Page 21 - 2020-21 Girls Basketball State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review Last Year’s State Finals in Review

Lawrence North tops undefeated Northwestern for first state title Championship Linton-Stockton Rolls to First Girls Basketball Crown
After coming up short in last season’s Class 4A Linton-Stockton left little doubt in capturing the Class
state championship game, Lawrence North made 2A championship in its first-ever finals appearance
amends with a thrilling 59-56 victory over top-ranked
Northwestern at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. with a record-setting, 70-28 triumph over unranked
Frankton.
The eighth-ranked Wildcats were led by junior guard
Jayla Smith, who drained five 3-pointers on her way The fourth-ranked Miners dazzled in the first half,
to 22 points as the program claimed its first girls leading 47-16 at the break – a Class 2A game record
basketball title and finished with a 26-4 record. for points in one half.
Northwestern, which moved to 4A after winning the
last two 3A state championships, received a game- At one point, after junior guard Vanessa Shafford hit
high 25 points from senior guard Madison Layden a field goal for a 39-11 advantage, L-S was shooting
and 20 from senior center Kendall Bostic. The Tigers 70 percent from the field. Later in the half, the Miners
completed the season with a 29-1 mark and were
107-9 during the Layden-Bostic era. held a 33-point lead. Shafford outscored the Eagles
by herself with 19 points during the first two quarters.
Lawrence North led nearly the entire way, building a
17-9 advantage after one quarter and leading 31-22 Coach Jared Rehmel’s Miners (25-5) continued the
at halftime. Layden picked up her second foul at 2:48 onslaught into the third quarter, taking a 55-21 lead
of the opening stanza and had to take a seat before
eventually returning and leading Northwestern’s furi- into the final eight minutes, then building to the final
ous second-half rally. margin of 42 points – a record for Class 2A.
The Tigers clawed back to tie it at 35-35 at 3:22 of Stafford finished with 26 points, Aubrey Burgess 19
the third, but a Kalyn Ervin 3-pointer gave LN a lead and Haley Rose 13 for the winners.
it wouldn’t relinquish. Northwestern got to within a
point at 51-50 at 3:55 of the final period, but Smith’s
triple provided her squad some breathing room. Chloee Thomas led Frankton with 11 points and
11 rebounds. Coach Stephan Hamaker’s Eagles
After timeouts by both teams with 7.4 seconds left, finished 21-8.
Northwestern had a chance to tie, but Layden’s short
turnaround in the lane was off the mark. The Tigers
fouled and Lawrence North point guard Kristian
Young made the first of two free throws with 2.0 left
to account for the final tally.
NorthWood ends 21-Year Championship Drought Loogootee’s Late Free Throws help earn First State Championship
A 21-year State Finals hiatus wasn’t enough to backup forward Abigail Ratts, but it was here the
slow NorthWood as it captured the Class 3A state Panthers began capitalizing at the free throw line. Junior Kalea Fleming hit two free throws with 1:07
girls basketball championship with a 37-29 victory Ratts led the Lions with 10 points. left and Brooklynn Jones hit two more in the final 30
over Salem at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. seconds to help lift Loogootee to a 45-43 victory over
The seventh-ranked Panthers capped their 28-3 Pioneer to give the school its first-ever girls basket-
ball championship in the Class A title game.
season by making nine of 10 free throws in the
game’s final 1:47 to pull away. Through the first
three quarters, there had been five lead changes, Fleming’s free throws gave the Lions of coach Brian
three ties and 14 occasions in which the point Smith a 43-42 lead and Jones’s charity tosses
spread was three or fewer points. sandwiched a Pioneer free throw that provided the
Forward Maddy Payne, a 6-1 senior, scored 13 of final margin.
her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead In a matchup of two first-time finalists, No. 1 Loogoo-
NorthWood to its second state title, following the
1999 squad that cut the nets inside what was the tee (27-2) captured its fourth-straight victory over a
final girls finals played at Market Square Arena. ranked team and snapped No. 4 Pioneer’s 19-game
winning streak.
Salem, which took the hardwood ranked No. 1,
finished its season with a 25-4 record after making Pioneer led, 26-20, at halftime and 32-24 midway
the state finals for the first time in program history. through the third quarter, but made only two field
They were the first Salem team to compete in goals the rest of the game and none during the final
an IHSAA state finals event since the 1930 boys
basketball team. quarter.
Leading 21-20 after three quarters, NorthWood Jones led Loogootee with 17 points, while Makenzie
provided itself with some much-needed breathing VanHoy added 15.
room by scoring the first five points of the final
stanza before Salem signaled timeout at the 4:14 For coach Jeff Brooke’s Panthers (25-3), Hailey
mark. The Lions responded with a drive to the Cripe led with 13 points, while Madison Blickenstaff
hoop and layup by Karly Sweeney, but a Payne
basket in close pushed the lead back to six. netted 10.
Salem managed to stay within four points on two
more occasions thanks to baskets by sophomore
20 IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport. Pure INDIANA! IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport. Pure INDIANA! 21