Indiana High School Athletic Association

9150 North Meridian Street, Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650

Phone: 317-846-6601    Fax: 317-575-4244    Website: www.ihsaa.org

Blake Ress, Commissioner

_____________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA INFORMATION                                                                      March 1, 2006

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director                                                                    

E-Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org

 

 

MANY NEW FACES IN GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS SATURDAY

Six teams who have never advanced to this level of the tournament, including one school making its first trip in any sport, and one other looking to add to its record number of state titles, make up the field for Saturday’s Girls Basketball State Finals at Conseco Fieldhouse.

 

South Central (Elizabeth), the southern entry in the Class A championship game, is making its very first state appearance in an IHSAA team sport (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball). The Rebels will face Lafayette Central Catholic, also a first-time participant in the girls finals, which has the distinction of being the first team to advance to the finals with more than seven regular season losses. The Knights started the season 0-5 but have rebounded to a 17-10 mark.

 

The 2A contest features unranked Westview, winners of 12 straight contests, against top-ranked Heritage Christian. The Eagles are making their second appearance in the state finals in three years. They finished as the 2A state runner-up in 2004.

 

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers will be gunning for a record fifth state championship in their sixth state finals appearance this weekend. No other school has more than three titles and the Knights have done all their damage since 1999. Their 3A opponent will be Evansville Memorial, another first time participant. Memorial is one of two teams from the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference in these finals.

 

The other, league champion Castle, earned a berth in the 4A state championship game and is riding a 14-game win streak. Its opponent will be top-ranked South Bend Washington which has lost but once this season, that coming at a Thanksgiving tournament in Illinois.

 

For more information on all eight state finalist teams, please use this PDF file.

 

 

The 31st Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Finals

Date: Saturday, March 4.

Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis.

Conseco Fieldhouse | Seating Chart | Driving Directions | Parking | Fieldhouse History & Facts | Indy Hotels & Dining

Admission: Session $10.00; Season $18.00. Reserved tickets can be purchased at the participating schools the week of the state finals. Contact participating schools for ticket distribution hours. Tickets also will be available game day at the ticket office at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Home Team: The winner of the north semi-state game will be the designated home team.

Internet: Audio streaming for all four state championship contests will be available to fans around the globe via the IHSAA’s Official Internet Voice, www.hoosierauthority.com.

Television: A list of Indiana Cable Network affiliates broadcasting all four games is listed below.

Radio: A list of IHSAA Championship Radio Network affiliates and the games each will carry is provided below.

 

Session I

10:36 a.m. EST – Class A – Lafayette Central Catholic (17-10) vs. South Central (Elizabeth) (23-5).

Approx. 12:30 p.m. EST – Class 2A – Westview (24-3) vs. Heritage Christian (24-3).

Session II

6:06 p.m. EST – Class 3A – Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (23-4) vs. Evansville Memorial (23-4).

Approx. 8 p.m. EST – Class 4A – South Bend Washington (25-1) vs. Castle (24-3).

 

 

Public Entrance -- The public may enter from Pennsylvania Street or Delaware Street into a common lobby on the north side of Conseco Fieldhouse. Ticket office windows are located there.

 

Media Hosts: IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille and Communications Director Joe Gentry, along with assistants Mike Wilson and Amber Feldman, will be on hand to assist in your coverage of the state meet.

 

Media Work Room -- As in previous years, the media workroom at Conseco Fieldhouse will be open all day and be available to working media members. The work area contains complimentary phones that will accept credit card and 800 calls. Soft drinks and snacks will be available.

 

Media Entrance -- To gain admittance, the 2005-06 IHSAA Girls Basketball State Finals Media Media Credential is required. The entrance is in the southeast corner of Conseco Fieldhouse adjacent to Delaware Street. The door is marked for Media and Employees and is located at the opposite end of the building from the public entrance. Please allow a few extra minutes to pass through security.

 

Press Seating – Except specific outlets with designated phone lines are marked, an open seating policy is used on the west side of Conseco Fieldhouse.

 

Results and Statistics – Both will be posted to the IHSAA website as soon as possible after the game. Stats and box scores will be distributed at the end of each quarter on press row as well as in the media work room.

 

No Children, Please – With the exception of high school students representing their school’s newspaper, yearbook, radio or television station, and who have a team participating, no young people or children will be issued  media credentials or be allowed in the working media area.

 

Post Game Guidelines and Procedures

With the exception of the IHSAA’s Official Photographer – Visual Sports Network, the Indiana Cable Network, the IHSAA Championship Radio Network and the IHSAA Internet partner, all media members are asked to remain off the floor during the post-game ceremonies.

 

The post-game ceremonies order will be as follows:

  • Mental Attitude Award presentation
  • Runner-Up medals and trophy presentation
  • Championship medals and trophy presentation
  • Team Photographs by Visual Sports Network

 

Following the Class A, 2A and 3A awards ceremonies, coaches and selected players will be escorted to the Media Interview Room for a formal press conference which is located on playing floor level just off the media entrance elevator. We ask your assistance to use the press conference as the appropriate time to conduct interviews. The runner-up team coach and selected players will go first followed by the championship team coach and players.

 

Because of newspaper deadline issues at the end of the 4A contest, no press conference will be scheduled and news media will be allowed to conduct interviews on and around the floor after the awards ceremonies. For those working on deadline, the IHSAA will distribute “quick quotes” in the media work room taken from the IHSAA Television and Radio Network interviews as soon as possible after the game.

 

 

BRYCE HELLER TO BE HONORED AS TOP OFFICIAL ON SATURDAY

A 22-year veteran official, LaGrange resident Bryce Heller is the 2006 recipient of the Interscholastic Athletic Official Association Award for excellence in the sport of girls basketball.

 

Heller will be honored in a special ceremony during Saturday’s state finals. During his career, he has 19 sectionals, 15 regionals, 10 semi-states and four state finals assignments to his credit.

 

Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of 11 sports during the school year.

 

Heller was nominated for this award by his peers from the Tri-State Officials Association, one of 26 associations located throughout Indiana made up of men and women who give up much of their personal time to assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile and healthy activities for the student-athletes of our state. This honor comes as a result of Heller’s selection by a committee representing those 26 associations. Statewide, there are almost 7,500 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11 sports.

 

A 22-year member of the Tri-State association, Heller has served as Secretary for 12 years and as basketball chairman for three years during his career.

 

He is a 1974 graduate of Lakeland High School, earning his bachelor’s from Tri-State University in 1978 and his master’s from Indiana University in 1988. Heller has served as an educator for 27 years at Prairie Heights Community Schools.

 

He has been married to his wife, Juli, for 14 years. He has four children, Courtney, 20, Karissa, 17, Aubree, 12, and Jacob, 8.

 

 

STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS (as of Tuesday, February 28, 2006)

The following lists of statistical leaders are compiled from information contained at Stats & Go, the IHSAA’s exclusive athletic statistics reporting and publishing service. The IHSAA encourages each of its member schools to participate by registering for free at www.statsandgo.com and updating team and individual statistics by 4 p.m. each Monday of the season.

 

Points per game

 

Name

School (Class)

Grade

G

FG

3FG

FTM

Points

High

PPG

1.

Megan King

Fort Wayne Canterbury (A)

11

24

236

28

178

678

43

28.3

2.

Mallory Gorski

South Central (Union Mills) (A)

12

22

223

23

119

588

51

26.7

3.

Samantha Stahl

Owen Valley (3A)

11

24

226

23

152

627

37

26.1

4.

Angie Bush

Morgan Township (A)

12

24

196

31

129

552

37

23.0

5.

Kyleigh Jones

Elwood (3A)

12

24

179

39

148

545

42

22.7

6.

Caitlyn Vann

Muncie Burris (2A)

11

19

157

29

81

424

38

22.3

7.

Susan Lester

Pendleton Heights (3A)

12

24

208

27

137

526

37

22.0

8.

Becca Bruszewski

Wheeler (2A)

11

21

173

21

90

457

35

21.8

9.

Alyssa Pittman

Elkhart Memorial (4A)

12

25

192

63

94

541

32

21.6

10.

Stephanie Wagner

Jimtown (2A)

11

22

150

18

146

464

26

21.2

T11.

Sarah Bassler

Southport (4A)

11

18

131

30

81

373

38

20.7

T11.

Skylar Diggins

South Bend Washington (4A)

9

26

188

58

105

539

43

20.7

T11.

Andi Winney

Yorktown (3A)

12

21

169

0

96

434

35

20.7

14.

Brittany Schoen

South Central (Elizabeth) (A)

10

28

267

65

106

574

36

20.5

15.

Fahkara Malone

Evansville Memorial (4A)

12

27

253

42

105

548

34

20.3

16.

Amanda Stull

Rushville (3A)

12

27

181

10

171

543

30

20.1

17.

Jessica Huffman

Whiteland  (3A)

12

21

163

27

65

418

33

19.9

T18.

Ashley Chase

Switzerland County (2A)

12

22

154

17

101

426

29

19.4

T18.

Shelby Ross

Columbus East (4A)

11

22

165

40

56

426

27

19.4

20.

Carrie Giltz

Batesville (3A)

12

21

162

7

72

403

40

19.2

 

Rebounds per game

 

Name

School (Class)

Grade

G

Off

Def

Total

High

RPG

1.

Ta’Shia Phillips

Brebeuf Jesuit (3A)

11

23

108

195

303

22

13.2

2.

Maria Roller

Medora (A)

12

21

93

176

269

23

12.8

3.

Alexandra Guyton

Bloomington North (4A)