By GREG MENGELT
Providence (20-6) dominated its sectional, came through with an upset of No. 5 Linton-Stockton and an impressive 44-37 victory over Forest Park for Providence’s fourth regional title in the last 16 years. Then came a 41-33 victory over No. 9 Eastern Hancock and a spot in the state championship for the first time.
The Pioneers have done it with offensive balance, tenacious defense, clutch plays and unforgettable performances. After junior Casey Kaelin dominated at the regional, several players came up with big plays in the semistate win.
The biggest factor has probably been the Providence defense surrendering just 35 points per game in the postseason. Only Linton has scored more than 40 points against the Pioneers.
In a lot of ways, third-ranked Central Noble (28-2) is the mirror image of the Pioneers. They’re giving up just 43 points per contest for the season and held No. 2 Eastside to 36 in a revenge victory in their sectional championship.
Central Noble has also had several players step up in big moments, but unlike Providence, the Cougars’ offense goes through one player. Senior Connor Essegian moved into the top 10 in state history with 2,508 points in last Saturday’s hard-fought semistate championship when the Cougars knocked off defending state champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk and No. 6 Carroll (Flora) in a pair of games that went down to the wire.
Essegian, a Mr. Basketball candidate and future Wisconsin Badger, can score from anywhere on the floor and scored 25 of the Cougars’ 54 points against Carroll. He’s averaging 26.8 points and shooting 68 percent form the field and 43 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
Essegian and the Cougars are a giant obstacle to the Pioneers’ first state championship. So did Southwestern and Linton and Forest Park and Eastern Hancock.
Each time Providence has found a way to advance. That should give Pioneer fans a ton of hope that the program’s best season in history could end with a state title.
CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
PROVIDENCE VS. CENTRAL NOBLE
• Time: 12:45 p.m.
• Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (125 S. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis)
• Records:
Providence 20-6. The Pioneers are on a 6-game winning streak.
Central Noble 28-2. The Cougars have won eight in a row and 12 of their last 13.
• Coaches:
Providence — Ryan Miller (50-22 in third season at Providence)
Central Noble — John Bodey (116-41 in sixth season at Central Noble, 184-123 in 13th season overall)
• Rankings:
Central Noble — No. 3 AP (Class 2A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Providence — No. 79, No. 8 Class 2A
Central Noble — No. 23, No. 3 Class 2A
• Semistates:
Providence — Defeated Eastern Hancock 41-33 (Seymour Semistate)
Central Noble — Defeated Carroll (Flora) 54-48 (Elkhart Semistate)
• State championships (most recent): Providence 0, Central Noble 0. (This is the first state finals appearances for both programs.)
• Regular-season result: Did not play.
• Last postseason matchup: First meeting.
• News & notes: Central Noble is located in Albion, just north of Fort Wayne.
• John Harrell prediction: Central Noble 55, Providence 47.
• Sagarin projection: Central Noble by 8.
• Outlook: This is three times in the last four games that Providence has to be considered the underdog. Of course, they won the last two, knocking off No. 5 Linton-Stockton and No. 9 Eastern Hancock en route to its first state finals appearance. It’s likely to be a low-scoring game and that may favor the Pioneers, but I still have to go with Connor Essegian and Central Noble. It’s a program with little history of winning championships. This year’s sectional title was just the Cougars’ sixth ever and last week’s regional title was its second in program history.
• Greg’s pick: Central Noble 44, Providence 40.
