Phone: 317-846-6601 Fax: 317-575-4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
____________________________________________________________________
March 5, 2005
Shenandoah Wins Second Class 2A
Championship in Three Years
Shenandoah
out-scored North Judson-San Pierre, 21-9, in the fourth quarter to earn its
second IHSAA Class 2A state in title in three years with a 54-49 victory. The Raiders also won the 2003 title under
current coach Todd Salkoski.
Senior
forward Chelsea Miller scored a game-high 17 points for Shenandoah (22-5). The Raiders’ Kara Keesling, the Patricia L.
Roy Mental Attitude Award winner, added 13 points, with two of those coming on
key free throws with 18.7 seconds remaining.
Junior center Jasmine Rogers had 10 points and a game-high three blocked
shots, going a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line.
North
Judson-San Pierre (22-4) was paced by senior forward Nicole Dobson with 16
points and eight rebounds. Junior
forward Miranda Howard scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for coach John Hampton’s Bluejays.
Both teams
shot well in the second half, with Shenandoah hitting 12-20 from the field (4-6
treys) and North Judson-San Pierre going 10-19 (.526). The Bluejays used a 13-0 run late in the
first quarter and early in the second to take their biggest lead at 19-8 with
4:20 until halftime. North Judson-San
Pierre kept the lead, taking a 40-33 advantage into the final quarter.
Shenandoah
scored seven straight points to end the third quarter and start the fourth to
pull to within 40-38 with 6:34 left. The
Raiders tied the contest at 44 on a lay-up by junior guard Amber McKinley with
3:43 to go and they took the lead for good at 47-45 on a three-pointer by
McKinley at the 1:14 mark. Those five
straight points by McKinley were her only points of the contest. Shenandoah made all six free throw attempts
in the final 28 seconds to preserve the victory.
Shenandoah’s Kara Keesling wins
Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award
Shenandoah
High School senior guard Kara Keesling is the 2004-05 recipient of the Patricia
L. Roy Mental Attitude Award for Class 2A.
Keesling sealed her team’s second state championship in three years with
two key free throws with 18.7 seconds remaining, finishing the contest with 13
points.
Keesling
has helped the Raiders to three state championship game appearances in her
four-year career. She was named to the
2003 All-Tournament Team after helping Shenandoah to a state title. Keesling became the sixth player in school
history to score 1,000 points, earning all-county and all-conference honors.
Keesling
has earned 10 varsity letters in basketball, volleyball, and track. She is a Wendy’s Heisman state finalist.
Keesling
ranks third in a senior class of 84 with a 12.74 weighted cumulative grade
point average on a 12.0 scale. She is a
National Honor Society Scholarship nominee.
She is a member
of the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and the National
Society of High School Scholars. She is
active in the Henry County Teens About Serving the
Community Force. Keesling also has
volunteered with a National Honor Society Toy Drive, Senior Day of Caring, Pennies for Patients Leukemia Society, and Meals for the
elderly. She has served as a nursing
home volunteer and as an IHSAA Ambassador.
“Kara does
the very best that she can in all that she does, whether on the athletic court,
in the classroom, or the community,” said Shenandoah principal Charles
Willis. “Kara has demonstrated these
qualities throughout her high school career.”
Award
recipients, nominated by their principals and coaches, must excel in mental
attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability in basketball.
A member of
the IHSAA Executive Staff beginning in 1972, Ms. Roy was responsible for girls basketball from the inception of the tournament series
in 1976 until her retirement in 1999.
Regarded both statewide and nationally as a pioneer in girls athletics,
Roy served on the IHSAA Executive Staff longer than anyone in the history of
the Association.
Farm
Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA corporate partner, presented a $1,000.00
scholarship to Shenandoah High School in the name of Kara Keesling.
Keesling
becomes the second Shenandoah player to receive this award, with Amanda Norris
winning it in 2002-03.
Team Posters And
Individual Action Photographs Available
Visit 20-20 Photographic, the IHSAA’s
photographer and the
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
in Indy 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 (
Class 2A Game Quotes
North Judson-San Pierre Coach John
Hampton
“We came
out and got them down a little bit. They
fought back like I knew they were going to and it came down to the end. We had a great effort and I’m proud of our
team. We lost to a very good team in
Shenandoah.”
“Both teams
are coached well defensively and we knew it would be a defensive battle and that’s
what we had in the first half. In the
second half, both teams played better offensively.”
“We just
wanted to be patient and put on defensive pressure. We weren’t getting to the offense like we
wanted to until late.”
“We led by five
at halftime and when we extended it to seven, we felt pretty good. Shenandoah has battled back all year and they
hit a lot of shots in the second half.
That’s a credit to them because I thought we played pretty good
defense.”
“In the
second half, Shenandoah made its shots and was able to press us. In the first half, they missed a lot of shots
and couldn’t put pressure on us defensively.”
(On Nicole
Dobson’s three-point attempt with nine seconds left)
“We got a
good look. It was exactly what we wanted.”
Shenandoah Coach Todd Salkoski
“We were
very lucky today. We saw a very good
North Judson team control the game, having us down for most of the game. We were just fortunate to have some great
kids who work their tails off…and they had to.”
“Jessica
Green’s (#12) defense was great. Tyla
Warner’s (#21) defense was great. We got
out-rebounded again. Six times in seven
tournament games we have been out-rebounded.
Amber McKinley (#33) reminded me in the hallway, ‘It’s okay if you get
out-rebounded if you outscore the other team.’
I appreciate Amber’s help.”
“I thought
our girls fought hard and down the stretch we came up with some big plays. It doesn’t matter if it is the first or the
fourth quarter, all plays are the same.
I thought our defense played great.
I sat down last night to write down the scouting report but it was not
about them, it was about us. I love all
these girls dearly.”
On Amber
McKinley
“Amber
really responded to the challenge. We
told her at halftime she really needed to step up her game, and she did. And in turn, so did all our other girls.”
On Chelsea
Miller (#23)
“She’s been
our leading scorer the last two seasons but she had a tough first half even
ending up on the bench. She was running
over people so we told her to stop and take a jump shot instead. She hit a couple of short jumpers as North
Judson was packing the lane. She also
hit some big threes for us.”
On the
experience of the team
“You’re
looking at four seniors that just won their 91st game. They know what it takes to win, they know how
to win, and they would do anything to win.”
Kara
Keesling (#30)
“It seems
we always find ourselves in a position to have to comeback at the end of a
game.”
“I realize
I hadn’t done anything in the first quarter and I knew I needed to get some
good shots in the second. I realize
someone had to step up in the second half and I took some good shots.”
Chelsea
Miller (#23)
“(Talking
about 2003 Mental Attitude Award winner Amanda Norris) She’s a great player but
I was more worried about winning this game.
It is exciting to become the school’s leading scorer but it just has not
set in yet.”