Page 20 - 2014-15 Girls Basketball State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review

Bedford North Lawrence collects second straight Class 4A title
The Bedford North Lawrence Stars maintained
their position atop the mountain in Class 4A girls
basketball.
The Stars captured their second consecutive
state championship and fourth overall with a hard-
fought 51-41 victory over the Penn Kingsmen. The
Stars finished 27-1 this season and have amassed
an impressive 55-1 record over the past two sea-
sons.
Bedford North Lawrence broke open a close
game late in the third and early in the fourth quarter.
Brittani Rizzi connected on a trio of 3-point shots and
the Stars bolted to a 13-point lead, 42-29, with 6 ½
minutes left in the game. Penn got no closer than
nine thereafter.
The Stars put three players in double-digit scor-
ing: Rizzi with 17, Jenna Allen with 12 and Domi-
nique McBryde with 11. Allen grabbed 14 rebounds
and McBryde collected 12.
The Kingsmen were led by Jessi Alexander’s 11
points. Caroline Buhr had 11 rebounds.
Coach Damon Bailey’s Stars were ranked
second in the girls coaches’ poll. Bailey, in his first
season as head coach of the Stars’ girls team, is
Indiana’s career scoring leader with 3,134 points at
Bedford North Lawrence from 1987 to ‘90.
Coach Kristi Kaniewski Ulrich’s Kingsmen, rated
fourth in the coaches’ poll, finished their season at
25-2.
Western stuns Evansville Mater Dei in Class 3A Final
The Western Panthers found themselves in
unfamiliar territory after the Class 3A title game. And
they relished the feeling.
The Panthers’ girls basketball team and its fans
celebrated merrily following a stirring 38-35 victory
over the Evansville Mater Dei Wildcats. It represent-
ed the first state girls basketball crown for Western.
Mater Dei, which had won 19 straight games,
was seeking its third consecutive state champion-
ship and first in 3A after moving up a class due to
the Tournament Success Factor.
A close game throughout, it boiled down to the
final seconds. When Maura Muensterman sank one
of two free throws with 23 seconds remaining, the
Wildcats sliced Western’s lead to 36-34.
But Western’s Siera Daniel, attempting her first
two free throws of the night, answered by hitting
both with 21.2 seconds remaining.
Both teams played a disciplined offensive style
and sound defense. Western’s offense accom-
plished 40 percent shooting (14-of-35). Mater Dei sixth in the girls coaches’ poll, finished 23-3.
connected on just 24.4 percent from the field (10- Muensterman topped Mater Dei’s scoring with
of-41). Western’s largest lead was six points, Mater 12. Tori Schickel totaled 11 points and added 15
Dei’s four. rebounds, tying a 3A title game mark.
Carly O’Neal led Western’s scoring with 12 Coach Steve Goans’ Wildcats, rated second in
points. Coach Chris Keisling’s Panthers, ranked the coaches’ poll, ended their season at 26-2.

20 IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport. Pure INDIANA!