By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
NEW CASTLE – With a 70-66 home-court loss to Greenwood having ruined its perfect season two weeks earlier, Class 3A second-ranked Rushville used that wake-up call Dec. 29 to turn the same trick on 4A No. 2 Mooresville in a 69-63 upset at the City Securities Hall of Fame Classic.
The Lions (12-1), a nine-point underdog to previously unbeaten Mooresville according to the Sagarin power ratings, continued to rule New Castle Fieldhouse Fieldhouse – the self-proclaimed largest and finest high school fieldhouse in the world – by downing 4A Jay County, 48-35, in the championship game of the 16th annual girls basketball event.
Following a cold-shooting opening semifinal won 35-33 in double overtime by Jay County over Plainfield, the second semi sizzled with its up-tempo action and stellar play as Rushville and Mooresville combined to score more point in the game’s first five minutes than did the previous duo in the entire first half.
After Mooresville senior forward Aerial Clark’s bucket tied the game at 21 early in the second quarter, Rushville blitzed out on a 12-3 run that out the Lions ahead to stay at 33-24. That two-minute outburst coincided with 6’2” senior center Maegan Callaway’s trip to the bench after picking up her second foul at the 6:55 mark.
The state’s leading shot blocker at 4.1 per game, Callaway would return with a vengeance in the third quarter with four blocks in that period alone. But Rushville did a decent job of keeping the Valparaiso recruit from taking the game over – Callaway finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to go along with those four blocks – in riding its three-headed offensive monster of Kaleigh Andrews, Shelbie Justice, and Morgan Herbert.
Andrews, a 5’8” senior, scored a game-high 20 points, hitting 8 of 13 from the field and going 2 of 2 on both free throws and 3-pointers. Justice, a 5’9” junior, finished with 19 points and kept the Lions plugging away with a 9-of-12 effort from the free throw line. Then there was Herbert, a 5’6” senior with 15 points who was nearly perfect from the floor in going 5 of 6 on field goals, hitting her only three attempt, and knocking down all four free throws.
Coach Mart Hurt’s Mooresville team (13-1) was further hindered by foul trouble from 5’8” junior guard Jama Sharp, who fouled out with 21.8 seconds left following a 4-of-14 shooting effort and 14 points. The Quakers were led by the 18 points of 5’5” senior guard Sierra Chabra.
In stark contrast, Jay County and Plainfield encapsulated a wickedly poor-shooting affair in the opener by combining for zero points in the game’s first overtime session. Jay County opened the contest by going just 1 of 9 from the field in the first quarter, while Plainfield finished the game at 24 percent (8 of 33).
After a 3-pointer from 5’8” junior Michelle McGary gave Plainfield a 21-15 lead with 5:19 to play in the third quarter, Jay County responded with buckets on its next four possessions in moving out on a 10-0 run.
But Plainfield plowed back with a 9-0 spurt as Jay County went scoreless for nine minutes before rallying with a layin by 5’11” sophomore Mariah Hornaday and a three from 5’6” classmate Kassi Hemmelgarn in the last minute to tie the game at 30 at the end of regulation.
After a hold-the-ball session resulted in the 0-0 first extra session, Plainfield went up 33-30 on three free throws from 5’11” junior Sarah Janssen – the game’s only double-digit scorer with 13 points. But 5’6” junior Erin Hunt tied it on a 3-pointer at :40.1. Before 5’8” sophomore Maria Murphy hit both ends of the bonus with 8.9 seconds to play for the win.
In the evening clashes …
Chabra once again led Mooresville with 18 points while Callaway added 16 in a 51-46 consolation win over neighboring Mid-State Conference rival Plainfield. The Pioneers were forced to rally after trailing 35-32 after three quarters.
Herbert and 5’10” senior Alexa Bess each tallied 13 points and Justice chipped in 12 for Rushville in the Lions’ 48-35 championship win over Jay County. The title game was all but won at the free throw line, where Rushville finished 13 of 19 while Jay County went just 2 of 4.
The all-tournament team:
Morgan Herbert, Rushville (also most valuable player)
Shelbie Justice, Rushville
Kaleigh Andrews, Rushville
Sierra Chabra, Mooresville
Maegan Callaway, Mooresville
Pazia Speed, Jay County
The box scores:
Jay County 35, Plainfield 33 (2OT)
Jay County 4 9 12 5 0 5 – 35
Plainfield 8 10 6 6 0 3 – 33
Jay County: Hornaday 8, Link 7, Speed 7, Hemmelgarn 6, Murphy 4, Hunt 3, Jackson 0, May 0, Ainsworth 0, Huelskamp 0. 3-pointers: Hemmelgarn 2, Hunt. 14-40 FG, 4-8 FT
Plainfield: Janssen 13, Lydick 9, McGary 5, Smith 3, Johnson 2, Fisher 1, Matter 0, Pearcy 0. 3-pointers: Lydick 3, Smith, McGary. 8-33 FG, 10-18 FT
3A #2 Rushville 69, 4A #2 Mooresville 63
Rushville 21 22 11 15 – 69
Mooresville 19 17 7 20 – 63
Rushville: Andrews 20, Justice 19, Herbert 15, Hittle 8, Bess 6, Niehoff 1, Beaman 0. 3-pointers: Andrews 2, Herbert, Hittle, Bess. 21-40 FG, 22-32 FT
Mooresville: Chabra 18, Callaway 17, Sharp 14, Wellspring 8, Clark 6, Fisher 0, Nelson 0, Johnson 0. 3-pointers: Chabra 4, Sharp 3. 24-57 FG, 8-13 FT
4A #2 Mooresville 51, Plainfield 46 (third place)
Mooresville 8 12 12 19 – 51
Plainfield 12 13 10 11 – 46
Mooresville; Chabra 18, Callaway 16, Sharp 8, Johnson 3, Wellspring 2, Clark 2, Fisher 2, Nelson 0. 3-pointers: Chabra. 14 FG, 22-31 FT
Plainfield: Johnson 11, Janssen 9, Smith 9, Lydick 6, McGary 6, Pearcy 4, Gilbert 1, Fisher 0, Matter 0, Fromm 0. 3-pointers: Lydick 2, Johnson, Smith, McGary. 17 FG, 7-12 FT
3A #2 Rushville 48, Jay County 35 (championship)
Rushville 12 15 6 15 – 48
Jay County 5 15 7 8 – 35
Rushville: Bess 13, Herbert 13, Justice 12, Hittle 6, Andrews 2, Niehoff 2, Beaman 0. 3-pointers: Herbert 2, Hittle 2, Bess. 15 FG, 13-19 FT
Jay County: Speed 10, Hunt 9, Ainsworth 8, Hornaday 4, Link 4, May 0, Murphy 0, Hemmelgarn 0. 3-pointers: Hunt 3, Ainsworth 2. 14 FG, 2-4 FT
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