The DAC looks to be in good shape for next season with 6 of the 11 All-Conference picks returning next season.

Tippecanoe Valley coach Gary Teel has to really be looking forward to the next few years.  According to the Warsaw Times-Union, next season the 3A coach will be guiding the incoming talents of this year's 8th grade TV team that has won 49 games straight since the 6th grade.  Blending that group with returning junior-to-be Tabitha Pratt (22 ppg), who sat out the second half of the season with a broken leg, and the future looks bright for the Vikings.  Keep an eye on this team in the coming seasons.

According to Pat Aikman at the Indianapolis Star, Indiana's Miss Basketball will be announced in the Sunday, March 19 issue of the Indianapolis Star.  The remainder of the girls Indiana All-Star Team will be announced one week later on Sunday, March 26.  As announced earlier in the Indianapolis Star and today in the Frankfort Times, this year's team will be coached by Connie Garrett of Clinton Prairie, who will be assisted by Karen Stenftenagel of Jasper and Kevin Brown of North Judson.   Best bets for NWI talent landing on the Indiana All Star team are Erin Sampsel of Valparaiso and Natalie Yudt of Portage.

Despite some dicey road conditions on the way, the RRR attended Sunday's Blue Chip Shootout at Carmel High School on Sunday.  There was a tremendous amount of talent there that day, although anticipated big talents Shyra Ely and Ashley Allen of Ben Davis were not in attendance.  However, college coaches and recruiters from Illinois, Ball State, Valparaiso, IUPUI, Franklin and several other colleges were in attendance, and had the opportunity to see some very good competition between a number of very good players.  Representing the NWI Region and expanding their exposure horizons at the event were senior Rachel Hamstra of Kankakee Valley, juniors Jenny DeMuth of Highland, Amanda Autrey and Lauren Hansen of Portage, and sophomores Alex Webster of Crown Point, Kim Cowser of Lake Central, Lisa Matie of Hobart, and Nicole Dearing of Portage.  

Carmel head coach Judi Warren and her local Blue Chip Shootout staff put together a very well-organized event.  For those of you who have never participated in or attended one of these exposure events, here is how it works.  After all players have submitted their registration forms prior to the event, players are placed on teams of up to 9 players with attention paid to height and high school.  (According to the Blue Chip event representative that we spoke to at Carmel, an effort is made not to group players from the same high school together on the same team, which might provide an unfair advantage to some teams.  However, we knew of at least one team that had three senior players from the same school, but none of them showed up, so that did not create a problem of an unfair advantage.  What created a problem for that team, however, was that they spent most of the day with only four players, having to pick up extras for all games.)  Each team is guided by a Blue Chip coach who stays with the same team for the three scheduled games throughout the day.  The coach's job is to make sure that all players are on the floor at least their guaranteed one-half game.  At this particular event, games were played on a running clock for two 20-minute halves, except for the final two minutes of each half.  The only free throws allowed were on shooting fouls.  Before the games began, point guards were instructed to make sure to distribute the ball as equally as possible to teammates since the point guards controlled ball time most of the day.  Although this seemed to be a bit of a problem with some players in the early going of some games that we watched, that issue worked itself out as the day progressed.  

College recruiters observed games, sometimes two games at once, from one side of the four courts in use.  As NCAA rules lay out, no parents or players were allowed to make contact with recruiters, other than the occasional "hello".  Information packets were provided to each recruiter, which provided basic information about each player, as well as contact phone numbers, GPAs and intended fields of college study. 

Besides the obvious benefit of college exposure, this was a great event for players to see where they fit into the scheme of Indiana talent, with the chance to match themselves up with some of the better players to make that comparison.  You can bet there are a lot of players around the state who will be working to step up their game this summer after understanding what kind of talent it takes to get to the college level! 

The Crawfordsville Journal Review recently announced it's All Area selections for the 1999-2000.  The first team is led by All-Area Player of the Year Candace Dark of Fountain Central, who is joined by first-teamers Megan Blood of North Montgomery, Cara Landis of Covington, Blair Branson of Turkey Run and Katie Linn of Southmont.  Jim Spencer of North Putnam was named Coach of the Year.  Second team and honorable mention picks are also mentioned in the article.

The Indianapolis Star is reporting that the IHSAA is suing Indianapolis-based television station WNDY-TV for canceling the contract with the IHSAA for coverage of the girls and boys state basketball tourney games.  According to the article, total attendance from both tournaments dropped 29 percent from 1997 to 1998, the years the IHSAA tournament moved from the one-class to four-class tournament format. Viewership of the boys state basketball finals on  WNDY also fell about 50 percent from 1997 to 1998.

After the outstanding NCAA draws for Notre Dame and Purdue on Sunday, both teams were pleased to find out yesterday that juniors Ruth Riley (Miami) of ND and Katie Douglas (Perry Meridian) of PU were named to the Associated Press All-American teams.  Riley was named to the First Team, while Douglas was given Second Team honors.  As noted in the South Bend Tribune, Riley is the first ND player ever in its history to be named to the first team. Other AP All-American team members from around the nation are named in the Indianapolis Star.

According to the South Bend Tribune, Bethel junior A. J. Whitehead (NorthWood) was named the MVP of the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament when her team made school history with an 84-75 win over top-ranked East Texas Baptist University for a National Championship title.  Other former Indiana high school players key to the win for Bethel include  freshmen Stacy Handshu (Penn), Shallon Bowden (Winamac) and Kristi Kaniewski (Mishawaka), sophomore Amber Cox (Plymouth) and juniors Jyll Dingman (Michigan City) and Shaunte Calhoun (Jimtown).

Plymouth head coach Dave Cox recently updated us on four former Plymouth players now in the college ranks.   Bethel junior Corey Duncan (6'0) transferred to Bethel after two years at IPFW and will have two years of eligibility beginning next season.  Sophomore teammate Amber Cox (5'8) has played 2 years at Bethel and, as mentioned above, was a member of this season's national champion NCCAA team.   Hanover freshman Tai Duncan (5'9) began her collegiate career this season and played the second most minutes for a freshman.  Quinnipiac freshman Erin Cox ( 5'9) was the second leading 3-point shooter on her D1 team in the North Eastern Conference.

According to Pat McKee of the Indianapolis Star, University of Indianapolis head coach Lisa Hicks has tendered her resignation with the women's basketball program to accept a position as chair of UI's health and PE department.  This makes two college coaching positions open in  Indiana, the other at Indiana University.  McKee reports that rumored candidates for the IU job include coaches Kathi Bennett of Evansville, Brenda Oldfield of Ball State, Lisa Stockton of Tulane, Melanie Balcom of Xavier and assistant Carol Owens of Notre Dame.

    
    The local media came out with their 1999-2000 All Area picks on Friday, and they were interesting.  The first team picks from both The Times and Post-Tribune are listed below.
       

      
Also, Highland junior Jenny DeMuth was named The Times Player of the Year.  The Post-Tribune did not even venture into that territory this year for the first time that we can remember, however in its write-up about their picks, they called DeMuth "the Region's best player."  On a side note, the RRR rated an anonymous mention by one of the columnists in a season wrap-up column in The Times, who mentioned our message board and some of the writings there.

The South Bend Tribune All-Star Basketball Game was played Thursday night, and was the last hurrah for a number of seniors who made the most of the evening.  Coverage of the game also appeared in the Warsaw Union-Times.  The SB Tribune also reports on the long-time basketball relationship between SB All-Star players Kristie King and Kori Glass of North Judson.  

The Ft. Wayne Sentinel reports on the makings of a girls basketball dynasty at Bishop Luers.  With the graduation of only two senior starters, the Knights are in a position next season to do what no other girls basketball team has done in IHSAA tournament history -- a three-peat championship run.

And in that same vein, so to speak, the South Bend Tribune has a feature article about the continuing debate regarding the advantages of parochial schools over public schools in athletic programs.  Parochial schools have won nearly one-third (12) of the 38 possible state titles so far this school year, even though they only account for ten percent of all the schools who are members in the IHSAA.

The Sentinel also has a short article about last weekend's Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 40 Workout with some comments from Gary Donna, the event's organizer.

After a 4-year career record at Lafayette Harrison of 44-42, the Lafayette Journal & Courier reports that head coach Randy Sly announced to his team Wednesday that he has resigned as head coach of the Raiders.  Sly is hoping that assistant coach, Sharon Franks, a former Lake Central grad, will get the nod as his replacement.

The Midwest All-Conference First Team was recently announced in the Rochester Sentinel as follows:
    
   Sarah Moss, Caston
Kristen Field, Caston
Kinsey Lehe, Frontier
Amanda Richey, Frontier
Leslie Russell, North White
Hannah Kitchell, Pioneer
Michele Groscost, South Newton
Amanda Engleking, Tri-County
Meredith Helderle, Tri-County
Regina Rife, Winamac
Tonya Small, Winamac

And something to put all of this into perspective...  Madison basketball player, junior Heather O'Banion, was swept away in a current over an 83-foot waterfall at Clifty Falls Park this past week and died.  Our deepest sympathies to the this young lady's family and to the Madison Cubs basketball program and school.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.   And a note to the rest of us:  When basketball becomes all-consuming and we are disappointed because of missed opportunities, missed shots or missed awards, we need to remember to take time to count our blessings.

Xavier freshman Amy Waugh (Homestead) was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year at the conference tournament dinner last weekend.  She averaged 10.8 points a game, 5.7 assists, shot 85% from the free throw line and 48.7% on three-pointers on the season.  After helping her team to win the Atlantic 10 tournament on Monday in Philadelphia, the freshman is ready to lead her team into the NCAA tournament.

Miami (Ohio) junior Jennie Martin (Center Grove) saw her season come to an end early in February when she suffered a broken foot that benched her for the remainder of the season.  According to the Franklin Journal, Martin's exit from the lineup most likely cost Miami's chance at an NCAA tournament berth.  Martin was the leading scorer for Miami this season, averaging 13.0 ppg at a .478 clip.  Martin also tied a Miami record for points scored in a game when she hit 32 in Miami's 74-72 upset of MAC Champion Kent.  Martin's teammate, freshman Heather Cusick (Kokomo), was named to the MAC All-Freshman team and selected Honorable Mention All-MAC.  Another former Indiana teammate, Beth Roderer (Cathedral), was instrumental in contributing more offense after Martin's injury and is expected to play a bigger role for Miami next season.

The RRR came close to basketball overload (if that's possible) last weekend with time spent at the IHSAA state finals and also at the Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse.  We watched eight games in all over Friday and Saturday, and it might have been a trifecta on the weekend if we'd been able to get to the Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 40 Workout at Marian College on Sunday, but a 4-hour AAU practice near Kokomo ended up taking priority instead.  Such is life, but we thought we'd share our views on a great weekend of basketball that took place in the roundball capital.

All eight teams in the IHSAA state finals outdid themselves in keeping all of us entertained throughout the day.  Lots of drama and surprises, including three photo-finishes and a fourth game that had a story of its own.  Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University provided a nostalgic backdrop to the tournament, complete with gray-painted wooden bleacher seats and shanty concession stands.  Walking up to the balcony area, you knew this was a throwback in time.  The ramps that took you to the second level were reminiscent of the old White Sox park in Chicago, with winding concrete ramps and chain-link fencing to make sure the press of the crowd wouldn't send anyone tumbling.  Nostalgic atmosphere did not come without a price, however.  Not all seating provided a great view at Hinkle, especially the corner seating areas on the balcony level. The climate control on an unusually warm day in March was somewhat alleviated by opening a few windows along the top level for a bit of a cross-breeze.  (We certainly have become a spoiled bunch the past decade or so at Market Square Arena.)  Optimum lighting for players was a bit uncontrolled, mainly during the early games, when contrasting sunlight and dark shadows hit the floor due to some overhead windows.  The floor itself was modified temporarily for the day, as you can see in the photo at left.  The court was shortened from end to end with out-of-bounds zones designated with painted white lines, as well as a converted free throw line, 3-point line and lane.  The 10" round iron elbow pipe that supported the backboards at each end were brought out with what looked like 4' extensions to make it all work.  Converting the floor for high school use didn't look like an easy task, but it worked.  One item to which not much effort or thought was given was the marquee on the scoreboard.  The entire day it repeated, "Welcome to Hinkle Fieldhouse...  Home of the Butler Bulldogs..."  It probably wouldn't have taken much to make the message specific to the event, or to each game for that matter.  It's a small gripe in the scheme of things, but legitimate.  After all, it's the little things that make this once-in-a-lifetime event special for its participants and spectators.  Overall, however, Hinkle was a special place to be on Saturday, where the history of the girls tournament began in 1976 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2000.

In the first game, Triton, which barely garnered a handful of votes in the very last ICGSA 1A poll, walked away with the most exciting finish of the day, as well as the 1A championship trophy, on a buzzer-beater trey in OT.  The hero?  Sophomore guard Amber Feldman, whose trey was the only shot this 17% three-point shooter took during the entire game.  How unlikely is that?  Very, which is why we all keep coming back for more.  If you didn't take the time to read the story about this Triton team which we linked from the Warsaw Times-Union earlier in the week, you might want to.  Some interesting stuff, including how coach Mark Heeter wore women's underwear during the semi-state at the request of his players, who all wore similar underwear throughout the tournament series.  (I am NOT making this stuff up, folks.)  Feeling that team unity was the key, and not to mention a little bit of superstition, it would only make sense that if the coach wore the same kind of underwear as team members, their winning streak would be extended.  Heeter, willing to do "anything that will help them win", agreed.  It worked at the semi-state, but Heeter drew the line and refused to wear the women's apparel under his Dockers at the state tournament.  (Once the word was out, it sure would have been difficult to maintain a sense of professionalism with his coaching peers and officials at the tournament, so that's understandable.)  But he did promise his team that if they won, he would shave off his mustache of 16 years and submit to a new hair color -- first place gold.  You have to love a coach that would go to those extremes for his kids.  
   
And people from outside of Indiana wonder what this "Hoosier Hysteria" thing is all about.  (And truthfully, in the case, I'm not sure I can explain it...)

No. 4 Rising Sun was a classy 1A bunch, even in loss.  Sisters, Jennifer Brock and Jessica Brock, were amazing in bringing their team back from what looked like disaster early in the game, and even though they had their hearts ripped out at the end in what looked like a lock, were extremely gracious in their post-game comments, as evidenced in the Indianapolis Star.  In such a disappointing loss, it takes great maturity and a solid point of view on life to handle the outcome like these two did.  With that kind of outlook, no doubt these two will fare well no matter what they pursue and encounter in life.  A definite double class act. 

We watched part of the 1A game on television before heading over to Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Part of the reason was because we had trouble moving our old bones after spending the night on the floor of my daughter's apartment near IUPUI the night before, but the other reason was because we wanted to hear and see Stephanie McCarty's debut as the color commentator for the IHSAA Network.  McCarty did a very nice job from what we saw and had a knack for making the appropriate comment at the appropriate time.  A simple concept, but not always as easy as it might seem.

The 2A game provided similar excitement in what most thought would be a blowout by 2A state power Ft. Wayne Bishop Luers.  And it looked like the game was getting away from the Park Rangers (love that name!) in the early going when 2A tournament MVP Rachel King went on a 15-point tear in the first quarter.  But the Rangers kept hanging around on a three-pointer here, a defensive stop there and a couple of free throws over there, and before you knew it, were back in the game big time.  They were buoyed by a great crowd (at left) that stood nearly the entire game and was with their team every play.  The game came down to the final play, which we recorded for you to view.  (We suggest downloading it to your desktop first before playing it.)  The final shot was taken by 2A IHSAA Mental Attitude winner Heather Kress, who saw her final high school shot go in the cylinder -- then rattle out -- as the buzzer sounded.  Lots of credit goes to a spunky Forest Park team who refused to be intimidated by Luers, ranked No. 1 in 2A the entire season.  The Knights only shot 28% in the second half, and the defensive effort from the Rangers was a good reason why.  They simply refused to be taken out of the game all the way to the buzzer.

We've watched 2A Luers junior Rachel King for a couple of years now in both high school and AAU ball, and the one thing that impresses, is her all-out hustle, energy and leadership on the floor.  She's the Knights' equalizer who keeps everyone on task and mentally in the game.  She also has the knack to recognize when she, herself, has stepped outside of her usual game, and assured her coach on several such occasions that she was focused and would get back to her solid play.  Not all good players are capable of doing that, but most top-notch players are.  Just one of those intangibles that doesn't show up in the stats, which she 

already has plenty of.  One thing we don't understand, however, is why King always looks like she's having a personal battle with her uniform.  She kept hiking up her short legs during the course of the game, and as the game got tighter and tighter, the shorts got higher and higher.  What's up with that, Rachel?  ;-)  We think the suspense was getting to her.  As she was quoted in one of the news stories, she "was having a coronary" when that final shot went up.  Hey Rachel, we're just glad you kept your shorts on and didn't do a modified "Brandy Chastain" in front of the Hinkle crowd!  

The evening games gave quite a different look to the Hinkle Fieldhouse, with the upper areas of the arena cloaked in darkness and the main focus on the lighted floor.  The 3A game was not as nip and tuck at the end as the first two games, but it had it's own drama.  After suffering an ACL tear in the semi-state final against Griffith, Columbia City senior standout Connie Myers was not expected to play in the state finals game.  But she was not to be denied the experience.  Bravely she gave it her best, and although she was able to play and dished out a team-high 5 assists, she was not able to play her usual game, and it showed in the final score.  Some of the slack in scoring was picked up by fellow senior Brooksie King, who had 22 points and 7 rebounds in a very impressive all-out effort, but it wasn't enough down the stretch when Cathedral pulled away in the final quarter to seal a 14-point win.   The Columbia City crowd, we judged, was the biggest crowd of the day.  A curtain of maroon and gold attired fans draped the northeast portion of Hinkle from the very top row to the floor seats in an outstanding show of support.

Although Cathedral's Ellen Rehme was deservedly given MVP honors in the 3A game with a very good 15-point, 8-rebound performance, another performance worthy of mention is that of Irish junior forward Jill Corbett.  Assists, which are key to a well-balanced attack like that of Cathedral's, was Corbett's forte, with a team-high of five.  Besides the 5 assists, 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, Corbett's value to her team may be more of the type that Luers' King brings to hers -- high energy, hustle and leadership.  As any coach would tell you, it's the intangibles that separate the good players from the great players, and it's those great players that elevate the championship teams over the others.

Another player who impressed us with her total lack of fear was Columbia City sophomore Beth Moore.  Those of you who saw the game will remember her as the girl with the floppy pig tails, which were going up and down at a furious rate throughout the game.  Even though she suffered 7 of her team's 23 turnovers at the hands of Cathedral's smothering press, she just kept coming back for more, determined to play her best regardless of putting herself out there in front of an entire state tournament crowd.  We expect this young lady will make her own mark next season after surviving the pressure of a difficult state finals game.

RRR Side note:  After the first half of the 3A game, I realized that in order to get some decent photos for our RRR state tournament report, I would have to weasel my way near the court, despite the lack of a press pass.  Using my camouflage basketball mom looks, I was able to do just that and ended up seated on the floor near the south bench and the Gatorade cooler.  Although I had to put up with flying cheerleader legs on timeouts and a wet seat from sitting near the water trough, I couldn't have asked for a better view unless I was actually sitting on the bench next to the players.  Although I tried to be as invisible as possible, I was almost chased away right before the 4A game, but a nice fellow in charge took pity on me and figured I would do no harm where I was since I'd already been there most of the night.  (Again, my average basketball mom looks save the day.)  As a result, we were able to get some pretty good pix.  I can't put them all here in our news, but we'll be putting them together soon for you to view in a photo gallery of the state finals.  (I'm definitely applying for a press pass next season.)

After waiting forever through the net-cutting ritual after the 3A game (they REALLY need to find some scissors sharper than a butter knife to make that go a bit faster), the big game of the day was next.  Being very close to the Ben Davis bench, I was keeping a close eye on how the Giants were preparing themselves for the big test of the season.  Ranked No. 1 in the state throughout the season, as well as No. 3 in the nation by USA Today, a lot was at stake.  It's not always easy living up to the top billing.  After warmups and while the Valpo team was being announced, the starting five for BD sat together, hands intertwined, waiting for their introductions.  The contrast in conditions ran the gamut, from Allison Cox shaking from head to toe like a leaf, to Shyra Ely, who looked like she was waiting for a haircut instead of the biggest game of her young career.  I already knew that the Valpo team was expectedly on edge, except for Dana Lippelt, who had other problems.  A quick conversation with Valpo assistant coach Kathy Levandoski before the game revealed that Lippelt had been up until 2:00 a.m. that morning paying homage to the porcelain god due to an episode with the flu.  

I told Coach Lev that it might be good for Dana since a lot of kids play better when they're sick, and that I'd seen it happen a hundred times.   The reply was her hope that I'd get to see it for the 101st time.  Well the flu didn't hinder Lippelt's game, who gave her usual tough effort on defense, but there are some things even Lippelt's awesome defense can't contain, and one of them was the also awesome offense of Ashley Allen from Ben Davis.  As we all know, the 4A tournament MVP was the deciding factor in the closing seconds of the game, coming up with two big buckets that sealed the deal for the Giants after trailing with less than a minute to go.  Allen, despite playing with 4 fouls at the end of the game, came up with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

The battle of the senior All Star candidates in this game went head-to-head, with Erin Sampsel of Valpo guarding Sara Strahm of Ben Davis pretty much throughout the game.  While Strahm's season-long performance as the anchor of the Ben Davis team will most likely get her an All Star spot, it is the excellent tournament run of Sampsel that should give her a lock on the team as well.  Sampsel was outstanding in her final high school game, with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.  As Coach Greg Kirby said after the game, "She's really the most important reason that we're 25-2."

The Junior All Star team should be a very strong one this year, with Allen and Ely anchoring the group.  Ely is currently ranked the No. 1 junior in the nation by a number of publications and rating services, while Allen appears in the top 15 or 20 in those same publications as well.  Making a bid for the Junior All Stars in this game was Valpo's Courtney Rosenbaum, who led all scorers in the game with 22 points and 11 rebounds.  Despite being outmatched athletically by Ely (who can jump small buildings with a single bound) Rosenbaum played her usual blue collar game that is based on floor smarts and pure desire, more than anything else.  It sure would be great to see these two play on the same team instead of against each other.  I think the Senior All Stars will have their work cut out for them in those practice games this year...

Most people would think that Ely, with all the media attention she receives both locally and nationally, would have a head as big as the balloon that recently tried to circle the globe from the Midwest.  But just the opposite.  Having spent a little bit of time around this young lady during the off-season in AAU, we can tell you that she is a very nice and unselfish individual.  She comes from a great family that keeps her grounded and she is often quick to credit her teammates for her team's success.  You would also think that the presence of another superstar like Allen on the Ben Davis team would be cause for some friction, but Ely's comments after the game were telling:  "Ashley is a great player and she just had an awesome game.  It was her game to shine, and she did." (Indianapolis Star)  Ely is being hotly recruited by a number of D1 programs around the country, and even though the girl can PLAY, no doubt her attitude is also what makes her such a hot commodity among the top programs.  She's without a doubt the total package.

The Valpo v. Ben Davis game was all of us up here in the Region thought it would be -- a complete contrast of styles that pitted a game based upon athleticism and offense against a game based upon fundamentals and defense.  Early on in the game, Coach Kirby's game strategy seemed to be paying off.  Even though the Vikings were not in total control throughout the game, they controlled early on, playing straight-up defense and using the same fundamentals that had gotten them to the finals.   Getting Cox, Strahm, Allen and Ely into foul trouble and off the floor early was key.   With a 6-0 foul count in the first quarter, Valpo was in bonus very early and often.  It paid off in a big way throughout the game, with the Vikings converting 14 of 20 free throw attempts compared to BD's 4 of 6.  Had the Vikings come out on top, that would have been pointed to as the deciding factor in the game.  But that is how Valpo has been winning games all season long.

Credit goes to the officials of the 4A game as well, who, going in, were facing an incredible task -- allowing the game to flow, yet keeping the action in check with a mix of two very different styles.  The officials did a great job of not letting BD's athleticism go unchecked against the excellent positioning of the Valpo team, giving all other teams in the state hope that basketball is still a game with very definite rules.  Position and fundamentals count for something and the officials were mindful of that throughout the game.  However, credit goes to the Ben Davis squad who adjusted to the calls late in the game, the kind of which they probably did not see too much of during the season.  That just goes to show what a great team they were in the end to pull out the win.

How tough is the Duneland Conference, from which Valpo hails?  Valpo escaped the clutches of DAC foe Portage, who had a chance to send Valpo home in the first round of sectional play with two freebies and less than a second on the clock.  And even though the Vikings miraculously escaped that one by no action of their own, they almost fell again two nights later to upstart LaPorte, who was ahead in the fourth quarter of semi-final sectional play before the Vikings pulled out a win.  Even during the season, the competition in the DAC was tough, with Crown Point coming the closest to defeating a complete Valpo squad in a 3-point battle of defenses.  But there can be no denying Valpo's obvious improvement throughout the tournament series from Sectional Game 1 to the state finals.  They were a team of destiny, not knowing their own strength until challenged to use it, giving true meaning to the phrase, "rising to the occasion."  Congrats on a great run, Valpo!  You did the Region proud.

In case you missed it elsewhere, here are the AP All-Tournament honors bestowed upon the following players in the four divisions:
   
1A - Missy Nifong (MVP), Ashli Senff, and Brandie Ganshorn of Triton; Jessica Brock and Jennifer Brock of Rising Sun.
   
2A - Rachel King (MVP), Carrie Stine, and Jennie Moppert of Luers; Heather Kress and Sara Van Winkle of Forest Park.
   
3A - Ellen Rehme (MVP), Jill Corbett, Asjah Zinnerman and Sharika Webb of Cathedral; Brooksie King of Columbia City.
   
4A - Ashley Allen (MVP), Shyra Ely and Sara Strahm of Ben Davis; Courtney Rosenbaum and Erin Sampsel of Valparaiso.

I was going to give you some info on the Big Ten Tournament action as well, but we'll save that for another day.

We'll be giving you our own take on Saturday's entire day of events from the state finals later this week, including a LOT of pictures, but for now, here is the wrap-up of news we've found about the subject on-line. 

State finals on-line feature stories:
   
Official IHSAA stats, results and quotes for 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A
Heart-breaker doesn't mean sun won't rise in Rising Sun - Indy Star
Nifong celebrates twice (1A) - SB Tribune
Triton fans feel the hoops frenzy (1A) - SB Tribune
Trojans had faith in bench (1A) - SB Tribune
Giant effort put forth by Valparaiso in state finals (4A) - Post-Tribune
Take a bow, ladies (4A) - The Times
Sampsel sets the tone (4A) - The Times

We weren't at the computer too much over the weekend to get these to you in a timely way, but there was some good pre-game coverage that, in retrospect,  hit some of the deciding game factors on the head.  Others were a total miss.  Either way, it's interesting reading.
   
Taking flight to Indy (3A) - FW Sentinel
Bishop Luers sister act (2A) - FW Sentinel
Class 4A Ben Davis seeks unbeaten season - Kokomo Tribune
Triton keeps basketball all in the family (1A) - Warsaw Times-Union
Ben Davis' Allen may be difference (4A) - Indy Star
Columbia City missing star for Cathedral clash (3A) - Indy Star
Forest Park gets its shot at tourney redemption (2A) - Indy Star
Triton faces a tall order against Rising Sun (1A) - Indy Star

The IHSAA First Silver Era team was recognized at the half-time of the 3A championship game on Saturday.  Among the honorees was East Chicago Roosevelt stan