Sullivan and South Vermillion expect uphill battles in the Western Indiana Conference girls basketball race this season.
Two-time defending conference champ Owen Valley is still the clear favorite, but the Golden Arrows and Wildcats are working hard to improve upon their nine combined victories last season.
Veteran coaches Tim Terry, in his 29th season at South Vermillion, and Julie Meeks, in second year of her second stint at Sullivan and 11th year overall, also have to overcome the losses of some key seniors.
“One thing is for sure, the girls are putting in some hard work at practice and that will make us better as the season progresses,” Terry said.
The program will get turned around at Sullivan. Meeks has a .500 record the team’s goal.
“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re working hard,” Meeks said.
• • •
• South Vermillion — Six seniors are gone from last year’s squad, leaving plenty of minutes to be won during practice.
Junior guard Allie Milam has the most varsity experience, but “we do not have very many girls with varsity minutes back,” Terry said.
“So we hope to improve with each game, learn from mistakes and not make them again.”
Terry said he expects that his rotation could change as the season progresses.
The Wildcats have a tough week to start the season. After Tuesday’s opener at Seeger, South Vermillion plays Terre Haute North in the Hi-99/Clabber Girl Invitational. Next is the winner or loser of the Owen Valley-Terre Haute South matchup.
“We will be tested big time in the first week,” Terry said. “But I am really looking for this team to be an exciting team to watch.”
• Sullivan — Senior guards Annie Clark and Andrea Jones should start in the backcourt.
“Annie has taken on a leadership role, and she’s probably our best ballhandler,” Meeks said.
Lane Bond and Shelby Lamb giving Sullivan a solid front line. The fifth starter could be Joscelyne Mann, Delaney Gadbury or Kelsey Burr, all sophomores.
“I’ve got a lot of players at about the same level,” Meeks said. “After that, it could be open. I’ve got several players competing with eachother.”
Lamb has the assett of some quality minutes last season.
“She’s really improved a lot,” Meeks said. “She got better and better. She’s really strong in the post for us. The good thing is she’s just a junior. If we can get her the ball, I think we can score some points. I’m looking for her to be a scorer.”
Meeks, who has summoned former North Central girls coach and current Sullivan football coach Trent Holson as an assistant, is hoping her team can climb into the middle of the WIC standings.
“I feel like our program’s going in the right direction,” she said. “We went to team camp, the girls came to open gyms, and every girl in the program is in a weight training class at school.”
“We lost a lot of games by just a few points last year. We could be at least .500 this year.”
Sullivan Schedule
Nov. 20 — at South Vermillion, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 — Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 — Terre Haute South, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 — West Vigo, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 — at Terre Haute North, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 13 — Brown County, 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 15 — Shakamak, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 18 — at Evansville Harrison, 8 p.m.
Dec. 20 — at Bloomfield, 2:30 p.m
Dec. 23 — Edgewood, 6 p.m.
Jan. 8 — South Knox, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 — at Union, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 — at Vincennes Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 — at North Knox, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 22 — Clay City, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 — Linton, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 — at North Central, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30 — at Northview, 6 p.m.
Feb. 3 — at North Daviess, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 — Owen Valley, 6:30 p.m.
S. Vermillion Schedule
Tuesday — at Seeger
Thursday — vs. Terre Haute North in WTHI-99 Clabber Girl Classic
Friday — Clabber Girl Classic
Saturday — Clabber Girl Cassic
Nov. 20 — Sullivan, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 — North Putnam, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 — Attica, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 — West Vigo, 6 p.m.
Dec. 9 — South Putnam, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 12 — at Owen Valley, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 16 — at Covington, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 19 — Riverton Parke, 8 p.m.
Jan. 6 — at Rockville, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 — at Turkey Run, 8 p.m.
Jan. 17 — at Cloverdale, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 — North Vermillion, 8 p.m.
Jan. 23 — Northview, 6 p.m.
Jan. 27 — Edgweood, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 31 — at Brown County, 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 — at Terre Haute North, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5 — at Cascade, 7:30 p.m.
S. Vermillion Roster
Player Ht. Yr.
Brittany Evans 5-6 Sr.
Sherry Link 5-4 Sr.
Desiree Thomas 5-11 Sr.
Lauren Samuelson 5-7 Jr.
Allie Milam 5-4 Jr.
Kaci Hixon 5-8 Jr.
Brittany Watts 5-10 Jr.
Jalen Brower 5-8 So.
Kendall Kirby 5-7 Fr.
Gretchen Riggen 5-7 Fr.
Sullivan Roster
Player Ht. Yr.
Annie Clark 5-4 Sr.
Andrea Jones 5-4 Sr.
Shelby Lamb 5-10 Jr.
Alisha Lowery 5-6 Jr.
Kelsey Burr 5-4 So.
Delaney Gadbury 5-4 So.
Jocelyne Mann 5-6 So.
Lane Bond 5-9 So.
Lara Benningfield 5-9 So.
Sierra Walters 5-9 Fr.
High School
Sullivan, South Vermillion girls basketball teams looking up at Owen Valley in Western Indiana Conference
- High School
-
-
It’s a rivalry-filled Memorial Day for sectional contenders
Longtime rivalries figure to determine high school baseball sectional champions throughout the Wabash Valley today, with semifinal and final games scheduled at four sites and a stand-alone championship game at a fifth.
-
South tops Oldenburg to win tennis semistate
There was no evidence of rally caps, rally towels and certainly no rally squirrels, but Terre Haute South’s No. 1 singles player Maddie Kesler needed a rally in the worst way.
-
New route leads to same place for South girls tennis
For so many years, the road to the IHSAA girls tennis state finals for local teams ran through Vincennes (regional) and Jasper (semistate). In other words, south and more south.
This year, their trip was re-routed through Greencastle (regional) and Center Grove (semistate). So it cnahged to east and more east. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Robinson tops Greenville in sectional semifinal
Robinson jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then cruised to a convincing 12-3 victory over Greenville in a IHSA Class 2A Vandalia sectional semifinal game on Thursday.
Ashlyn Sullivan was 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the winning Maroons. -
West Vigo baseball falls in sectional to Owen Valley
West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
-
South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
South takes second, North third at boys track regional
Terre Haute South finished second and Terre Haute North third on Thursday night at the boys track and field regional at Evansville Central, with 11 individuals and three relay teams qualifying for the state finals June 2.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: White River Valley baseball holds off Eminence
Three Eminence errors in the top of the sixth inning finally enabled White River Valley to score in high school baseball Thursday night, and the Wolverines went on to a 5-0 win in Class A Shakamak Sectional action.
-
Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
Terre Haute South softball is not even close to being as cursed as a certain northside baseball team in Chicago, but it might just seem like it.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
-
Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
-
Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
-
North Vermillion avenges losses
North Vermillion avenged two high school softball losses during the regular season to win the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional championship Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over the host Panthers.
-
Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
-
South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
-
Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
-
Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
-
North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
-
Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
-
Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
-
Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
-
Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
-
Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
-
Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
-
Northview sectional groups 3 20-win teams
Three teams with 20-plus victories will attempt to claim the Class 4A Northview Sectional crown for high school softball this week, and most of the other Wabash Valley sectional fields also appear to be wide open.
-
Terre Haute South softball takes Riverton Parke tournament
Terre Haute South is going into the Class 4A Sectional at Northview on Monday with momentum, confidence, a deep bench and a healthier pitching staff than it has had in quite a while.
-
North baseball splits doubleheader with Indy North Central
Some of their incentive could have been sapped a couple of nights earlier, when Center Grove achieved an eight-inning victory over Warren Central to clinch the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball championship.
- More High School Headlines
-
It’s a rivalry-filled Memorial Day for sectional contenders




