By GREG MENGELT
The Dragons knocked off Rushville 48-44 and upstart Gibson Southern 53-39 to advance to next Saturday’s one-game semistate at Jeffersonville. Fourth-ranked Silver Creek (25-2), which won its fourth and fifth games in a row Saturday, will face Chatard (18-10), which knocked off Tri-West and Indian Creek to win the regional at Greencastle.
Top-ranked South Bend Washington (25-3), which the Dragons beat in last year’s state championship, and No. 2 Garrett (27-1) will battle for the northern semistate Saturday at LaPorte.
“I can’t be more proud of these kids,” Silver Creek coach Scott Schoen said. “They’re winners and we’re going to semistate. I can’t believe this.”
The Dragons have equaled last year’s win total and that’s a bit of a surprise. Silver Creek lost six players to graduation of last year’s championship squad.
“At the beginning of the year, we didn’t know our potential,” Silver Creek senior Kynidi Mason-Striverson said. “We just knew we loved each other. I love these girls with everything in me. Only a small amount of people really believed in us. Just our inner circle believed in us, but we pulled through.”
After struggling to put away Rushville (17-10), the Dragons from the second quarter in the championship. Gibson Southern, which beat Vincennes (17-9) in Saturday’s first final, went on a 5-0 fourth-quarter run to get within 44-37 with 3:29 remaining. The Dragons responded by scoring the game’s final nine points.
Lacey Tingle started the rally with a layup and Reese Decker put in a miss Silver Creek miss to make it 48-39 with 2:12 left.
Mason-Striverson said she never doubted her Dragons would finish off the Titans.
“Honestly, I didn’t think from our experiences … we’ve been put in so many of these situations to be able to know how to handle it,” she said.
Emme Rooney and Mason-Striverson made clutch free throws in the final minute and 34 seconds and Tingle extinguished any Gibson Southern hope with a steal and a basket with 35 seconds to go.
“Big time players make big time plays in big time games and I think that’s what we did,” Schoen said.
Mason-Striverson, who scored 24 points in the semifinal win over Rushville, struggled early in the title game but her teammates picked her up. Rooney nailed a big 3 to make it 6-3. After the Titans regained the lead at 7-6, the Dragons went on a 6-1 run to end the first period. Tingle and Meridith Wilkinson scored on putbacks to give Creek a 12-8 lead after one period.
The Dragons held the Titans to just three field goals in the opening 8 minutes.
“One of the main goals we set coming into a game is to hold (the opponent) to eight points (in the first quarter),” Rooney said. “We held them to exactly eights points in the first quarter, so I think our defense is what propelled us to the victory tonight.”
After the Titans score the first seven points of the second quarter, Rooney scored back-to-back baskets to give the Dragons the lead for good at 17-15 with 4:05 left in the second period. Rooney, a senior, finished 4 for 9 and had 11 points in the win. She scored seven points before Mason-Striverson scored her first basket.
“Emme’s my right hand man,” Mason-Striverson said. “I was so proud of her. She put it in another gear that I knew she had in her. She knew I was struggling and she had my back 100 percent. If she’s struggling, I have her back 100 percent. I never doubt her. I’m super proud of the way she stepped up in those minutes.”
Mason-Striverson finally got untracked and nailed back-to-back 3s to help Silver Creek go into the half ahead 23-15.
“We know Kynidi has the capability to score 25 on any given night. She’s just that type of player,” Rooney said. “But most championship teams have multiple championship-type players. I think it was really good for all of us to step up our scoring.
Silver Creek took control in the third quarter. The Dragons opened the half on a 7-3 run that put them in the lead 30-18 with 4:53 on the clock in the third. Creek had its biggest lead at 36-24 after Decker got a steal and passed the ball ahead to Tingle for a fastbreak layup.
The Dragons’ defense wouldn’t allow a comeback. Gibson Southern shot just 35.7 percent from the field (13 for 33) and committed 21 turnovers. Silver Creek had 15 steals, led by three apiece from Mason-Striverson, Decker and Rooney.
“I thought we did a good job of making every catch, every shot a tough one for them,” Schoen said.
CLASS 3A CHARLESTOWN REGIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP
SILVER CREEK 53, GIBSON SOUTHERN 39
Gibson Southern (19-8): Ally Malone 1-5 1-2 3, Alexis Tucker 1-5 3-4 5, Gabby Spink 2-4 1-3 5, Nola Ravellette 1-2 0-2 3, Alex Holmes 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor Hart 2-7 0-0 5, Chloey Graham 5-9 3-6 15. Totals 13-33 8-17 39.
Silver Creek (25-2): Kynidi Mason-Striverson 3-10 6-8 14, Sydney Sirota 0-6 6-8 6, Reese Decker 1-3 0-0 2, Lacey Tingle 7-12 2-5 16, Emme Rooney 4-9 2-3 11, Merideth Wilkerson 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 17-43 16-24 53.
3-point field goals: Gibson Southern 5-17 (Graham 2-5, Ravellette 1-1, Holmes 1-1, Hart 1-5, Malone 0-3, Spink 0-1); Silver Creek 3-10 (Mason-Striverson 2-3, Rooney 1-4, Sierota 0-1, Tingle 0-1, Wilkerson 0-1).
Rebounds: Gibson Southern 27 (Malone 6, Graham 6); Silver Creek 30 (Mason-Striverson 7, Tingle 7).
Assists: Gibson Southern 7 (Malone 3); Silver Creek 10 (Sierota 5).
Steals: Gibson Southern 3 (Malone, Tucker, Graham); Silver Creek 15 (Mason-Striverson 3, Decker 3, Rooney 3).
Blocks: Gibson Southern 3 (Malone 2); Silver Creek 2 (Tingle 2).
Turnovers: Gibson Southern 21, Silver Creek 14.
Personal fouls: Gibson Southern 18, Silver Creek 16.
Fouled out: Malone, Tucker.
SEMIFINALS
SILVER CREEK 48, RUSHVILLE 44
Silver Creek 10 11 12 15—48
Rushville 8 9 17 10—44
Silver Creek (24-2): Mason-Striverson 7-15 5-5 24, Hallie Foley 0-2 0-0 0, Sierota 3-5 1-3 7, Decker 0-2 2-2 2, Tingle 1-8 1-2 3, Rooney 4-10 0-0 10, Wilkerson 1-4 0-2 2. Totals 16-46 9-14 48.
Rushville (17-10): Briley Munchel 1-7 0-0 2, Lexi Morris 4-6 3-5 11, Sophia Dora 4-9 2-2 12, Annika Marlow 2-6 0-0 5, Annebella Gossett 4-6 0-0 10, Leonie Boyer 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 17-39 5-7 44.
3-point field goals: Silver Creek 7-24 (Mason-Striverson 5-9, Rooney 2-7, Foley 0-2, Sierota 0-1, Decker 0-2, Tingle 0-3); Rushville 5-16 (Dora 2-5, Gossett 2-4, Marlow 1-4, Munchel 0-2, Morris 0-1).
Rebounds: Silver Creek 27 (Mason-Striverson 6); Rushville 30 (Dota 10).
Assists: Silver Creek 10 (Sierota 4, Rooney 4); Rushville 11 (Munchel 4, Dora 4).
Steals: Silver Creek 8 (Sierota 3, Tingle 3); Rushville 5 (Marlow 2).
Blocks: Silver Creek 1 (Tingle); Rushville 0.
Turnovers: Silver Creek 11, Rushville 16.
Personal fouls: Silver Creek 13, Rushville 14.
Fouled out: Tingle, Morris.
