By Colin Altevogt
Girls Basketball Coordinator
FORT WAYNE – In the Dec. 28 second semifinal of the Summit Conference Tournament, Class 4A No. 7 Fort Wayne South made a run in the closing stages of the first half, carried that momentum into the third quarter, and quickly turned a close game into a rout against an old nemesis. As a result, the second-seeded Archers beat 2A No. 9 Fort Wayne Luers, 81-58.
The Archers advance to play 3A No. 3 Fort Wayne Elmhurst in Saturday’s championship after the Trojans came from behind to beat Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, 56-49, in the first semifinal.
South, defending its crown after dismantling the Knights in last year’s title game of this tournament, got 13 points from senior Jarvisha Jackson. Indiana State-bound senior Amanda Pedro scored 14 for Luers, but the Knights were outshot by the Archers 46 percent to 37 percent from the field.
With the game tied at 27 and just under a minute on the clock in the first half, South went on a quick 8-0 burst to widen the lead. Luers sophomore Gabby Denning hit a short jumper in the paint to end the run, but the Knights still trailed 35-29 and had lost a good deal of momentum heading into the locker room.
The Archers were nearly maniacal out of the gates in the third quarter, hitting 10 of their first 11 shots and forcing turnovers on Luers’ first two possessions. In just three minutes of game time – from a minute left in the second quarter until two minutes into the second half – South turned a 27-all deadlock into a 45-31 advantage.
Luers never got back into a rhythm after that, and the South lead grew as large as 27 in the fourth quarter as bench players took over most of the minutes.
The Archers’ full-court defense, one that has given the Knights trouble the past few years, was relentless in its attack. South forced 11 second-half turnovers, turning many of those into easy baskets at the other end.
The victory pushes South’s record to 12-1. The Archers have not lost since a 73-65 defeat Nov. 8 against 4A No. 1 defending state champion South Bend Washington. Luers, in its first year under coach Greg Friend, falls to 9-5.
Unlike in the other semifinal, a big third quarter wasn’t enough to propel Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran to an upset of top-seeded Fort Wayne Elmhurst as the Trojans prevailed, 56-49.
The Cadets built a double-digit lead in the penultimate period, taking a 43-33 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. But Elmhurst answered quickly, opening with an 11-0 spurt to regain the lead.
Concordia didn’t score until 3:30 remained in the game when senior Alissa Goeglein’s free throws put the Cadets back on top. Elmhurst senior guard Teirenney Fincher knocked down a three from the top of the key on the next possession, however, and the Trojans never trailed again.
With 1:14 remaining, Goeglein’s shot was blocked by menacing 6’2” Trojan freshman Liza Clemons. Much to the dismay of the Elmhurst crowd, a foul was called, and Goeglein again knocked down a pair from the line to tie the game at 49.
But a pretty move and conversion by senior April Cotton put the Trojans back in front after Goeglein’s free throws, and a couple foul shots by Cotton with 27.6 seconds left doubled that lead as Concordia never scored again.
Clemons’ defensive prowess proved to be the difference down the stretch as she almost single-handedly kept the Cadets out of the interior with a multitude of steals and blocks in the fourth quarter.
The win gives 3A No. 3 Elmhurst a record of 11-1, while the Cadets drop to 6-6.
South and Elmhurst – the two least-winningest programs in the history of Summit Conference Tournament play – will square off Dec. 29 for the title. South won its only championship last season, while Elmhurst has finished runner-up twice but never won.
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