By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
PLAINFIELD – The stars, it seems, aligned once again for Sectional 13 – the one that the favorite, no matter what the sport, seems to never win – in the opening round of Class 4A postseason play at Plainfield.
(TO CHECK OUT SOME FANTASTIC PICTURES FROM THE GAME BY OUR OWN MARK GRICIUS, CLICK HERE!!)
The temperature at game time was an even 60 degrees, on the 10th day of February, for this six-team postseason affair that features three schools near the southwestside of Indianapolis and three schools from the Terre Haute area. Game 1 pitted a pair of 18-1 titans in third-ranked Terre Haute South and No. 7 Mooresville.
Thus it was a surprise to no one that the Sectional 13 troll up and bit the higher-ranked team. After leading 34-30 at halftime, Terre Haute South got blitzkrieged by a scorching two-pronged shooting effort from Mooresville as the Pioneers came back for the 72-64 upset win.
Then again, are there really ever any upsets in this wacky sectional? After all, the two teams came in separated by only six points in the Sagarin power ratings, and you can knock that on-paper advantage in half as this was virtually a Mooresville home game (the Pioneers hail from just a few miles south of Plainfield on State Road 267).
But enough spooky sectional speculation. When it came down to it, Terre Haute South simply had no answer for Mooresville’s third-quarter shooting (baskets on seven of its first eight possessions in the period, part of an 18-8 run over 6:16) nor the Pioneers’ fourth-quarter free throwing (14 of 18 over the final eight minutes).
Um, then there was the karma that found its way firmly on the Mooresville side. How else could you possibly explain back-to-back four-point plays – 1 of 2 from the foul line with a diving offensive rebound leading to a 3-pointer from forward Aerial Clark, a three from sophomore guard Jama Sharp and her subsequent free throw after she was decked on the shot – in the final period by the Pioneers?
It did not help matters for the Braves that senior sparkplug forward Krista Smith was saddled with foul trouble, eventually fouling out with 57.8 seconds to play and her Terre Haute South team trailing by four at 64-60.
Classmate Dragana Grbic tried her best to pick up the slack as the 6’3” center scored a team-high 24 points. And senior forward Tessa Johnson certainly assisted offensively with another 20 markers.
But that was chicken feed compared with Mooresville’s second-half effort that culminated with Sharp’s game-high 25 points and another 22 from 6’1” junior center Meagan Callaway.
Mooresville will have three days off before battling … defending sectional champion Martinsville (9-10) in the sectional’s first semifinal. The Pioneers, who won at Martinsville 70-58 way back on Nov. 26, best not pay attention to that record if they hope to survive this sectional.
In Game 2, Terre Haute North (8-12) spotted Northview (10-10) an early 6-0 lead before roaring back to take control in a 60-45 victory. A series of runs lifted Terre Haute North to the victory, its second over Northview this season (the Patriots also won Jan. 17 by double digits, 76-62).
(TO CHECK OUT SOME FANTASTIC PICTURES FROM THE GAME BY OUR OWN MARK GRICIUS, CLICK HERE!!)
The first spurt came in a span covering the last 2:40 of the initial period and the first 3:15 of the second as Terre Haute North responded to that 6-0 deficit with an 18-5 run. Northview narrowed the gap to four before trailing by seven at the half, 25-18.
After a pair of 3-pointers by the Knights drew them within three at 27-24 just under 90 seconds in to the second half, Terre Haute North again answered the call. Paced by a fantastic third-quarter offensive flurry from guard Lindy Jones (13 points in the period), the Patriots blew the game open with a run of 18-0 over 4:34 that made it 45-24 before Northview rallied with seven points over the last 82 seconds of the third.
But the damage was done. When Terre Haute North extended its 47-31 lead after three with a 3-point bomb from guard Kelly Meggs to start the fourth, the Patriots knew they’d be facing 4A fifth-ranked Plainfield (18-1) Feb. 13 in the sectional’s second semifinal.
Processing your request, Please wait....
