State Finals Follow-Up: Class 1A

The Class 1A State Championship game was not too dissimilar from a year ago.  The teams were the same, the outcome was the same, only the final score was different.  Vincennes Rivet showed spurts here and there, making almost everyone wanting to root for them to make it a closer game, but in the end Marquette Catholic's defense and ability to make shots won out. Rivet was a mere 15-54 (27.8%) from the field and 1-14 (7.1%) from 3-point range, while Marquette shot at a consistent 50% rate everywhere (20-40 FGs, 7-14 3s, 10-20 FTs).  <strong>Sophia Nolan</strong> (2019) led Marquette with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.  <strong>Emma Nolan</strong> (2019) posted 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots, while <strong>Emmery Joseph</strong> (2019) dished out 6 assists and <strong>Morgan Crook</strong> (2019) blocked a pair of shots.  For Rivet, <strong>Caroline Herman</strong> (2020) led the way with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots.  <strong>Grace Waggoner</strong> (2019) finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds, and <strong>Tia Tolbert</strong> (2020) added 8 points and 7 rebounds. &nbsp; <strong>Player of the Game:  Sophia Nolan, 2019, 6-1 F, Marquette Catholic</strong> I think it was pretty obvious to everyone watching that Sophia was a dominant force throughout the game.  She scored the ball inside, in transition, and she was 4-4 from 3-point range.  For the entirety of the game, Sophia was 10-13 from the field.  She was a presence defensively, both on the boards and blocking shots.  The versatile forward looks much more active this season, and she should be a nice addition to Saint John's roster next season, along with her twin sister Emma. &nbsp; <strong>Nice Surprise:  Caroline Herman, 2020, 5-10 F, Vincennes Rivet</strong> Caroline was the one kid who looked fairly comfortable out there for Rivet.  She has good length, she moves fluidly around the floor, and she has some perimeter skill as well.  She handled the ball on occasion, knocked down a couple of long 2s, and got inside and rebounded effectively.  As she continues to mature and gain strength, I look for her to develop into a consistent double-digit scorer for Rivet next season. &nbsp; <strong>Also of Note:</strong><strong>  Emmery Joseph, 2019, 5-2 PG, Marquette Catholic</strong> With her six assists on Saturday, Emmery moved into 7th place all-time on the state's career assist list with 616 career assists.  While she may not be the tallest kid or the most explosive scorer, she has been a four-year starter for Marquette, and she has been nothing but steady and dependable throughout her career.  She is a true game manager, a high IQ kid, and a willing-to-do-whatever-it-takes-to-help-my-team type of teammate. &nbsp; <em>Header photo of Marquette Catholic celebrating their 2019 State Title; photo courtesy of Kale Wilk at nwi.com, per Head Coach Katie Collignon's Twitter account.</em>