Hall of Fame Classic Thursday

Mt. Vernon's girls basketball team will participate in the Hall of Fame Classic on Thursday, and HancockCountySports.com will have all of the Marauder action. Join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert at approximately 12:40 p.m. for the Marauders' semifinal game against Penn.

The Marauders will play at either 6 or 8 p.m. in the night session. Our broadcast will begin 20 minutes before the tipoff.

Here's the schedule from the New Castle Fieldhouse.
11 a.m.: 3A #1 Norwell (8-0) vs. Roncalli (8-3)
1 p.m.: 4A #2 Penn (11-0) vs. 3A #3 Mt. Vernon (10-2)
6 p.m.: Consolation
8 p.m.: Championship

The Marauders are making their third appearance in the Hall of Fame Classic. They last did so in 1999, with a Johna Goff-Alissa Kirby-led team winning the Classic championship. That Marauder team would post a 22-2 record and finished ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, later playing eventual state champ Cathedral in a close sectional semifinal that was essentially the 3A championship game.

This year's MV squad is a balanced, veteran group with four starters returning from last year's 21-2 squad. Guard Jessica Brown, center Makenzi Reasor and forward Erica Moore are all averaging in double-figures, with guard Rachel Houck averaging just under double-figures at 9.3 ppg. Forward Anna Olson is one of the area's top rebounders with an 8.6 average on the glass. Brown, Reasor and Houck all scored in double-figures in the Marauders' 47-31 victory over New Palestine in the county championship game. Reasor (Indiana State) and Brown (Indiana Wesleyan) have committed to play collegiately. Reasor is one of several Div. I signees/commits at the tournament. Brown is headed to one of the NAIA's national powerhouse programs in IWU.

The Penn team MV will face is fairly similar -- a team that allows fewer than 40 points per game, a team that has five starters averaging at least 7.7 points per game and is led by a Div. I signee -- future Western Michigan Bronco Alex Morton, a 5-9 guard who is averaging 17 ppg. Penn is 11-0 and was the Class 4A state runner-up last year. The Kingsmen have won 35 straight regular-season games against Indiana teams dating back to the midpoint of the 2008-09 season. Their only regular-season loss in that span was a loss to an Illinois squad last year.

In the other semifinal, Norwell is a perfect 8-0 and took over the No. 1 spot in Class 3A from MV after the Marauders' early-December loss to Anderson. Since 2009, Norwell is 71-6 and was a regional finalist in 2011. The Knights are led by Miami-Ohio signee Jessica Rupright, who is totaling 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Roncalli is 8-3 and is a team familiar to the Marauders -- the two teams met in the regional final last season. The Rebels are missing Butler signee Katie Brewer, who has missed several games with an injury, but have 6-2 junior guard Bridget Perry (Purdue) scoring 21 points per game. Sophomore forward Elizabeth Bowers is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per contest. The Rebels start four underclassmen.