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One team that will compete for the Class 4A state championship comes into the contest feeling like it’s right at home.

The other squad seems a bit stunned it’s in the position it’s in.

Which team is which may not be the ones you think.

Unbeaten Center Grove (28-0) and defending Class 3A champion Norwell (25-4) will cap state finals day at Gainbridge Fieldhouse when they meet for the 4A  title.

For second-ranked Center Grove, it will be making its first appearance in the state finals since winning the championship in 1996 – the second-to-last year of the one-class system.

Coach Kevin Stuckmeyer’s squad can become the first unbeaten state champ since Bedford North Lawrence pulled off that feat in 2013.

Meanwhile, sixth-ranked Norwell will take the floor at Gainbridge for the third straight season. The Knights finished as runner-up in 3A in 2024 before coming back last season to knock off Greensburg in the 3A final. Interestingly, Greensburg came into that contest unbeaten.

Should the Knights win, they would become the first Class 3A and 4A in back-to-back seasons.

So, you can surmise Norwell had an expectation of great success coming into the season. If you ask the Center Grove, this season hasn’t been completely what they expected.

“I wasn’t sure how good we’d be with all the players we lost from last year,” said senior guard Hannah Gin. “I’m still stunned we’re undefeated and everything still feels like a daydream.”

“To go through our schedule undefeated is just not likely,” Stuckmeyer said. “You can go back to our first game against Franklin Central (at 49-47 win in early November). That game could have gone either way.”

The Class 4A State Championship featuring Center Grove (28-0) and Norwell (25-4) will stream via PPV on IHSAAtv.org this Saturday at approx. 8:15 pm ET / 7:15 pm CT!

As could have a few others. Center Grove has won six games by five points or less – including a 29-26 triumph over 2024 state titlist Lawrence Central in the semistate championship.

So, what’s made it happen for Center Grove?

The obvious factor has been the team’s defensive prowess; The Trojans have allowed only 34.9 points per game and have held 13 opponents under 40 points.

“Defense is the heart of our team,” Gin said, while teammate Gracyn Gilliard added: “The coaching staff has done a great job implementing our defense.”

Norwell coach Eric Thornton echoed that thought.

“They have such a great coaching staff, and you marvel at how well they execute,” Thornton said. “Their man-to-man defense is as good as anyone’s.”

Another factor aiding CG this year is Gilliard. The 5-11 senior is a bona fide Miss Basketball candidate who averages 25.7 points per game. The Davidson recruit shoots 53 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line.

Center Grove will need to overcome Norwell’s run of success over the last three seasons.

“Our experience is a huge advantage,” Thornton said. “(In 2024), we were a bit in awe, but last year we saw a difference in how we prepared and we were successful.”

Moving up to 4A this season didn’t come without a few bumps in the road. Norwell lost twice to last year’s 4A finalist Warsaw  before Christmas, then dropped a pair of games in the Fort Wayne Snider Classic on Dec. 27.

“It’s hard to compete around the holidays,” said senior Vanessa Rosswurm – the team’s leading scorer at 23.3 points per game. “We had two games in the Hall of Fame Classic (including the second loss to Warsaw), then at Snider, we only had one hour between games.”

“Nothing went well for us during that time,” Thornton said. “We were emotionally drained.”

It was that loss to Snider, however, that proved to be a turning point.

“That was a game that opened our eyes as to how teams would play our 1-3-1 zone (defense),” Rosswurm said. “That losing streak didn’t get us down, but we had to figure things out.”

The Knights have put it all together as they haven’t lost since. After the calendar turned to 2026, Norwell has won all but one game at least double digits (including a 52-42 win over 3A finalist Bellmont). The close game the Knights survived was 47-46 win over No. 3 Homestead in the sectional championship game.

In addition to Rosswurm (an Indiana Wesleyan recruit), guards Macie Saalfrank (15.7) and Avery Thornton (14.0) each have double-figure scoring averages.

“It’s year three for them down here,” Stuckmeyer said of the Knights. “They are used to big-time moments. Defensively, we’ve got to make them earn everything and we have to find scoring opportunities on the other end.”

“Our defense will have to keep us in the game,” Thornton said. "You just don’t know how the pace of the game will turn out. We like to create tempo, but they can play fast, too.
“It will be interesting to see how this plays out.”