Marauders advance to State Finals

Mt. Vernon is advancing to the girls basketball State Finals for the first time in 35 years, as the Marauders beat Madison 70-54 today to win the IHSAA 3A Southport semistate title.

MV had another great start, holding a team to one field goal in the first quarter and building a double-digit lead for the third straight game. MV led 14-3 after a quarter and pushed it to 35-17 by halftime. Jessica Brown got the Marauders started, scoring 12 points in the opening eight minutes and finishing with 25 -- also helping MV salt the game away in the fourth with nine points in the final stanza.

Rachel Houck was the run-killer for MV. She hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and nearly every one in the second half seemed to come as Madison was threatening to make a comeback. The Cubs cut MV's lead to 37-24 in the third, and the Marauders responded with six straight points. Madison got as close as 63-54 in the final two minutes, but MV put it away at the line.

Erica Moore also had a strong game, scoring 12 points. Makenzi Reasor, Anna Olson and Kelsie Owens also had big plays at big moments. Owens hit two crucial 3-pointers -- MV hit eight in total -- and Olson quarterbacked the Marauders' defense.

Kelsey Block had a big offensive game for Madison, scoring 21 points. Cadie Polivari added 10 off the bench, including 8-of-12 from the line. 

As a result, MV (23-5) earned a berth to the State Finals, where the second-ranked Marauders will face No. 7 Fort Wayne Concordia, which beat Western 46-35 today to win the Warsaw semistate. Concordia is 20-5, having knocked off Hamilton Heights and #3 NorthWood to win the regional last week. The Cadets, coached by ninth-year bench boss David Miller, defeated Rushville in the State Finals to win the 3A title in 2010.

The MV-Concordia game will be at 6 p.m. Saturday. Join our crew at HancockCountySports.com for the worldwide broadcast beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Semistate Saturday

We have girls hoops forthcoming on Saturday: Join Andrew Smith, Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for all of the play-by-play as the Mt. Vernon Marauders (22-5) meet the Madison Cubs (18-7) with a State Finals berth on the line.

The broadcast begins at 12:30 p.m. at HancockCountySports.com

Girls basketball regional preview

The Mt. Vernon Marauders are set for the girls basketball regional, and so are we.

The schedule from Mt. Vernon for Saturday:
10 a.m.: Madison (14-9) vs. Roncalli (17-5)
11:30 a.m.: No. 2 Mt. Vernon (20-1) vs. Lebanon (20-3)
8 p.m.: Championship
CLICK TO LISTEN TO MT. VERNON'S GAMES LIVE!
Andrew & Chris will be online live at approximately 11:20 a.m. in the morning, and should the Marauders win, at 7:40 p.m. Saturday night.

Team previews
GAME 2
#2 Mt. Vernon Marauders (20-1)
Coach: Julie Shelton (13th year at MV, 196-91, sectional champs in 2003, 2005, 2011).
Sagarin ranking: #2 3A, #6 statewide
Record vs: 3A teams: 9-0. Vs. teams still in tourney: 2-0 (beat 4A Pendleton Heights & 3A Yorktown).
The road here: Beat #9 Rushville 61-56, #5 Hamilton Heights 77-69.
Notes

• Marauders beat two ranked teams in the sectional to win its first since 2005.
  
• Hoosier Heritage Conference champs with 7-0 league record. One of three HHC teams to win their sectionals this year -- joining Pendleton Heights & Yorktown. This is the second straight year HHC teams won all three sectionals in which conference teams compete.
  
• MV had several streaks going. Streak of 35 straight regular-season wins was snapped by North Central in the regular season finale. MV has won 16 consecutive home games, and won the only regional it has played on its home floor in 2005. MV is 38-4 the last two seasons, and was ranked No. 1 for much of the year.
• MV rallied from double-digit second-half deficit to beat Hamilton Heights in the sectional title game, led by 8-of-10 FT shooting from Jessica Brown, who scored 17 points. Six-foot freshman post Erica Moore had 19 and 11 boards and sophomore Rachel Houck (15 points, 5 3s) and senior Kayla Negley (14 points, 7 assists) also had big nights.
• Against Rushville, Brown hit 11 free throws to help seal that game. Negley and Indiana State recruit Makenzi Reasor both scored 12.
• In sectional, Brown scored 17.5 ppg and hit 19-of-28 from the line. Negley averaged 13 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the sectional.
• Only one player averaging in double-figures (Brown, 14.4 ppg), but Reasor, Negley, Houck and Moore all average between 7.6 and 9.1 ppg.
  

Lebanon Tigers (20-3)
Coach: Dave Ferrell (2nd year, 30-15)
Sagarin ranking: #17 3A, #71 statewide
Record vs: 3A teams: 13-0. Vs. teams still in tourney: 0-0
The road here: Beat Southmont 73-36, Danville 69-38 and North Montgomery 39-37.
Notes

• Won Sagamore Conference title with perfect 7-0 mark.
  
• 10-game turnaround from last year, when the Tigers went 10-12.
• 12-game winning streak is one of state's longest. Perfect in 2011 -- last loss was to Cathedral on Dec. 27.
• Led by guard Alison Curtis, a Harvard recruit who has scored in double-figures in 19 of the Tigers' 23 games. Averaged 16.7 ppg in sectional, 16.4 ppg for the season. Had 22 against Danville, 19 against Southmont in sectional.
  
• In the sectional final against North Montgomery, Lexi Reese scored 13 points and Katie Curtis -- Alison's younger sister -- scored 11. Reese is the team's third-leading scorer at 9.3 ppg.
  
• Katie Curtis is the assist person. Had career high 15 helpers (and 15 points) against Southmont in the sectional opener. She is the second-leading scorer at 12.4 ppg and averages a shade under six assists per game.
  

GAME 1
Madison Cubs (14-9)
Coach: Tony Harl (2nd year at Madison, 23-20; 5th overall, 62-53. Won sectional in 2007 & 2008 at Carroll (Allen) ).
Sagarin ranking: #23 3A, #99 statewide
Record vs: 3A teams: 7-2. Vs. teams still in tourney: 2-4 (lost to 4A Jeffersonville, Columbus East & Mooresville and 2A Brownstown; beat 3A Silver Creek & 2A South Ripley).
The road here: Beat South Dearborn 68-43; Greensburg 48-38 and Scottsburg 65-63.
Notes

• Madison's nine losses are the most of any team remaining in the tourney.
  
• Madison is one of three Hoosier Hills Conference teams remaining in the tourney, joining Columbus East and Jeffersonville. The smallest school in the Hoosier Hills, Madison finished 2-5 in league play.
• Has won six straight games.
  
• Outscored Scottsburg 25-7 over the final seven and a half minutes to erase 16-point deficit and win the sectional title game. Senior Kayla Luellen scored 17 points, including three FTs in final minute to win the game. Junior guard Mandy Stoll scored 19 points and junior forward Nayla Lunsford 16 in that game.

Roncalli Rebels (17-5)
Coach: Sara Riedeman (3rd year, 49-20)
Sagarin ranking: #6 3A, #37 statewide
Record vs: 3A teams: 7-0. Vs. teams still in tourney: 1-0 (def. 2A Covenant Christian)
The road here: Beat Beech Grove 44-30, Howe 77-24, Chatard 45-28.
Notes

• Roncalli has won three straight sectionals, seeking 1st regional title in class era.
  
• The Rebels are rolling, having won eight straight games by an average score of 57-36. In the sectional, they allowed only 27.3 ppg.
• Roncalli has lots of balance -- in the sectional, six different players scored in double-figures. The Rebels also have a lot of size, with five players 5-10 or taller.
  
• Junior guard Coco Clark had 16 points & 8 boards in the sectional title win over Chatard. Elizabeth Bowers had two double-figures games in the sectional, scoring 10 against Chatard and 14 against Howe. Katie Brewer had 15 points/8 boards to lead the Rebels in the opening game against Beech Grove.
  
• Leading scorer is 6-2 guard Bridget Perry, who scored in double figures every game but one during the regular season, with a high of 29.
  
• Bowers, a 6-foot freshman, was the leading scorer in the sectional, scoring 9.3 ppg and hitting 13 of her 16 FG attempts.
  

MV common opponents
vs. Lebanon
Southport: Leb 60-52 Nov. 12; MV 55-33 Jan. 4
Noblesville: Leb 61-56 Nov. 19; MV 43-37 Jan. 8
vs. Roncalli
Southport: Ron 59-56 Jan. 25; MV 55-33 Jan. 4
vs. Madison
no common opponents