points in the first half against Jeffersonville, forcing the Red Devils to stick their best defender, V.J. Billups, on Johnson and focus on him as a team. Sophomore D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera picked up the slack as Johnson was held to just two points in the second half, posting 20 points over the final two quarters, including the game-clinching free throws.
Smith-Rivera posted 25 points total, while Terone and Ronnie Johnson each chipped-in 15 points. Evan Maschmeyer tallied 18 points and Drake Coleman added 16 for Jeffersonville. No. 3 North Central (24-3) will play No. 6 Warsaw (23-2) in the 4A title game. Warsaw bested Fort Wayne Carroll 58-53, led by Nic Moore with 26 points and four assists. Jordan Coon added 11 points and Justin Clemens scored 10.
Washington advances to third 3A title game in six years
3A No. 1 Danville’s only loss on the season was a 13-point loss to 4A state finalist North Central. When Saturday came, the Warriors faced a team in No. 6 Washington (57-38) that had a 6-foot-10 center to counter-act Purdue-bound Travis Carroll. Carroll and Cody Zeller each scored 14 points, but it was the rest of the Hatchets that made the difference in Washington’s 57-38 win.
Sophomore Dylan Ervin came out on fire, scoring six of Washington’s first eight points and finishing with 21 total. Zeller had 12 rebounds and six blocks to go along with his 14 points, while Kurtis Anthony scored 11 points and Ethan Hunsinger added seven points, seven assists and six rebounds off the bench.
The Warriors shot 22 percent from the field and never got closer than 10 points in the second half. Carroll had 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, while Jordan Weidner contributed 19. None of the other Warriors scored more than three points in the game. Washington (22-3) will play No. 5 Gary Wallace (19-4) in the 3A championship, who beat Fort Wayne Elmhurst 57-47 for the program’s first semi-state title. Zeller will try to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers Luke, a former Notre Dame player, and Tyler, a sophomore center for North Carolina, by securing Washington’s third state title in six years.
Park Tudor survives in four overtimes
Park Tudor continued its surprise run to the 2A state title on Saturday, outlasting Forest Park 47-45 in four overtimes.
Kevin Ferrell came out of the gate strong, scoring 19 of Park Tudor’s first 21 points. The Rangers kept the ball away from Park Tudor after a 29-29 first half, controlling the tempo and battling with Park Tudor to a 37-37 score after four quarters. The first and third overtimes saw both teams go scoreless, and a game-winning shot by Ferrell occurred with six seconds left, nearly a full minute after Forest Park hit the game-tying three-pointer.
Ferrell finished with 24 points, while J.B. Rapp added 10 for Park Tudor. The Panthers (15-10) will play No.2 Wheeler, making its first state championship game appearance. The Bearcats (26-1) beat Southwood 68-61 behind 23 points from Andrew Rudakas and 17 from Najee Bailey.
Barr-Reeve tops North Central (Farmersburg) for Single-A semi-state crown
Barr-Reeve (24-3) will make its third trip to the state finals in the past nine years with a 59-48 win over North Central (Farmersburg). Tree Hughes dropped in 25 points and Christian Duncheon posted 15 for Barr-Reeve, who will face Bowman Academy (23-1), a 25-point winner over Monroe Central in the semi-state.
Gymnastics: Roncalli’s Servie wins all-around, Valparaiso takes team title
Roncalli had to hold off No. 1 and three-time defending state champion Valparaiso to earn a team state title. The Rebels came up .125 points short of the team title, but not from lack of effort by Alyssa Servie, who owned the balance beam with a 9.625 and finished in first in the all-around competition with a score of 38.025.
Servie finished tied for 13th in the vault and ended up 15th in the floor exercise. She was the final gymnast to perform on the balance beam, and combined with a second place finish on the bars, her routine landed her .025 ahead of Hagerstown’s Caitlyn Catania. The Vikings finished with their third-straight team title, earning eight top-10 finishes in the meet’s four events. The Rebels, meanwhile, finished second for the third straight year.