By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
BEDFORD – I am not sure “it” can be defined. I don’t know what causes “it.” But upon arrival, “it” is as real and tangible as the nose on your face.
“It” is what fuels the lightning-quick and lethal explosions of the Rushville Lions. In the Class 3A southern semistate played Feb. 27 at Bedford North Lawrence, “it” arrived with five and half minutes left to play and top-ranked Rushville desperately clinging to a 44-43 lead over No. 5 Evansville Memorial.
Eighty seconds later the lead was 53-45, and everybody in attendance knew the Lions were headed to the state finals. They dominated the final minutes after the deciding surge and ultimately won, 60-49.
It had to be a disheartening loss for Evansville Memorial. The Tigers executed their game plan perfectly for more than 26 minutes and had the game hanging in the balance before “it” showed up.
Memorial came into the contest wanting to shut down Rushville’s vaunted transition game and use its size advantage to score inside and control the boards. If they happened to get the Lions’ potent front line in foul trouble along the way, that was a bonus. They accomplished all of those things.
In the end, it was not enough to overcome “it”.
Let’s set the stage. Both teams showed some nerves at the outset of the game. Rushville’s were apparent in cold shooting during the first quarter, Memorial’s manifested by six first-quarter turnovers.
Still, the Tigers controlled the boards and shot well enough when they did get a shot to hold a 9-6 lead after one period.
Evansville Memorial’s Anna Hackert picked up her second foul early in the second quarter with the Tigers leading 12-8. With only one of the two towers of Memorial to deal with, Rushville (25-2) went on a quick 6-0 run.
With a streak was fueled primarily by Shelbie Justice, Rushville’s do-it-all forward, it was the only time all day the Lions got their running game going. But the good times were short-lived for the Lions as Justice picked up a second foul of her own with 4:25 left in the half, and the game once again changed complexion.
Memorial’s Mallory Ladd, a 6’2” offensive post machine, began to dominate inside for the Tigers. It appeared they would take control in the final minutes of the quarter. That is when Morgan Herbert, Rushville’s quiet assassin, first stepped forward.
She hit two huge jumpers – one a 3-pointer – late in the half to send Rushville to intermission with a 25-21 lead. Much of that advantage could be attributed to five more Tiger turnovers caused by the Rushville defense in the second stanza.
It seemed Evansville Memorial (23-4) had found the solution to its turnover problems as the third quarter progressed. The Tigers committed only one miscue in the first six minutes of the period, and they also found some unexpected help from their back court.
With Rushville’s defense draped all over Ladd, Memorial guards combined to drain four 3-pointers in the middle minutes of the third period. The barrage twice gave Memorial five-point leads.
In both cases, however, the Quiet One came to the rescue. Herbert hit a trey to bring the Lions within two at 36-34, and the second time she hit a jumper to cut the margin back to three at 39-36.
The Lions defense did the rest, causing two late turnovers to close within one at 41-40 after three periods.
Rushville began the fourth quarter by going to its bread and butter, Justice. She twice methodically made her way to the bucket on drives and put the Lions up 44-42.
Then disaster seemingly struck.
Justice picked up her fourth foul with 6:03 remaining and headed to the Rushville bench, and Memorial sank a charity toss to cut the lead to one. At the other end, senior Alexa Bess fired an air ball from beyond the arc.
Rushville was in trouble.
The “it” came riding to the rescue. The Lions got a defensive stop and broke to the offensive end. Herbert found Bess in the corner, and the senior tried again from 3-point land.
This one found nothing but net, and the ball might as well have glowed with a big red “R” as it nestled through the net. The fuse had been lit.
Ladd responded with an inside bucket for Memorial, but Herbert immediately hit another three for the Lions. Then Rushville caused a turnover and added an old-fashioned three-point play. In just over a minute, nine points and renewed defensive pressure had given Rushville the game’s largest lead in either direction.
The huge Rushville following was on its feet, and the Tigers were shell-shocked. They would never recover in the closing minutes.
Justice ended the semistate victory with a hard-earned 21 points, while Herbert added 16. Bess had nine points, including the magical 3-pointer to start the rally.
The folks in Rushville may not be able to define or know what causes its hardwood magic, but you can rest assured they will do everything in their power to make sure the Lions pack ”it” for their trip to Fort Wane and the state finals.
That will come at 6 p.m. ET March 6 against eighth-ranked Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (23-3), one of three Fort Wayne schools to make the finals set this year in their city for the first time. The Cadets defeated No. 14 Griffith, 54-36, to advance past the Elkhart Central Semistate.
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