BOYS STATE BASKETBALL FINALS AT CONSECO SATURDAY

It all began back on February 26, when a field of 384 teams set their sites on a trip to Conseco Fieldhouse on March 23. Showtime is finally here and that field has been whittled down to the final-eight who have a date to decide the boys state basketball champs for the 2001-02 season.

In 4A, in what was reputed to be a rebuilding year for Pike under a new head coach, the Red Devils are back once again and looking their second straight title and third overall. Larry Bullington is the new man in charge and his squad is led by a pair of juniors, Justin Cage (12.5) and Darren Yates (12.4).

Gary West started off on the wrong foot, losing the opening game of the season, and along the way picked up three other losses, but John Boyd’s team has hustled its way back to the state finals for the first time in thirty years, having lost to Connersville in 1972 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

In 3A, Harding, under the guidance of Al Gooden, struggled early on during the regular season, sporting a 6-3 record, before winning nine straight and 17 of their next 18 to advance to the state finals. The Hawks won it all in 2A last year, beating Batesville 73-70. This season, they have moved up a notch and haven’t missed a beat in returning to Conseco Fieldhouse.

Delta will provide the opposition for Harding on Saturday. Paul Keller’s unit has the highest number of losses among the final-eight field, six, against twenty-one victories. Two of those losses came in the first four games. The Eagles then lost two of their last four outings and are one of two unranked teams (Gary West) to make the finals. Delta has only one double-figure scorer, senior Kelly Robbins, who averages 19.6 ppg.

In 2A, Bluffton began the season unranked, but after stumbling in the season’s opener for head coach, Wayne Barker, and twice more along the way, including their third from last regular season contest, has outlasted the rest of the field in their semi-state bracket to earn their way into the state finals for the first time since 1932 when the format took the “Sweet-16” to the finals.

Speedway is the opposition for the Tigers on Saturday. The Sparkplugs raced off to victories in their first five games of the season, before finishing second in back-to-back races to the final gun. In fact, at one point, Trent Lehman’s crew lost three of five, but is still alive and searching for the first-ever state championship in any sport for the school, located in the shadow of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In class A, a terrific matchup, at least on paper, awaits the fans of the opening game on Saturday as Rossville and Barr-Reeve take center stage.

Rossville reached the #1 spot in the class A rankings during the season and finished up ranked number-two in the final Associated Press Poll. The Hornets began the season with eight straight “W”s, before losing two of four. They ended the season playing .500 ball under head coach, Jeff Henley, losing two of their last four to a pair of ranked teams, including then-class A number-one, Lafayette Central Catholic. They avenged that loss to the Knights in the regional championship game and are now in the finals as the highest scoring team in the final-eight field. They are led in scoring by seniors Justin Chittick (21.5) and Brock Graves (16.5)

Barr-Reeve comes into state finals play as the #3 rated team in class A. After opening the season with a 3-2 record, Bryan Hughes watched his team win eight in a row and finish up the season with twelve straight victories and their initial semi-state title. The Vikings have the best tournament defensive average of the teams coming to town on Saturday, allowing their opponents an average of only 41.1 ppg. during tourney play. They have a trio of double-figure scorers in junior Zane Bowman (13.1), seniors Darren Wilcher (13.0) and Bryan Cole (10.7).

2002 BOYS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS PAIRINGS

STATE FINALS PAIRINGS

Saturday, March 23 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Ticket Information: Session $10.00 Season $15.00

Reserved tickets can be purchased at the participating schools the week of the state finals. Contact those schools for ticket distribution hours. Tickets also will be available game day at the ticket office at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Session I ----------

Class A Championship

10:30 a.m. – Rossville (22-4) vs. Barr-Reeve (24-4)

Class 2A Championship

12:30 p.m. (approx.) – Bluffton (24-3) vs. Speedway (21-4)

Session II ----------

Class 3A Championship

6:30 p.m. -- Harding (23-4) vs. Delta (21-6)

Class 4A Championship

8:30 p.m. (approx.) – Gary West (22-4) vs. Pike (24-3)

To catch up on all the former boys state champs, simply log on to Indiana Boys Basketball Champions

CHESTERTON GIRLS GYMNASTICS CHAMPS AGAIN

It was another impressive performance for the top-rated Chesterton girls gymnastics team again Saturday, March 16, as they captured their third state championship at Perry Meridian High School in the 30^th Annual Girls Gymnastics State Finals.

The Trojans rang up 111.350 points, outdistancing second-place Fort Wayne Dwenger (109.225) and Merrillville (106.925). Carmel finished fourth, with Forth Wayne Northrop, McCutcheon, Bloomington South and New Castle completing the eightsome.

Lauren West led the way for Chesterton with a first-place finish for the second year in a row on the uneven parallel bars and a top spot on the beam. The junior also took home third place honors in the vault and tied for sixth in the floor exercise. Lauren was the all-around winner for the day with 38.175 points, just ahead of second place finisher, sophomore Amanda Bircher of Hobart, who totaled 37.550.

Sophomore Niccole Van Hoey of Fort Wayne Dwenger grabbed top honors in the Vault with a 9.650 mark. She also was runner-up on the bar and tied for sixth in the all-around.

Jenna Tarkington, a junior from Northwestern was the top performer in the floor exercise with a 9.575 total, beating out sophomore Kaci Abel from Bloomington South and Katie Tanis, a junior from Merrillville.

Nicole Howe, a junior and last year’s champion on the balance bean and all-around, finished tenth in her trip to the finals in the beam in 2002 and did not compete in the all-around.

Chesterton becomes the second three-time champion in girls gymnastics, joining Connersville. Homestead is the state’s all-time leader in championship trophies with six, followed by Valparaiso with five and Perry Meridian with four.

For a look at the top-10 in each event, log on to http://www.ihsaa.org/g-gymnastics/02StateResults.htm

Carrie Best wins Mildred M. Ball Mental Attitude Award

Carrie Best of Angola was named winner of the Mildred M. Ball Mental Attitude Award. Best finished fourth

on the uneven bars, tied for fourteenth on the balance beam, sixth in the floor exercise, tied for fifteenth on the

vault and finished ninth in the all-around.

The award is presented to an outstanding senior participant in the Gymnastics State Finals who was nominated

by her principal and coach and must excel in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in

gymnastics.

Best ranks 20^th in her class of 189, has been on the Honor Roll for every grading period of her high school

career. She is a candidate for the Academic Honors diploma at Angola, taking a strong college prep curriculum

with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. Her grandfather was a longtime teacher and school

principal. She is a two-year member of the National Honor Society.

Best has also lettered in diving and track and, this year, earned her fourth varsity letter in gymnastics. She has been a gymnastics state qualifier six times outside the Angola school program and four times as a member of the Hornets. She has been named Most Valuable Player on the gymnastics squad three times.

Carrie is the daughter of Susan and Jim Best.

Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Angola High School

in the name of this year’s mental attitude award winner, Carrie Best.

ICGSA 2002 BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS

The Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association has announced the following awards:

District Coaches of the Year

District 1 Kevin Brown North Judson

District 2 Jeff Hoover Northwestern

District 3 Jodi Whitaker Lawrence North

District 4 Todd Salkoski Shenandoah

District 5 Greg Werner Washington Catholic

Coaches with 100 Victories

Mike Hippensteel Hamilton Heights 100 wins

Todd Salkoski Shenandoah 100 wins

State Coach of the Year (by class)

4A Alan Maroska Terre Haute South

3A Ken Markful Andrean

2A Donna Cheatham Southwestern

1A Jerry Bechtold Hebron

All-State First Team

Shanna Zolman Wawasee

Sharika Webb Cathedral

Katie Gearlds Beech Grove

Cyndi Valentin Bloomington South

Reicina Russell Terre Haute South

Jenny Pfeiffer Jennings County

Candace Dark Fountain Central

Alex Webster Crown Point

Lauren Bechtold Hebron

Carol Duncan NorthWood

All-State Second Team

Jessica Wright Cathedral

Cindi Merrill Noblesville

Brianna Howard Southwestern (Hanover)

Melanie Boeglin Terre Haute South

Jennifer Rath Vincennes Lincoln

Mandy Geryak Martinsville

Amanda Engleking Tri-County

Carrie Smith Brebeuf

Megan Dossen Fort Wayne Luers

Jessica Sherer Triton Central

SHANNA ZOLMAN NAMED MISS BASKETBALL

To the surprise of no one who followed girls basketball during the 2001-02 season, Shanna Zolman of Wawasee has been named Miss Basketball for the state of Indiana. During the season, Zolman became the girls career leading scorer with 3,085 points and, in fact, number-two overall all-time behind only Damon Bailey’s 3,134.

Zolman led the state in scoring during the 2001-02 season with 846 points and a 33.8 average in twenty-five games. For her four-year career with the Warriors, she averaged 33.2 points.

A finalist for the Naismith National High School Player of the Year Award, the University of Tennessee will showcase Zolman’s talents over the next four seasons, following her appearances in the McDonalds’s All-American Game in New York on April 4, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America Game on April 6 in Hartford, Connecticut and the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Games on June 15 in Owensboro, Kentucky and June 22 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

OPENING PITCH FOR BOYS BASEBALL NEXT MONDAY

Baseball season officially gets underway on Monday, March 25, with the arrival of the first authorized date games can be played. This year’s sectional tournament runs from May 27 through June 1, with the regionals on June 8 and the state finals slated for June 14 and 15.

The defending state champions include Triton in Class A, Northfield in 2A, Indianapolis Cathedral in 3A and Penn in 4A.

Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Pre-Season Polls

CLASS 4A class 3a class 2a class a

	School	School	School	School
1	Lafayette Harrison	Plymouth	Speedway	Tecumseh
2	Valparaiso	Jasper	Evansville Mater Dei	Barr-Reeve
3	Brownsburg	Evansville Memorial	Cass	Cowan
4	Castle	Andrean	Boone Grove	(t)Riverton Parke
5	LaPorte	Griffith	Northeastern	(t)Washington Twp.
6	Richmond	Pendleton Heights	(t)Hagerstown	Ft. Wayne Blackhawk
7	Muncie Centra	Bellmont	(t)Eastbrook	Laf. Cntl. Catholic
8	Munster	Chatard	Covington	North Daviess
9	Penn	Ft. Wayne Concordia	Linton-Stockton	Monroe Central
10	New Albany	(t)Gibson Southern	Churubusco	Shakamak
		(t)Benton Central

BOYS GOLF SEASON TEES OFF NEXT MONDAY

The boys state high school golf season will tee off on Monday, March 25. Mishawaka Marian claimed its first IHSAA title in boys golf in 2001 with a record score of 589. Sectional action is reserved for May 30, June 1 or 3. Regionals will be contested locally on Saturday, June 8. The 2002 state finals will be held at the Legends of Indiana golf course on June 12 & 13.

GIRLS TAKE TO THE TENNIS COURTS NEXT MONDAY

The ladies will open up tennis competition on Monday, March 25, with the team state finals on June 1 and the individual state finals, singles and doubles, on June 7, 8 already on their minds.

Last season, Park Tudor senior Katie Martzolf completed an outstanding high school career by winning her record fourth consecutive state championship, thus becoming just the second player to capture four state titles joining Castle's Lenae Renschler who won four straight from 1983-86.

The North Central team of junior Karin Agness and freshman Hillary Friedman claimed the state title in doubles competition.

In team totals, Terre Haute South led the way to its first team championship in any sport in 30 years as an IHSAA member school following consecutive runner-up finishes in the state tourney.

GIRLS SOFTBALL SEASON UNDERWAY

With still a hint of winter weather in the air but spring just around the corner, the first contest date for the 2002 IHSAA girls softball season was Monday, March 18. Forest Park, pre-season ranked #1, Roncalli, unranked at the moment, and Castle, #2 in the initial poll, are all lined up to defend titles they accomplished last year.

Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Pre-Season Softball Polls

CLASS 3A class 2a class a

	School	School	School
1	Lake Central	Mt Vernon	Forest Park
2	Castle	Blackford	Indianapolis Lutheran
3	Pendleton Heights	Cass	Pioneer
4	Lafayette Jeff	Gibson Southern	Eastside
5	Center Grove	Salem	(t)Shenandoah
6	Portage	Woodlan	(t)Tecusmseh
7	Boonville	Evansville Memorial	Riverton Parke
8	Valparaiso	Twin Lakes	(t)Frankton
9	DeKalb	Western	(t)Orleans
10	Ft. Wayne Northrop	Hanover Central	Bremen

The 2002 Girls State Softball Tournament begins with sectional play on May 20^th. Regional play is slated for June 1^st and the state finals on June 7^th and 8^th.

MILESTONES

With his 35 points against Speedway in the Indianapolis Semi-State last Saturday, senior Anthony Winchester of Austin closed out his career with 2,256 points, moving him to number-ten all-time on the Indiana boys career scoring list.

Seth Colclasure of Bellmont has become the nation’s most accurate foul shooter in high school basketball history. This year he was 143/156 (.916). For his career, he was 511/546 (.935). The national record, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, was held by Steve Drabyn of LaPorte, whose career mark was .921 from 1997 to 2000.

IHSAA OVERTIME

Jim Hinga, former basketball, football and track coach at West Lafayette and Fort Wayne North High Schools, as well as former assistant professor, assistant track and football coach and head basketball coach at Ball State University, passed away March 11 in Naples, Florida. Hinga was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983. He was 78.

Warren Central Athletic Director, Jerry Stauffer, has announced his intention to retire at the end of the current academic school year. Stauffer guided the Warriors to back-to-back state football championships in 1984 and 1985.

Ron Lawson, athletic director at Indianapolis Northwest for the past nine years, has announced his intent to resign that position at the end of the school year and will return to the classroom.

Larry Schellenberg has announced his resignation as boys head basketball coach at Floyd Central.

John Bradley has announced his resignation as boys head basketball coach at Henryville.

Jacqueline Batteast , former Indiana All-Star from South Bend Washington, now a member of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team, has been named National Freshman of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers’ Association.

Jeff Hoover is stepping down as girls head basketball coach at Northwestern.

Carmel boys head basketball coach, Pete Smith, has submitted a letter of resignation from that position with the Greyhounds.

Elkhart Central has announced that the head football coach for the Blazers for the past 36 seasons, Tom Kurth, will retire from coaching at the end of the 2001-02 school year, but will remain at the school as an instructor of physical education and health.

Sophomore A.J. Graves set the White River Valley school single-game scoring record with 42 points against Hauser in the afternoon game of the White River Valley regional, breaking the record he had set against Washington in the final regular season contest.

Carey Jones has resigned as boys head basketball coach at Rochester.

Andrean has chosen Chesterton assistant coach, Wally McCormack, as its new head football coach, replacing Jeff Karras who resigned in January after taking the Fighting 59ers to the class 3A title game.

Roger Dickinson, Executive Director of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, has announced the eight teams which will be competing in the 2003 Hall of Fame Classic at Chrysler Arena in New Castle. On December 27, in girls action, Beech Grove will meet Terre Haute South and Southwestern (Hanover) will play Shenandoah. The boys take to the court on December 28 with Perry Meridian facing off against DeKalb and Lebanon battling Hammond Bishop Noll.

Rob Robertson is the new head football coach at Triton Central. For the past two seasons, he has been an assistant under Joe Fussell, who resigned after fourteen years.

The Indiana High School Swimming Coaches Association has chosen Andy Pedersen of Hamilton Southeastern and Susan House of East Central as coaches of the year.

Laura Shaw, a member of the original Bedford North Lawrence girls tennis team, has been named girls head tennis coach with the Stars.

Northview has hired George Gettle, former offensive coordinator at Bloomington South, to be its new head football coach, filling the position left vacant by the resignation of Gary Witham in December.

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, March 23: Boys Basketball Finals

Monday, March 25: 1^st contest date for baseball, boys golf and girls tennis