State Finals slate set for March 5th

Posted by RRR on Feb 26, 2011 at 8:43pm | Page Views: 2,976

The field for the 36th Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Finals has been set after semi-state competition today, and there will be four new state champions as all defending champions from 2010 have been ousted.

Class 1A | No. 2 Turkey Run (24-2) vs. No. 1 Vincennes Rivet (27-0) | 10:30 am ET
Class 2A | No. 1 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (23-2) vs. No. 12 Brownstown Central (23-5) | To follow
Class 3A
| No. 3 Benton Central (23-1) vs. No. 1 Evansville Memorial (27-1) | 6 pm ET
Class 4A
| No. 3 Penn (23-1) vs. No. 7 Jeffersonville (27-2) | To follow

Semi-State Recaps

Jeffersonville 63, Carmel 58
In semi-state action, No. 12 Carmel — the Giant killers — fell to No. 7 Jeffersonvillle in an instant classic overtime thriller at Southport. With just minutes remaining and down by nine, the Greyhounds mounted a furious comeback, knocking down three treys, including a buzzer-beater by Blaire Langlois, to send the game into overtime.  But Jeffersonville came back in the extra period, pounding the ball inside and securing the victory at the line, to win 63-58. This will be the first appearance for the Bulldogs in a state title game.

Penn 62, McCutcheon 43
No. 3 Penn gained control early and never looked back in a solid 62-43 win over No. 4 McCutcheon. The Kings(wo)men will also make their first-ever appearance in an IHSAA title game.

Benton Central 42, Fort Wayne Concordia 39
In 3A, No. 3 Benton Central came away with a 3-point win over defending state champion FW Concordia. Caitlyn Tolen scored 16 points and Cassidy Deno scored 12 points for the advancing Bison. Sophomore Tolen came up huge with four made free throws and a critical steal in the final 37 seconds to send Benton Central to its first state finals since 1989, an epic overtime battle between then Benton Central coach Jan Conner and Scottsburg legend Donna Cheatham. The Bison fell 74-72 in overtime.

Evansville Memorial 69, Indianapolis Roncalli 59
No. 1 Evansville Memorial trailed by 1 point behind No. 10 Roncalli at the break, but came back strong in the second half to live another day, winning 69-59. The Tigers last made a state finals appearance in 2006, losing to then 3A Bishop Luers 65-54. Memorial has lost only one game this season to 4A Brownsburg back in December.

Ft. Wayne Luers 47, Culver 43
The Knights withheld a stiff challenge from Culver before gaining the right to advance to their eighth state finals appearance in the past 12 years. Luers trailed by a bucket at the half, but rallied for the win. The last time the Knights brought home a state title was in 2006, which was their fifth, the first coming in 1999.

Brownstown Central 69, Winchester 58
In a battle of 2A underdogs, Brownstown Central (22-5) felled Winchester for the right to face No. 1 Luers in their home town. The Braves placed four players in double figures in the victory as they denied the Golden Falcons in their second straight state finals bid.

Turkey Run 55, Ft. Wayne Canterbury 48
In a battle between No. 2 and No. 3, Turkey Run knocked off two-time defending champ Canterbury in a stunner. The Warriors never trailed in the game, though Canterbury challenged throughout. The Francis triplets — Meghan, Adrianne and Chelsea — combined for 23 points and 35 rebounds. The 1A state final will be a rematch of the Vincennes Rivet Tournament on December 29, when Turkey Run lost 46-38 — the Warriors’ only loss of the season.

Vincennes Rivet 53, Jac-Cen-Del 38
Well, third time’s a charm, they say, and Rivet will find out in their third straight trip to the state finals. The smallest school left in semi-state competition easily downed No. 10t Jac-Cen-Del to earn the right to travel 4.5 hours to Fort Wayne to face Turkey Run. The Patriots are the only undefeated team remaining in the state. They will shoot for perfection next Saturday.

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