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INDIANAPOLIS - The bottom two-thirds of the east interior of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, blanketed in red and blue, risked a sort of collective hoarseness early Saturday afternoon.
South Knox’s Spartans were in the house, and, so, it seemed, was everyone who had ever attended the school, cheered on one or more of its sports teams at some point or had once known someone who had done either.
Such audible levels were impossible to ignore as coach Hollie Eaves’ squad cruised to a 55-33 victory over Rensselaer Central in the Class 2A championship game.
IHSAA Class 2A State Championship
South Knox 55, Rensselaer Central 33
“I’m just super proud of how they played,” Eaves said of her team after watching it apply the finishing touches to a 28-2 season. “We didn’t have the best offensive game. We were having a hard time catching the ball, but defensively, these girls locked in. They bought into each other, and they really dug their toes in defensively. It’s not something we’ve been known for all year, but for them to step up defensively and just lock the other team down was great.”
The win allowed South Knox to join its county’s title-winning clubs in hoops, which started over a century ago when the Vincennes High School boys won it all in 1923 (and later in 1981 as Vincennes Lincoln). Most recently, Vincennes Rivet captured the girls 1A crown in 2011.
And, now, the Spartans girls.
Led by the double-double outputs of sophomore guard Kendal Hill and her older sister, senior forward, Bren Hill, South Knox simply offered up too many scoring options. Kendal Hill finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Bren Hill tacked on 14 points and 12 boards.
Another soph, guard Grace Detweiler, tallied 12 points.
The Spartans never trailed, breaking free from a 5-5 tie late in the opening quarter on the strength of Kendal Hill’s 3-pointer at the 2:26 mark, one from Bren Hill 36 seconds later and the younger Hill’s midrange jumper that gave her team a 13-6 advantage after one.
Rensselaer Central (26-3) crept to within 15-11 early in the second stanza on senior forward Carly Drone’s triple from the right wing and junior forward Kamri Rowland’s rebound bucket.
It was at this point that South Knox, guilty of five turnovers before the first television timeout at 3:47 of the first period, settled down and shifted its offense into another gear.
Detweiler lit the fuse to what would become an 11-2 run to close the second when she splashed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 3:47 on the clock. Kendal Hill then scored in close, and Detweiler followed with a layup.
Rensselaer Central senior guard Taylor Van Meter slowed the Spartans’ momentum for an instant with a layup. However, Bren Hill connected on a baseline jumper and junior guard Ella Bobe took a long rebound the distance for a layup at 1.8 seconds.
Rensselaer Central twice closed to within a dozen points in the third quarter, but could get no closer.
Neither team fared well from the floor, as the Bombers made good on only 13 of 52 field goal attempts (.250) – including 3 of 19 misery from behind the 3-point arc. South Knox fared better, going 18 of 44 overall (.409) and 6 of 17 from deep.
The Spartans inflicted serious damage on the glass, outrebounding Rensselaer Central, 44-23, which is where Eaves’ squad most atoned for its 19 turnovers (six coming over the first eight minutes).
“I told them to breath,” said Eaves, referring her words inside her team’s huddle during the initial TV timeout. “I told them to catch the ball, and then take a deep breath for a minute. Their defense is tough, too. They were in your jersey every time you caught it. We just needed to breathe and slow down a little bit.”
Like South Knox, the Rensselaer Central program had never advanced past the regional round prior to this season.
“It wasn’t what we had planned for, obviously,” said Bombers’ coach Wes Radtke. “I thought it was a heck of a game . . . I know the score may not show it, but I’m very proud of my girls and very proud of the fact they never gave up. Tonight was just one of those nights where the ball just didn’t go in the hoop. That’s a good team we just faced. I thought we did some good things early on. I thought we adjusted and did some different things that put us in the right spot, but, again, the ball just didn’t go in the hole for us.”
Rowland scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead Rensselaer Central in both categories. Sophomore guard Courtney Mathew finished with eight points and five boards, and Drone and senior guard Van Meter had seven and six points, respectively.
Class 2A State Championship Records
Most Combined 3FG Attempts (Tied): 36 by Rensselaer Central (19) and South Knox (17).
Most Fouls: 26 by both Rensselaer Central and South Knox.
Most Combined Fouls: 52 by Rensselaer (26) and South Knox (26).
Rensselaer’s Taylor Van Meter earns Roy Mental Attitude Award
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Taylor Van Meter of Rensselaer Central High School as the winner of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award in Class 2A Girls Basketball.
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.
Van Meter carries a 3.75 GPA while being the treasurer for National Honor Society, a senior class representative, and a member of Student Council. She also is a 10-year member of 4-H where she is a mentor for younger kids.
She is a two-time All-State Honorable Mention in basketball and three-time All Hoosier Conference. She is also a four-year varsity volleyball player, and two-year varsity softball player.
She is the daughter of Eric and Kelly Van Meter of Remington, IN and plans to attend the University of Indianapolis where she will play basketball for the Greyhounds.
The Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers, the presenting sponsors of the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to the general scholarship fund at Rensselaer Central High School in the name of Taylor Van Meter.
The award is named in honor of the late former IHSAA assistant commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1999.
