Phone: 317-846-6601 Fax: 317-575-4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
_________________________________________________________________________
March 3, 2007
PHILLIPS LEADS BREBEUF
JESUIT TO SECOND 3A TITLE IN FOUR YEARS
Led by
senior McDonald’s All-American Ta’Shia Phillips, the Brebeuf Jesuit
Braves captured the Class 3A state title by defeating the Wawasee Warriors,
51-43. It was the second state championship for the Braves as they also took
home the trophy in 2004.
At 6-6,
Phillips dominated the inside finishing the night with 29 points and 9
rebounds. She also set a Class 3A championship game record with eight blocks.
Junior Ivie Obeime added nine points and eight rebounds for the Braves’
effort.
Defense and
turnovers set the tone for the first half with both teams running up and down
the floor setting a hectic pace. A scrappy Wawasee team pulled down 12
offensive rebounds in the opening half but Brebeuf Jesuit held a 20-19
advantage at halftime. Phillips tallied 14 points and three rebounds in the
first 16 minutes. Sophomore Taylor Goshert hit three three-pointers in the
third quarter as the teams were locked at 38-38 entering the fourth. Phillips
took over the final eight minutes as she recorded five points, five rebounds
and four blocks.
The
Warriors tenacious defense created 22 turnovers but the inside game of the
Braves, who scored 36 of their 51 points in the paint, proved too much.
Brebeuf
Jesuit (23-6), which also defeated Wawasee, 58-53, on December 23, was coached
by Kendall Kreinhagen. She is in her fifth season with the Braves and was also
at the helm for the Braves’ 2004 championship run.
Wawasee,
led by ninth year coach Kem Zolman was making its first appearance in the state
finals since 1985. The Warriors finished the season with a record of 22-4. They
were led by Goshert who ended the night with 13 points and junior guard Kalyn
Lantz chipped in with 10. Senior Shawn Knafel finished with seven rebounds.
WAWASEE’S
MEGAN WALKER NAMED MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER
Following
the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Megan Walker of
The award is
presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was
nominated by her principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental
attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.
Besides
basketball, she also participates in soccer and softball and is expected to
graduate with 12 varsity letters this spring.
She is the
daughter of Kevin and Cheryl Walker of
Indiana
Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, will present a
$1,000 scholarship to Wawasee High School in the name of Walker.
The award
is named in honor of former IHSAA assistant commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who
oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until
her retirement in 1999.
VSN MEANS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Visit our
friends at Visual Sports Network, the
IHSAA’s official photographer for all state championship events and one
of the leading action photographers in the
CHAMPIONSHIP MERCHANDISE STILL AVAILABLE
For t-shirts and other merchandise commemorating this year’s tournament or for any of our events, visit our friends at Morris, Inc.
STATE FINALS PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
Couldn’t
be there for the state finals? You can still purchase a copy of the official
souvenir program while supplies last! Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in
person at the IHSAA Office (
POST-GAME
QUOTES
Kem
Zolman, Wawasee Head Coach
“I
couldn’t be prouder of a group of young ladies that in my opinion just
that if you just look at us from time to time you would see what was going on
out there. How in the world did they get
here? But I am telling you, you
can’t measure the heart the determination of a group of girls, kids that
take different roles than they’re used to in the previous years they
accept that role and they make it work.
For that I will be ever grateful for these seniors.”
“These
three seniors that we’ve had to take a different role as they have, has
just been unbelievable. The quality of
young people that we’ve got, the award that Megan (
Kendall
Kreinhagen, Brebeuf Jesuit Head Coach
“Offensively,
we wanted to work the ball around until we could we could get it into
(Ta’Shia) Phillips. When we get it into her, we know we have a good
chance of scoring. We showed good patience to do that.”
“We
fought and fought hard all game. The difference was (Ta’Shia) Phillips
and (Ivie) Obeime. Thank goodness both of them came to play tonight. The whole
team played our hearts out.”
“(Ta’Shia)
Phillips was phenomenal. She was able to sit in the post. She was so focused in
her play today and the state of
“We
are all about denial, defensively, and especially in the last quarter.”
(On
Phillips)
“What
she was offensively was the difference, but defensively every time Wawasee went
into the lane they weren’t looking to shoot. When they did, it came right
back at them.”