By Colin Altevogt
Girls Basketball Coordinator
NEW CASTLE â??? At night, the stars shone the brightest.
One game after Heritage Christian standout Kelly Faris scored on a last-second put back to save her team from defeat, South Bend Washingtonâ??s Skylar Diggins led a big fourth quarter surge as the Panthers downed host New Castle, 65-51, in the championship game at the Hall of Fame Classic.
Click here to watch a video montage of the championship game edited by Video Coordinator Eric Eaton!
(NOTE:
To watch the video, you may need QuickTime 7.1. For a free download, click here.)
â??They are very athletic and a good group of ladies,â? Washington coach Marilyn Coddens said of her team. â??They really showed it tonight.â?
New Castle hung tough in the opening quarter but trailed by five, 14-9, after eight minutes of play. Both team combined for only three turnovers in the first.
The Panthers had trouble getting their offense going in the second quarter. Washington was held scoreless for 4:04 until Lauren Archie converted on the Panthersâ?? third attempt of the possession.
New Castle was unable to capitalize on Washingtonâ??s scoring woes, however. After a slow, drought-filled first half that included three turnovers in five seconds in the last minute of the second quarter, the Panthers led the Trojans 24-17 at intermission.
Following the break in action, New Castle emerged from the locker room with a greater sense of urgency. The Trojans went on a quick 10-2 run and with two minutes gone in the third quarter, led for the first time all night, 27-26.
With less than a minute remaining in the third quarter and the Trojans tied at 38 all, the New Castle faithful could sense an upset. Washington got a three from Cheneka Anderson on her only shot of the night and a lay-up following a steal by Archie, but the Trojans were still very much in the game heading into the final period down just five.
Into the fourth quarter, the enthusiasm of the home crowd had yet to waver. The New Castle student section grew more vocal as some fans even began to heckle the sharpshooting Diggins. The sophomore guard responded in Reggie-esque form.
â??Fans will be fans,â? Diggins said of the late-game jeering. â??You just got to play through that. Thatâ??s part of the game.â?
Diggins scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the quarter. Five minutes after the game had been tied at 38, Washington led 57-40 thanks to a 19-2 in which the Panthers connected on 7 of their 8 shots from the field.
â??I knew my teammates would pick up the slack for me,â? Diggins said, â??but at the end, I just felt like I had to take over. I think we executed the plan really well.â?
The Trojans never made a serious run for the remainder of the contest.
New Castleâ??s Corie West led all scorers with 23 points, 14 of which came in the third quarter.
Diggins wins Classic MVP
South Bend Washington guard Skylar Diggins was named Hall of Fame Classic MVP. Diggins had 24 points in the Panthersâ?? overtime victory over Heritage Christian and 22 in the championship on 9-of-18 shooting. Just a sophomore, Diggins helped lead Washington to its first ever regional and semi-state titles. The Panthers finished runner-up, losing to Castle in last yearâ??s 4A state championship.
Other members of the All-Classic team (MVP excluded):
Katie Hacker, Franklin Central
Kelly Faris, Heritage Christian
Macey Elyea, New Castle
Corie West, New Castle
Ashley Varner, South Bend Washington
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