Indiana Girls Basketball: 2005 State Finals Preview

Indiana Girls Basketball:

2005 State Finals Preview

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(3-4-2005)

INDIANAPOLIS - Everybody likes upsets except for the folks who host the state finals. We all love to see underdogs win the big one and finally make it to the mountain top. But if eight Cinderellas get to the dance, it becomes similar to Cher's farewell tour.

The state finals' box office needs some teams that are rated No.1 or some defending state champs. If you don't have some big time favorites, the finals end up being a whine fest of teams that try to out shout each other screaming about how 'NOBODY GAVE US A CHANCE!!!'

Defending champs Tri-Central (1A) and North Central (4A), frequent finalist Shenandoah and top-ranked St. Joseph's (3A) sit in the champs chair.

It is heartwarming (and a testament to class sports) to see NE DuBois (1A) and Corydon (3A) reach the state finals for the first time in any sport in the history of their schools.

Talk about whining. Class sports critics should be forced to watch the a 'Bachelorette' marathon to see how a prissy diva is supposed to sound. Get over it. It's the 21^st century and there will be class sports playoffs FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES.

As has been the custom in recent years, there will again be no live TV of the finals in NW Indiana (it is the only part of the state that cannot watch the Indiana state finals as they happen) so 'region' folks will have to get on I-65 if they want to see it live.

Those of us who can't make the 140-mile trip to Indianapolis will have to saddle up next to a radio and pretend we live in a 'real' portion of Indiana where basketball (and not pollution, corruption and gangster-snob chic Chicago attitude) is still king.

INDIANAPOLIS (10:30 a.m. - EST) Tri-Central lost 69-38 to Clinton Prairie in December and came back from that to be the favorite for a third consecutive state title. an unprecedented feat in the class sports era.

Tri-Central was 2-4 against 3A schools and 0-1 against 4A Richmond. NE Dubois, which is in southwest Indiana's Dubois County, was just 0-2 against 3As and did not play any 4As.

Tri-Central won the title 46-36 over Washington Catholic last year and they return most of those players including 5-4 left-handed guard Meranda Burnett, who averaged 15 points and seven assists with 43 three-point baskets and a 75% rate from the foul line.

5-9 junior Kaci Allen (15.7 ppg. 8.7 rebounds) is the key player up front and 5-9 senior Anne Cage is a non scoring role player.

A freshman, 5-9 forward Sarah Adams (3.1 ppg.) is a good shooter but TC is not deep. they have to control the pace and Burnett, a junior who has directed two state title runs., is a master at that.

The Jeeps (don't ask why) are a very young team with just three seniors. 5-9 forward Lee Ann Kluesner (17.1 ppg., 7.9 rebounds) is the dominant player. She has taken an incredible (for a forward) 395 shots in 25 games. The other key players are underclassmen 5-9 soph Tie Wineinger (9.5 ppg, 7.1 rebounds) and 5-9 freshman Allison Matheis (9.1 ppg, 6.6 rebounds). Matheis has 40 three-point baskets as a freshman so she will draw extra attention.

The Jeeps average only 49 points a game so they must be able to control the pace of games. I just don't know how they control this game. NE DuBois does not appear strong at guard while Burnett is an all-stater.

Guards win. Experience wins. Tri-Central becomes the third team in girls basketball history (Bishop Luers is the other) to win three consecutive state titles.

INDIANAPOLIS (12:30 EST) Here's another match of a team that's been here before (Shenandoah) and a first time finalist (North Judson).

The Jays have been strong throughout the playoffs winning four of five playoff games by seven points or more. 5-3 sophomore Kristen Bolen (10.2 ppg., 3.3 assists) is the key player although Whitney Cole (14.6 ppg.) and Nicole Dobson (10.9 ppg.), both 5-8 wing players, are crucial.

There's no secret where Judson is coming from. The Jays have 116 three-point baskets in 275 attempts with Cole (55) and Dobson (37) leading the way.

Judson's is small inside so the weave around the perimeter, setting up jump shots. Sticking to this style and playing a tough independent schedule has gotten the Starke County girls this far.

Shenandoah is led by senior guard Chelsea Miller and Kara Kessling, who played on the 2002 state title team as freshmen. The Raiders have reached the title game three times in five years and they bring a n ew meaning to controlling the pace of the game.

Shenandoah presses everybody full court and they like it hot, averaging 62 points and allowing 42 per game. 5-5 junior Amber McKinney (9.9) is a big contributor on the wing an 5-10 center Jasmine Rogers (8.0 ppg. 5.5 rebounds) grabs rebounds.

If you beat Shenandoah you break the press and beat them on the boards. But a look at the schedule shows that option is limited.

Shenandoah has played 4As Richmond, Anderson, Muncie South and Pendleton Heights.

This is a bad match for North Judson. They fare better against post-based teams. Judson has good guards. Shenandoah has better ones. Judson played a good schedule. Shenandoah played a better one.

Shenandoah was the pre-season favorite for the state title and they will win it going away.

INDIANAPOLIS (6:30 EST) On the Sagarin Computer rankings, St. Joseph's is the state's No. 1 team in any class. That says all you need to know about this game.

The Indians (24-1) suffered a bitter one-point loss to Bishop Luers last year after a bitter blowout loss to Beech Grove in the 2003 state championship game. they have as much talent as they ever will with Division I lead guard Melissa Lechlitner (15.9 points, 6.4 assists), division I 5-10 froward Aimee Litka (15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds), future Division I wing Sydney Smallbone (15,5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 55 3-point baskets) and future Division I center 6-4 sophomore Kristin Dockery (8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds).

This is just an annoying team to play against because they sometimes are just toying with you. St. Joe's averages 69 points a game and gives up 41. They played 12 4A schools and went 11-1 against them.

The only St. Joe loss was a day game at 4A No. 4 East Chicago (20-4) on the road after a night game.

Corydon is near the Kentucky state line and they may be in over their heads. The 15-game winning streak included a 48-45 win over Evansville Memorial, a team that was No.1 all year.

6-foot senior center Dana Beaven (17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds) and she shoots 59% from the floor and 77% from the line. 5-6 guard Megan Bates (10.5 ppg.) has 48 three-point goals and 5-6 junior Megan Greg (8.6 ppg.,) has 46 3s.

Corydon has the firepower to win here. They have 128 three-point goals in 400 attempts and they have the big post player to balance the attack.

Two major questions. Can Beaven force a double team by dominating the 6-4 Dockery, a young player? And, can Corydon break St. Joe's press? If they can say 'yes' to both, they'll still have to outscore a St. Joe team that has three big time scorers.

This isn't a mismatch but there's no question who the favorite is. Lechlitner will have success attacking the Corydon guards and St. Joe's press will cause turnovers.

INDIANAPOLIS (8:30 – EST) The day ends as it began, with a defending champ going against a first-time finalist.

Gary West Side brings a wave of full court defense in against 6-5 junior Amber Harris and the 4A champions.

Talk that this isn't the same North Central team that won the title last year should not be taken too seriously. Yes, North Central, returned only Harris (19.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 56% FGs) to the 2005 squad. The problem is, Harris is now playing with her lifelong AAU teammates, other juniors who have been playing summer ball with her all her life. To call this a new team is inaccurate, as was evidenced when they smoked out top-10s Cathedral, Hamilton Southeasten and Castle in the playoffs. No one has come within 11 points of North Central, the state's largest (3,300 kids) school.

It would not be totally innacurate to describe NC as West Side, with a 65-5m center. They have no one else averaging in double figures. But your problem is to score on them, not the other way around.

They are 111 of 365 from the three points range and the only flaw in paper is 5-3 freshman point guard Brianna Bass (8.3 ppg., 2.5 assists, 38 3s), who may be too young and small to deal with the Cougar press.

West Side must create turnovers and that's the job of Isabell Rhenwick (10.3 ppg, 3.7 assists). 5-7 Shanee Butler won the semistate game over Kokomo with three-point shots but she cant come out shooting here because 6-1 Erica Simpson (8.4 ppg., 4.6 rebounds) will be hard-pressed to out rebound Harris, who has signed with Purdue.

Role players like 5-8 Farren Congress and 5-7 Ashley Gates have to scare the ball out of the hands of Bass, who has to be a little nervous here.

But NC has seven juniors in Harris' class and they have played together for some time. North Central has played an entire Indian schedule of 4A teams in addition to teams in Chicago and Cincinnati.

Their schedule is vastly superior to West Side's and NC can prevent layups with no problem.

West Side beat five winning teams to get here but they have not faced a center like this all season. There's no way to adjust to this in a big game. The Cougars can force some turnovers but they will probably have to go without 5-10 senior Michelle Hamblin (6.7 ppg.) and the Cougars shoot just 54% from the foul line.

If something happens to Harris and she has to leave the game, West Side becomes the better team. But three top-10 teams probably hoped for that as well and it didn't happen.

The Cougars did very well to upset Kokomo last week But the better team wins here.

Indiana Girls Basketball:

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Copyright © 2005 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved. Revised: March 05, 2005 .

Copyright © 2005 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved.
Revised: March 05, 2005 .