State Finals Preview: Evening Session

What a great season of girls’ high school basketball! And it all comes to an end tomorrow. Several Seniors will don their high school uniforms for the very last time, four young ladies will win the prestigious mental attitude award, and four teams will finish the season as Champions! Northwestern is returning to the State Finals for the second consecutive year, and they were the Class 3A State Champion last season. But none of the current players at Benton Central, Hamilton Southeastern, or Lawrence North have ever been there, so they will surely be excited and a little anxious. Last week I was 3-1 in picking the Class 3A & 4A Semi-State games. Also, all of the State Championship games can be seen on Fox Sports Indiana or at IHSAAtv.org.   SAG = Current 2018-2019 Multiclass Sagarin Rating; SOS = Current 2018-2019 Strength of Schedule *All Game Times Are Eastern Time*   6:00 P.M. – CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Northwestern (26-3) SAG 2; SOS 39 Northwestern has been a heavy favorite from the beginning of the season because of the duo of Madison Layden (2020) and Kendall Bostic (2020). Katie Neher (2019) has stepped up in a big way this year for the Tigers, as has Klair Merrell (2020), plus they get additional help from Sarah Heaver (2020), Ellie Boyer (2021), Allison Miller (2019), and Novalei Loer (2019). Benton Central (26-4) SAG 23; SOS 92 Benton Central should enter this game with zero pressure on them, as they are an obvious underdog. But don’t count them out just yet. They have a really nice Senior wing in Emma Fisher who leads them. Junior front-liner Audrey Strawsma (2020) has been outstanding at times this year as well. Keely Meadows (2020), Cassidy Minniear (2019), and Kelsey Coffman (2020) are all capable of putting up some points, and Freshmen Tressa Senesac and Kennedy Tolen have also provided a boost to the lineup this year. Why Northwestern will win: Northwestern checks all the boxes. They have good coaching, discipline, talent, skill, and they’ve matched up with some of the best teams in the state and Midwest for the last couple of seasons. They will likely focus on their interior play this game and try to get the ball to Kendall Bostic inside, because Benton Central has no one who can match up with her 1-on-1. If they can execute, play tough, and play with effort as they’ve done all season, they should win their second consecutive State Championship. Why Benton Central will win: Coach David Baxter and the Bison have been in this position before in 2011. They will be prepared for the environment and stick to their game plan regardless of how the game is flowing. Additionally, Benton Central played Northwestern in 2017 because at that time they were actually in the same Sectional. There is a lot of familiarity here, and the Lady Bison will at least know what to expect. Key Player: The key player tomorrow in this game will be Audrey Strawsma (2020) of Benton Central. She’s had a great season, and she had a spectacular game a week ago, but honestly, Benton Central doesn’t need her to be outstanding on the stat sheet as much as they need her to play disciplined, stay out of foul trouble, and limit easy opportunities for Kendall Bostic. Strawsma is one of the biggest players who takes the floor for Benton Central, but at just 5-9 or 5-10, she is grossly overmatched physically, so she’ll have to work early defensively to gain position, and that’s not exactly easy considering Bostic has a tremendous motor. Prediction: Northwestern 56, Benton Central 39   8:15 P.M. – CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Hamilton Southeastern (26-1) SAG 1; SOS 8 Hamilton Southeastern has been undefeated against Indiana competition this season, and they beat Lawrence North 56-45 back in mid-January. Sydney Parrish (2020) will be the most talented player on the floor. Amaya Hamilton (2019), Malea Jackson (2019), Tayah Irvin (2019), and Molly Walton (2019) complete the starting lineup with a lot of experience, talent, and skill of their own. Jackie Maulucci (2020), Bailee Poore (2020), Lydia Self (2021), and Lauren Morris (2020) could start for most other teams, but they form one of the better benches in the state and can fill in comfortably when called upon. Lawrence North (22-6) SAG 5; SOS 4 With everyone thinking North Central or Warren Central might win Sectional #10, it was Lawrence North who prevailed, and they added a Regional and Semi-State title to that for an encore. Sophomore guard Jayla Smith (2021) has been a real treat to watch this year, and she’ll need to be good again tomorrow. A Junior class that consists of Katie Davidson, Kristian Young, Lauren Gunn, Justis Odom, and Kalyn Ervin has been the backbone of this team. Young played great last weekend. They’ve also gotten contributions from their lone Senior, Maddie Howe. Why Hamilton Southeastern will win: They have the talent, skill, and depth to match and exceed just about anyone in the state. Sydney Parrish (2020) continues to be a matchup nightmare game-in, and game-out, and she’ll be a handful for Lawrence North. The fact that Hamilton Southeastern already beat Lawrence North should give them confidence entering this game, and they need to continue to be themselves and play like it’s just business as usual. Why Lawrence North will win: In most games, Lawrence North’s sheer athletic talent gives them an advantage. Not tomorrow. Hamilton Southeastern is one team that can match them with athletes, so Lawrence North will need to win the turnover battle, take great shots, and limit Hamilton Southeastern to one shot or less per possession. As much as Lawrence North wants to get out and run at times, tomorrow might be that game where they want to limit possessions and make this more of a half-court game. I think that’s how Lawrence North wins. Key Player: I think tomorrow comes down to how disciplined and steady Kristian Young (2020) can be for Lawrence North. She is an absolute jet and likes to fly around the floor with energy, but it’s difficult for kids like that to pick their spots. Tomorrow she needs to be a great game manager, sense tone and flow, and make sure everything is running like clockwork…basically be a coach on the floor. She can get out and go at times, but she’ll need to make sure they have an advantage. Last week was as disciplined as I’ve ever seen her, so hopefully she can take from that and play another “clean” game this weekend. Prediction: Hamilton Southeastern 52, Lawrence North 45   Header photo of the outside of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Photo courtesy of do317.com.