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Paced by a dominant second quarter and quick start to the second half, Jac-Cen-Del eased past Argos 57-39 to win the Class A girls state title. The No. 2 Eagles outscored the No. 6 Dragons 20-5 in the second stanza, opening up a 14-point lead, and then scored the first seven points of the third to push the lead to 21.

After the margin grew to as many as 23 points, Argos closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 42-30. A Courtney Dunlap basket brought the Dragons within 44-34 early in the fourth, but Argos missed its next five shots, going scoreless for more than four minutes. The Eagles pushed the lead back up to 16 (50-34) with 3:03 remaining and never looked back.

Trailing 10-9 at the end of the first quarter, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run to open up a six-point lead on Argos 2:09 into the second quarter. The Dragons drew within 16-13, but Jac-Cen-Del closed the half on another big run, scoring 13 of the last 15 points for a 29-15 lead at the break.

Jac-Cen-Del (27-1) shot 8-14 from the floor in the second quarter; Lilly Simon had eight points, while Mariah Day scored her team’s final six points of the half. Argos was just 2-14 from the floor in the second quarter and missed 21 of its 26 first-half shots.

It was the second state championship in school history for Jac-Cen-Del and first in a girls sport joining the boys basketball team which won the 2009 Class A crown. It was the second state finals appearance for the Eagles, who lost the 1978 title game.  Coach Scott Smith’s Eagles got 14 points and nine rebounds from Simon, 12 points and four assists from Jordan Day, and eight points apiece from Rosie Newhart and Mariah Day.

In its first state finals appearance, Argos finished 24-4 under Coach Gary Teel. The Dragons got 18 points and six rebounds from Dunlap, and nine points from Valerie Rospopo.

Argos shot just 22 percent from the floor.

 Listen: Jac-Cen-Del Press Conference | Argos Press Conference

Jac-Cen-Del’s Abby Wagner named Mental Attitude Award winner
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Abby Wagner of Jac-Cen-Del High School as the winner of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award in Class A 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.

Abby’s talents extend beyond basketball as she ranks first among her classmates and boasts a GPA of 4.269 on a 4.0 scale. Once a week, Abby volunteers at the Margaret Mary Rehabilitation Center. She is also an active member in her church as the organist.  She serves as the President of Student Council and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

She is the daughter of Ron and Vicki Wagner of Osgood and plans to major in the Exercise Science (Pre-PT) at the University of Indianapolis.

The Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers, the presenting sponsor of the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Jac-Cen-Del High School in the name of Abby Wagner. 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.