By Colin Altevogt
Girls Basketball Coordinator
NEW CASTLE â??? Two of the stateâ??s favorites to win the state championship in their respective classes met Dec. 28 at New Castle and the result was an all-time classic.
With the clock rushing toward zeros and the game tied at 69, South Bend Washington sophomore Skylar Diggins drove in the lane but her left-handed shot fell off the mark. Washington grabbed the rebound, however, and Shalana Murray hit a short, buzzer-beating jumper from the baseline as the 4A No. 3 Panthers won 71-69 over 2A top-ranked Heritage Christian in overtime.
Click here to watch a video montage of both opening round matchups: Franklin Central vs. New Castle and Heritage Christian vs. South Bend Washington!
(NOTE: To watch the video, you may need QuickTime 7.1. For a free download, click here.)
Click here to watch a video montage of both opening round matchups: Franklin Central vs. New Castle and Heritage Christian vs. South Bend Washington!
(NOTE: To watch the video, you may need QuickTime 7.1. For a free download, click here.)
The play was an almost exact replicate of one just 27 seconds before when Diggins missed a driving shot but Washington regained possession before Diggins dished to an open Murray for a baseline jumper to put Washington up one.
â??I knew we had enough time,â? Washington coach Marilyn Coddens said. â??Our kids have enough experience, and I truly believe in my heart that come crunch time they can handle it.â?
Diggins, one of the premiere scorers in the state, struggled through an off-day shooting. The 5â??9â? guard was 8-of-23 from the floor but knocked down 7-of-8 free throws.
Washington looked to capitalize off Heritage Christianâ??s early nerves by going to the full-court press. The defensive pressure gave Heritage Christian fits for much of the game as the Eagles committed 26 turnovers.
Heritage Christian was able to compensate for its lack of ball handling, though, by shooting 53.5% from the floor including a red-hot 65.2% after halftime.
After Heritage Christian opened up an early 7-4 lead, Washington clamped down on defense, holding the Eagles to a scoreless three minutes that included turnovers on four consecutive possessions. Diggins scored two quick buckets in the final minute of the quarter and the Panthers led 17-12 after one.
Just 12 minutes into the game, Heritage Christian had given the ball away 13 times. Gradually, however, the Eagles began to take care of the rock and by halftime trailed by just three, 29-26.
At the 3:58 mark of the third quarter, Heritage Christian sophomore Kelly Faris knocked down a three with a hand in her face as the Eagles went up 37-36. It was Heritage Christianâ??s first lead since 12-11 in the first quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Heritage Christian went on a 6-0 run, culminating in a nice pass from Faris to freshman Kaycee Jones to tie the contest at 48. Washington answered with a 6-0 burst of its own thanks to four more Eagle turnovers.
As the Panthers seemed to be pulling away, however, Faris brought Heritage Christian back. The Eaglesâ?? leading scorer score twice, the first a floater in traffic and the latter three points the old-fashioned way.
With a minute left, Faris stripped Washington point guard Emily Phillips of the ball and appeared headed for an easy basket that would have given the Eagles the lead. On a controversial call, however, Faris was called for reaching in. Her fourth foul, coupled with Washingtonâ??s retention of the ball, would prove to be a huge turning point.
Heritage Christian did regain the lead on its next possession with a pair of free throws from Jones with 45 seconds remaining. Washington tied the game when Diggins split a pair from the stripe.
After a timeout with 4.3 seconds remaining, Phillips stole a Heritage Christian inbounds pass, taking the game into extra time.
Washington scored the first five points in overtime. With 1:57 left, Faris fouled out after collecting her fifth.
The Eagles took the lead and also tied it in the final minute but could not hang on for the victory.
â??The moral (victory) is kind of nice, but from a coaching standpoint obviously you want to win,â? Heritage Christian coach Rick Risinger said. â??Ultimately we do everything in the season to try to prepare for the state tournament, so games like these obviously help us.â?
Diggins and Faris had 24 and 23 points respectively to lead their teams in scoring.
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