Indianapolis Ben Davis - the nation's No. 2-ranked girls team - gears up for postseason run with sectional title; North Central still in hunt for MIC crown.
By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
As No. 1 Ben Davis approaches regionals, it is apparent that the Giants are not content with simply being good. Last year’s regional saw Ben Davis fall to eventual champion Carmel, but the Giants having been hitting on all cylinders the entire season.
"Last year we had no seniors," Ben Davis head coach Stan Benge said. "This is the last chance for some of these girls this year, and I know they want (a state championship) bad."
The first step to avenging last year’s disappointing finish was to secure their third straight sectional title, which the Giants did with a 59-27 win over Decatur Central (17-7) on Saturday.
Ben Davis used its stifling defense to hold the Hawks to just 12 first half points. Senior Alex Bentley, a Penn State recruit, led the Giants through the first two quarters, scoring 17 of her game-high 22 points. Fellow senior DeArria Goss added 10 points.
"Decatur Central has played us tough twice this season," Benge said, citing his teams previous 14- and 16-point victories over the Hawks. "They’re a good team with a couple of good Division I kids, so I was very happy with the way we played defense."
The only real negative for Ben Davis was seeing sophomore Bria Goss go out with a head injury in the second quarter. The injury does not appear to be serious, but Benge said that her status will be taken day-by-day.
Ben Davis’ next test will be against Lawrence North (15-8), who took out Warren Central, 64-53, behind a 17-point, seven-rebound, seven-block performance by Daress McClung.
Defense helps Carmel move past Fishers
Sophomore Torrie Thornton led the way for No. 9 Carmel, scoring 27 points and setting the defensive tone as the Greyhounds toppled No. 8 Fishers 60-45.
Thornton was the only Greyhound in double figures and shadowed Tiger star Karli Harris all game, holding the point guard to 15 points on 17 shots. The Carmel defense as a whole held the Tigers to just 26 percent from the field.
In three sectional games, Thornton has scored 60 points on 56 percent shooting, grabbed 23 rebounds, tallied nine assists and eight steals.
Carmel’s next game will be at Southport against Perry Meridian (21-4), which beat Franklin 37-30. Fishers, who defeated No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern in the sectional semifinals, finishes its season at 21-4.
Mooresville foils rival Plainfield
No. 7 Mooresville started its sectional final game against No. 5 Plainfield with a 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers didn’t lead again until a pair of Cora Sharp free throws with under a minute remaining in the final quarter gave them a 53-52 edge over the Quakers.
After another free throw and a missed last-second shot, Mooresville claimed its 13th sectional title, 54-52.
The game was close throughout the first half, with Plainfield on top 30-26 going into the locker room. The Quakers pushed the lead to double-digits three times in the second half, but the team’s inexperience led to several turnovers and bad shots down the stretch.
"For three quarters, we really didn’t play that well," Mooresville head coach Mark Hurt said. "They finally put it together in the fourth, but we felt very fortunate to have won and we’re going to have to play a lot better to get out (of the regional)."
Plainfield (19-2) was the only team to beat Mooresville (21-1) this season, pulling off a worst-to-first turnaround in the Mid-State Conference after a 12-11 season a year ago.
The Quakers smothered the Pioneers’ top two scorers, Maegan Callaway and Jama Sharp, but the two scored 15 of Mooresville’s final 17 points. Callaway finished with 21 points and Sharp added 15. Rachel Turk, Plainfield’s lone senior, led the way for the Quakers with 14 points.
Mooresville’s first round regional opponent is Evansville Harrison (12-7).
3A Regional Pairings
Mount Vernon: Roncalli (16-6) vs. No. 8 Rushville (16-4)
The Rebels got past Northwest (18-5) 60-56 behind a 24-point effort from Mallory Opel. Rushville defeated New Palestine 58-46.
Batesville (21-1) vs. No. 6 Crawfordsville (21-2)
Crawfordsville defeated Danville 52-32, while Batesville beat Greensburg 47-35
2A
Lawrence Central: No. 1 Heritage Christian (22-1) vs. Hagerstown (18-3)
Heritage Christian powered past Park Tudor 65-39 behind senior Kelly Faris’ 13 points and 13 rebounds. Hagerstown beat Cambridge City 39-26.
Boys Basketball: North Central knocks off Terre Haute South
Still in the hunt for the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championship, 4A No. 4 North Central went on the road on Saturday to play unorthodox, sharp-shooting No. 5 Terre Haute South. The Panthers clamped down in the fourth quarter to secure an 81-63 win.
Through three quarters the Braves held close, going 8-of-21 from behind the arc and down only four entering the fourth quarter. The Panthers defense caused the normally potent Terre Haute South offense to go 3-of-16 from the field and put up just nine points in the fourth.
North Central was led by junior Terone Johnson, a Purdue recruit, with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Senior Justin Reid dominated in the post, putting up 23 points and 14 rebounds, and freshman D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 15.
North Central (18-1) wraps conference play on Friday against Center Grove, while Terre Haute South’s (17-3) next game Friday at Evansville North.
