Girls Basketball: Ben Davis Is Number One
In the list of girls basketball’s most historic events, it would be difficult not to put the 2009 class 4A Indiana state championship game at the top. The state’s top two teams, Indianapolis’s Ben Davis and South Bend’s Washington, met in Saturday’s main event, with the winner gaining more than just the Indiana title banner.
For much of the year, Ben Davis and Washington were ranked as the top two teams in the country by numerous publications, so the winner of the game could be considered the nation’s top program. On top of that, two of the leading Indiana Miss Basketball candidates were pitted head-to-head, all of which made for an ultimate clash that did not disappoint the 13,000-plus ticketholders. In the end, Ben Davis survived with a 71-69 win in a game that had big plays, comebacks, and even a last-second, game-winning shot by Bria Goss.
"We knew that we had a special team last year," said Ben Davis head coach Stan Benge, whose 2008 No. 1 ranked team fell in the regional championship. "Sometimes kids move to certain schools just for the basketball program, but all these kids grew up together, and that’s what high school athletics should be. They weren’t superstars when they were younger, they just worked really hard with each other and all the talent came together."
Washington senior Skylar Diggins, the state’s leading scorer at 29.0 points per game, led the highest scoring team in Indiana against multi-faceted Alex Bentley and Ben Davis, who has arguable the state’s best defense. The game started-off relatively close, as the Panthers battled to a one-point lead after the first quarter. Ben Davis’s defense took over in the second quarter, forcing the Panthers into tough shots and turnovers. At halftime, the Giants clearly looked like the best team in the state, taking a 10-point advantage into the locker room.
Each team managed 19 points in the third quarter, and it looked like the Giants were going to cruise to just the third title in school history. Washington, however, had been in the state finals each of the three previous years, and was not about to roll over and hand Ben Davis the trophy.
"I thought our kids played well," said Benge. "We had a couple of kids foul out (in the fourth quarter) and we made some mistakes down the stretch. There was definitely some nervousness (at the end)."
During a 55-second span in the fourth quarter, Diggins went off for eight points, including a jump shot that tied the game at 69 with 45 seconds left. Diggins had 10 of her team’s 25 fourth-quarter points, but with all of the big-name seniors on the floor, it was future D-I star sophomore Bria Goss who hit the game-winner.
Ben Davis seniors Alex Bentley and DeArria Goss had both fouled out earlier in the quarter, leaving the younger Goss as the team’s top scoring option. With the final seconds melting away, Goss threw-up a circus shot near the free-throw line. A couple of seconds later, a collective exhale spread throughout Conseco Fieldhouse and the Giants stormed the court in victory.
"Once the tied it up, we knew that (Bria) could get off the shot," said Benge. "We had our best shooters waiting on the wings, but she’s hit big shots for us before, so we knew that she could do it."
Bentley, a Penn State recruit, put up 18 points on 9-of-18 shooting to lead the Giants, while the elder Goss, who is headed to Western Michigan, scored 12 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Bria Goss ended the game with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Diggins, a Notre Dame recruit, had a game-high 29 points on 8-of-21 shooting and earned the Indiana High School Athletics Association Mental Attitude Award. Jasmine Watson added 12 points, nine rebounds, and a block for Washington.
Smith Powers Fort Wayne Elmhurst to Title
In their first trip ever to the girls basketball state championship, Fort Wayne Elmhurst secured the Class 3A championship over Owen Valley, 62-59, behind a dominant performance from senior guard Lecretia Smith.
Smith led the Trojans with 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting, 12 rebounds, and six steals in a game that went down to the wire. With three minutes left in the game, the Patriots hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 54. Elmhurst came roaring back, though, scoring the next eight points, six of which came from Rosie Lewis. In the waning moments, Owen Valley hit a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to pull within three, but could not complete the comeback.
Lewis had 10 points, eight rebounds, and four assists for Elmhurst, while Owen Valley was led by Heather Gosner with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Sam Cooper added 10 points and three assists. Elmhurst’s Smith was also the recipient of the 3A IHSAA Mental Attitude Award.
Heritage Christian Ties State Record With Four Straight Titles
Heritage Christian has been the dominant force in 2A girls basketball for each of the past three seasons, winning back-to-back-to-back championships by an average of about 17 points per contest.
This year would not be so easy, as the Eagles faced a familiar foe: last year’s runner-up Oak Hill. The 2008 Golden Eagles squad was talented, but fairly inexperienced and fell to Heritage Christian 51-33. A much tougher, more battle-tested Oak Hill team awaited the Eagles in this year’s championship game, and the difference was very apparent.
After getting beaten on both ends of the floor by Heritage Christian last year, Oak Hill managed to hang on to a slim lead the entire game. The Golden Eagles held a one-point advantage going into the fourth quarter, and played Heritage Christian down to the wire. Eventually, a last-second shot by Heritage Christian senior Claire Freeman put the Golden Eagles away 60-58 in overtime.
Freeman, a Butler recruit, hit the game-winner with three seconds left to go. Though the play was not originally designed for her, Freeman, who was only 3-of-14 shooting at that point hit the jumper over Purdue recruit Courtney Moses, who had been sticking to Freeman like glue during the Eagles’ final possession.
Freeman finished with 11 points, while Connecticut-bound senior Kelly Faris contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Emily Anderson led the way for the Eagles with 14 points.
Oak Hill got a tremendous effort from Moses, who put up 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in the loss. Teammate Ashley Pickering added 20 points and seven rebounds, and senior Lauren Meese, who had five points, was given the 2A IHSAA Mental Attitude Award.
Heritage Christian became only the second team in state history to record four straight championships, matching the mark set by Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (1999-2002).
Fort Wayne Canterbury Rallies for Single A Title
In the first of three overtime state finals games, class A defending champions Fort Wayne Canterbury overcame a five-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter for a 72-66 overtime win against Vincennes Rivet.
For the Cavaliers, it came down to a pair of sisters stepping-up when it mattered most. Trailing by as much as nine in the fourth quarter, Canterbury made a comeback, only to see their leading scorer, Tabitha Gerardot, foul out with 25 seconds left in regulation. Enter sister number one, Becky Pedro.
Pedro, who ended the game with 15 points, drove down the lane and hit a lay-up and drew a foul, bringing the Cavaliers to within one. After Rivet’s Sara Young made one of two free throws, Becky Pedro again got the ball and hit the tying shot with five seconds left on the clock.
Enter sister number two: Megan Pedro.
In overtime, the elder Pedro, who had 14 points on the night, put up seven of her team’s ten points, including five straight at the beginning of the session to give the Cavaliers a lead they did not relinquish.
Gerardot had a strong all-around game for Canterbury, tallying 18 points and 17 rebounds, which tied the state finals rebounding record that she set in 2008.
Erin Wehrheim led the way for Rivet with 18 points and nine rebounds.
