BLOOMFIELD —
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Sullivan struggled mightily in the first half, eerily reminiscent of its eventual elimination in the final seconds of overtime by Edgewood in last year’s Class 3A girls basketball sectional.
This year, the Arrows drew on that unpleasant experience, finding the wherewithal in the second half to eventually subdue North Knox 50-43 in the Class 2A Bloomfield Sectional championship game Saturday.
Bad start? Sullivan’s standout center, 6-foot-2 junior Rhagen Smith, missed her first six shots — the Arrows missed their first seven shots. Smith scored just four points in the first half, not taking a shot the final six minutes, 31 seconds of the first half.
Strong finish? Smith scored 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and converting 6-of-7 free throws.
“We came in all focused, but got off to a slow start,” Smith said. “Luckily in the second half, we kicked in and picked our game up and came through with the win.”
“North Knox is a tough team, a young team, but very good,”Sullivan coach Julie Meeks said. “I knew it was going to be a dogfight.”
While Smith was struggling in the first half, 5-3 guard Jaleigh Gilham came up “big” for the Arrows. She hit a 3-pointer for their first lead at 8-7, then sent the Arrows to intermission with a 20-17 lead with her last-second 3-pointer.
In all, the first half featured four ties and five lead changes. That trend continued in the third quarter, with two ties and two lead changes.
North Knox assumed its final lead at 32-31 on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Betsy Grove with 2:06 left in the third quarter. Then it was Smith time, as the Indiana State recruit scored the next seven points for a 38-32 lead early in the fourth quarter.
North Knox scored on four straight possessions to begin the fourth quarter, slicing the Arrows’ lead to 42-39 with 4:02 left. Smith’s putback made it 44-39, then the Arrows made enough free throws — 4-of-8 — in the final two minutes to complete the victory.
“We held the ball at the top and got [North Knox] out of their zone [defense] . . .I think that really helped that I was able to go one-on-one in the paint,” Smith stated. “Our guards did a fantastic job of getting the ball into me. I was very happy with them.”
Smith finished with 20 points, six rebound and a pair of blocks. Caelan Jones added eight points, but also had a game-high six steals.
“First half, we took a lot of great shots underneath that didn’t fall in, missed layups, a lot of jitters,” Meeks said. “There was a lot of pressure on us too.
“Jaleigh Gilham hit that 3-pointer at halftime that gave us a 3-point lead. I think that got us some momentum. I told them at halftime, we’ve got settle down, get some defensive stops. Play our game, get it inside to Rhagen and get some finishes. That’s what happened the second half.”
After missing their first seven shots, the Arrows made 18 of its last 32 shots for a torrid 56 percent pace. The Arrows also had just five turnovers.
“I think our offense was very good, we took a good shot selection, held on to the ball,” Meeks noted. “I would’ve liked us to make a few more free throws than we made, but we made enough to keep the lead.”
Sullivan enjoys its first sectional title since 2003. Time to celebrate, then it’s on to the Paoli regional. The last time the Arrows won a regional championship was 1982, when current coach Meeks was a sophomore.
SULLIVAN (50) — Smith 7-13 6-7 20, Walters 2-3 0-0 5, Chapman 1-2 1-2 3, Jones 3-10 2-4 8, Gilham 2-6 1-2 7, Harrison 3-5 1-5 7. Totals 18-39 FG, 11-20 FT, 50 TP.
NORTH KNOX (43) — Gugliotta 6-15 5-6 18, Grove 4-6 4-5 12, Buckthal 1-3 0-0 2, Charlton 3-7 0-0 8, Primus 1-3 0-0 3, Moreland 0-2 0-0 0, Doades 0-1 0-0 0, Mackey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-38 FG, 9-11 FT, 43 TP.
Sullivan 8 12 16 14 — 50
North Knox 10 7 15 11 — 43
3-point shooting — Sul 3-8 (Walters 1-1, Jones 0-2, Gilham 2-5), NK 4-11 (Gugliotta 1-3, Charlton 2-3, Primus 1-3, Moreland 0-1, Doades 0-1). Rebounds — Sul 24 (Smith 6, Chapman 4, Harrison 4, Walters 3, Team 3, Jones 2, Gilham 2), NK 24 (Gugliotta 9, Buckthal 6, Grove 4, Team 3, Charlton, Moreland). Steals — Sul 7 (Jones 6, Gilham), NK 3 (Gugliotta, Grove, Primus). Blocks — Sul 2 (Smith 2), NK 0. Turnovers — Sul 5, NK 10. Total fouls — Sul 12, NK 14. Fouled out — none.
Next — Sullivan (21-3) will play the Forest Park sectional winner in the Class 2A Paoli regional at 10 a.m. on Saturday. North Knox (14-11) concluded its season.
High School
BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan rebounds from tough start for title
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