TERRE HAUTE — As the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s annual postseason basketball geography tour takes fans from the western part of the state to concession stands they’d never have visited otherwise (didn’t want the sugar buzz from the cotton candy at Frankfort, but was intrigued by the barbecued frog legs and fried bologna sandwiches at Martinsville), it’s an obvious sign that the winter season is (finally?) coming to a close.
It can’t end (the season I mean, not the winter) without a couple of loose ends being tied, meaning it’s time for the annual Amey girls basketball awards.
You may even be able to predict the topic that’s 99-percent sure to be featured in the next column.
My latest innovation for this particular column is beginning with my favorite award from each season, and my favorite girls — of this or almost any other season — are the co-captains of the Competitors Team for 2007-2008.
I took pains this year, in covering one of the teams from our area, to always include in my story when Turkey Run’s Meghan Doss was the Warriors’ leading rebounder at 5-foot-nothing. That happened more than half the times I saw them play, and that’s an effort statistic, remember.
One of the worst aspects of the past season was that I never found a way to watch my other favorite player in her senior year. I may get to see her in the future in a sport I’m told she plays even better than she does basketball, which can only mean that Emily Lahay of Sullivan is one heck of a soccer goalie.
Their teammates on this team are Derryn Axtell, Kandrea Craft and Emily Yoho of North Vermillion; Jocelyn Boyll, Katie Brown and Krista Himebrook of North Central; Angie Camp and Mardi Steiner of Clay City; Sam Crosby, Jessica Gilbert and Chelsea Hudson of Shakamak; Heather Gonser of Owen Valley; Ashley Graves of White River Valley; Brittany Marrs and Amy Piper of West Vigo; Francesca McCarthy and Kelly Meggs of Terre Haute North; Becky Myers and Caitlin Phillips of South Vermillion; Emily Phillips of Northview; Chelsy Riggen of Riverton Parke; Krista Smith of Terre Haute South; Elyse Weddle of Bloomfield; and Brittani Wolfe of Martinsville.
I didn’t get to see the captain of my Clutch Team this year either; I didn’t get to see her at all, for that matter, which would make this a risky choice if it weren’t for the glittering career accomplished by Heidi Dahnke at Martinsville.
Her teammates are Dawn Bonnell of Robinson; Erin Downey of Shiloh; Stephanie Fougerousse and Taylor Kail of WRV; Siera Fuller of Bloomfield; Dragana Grbic and Tessa Johnson of South; Erika Huff of Sullivan; Hillary Lively of North Vermillion; Jenni McLeish of South Vermillion; Kieran McMullen and Chelsie Stout of Rockville; MaKaylee Pirtle of Union; Spring Raines of Northview; and Amy Wheeler of Riverton Parke.
Players on the Unsung Team do a great job at the things — defense, rebounding, passing — that might not necessarily get them big numbers in the boxscore. Players like South’s Randa Rector, in other words.
Her teammates are Micahlyn Allen, Lynsey Butler, Jessica Herzog and Kelsey Rosselli of North; Kelsey Anderson of WRV: Shelby Colson, Kirstin Kimball and Stormi Raines of Northview; Sam Cooper, Adrian Gillaspy and Caitlin Sweatman of Owen Valley; Shelby Davies, Chelsea Francis, Tiffany Marshall and Sarah Patton of Turkey Run; Miranda Doran and Jaycee Hackney of Martinsville; Jenna Dreher, Gina Furrey, Amber Gardner and Sarah Klotz of West Vigo; Lydia Farmer and Britney Glass of Clay City; Casey Fougerousse of Shakamak; Nikki Fuqua of South Vermillion; Megan Gambill and Cassie Parr of Union; Rosa Gossett of Riverton Parke; Amber Horton and Shelby Lamb of Sullivan; Brittany Myers of Bloomfield; Taylor Poynter and Kelly Yoho of North Vermillion; and Brittany Sherron of Rockville.
Here’s what one co-captain of this year’s Unselfish Team did this season: she came to virtually every practice — that’s every practice after her senior season ended with a knee injury in its second game — and indicated afterward that it was the most enjoyable season she’d ever had. That’s why Johona Bailey of Turkey Run was a favorite team-oriented player this winter. Another was the player whose place on the scoring-leader ladder of her team went down every season, had no problems with that, and refused to go outside the team concept to reach an individual milestone. That would be South’s Megan Craft, of course.
Like-minded teammates are Abby Birkey and Ashley Hargis of Northview; Paige Bond of Sullivan; Tasha Borter and Carly Johnson of WRV; Kyleigh Brown of North; Morgan Burgess, Jennifer Camerer, Hannah Flaurr and Alise Harper of Rockville; Courtney Dallmier of Bloomfield; Jessica Davidson and Gabby Smith of Union; Amanda Delp and Meghan Francis of Turkey Run; Cortney Edington of Riverton Parke; Brittany Edmondson of West Vigo; Cheryl Lanham, Callie Matsel and Micah York of Owen Valley; Sarah Miner and Jordan Smith of South; Megan Samuelson of South Vermillion; and Amber Shell of North Vermillion.
Has nepotism reared its ugly head? No. One co-captain of the Most Improved Team may be related to me, but Emily Reed of Clay City went from part-time status as a junior to one of the leaders of a good team as a senior. The other co-captain, Nickole Gonser of Owen Valley, added offensive production to the manic intensity she shares with her twin sister (see Competitors Team).
Others who made big strides this year were Emily Adams and Lindy Jones of North; Kelsi Cheesewright, Sherry Link and Desiree Thomas of South Vermillion; Marki Collins and Kristi Pearson of Shakamak; Cassie Cornwell of Martinsville; Logan Cox and Amy Newnum of Turkey Run; Tara Crooks and Kelsey Searing of Northview; Whitney Davis of North Vermillion; Emily Fauber and Haley Seibert of South; Makenzie Haltom of Riverton Parke; Amber Kemp and Brittainy Swank of North Central; Breanna Marrs, Chelsey Norton and Marianne Umphries of West Vigo; Andrea Newman of Paris; Brenna Siscoe of Union; Nikkole Thombleson of Bloomfield; and Hilary Vukovits of Rockville.
Since I just split up one set of sisters, I guess I can try it one more time: the captain of the Most Promising Team is Adrianne Francis of Turkey Run.
Other players with bright futures are Karen Beal, Lindsay Hendrix and Alicyn Woodward of West Vigo; Carlee Bell, Chelsey Sampson, Ali Sharton and Lauren Webster of Northview; Jaylin Brower and Allie Milam of South Vermillion; Bethany Chew and Kylee West of North Vermillion; Brittney Combs, Ariel Fuller and Alley Gilliland of Bloomfield; Chelsea Dailey, Cassie Griffin and Ashley Kinne of Riverton Parke; Maria Drake of North Central; Mack Evans of Owen Valley; Lindsey Greene and Beth Mahurin of Rockville; Jordan Hunt and Chelsea Newnum of Turkey Run; Danielle Ketner and Alexa McFadden of North; Shayna Nicol and Ashli Scott of Union; and Shelby Targett of Clay City.
Had trouble finding southpaws this season, so captain Lindy Jones, her North teammate Kelsey Rosselli and Bloomfield’s Alley Gilliland will have to recruit help from players like Teka Flowers of Warren Central and Tiffany Martin of Martinsville, Ind., for the Left-handed Team.
• • •
• Football note — Former Indiana State defensive back DeJuan Alfonzo got off to his usual start in Arena League play for the Chicago Rush.
Alfonzo, who set an AFL record with five defensive touchdowns last season, scored twice in the Rush opener on a fumble return and a recovery of a teammate’s fumble while he was playing offense.
• Lowell notes — My hometown has been in the news more than usual lately, with Amy Davis competing on American Idol (yes, I thought she got robbed too — although I can’t forgive her for getting me to start watching that show) and Red Devil wrestling immortal Eric Ping featured on a reality show on The Learning Channel.
But one of our all-time greats in the athletic world has retired. Amy Ruley — her brother and cousin were members of my Class of ‘66 — has stepped down as women’s basketball coach at North Dakota State after leading the Bison to five national championships and a successful transition to Division I play. Her record in 29 years was 670-198.
Andy Amey can be reached after 4 p.m. for comments or news items at 1-800-783-8742 or at (812) 231-4277; by e-mail at andy.amey@tribstar.com; by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
Amey Takes Aim
Drum roll please … it’s time for annual Amey girls basketball awards
- Amey Takes Aim
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Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs to put TVs to good use
If Jenny had known, she probably wouldn’t have bought that TV.
But four or five years ago, my Fathers Day present — for those unfamiliar with Amey family traditions, the Fathers Day one is “let’s get something we all really want and pretend it’s a gift for Dad” — was a 42-inch Vizio. It’s been used even more than the cell phone I never would have bought for myself, or the TomTom that disappeared since Jenny’s smartphone arrived.
And it came with high-def.
I’m not going to insult you by telling you how great high-def is, because to do so would be to imply that you are even farther behind the technological curve than I am. I’m guessing, however, that not all of you have yet discovered what it does for hockey. -
Amey Takes Aim: Can’t bottle the joy of Amey vacations
The first bad sign was the Gatorade bottle.
In the Bataan-Death-March drive to Orlando that got the Amey family spring break vacation off to a bad start, seeing it between lanes of I-24 — as we zipped along at a 100-miles-in-five-hours clip — filled with an ominous yellow liquid was a little bit scary. And although we didn't stop to check for sure, I'm fairly certain I knew about its contents.
And the person stuck in the same traffic jam with us, the one with the existential license plate YMIHR4, couldn’t have asked a more pertinent question.
But, after seeing a lot more of Oak Grove, Ky., than we’d planned, and after enduring more traffic slowdowns in Nashville, we were on our way. Even some rain in the dark in the Smokies didn’t slow us down much, so you would think our first-day troubles were over.
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ANDY AMEY: Farewell to basketball
I believe you’ve heard me say before — just about a year ago, perhaps — that a boys high school basketball season that ends with the Tribune-Star in Bankers Life Fieldhouse can’t be considered a bad one, which is why we have a little celebrating to do thanks to the Linton Miners.
Lover of irony that I am, I’ve also got to point out that this season was another branch sprouting from the Wabash Valley’s most legendary coaching tree, that of Joe Hart.
Joe never got much credit for his work at Dugger, but he took Brody Boyd, Clark Golish and the Bulldogs to a state championship game in 2000, and since then three of his former players — Joe Pigg, Clint Swan and now Joey Hart, his son — also have coached teams in the final game of the season.
Joe probably wishes he could take credit for Doc Nash, another down-home type who gave a banjo lesson earlier Saturday in leading Borden past a bigger, more athletic Triton team (banjo lesson is a Howard Sharpism, for you younger readers), but his lineage is still the best I can think of around here. -
AMEY TAKES AIM: Maroons, Rox final a true Classic
I don’t make predictions nearly as often as I used to, but I had one several months ago that was proven correct last week.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Nitpicking aside, West Vigo Hall of Fame selections spot on
I can’t imagine a better first class of inductees into the West Vigo High School Athletics Hall of Fame than the one that was feted Saturday night in the Jim Mann Green Dome.
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Tough bunch of people
I’m getting my warm clothes ready for a trip to Linton this week, and if a few thrills from the Miners, Casey or North Vermillion happen the next couple of weeks, I hope I get to see them.
But high school football is over in Vigo County for the season — as coach Chris Barrett of Terre Haute North said, prematurely — and I’m sadder to see it go than usual.
Walking the sidelines and doing midweek or postgame interviews enables me to meet quite a few of the guys whose names you are about to read, and haven’t been more impressed than I was this fall. What outstanding groups of young men. What a tough, tough bunch of people.
Many know that one of my favorite athletic adjectives appeared consecutively in the previous sentence. -
AMEY TAKES AIM: A weekend to remember with ISU’s ’72 football team
They’re all still pretty hale and hearty, the boys of the fall of 1972 who returned to campus over the weekend to honor their former football coach.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: ISU reunion raises more questions than answers
One of the wrestlers I used to hang out with occasionally claimed to be a pretty good second-story man — although he may have just been talking, since I never saw any of the goods — and it was with him in mind that I was able to get access to the Indiana State Wrestling Alumni Reunion late Saturday night.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Deciding not to ‘vacate’ during ‘vacation’ – & other ventures
Flaunting the law, setting a bad example for the kids in other ways, grooming and acquiring dogs … not a typical Amey family vacation, but an appreciated one just the same.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Huntsville’s Stars, Havoc take back seat to GGS
The second-best thing about the Amey family’s spring-break trip to Huntsville, Ala., is that we left a lot of things on the table to do the next time we’re down there.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Rox well represented on Amey teams
If having the state finals in town makes it a successful girls high school basketball season, then certainly having a team to follow at the state finals makes it a very successful boys high school basketball season . . .
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AMEY TAKES AIM: A feeling of pride, not disappointment, comes from watching Rox play
It’s not going to come as a startling admission that I — once the rest of the local opposition has been eliminated from consideration — am an unabashed fan of whatever team the Wabash Valley sends onward in postseason high school sports competition.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: This private school plays basketball the right way
Any girls high school basketball season that ends with state championship games in Hulman Center is a pretty good one — even though I wished I’d seen Riverton Parke and Seeger knock off a couple of private schools the week before to even the public school-private school battle a little bit.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Even 2 of state’s best once had doubts
Look at them now.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Getting ready for the dance
Terre Haute North got the good news Sunday night — or did it?
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Harrowing path for state hopefuls
The bad news is that the winner of Class 4A Sectional 13 in boys basketball heads northeast instead of southeast for regional play in March — to Hinkle Fieldhouse instead of Seymour as a result of Indiana High School Athletic Association’s changes.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: A superior all-star arrangement
I don’t work on Wednesdays, so I wasn’t able to attend the first Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association draft last week to set up the annual all-star game that will be June 23 this year.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The biggest & baddest of a holiday classic
There are more things to love about the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic than could fit in this newspaper, but one of this year’s best things was that for an hour or so on Wednesday, it was Justin Paddock’s world and we were just living in it.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Taking note of ISU’s latest football win
The biggest difference I’ve noticed, as I transition from the high school football beat to quasi-official status as the Indiana State football beat writer for a few weeks, is the length of the games.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: IHSAA playoff draw not as bad as it could have been
First reaction to the Indiana sectional football pairings drawn late Sunday by the Indiana High School Athletic Association? It could have been a lot worse.
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ANDY AMEY: Between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & a hard place
Just in case any of you noticed — with some anticipation — the recent lack of my bylines, I can tell you that your wish (and mine) did come true. It was vacation week for the Amey family.
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Amey Takes Aim: UFC fighter’s bloodines traced back to ISU brothers
As a mild-mannered reporter from a great metropolitan newspaper — or thereabouts — I admit I haven’t paid much attention to the burgeoning mixed martial arts scene.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Predators’ win is music to new fan’s ears
For many, many years, the number of live games televised on WGN has been cited as perhaps the main reason for the popularity of the Chicago Cubs (it’s got to be something besides masochism, right?).
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AMEY TAKES AIM: You’ll be having a good ol’ time on vacation with the Ameys
When one of the first people you meet is Tammy Wynette’s stepdaughter, when you’ve stepped on the feet of people you haven’t met while trying to navigate Ernest Tubbs’ old Silver Eagle tour bus, and when the activities director of your resort is, well, Elvis, you might be vacationing in Nashville.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The Annual All-Amey basketball teams close out the prep season
The most encouraging boys high school basketball event I’ve attended so far in 2011 has been the Lafayette Semistate a couple of weeks ago.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Family remembers Cheryl Weatherman as caring grandmother
As far as Riley and Keely Davis are concerned, Cheryl Weatherman was simply their grandmother, and a pretty darn good one at that.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Honor to see Turkey Run girls close out memorable career
I don’t know if anyone in this part of the state could actually say they enjoy going to Fort Wayne and back, but I was glad to see the Turkey Run Warriors play one last time during the girls basketball state finals Saturday.
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So many matches, so many favorites
Go ahead, ask me anything about the 224 wrestlers who competed last week at the Indiana state finals — or at least about the 112 wrestlers who survived Saturday’s first round.
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ANDY TAKES AIM: A sportwriters’s lament: Oh, the games we missed
I was already tired of winter by the time that first bitterly cold snap passed through in mid-December, so it’s safe to say the season hasn’t grown on me.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Time of the season for teams to tough it out
In the last month or so I figure I’ve seen at least four boys high school basketball teams with legitimate state-championship dreams as the season heads into its dog days.
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