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Madisen Parker scored the go ahead basket midway through the third quarter and No. 2 Homestead never trailed again on its way to a 61-54 victory over No. 4 Pike to win the Class 4A girls basketball state title.

The Spartans couldn’t find a way to pull away and the Red Devils struggled to hold a lead in a game that never had a deficit larger than eight points.

Pike’s Angel Baker made a 3-pointer in the third quarter to put the Red Devils ahead 38-37 before Parker’s basket to give Homestead the lead for good. The Spartans scored six straight to take a five-point lead in the third and led by as much as eight when Jazmyne Geist made a lay-up to make it 56-48 with 2:01 to play.

Homestead made it to the finals for the second time in three seasons after finishing runner-up in their first state finals appearance in 2015. The win was the first girls basketball state championship for the Spartans, and the first for head coach Rod Parker, who has spent all 16 years of his head coaching career at Homestead.

Karissa McLaughlin led the Spartans with 29 points, including 11-of-14 free throw shooting, along with six assists. Parker made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points while Geist had eight points and 12 rebounds.

Pike won its first regional and semi-state titles to make its first appearance in the finals. The Red Devils finished 24-4 in Bob Anglea’s sixth season as Pike’s head coach.

Jada Roberson led the Red Devils with 18 points and five rebounds. Baker had 14 points and six rebounds while Michaela White finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Class 4A State Championship Records
Most Three-Point Field Goals Made: (Tied) 5 by Madisen Parker, Homestead vs. Pike, 2017.
Most Three-Point Field Goals Attempted: 12 by Madisen Parker, Homestead vs. Pike, 2017.

Homestead’s Madisen Parker named Mental Attitude Award winner
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Madisen Parker of Homestead High School as the winner of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A 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.

Madisen ranks near the top of class of 535 students. She has received awards of excellence from Homestead for Physical Education, Health, and Weight and Strength. She has been on the Distinguished Honor Roll and Honor Roll for her duration at Homestead.

On the basketball court, Madisen is an IBCA (Indiana Basketball Coaches Association) First Team All-State for 2016 and an Indiana Junior All Star. She was named First Team All-Conference for 2016 and 2017, as well as Indiana Class Basketball All Star Classic MVP for 2016. Coming into the state finals, she recorded 1,311 points. As a two-sport athlete in both basketball and softball, Madisen received all conference and NE Indiana all area honors for three straight years.

She is the daughter of Rod and Melissa Parker of Fort Wayne. Next year, Madisen will attend Bowling Green State University, where she will be playing basketball on a full scholarship, and also plans to major in Exercise Science.

The Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers, the presenting sponsor of the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Homestead High School in the name of Madisen Parker. Since 1989, more than $840,000 in college scholarships have been presented to deserving high school athletes in Indiana.

The award is named in honor of the former IHSAA assistant commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1999.