State Finals Preview: Morning Session

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The IHSAA Indiana girls' basketball state tournament has reached the end of the road. This weekend, just 8 teams remain, seeking 4 state championships. By the end of Saturday's action, those winners will be known. There have been a number of upsets this postseason, so several of the matchups are very intriguing. Below is a look at the two games during the morning session...the Class 1A Championship and the Class 2A Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+3">Class 1A Game - 10:30 a.m.</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Fremont (28-2) vs. Borden (24-4)</font></strong><br>The Fremont Lady Eagles are in uncharted territory, seeking their program's first title. In fact, this season they won just their second Regional title (<em>1999</em>) and their first Semi-State title in program history. Their run has required them to defeat a pair of top-ranked teams in Marquette Catholic and Elkhart Christian. But now they face Borden, the 2025 Class 1A State Champion. In order to knock out the Lady Braves, Fremont is going to need huge outings from their Junior stars, 5-5 point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751063' first='Grace' last='Scharlach']</strong> (<em>20.6p, 3.7r, 2.3a, 3.1s</em>) and 5-9 wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751110' first='Mya' last='Turner']</strong> (<em>15.7p, 7.8r, 1.7a, 2.7s</em>). Scharlach is an enjoyable player to watch, she plays with a ton of energy, she's athletic, plus she's strong at her size. She can play compact and get through gaps in the defense, plus she has a quick first step and can turn a corner. She has 30-point potential, if she can shake free from Borden defenders. Turner has really improved over the last couple of years as she has grown and gotten stronger. She is a long, fluidly athletic wing guard/forward who can put it on the floor or knock down an open rhythm jumper. She's also an effective defender because of her length and athleticism. Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, they aren't very deep. Look for Senior forward <strong>Hailey Heller</strong> and Junior forward <strong>Mallorie Hufnagle</strong> to start up front and provide whatever rebounding Turner &amp; Scharlach don't account for themselves. Those two forwards will also have to defend the taller Borden players. Junior guard <strong>Chloe Verdin</strong> plays alongside their two stars in the backcourt, and she will defend with energy and make some "blue-collared" plays that affect winning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Borden is back! The Lady Braves have rolled right back to the State Finals, but not without some speedbumps along the way. This postseason, however, they have won all but one game by 18 or more points, and their experience in this environment should at least help them calm their nerves shortly after the jump ball is tossed into the air. 5-11 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486522' first='Ava' last='Wheeler']</strong> (<em>10.9p, 8.0r, 3.3a through 7 games</em>) was their leader last season, but she missed a great deal of this season due to injury, though she is back and starting to return to form. She could be a matchup problem because of her ball skill and athleticism at her size. 6-0 Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486550' first='Riley' last='Rarick']</strong> (<em>16.0p, 4.1r, 4.4a</em>) stepped up this Winter and put together by far her best statistical season of her career. She is long, fluid/smooth, and skilled with the ball. She almost plays a point forward role for Borden, and she can defend. 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797505' first='Emma' last='Hart']</strong> (<em>10.8p, 9.6r, 2.6a, 1.6s</em>) also put together a fine final season, as she nearly averaged a double-double. She is a solid all-around athlete, a hard-worker, and she is quietly tough and just makes winning plays. 5-6 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486552' first='A.J.' last='Mallad']</strong> (<em>11.5p, 3.2r, 2.8a, 1.9s</em>) is a dangerous weapon from the perimeter who can get hot quickly from outside and knock down 6 or more 3-pointers a game when she's on fire. She is a crafty guard, she has a nice handle, good vision, plus she competes. Two more ballplayers, 5-7 Senior wing <strong>McKenna Mullen</strong>, and 5-7 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='973276' first='Saylor' last='Schleicher']</strong>, help with depth at all three levels. Mullen is an effective rebounder and defender who can score it a little, while Schleicher is a versatile perimeter player who does a little of everything offensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Having played here a year ago, Borden shouldn't have too much trouble calming down and just playing basketball. In the meantime, Fremont can't get caught up in the lights and just be happy to be there, especially at the beginning. Aside from a return trip, everything else screams Borden as well. They are taller across the board, they have much more experience and depth throughout their roster, and they have more players who can score the basketball. But Fremont is scrappy and has figured out a way to get to this point. I think Borden will jump out to an early lead, maybe even be up 10 to 12 points by halftime, but Fremont will respond. The Lady Eagles will make a third quarter run, trim it to 4 or 6 points, before Borden uses their skill and size to control the ball and seal it with free throws at the end. Borden 50, Fremont 39</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+3">Class 2A Game - 12:45 p.m.</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Oak Hill (24-3) vs. Eastern (Pekin) (20-7)</font></strong><br>I'm not sure what was expected of Oak Hill from the outset of the season, but I can't imagine it was quite this good. The Golden Eagles have put together an outstanding year, and they did so by using their frontline play to lead the way. They have now won 23 of their last 24 games, including knocking off both a heavily favored Whitko squad and a strong Bremen team in the Semi-State. A heavy dose of 6-1 Sophomore post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678159' first='Brianna' last='Dailey']</strong> (<em>15.8p, 6.5r, 1.6b</em>) and 5-11 Junior forward <strong>Morgan Cates</strong> (<em>7.7p, 4.7r, 1.6a, 1.5s</em>) went a long way last weekend. The combination of their size, strength, and physicality was tough for their opponents to handle inside, and each opponent had girls in the 6-foot to 6-2 range. Dailey is just a problem, and when Oak Hill is focused on feeding her, watch out! Cates has always possessed the skill and ability to do a little more, so a double-double out of her this weekend would not be a surprise. The Junior perimeter trio of <strong>Kora Pond</strong> (<em>7.4p, 2.6r, 2.2a, 2.4s</em>), <strong>Lilly Edwards</strong> (<em>6.0p, 2.0a, 1.6s</em>), and <strong>Erika Newhouse</strong> (<em>4.4p, 5.9r, 2.8a, 2.2s</em>) all stepped up and played above their averages as well. And I still contend that 5-6 Junior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137326' first='Landri' last='Hardman']</strong> (<em>6.2p, 3.7r, 5.2a, 2.9s</em>) is one of the state's best pure floor generals. Even though she isn't putting up big scoring numbers, she plays with tremendous poise, she's a heck of a facilitator, and she is a tough-nosed, scrappy defender who just makes winning plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eastern (Pekin) probably has a little more depth and veteran experience than Oak Hill, but many players over 5-10 is something they don't possess. 5-7 Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624882' first='Addison' last='Smith']</strong> (<em>12.4p, 3.6r, 4.1a, 3.3s</em>) and 5-10 Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131931' first='Sidney' last='Burton']</strong> (<em>11.3p, 7.0r, 1.5s</em>) are kind of their inside-out duo to contend with. Smith can play point or off the ball, she's a nice athlete, and she can score it from all three levels. Burton is another solid forward with face-up skill in the mid-post, and she's solid/strong inside. 5-10 Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834938' first='Katie' last='Hauner']</strong> (<em>8.7p, 3.8r, 1.9s</em>) and 5-7 Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1241466' first='Bailee' last='Robbins']</strong> (<em>8.1p, 1.8r, 1.5a, 2.4s</em>) are a pair of really nice small school backcourt performers who the entire state will finally get a chance to see on Saturday's stage. Hauner uses her length and athleticism well, while Robbins is a little more compact and uses her strength to get to the basket. The Musketeers could use a nice day from Smith's twin, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='885219' first='Avery' last='Smith']</strong> (<em>4.0p, 5.2r, 1.6a, 2.2s in 13 games</em>), a 5-8 Senior wing/forward. She is a nice all-around athlete who has scored in double figures in past years, but she has dealt with some things this year that have slowed her. She can play bigger than she is, however, and help with the Oak Hill frontline. Also look for 5-3 Junior guard <strong>Bailey Trainor</strong> (<em>4.9p</em>), 5-7 Senior forward <strong>Eliza Starrett</strong> (<em>3.7p, 5.3r</em>), and 6-0 Junior post <strong>Emma Brawner</strong> (<em>1.8p, 2.1r</em>) to add more experience and depth. Trainor is coming in hunting 3-point shots, while Brawner could be an important sub because of her size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Oak Hill is one of those rare teams left who leans heavily on their post play. They even have a bit of a size mismatch in this game. By this point, they are used to different defenses attempting to slow them down. Eastern will want to force tempo when possible and try to get out and run, so this game will come down to who can do just that...control tempo. If it's a slow, halfcourt game, look for Oak Hill to play the game in the high 30s or low 40s. If the Musketeers can get out and go, however, and the game gets into the high 40s or 50s, that could spell trouble for the Golden Eagles. I'm going to take Oak Hill here, but barely. Oak Hill 43, Eastern (Pekin) 41</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->