Coach Ric Mauch and his
South Bend St. Joseph (Ind.) girls basketball team are on a roll.
The Indians won a state title in 2004-05 and finished 25-1, and the following year went 23-3. But then hard times followed and seasons of 11-10, 5-18, 8-11.
St. Joseph rebounded in 2011-12 at 20-7, but fell back the next year to 8-14.
That's when Mauch entered and the Indians are on the upswing once again.
They've won a lot in his tenure, including a 24-1 start in 2014-15. Relying on quickness and strong defense, the Indians average 67 points per game and give up just 39.5.
For its superb season, St. Joseph is the MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week, presented by the Indiana National Guard.
With a roster filled with juniors and not a 6-footer among any of them, the Indians opened with a 79-73 win over visiting Gary West Side. Other than a 49-44 win over Lake Central on Jan. 10, they've won every other game by at least double digits.
The team's only loss was 52-46 at home to Penn on Jan. 13, and heading into the week has won eight straight. The Indians started the season with 17 straight wins.
Before the season,
Mauch told The Fan Varsity Sports Network "Our new group of seniors and juniors are going to have to continue the chemistry piece." He also said "There's feistiness in the NIC, so you just have to keep a good focus and balance."
Turns out all of that did happen.
With only three seniors, the future looks even more promising for the Indians, who also have seven juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. Eleven of their 17 players stand between 5-9 and 5-11.
