South Vermillion and Sullivan took some lumps in girls high school basketball last season, scuffling around in the lower half of the Western Indiana Conference standings and finishing with identical 4-17 records.
That’s liable to change this winter.
The Wildcats continued to improve last season, even if their record didn’t always show it, and they did so with a lineup sprinkled liberally with freshmen. Those players are a year older and a year wiser now.
“At the end of the year we started to look a little better,” coach Tim Terry said recently. “We’re already ahead of last year.”
Coach Julie Meeks of Sullivan will be using some freshmen — and no seniors — this year, but not from a position of weakness. The Golden Arrow ninth-graders didn’t lose a game last year — few foes of that team could even make it close — and at least a couple of them are varsity-ready.
• South Vermillion — The fact that Allie Milam led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding last season is something of a mixed blessing for Terry’s team.
Yes Milam, a senior and a three-year regular, is one of the best players in the WIC. She’s also 5-foot-4, however, which illustrates one of the main challenges the Wildcats face.
“They’re not very tall, but they’re pretty scrappy,” Terry said of his players. “We’ll have to block out well and play good defense.”
Three other starters return for the Wildcats: 5-6 senior Lauren Samuelson, 5-9 junior Jalen Brower and 5-4 junior Mandy Kelly. Samuelson, another player with plenty of experience, and Kelly, the Wildcats’ best female distance runner, figure to be the starting backcourt with Brower at center.
A third senior, 5-11 Alex McMasters, has returned after not playing basketball a year ago. Her height alone gives her an opportunity to contribute, but otherwise the battle for playing time is among seven sophomores — 5-7 Kenzi Cheesewright, 5-7 Kendall Kirby, 5-6 Gretchen Riggen and 5-7 Brittani Wright up front and 5-0 Ashley Farrington, 5-1 Jessie Lubovich and 5-4 Morgan Samuelson in the backcourt.
It’s a group Terry is happy to go to battle with, which he will tonight in the season opener against Seeger.
“I feel good because of their work ethic,” he concluded.
• Sullivan — The Golden Arrows won nine straight games in a two-day tournament at Robinson, Ill., this summer and wondered afterward why their coach was so excited.
“I told them, ‘You just won nine games. That’s more than we won the last two years,’ ” said Meeks, whose Arrows were also 4-17 during the 2007-2008 season.
Don’t expect Sullivan to stop at four victories this season — or nine either, most likely.
The Golden Arrows have five juniors, all of whom have been starters at one time or another, and a sophomore who came on strong at the end of last season. And they add two freshmen who bring ingredients that complement the other six players perfectly — the ability to score, and the confidence from being consistent winners.
The veterans are 5-4 Joscelyn Mann at guard; 5-5 Delaney Gadberry and 5-5 Kelsey Burr at guard or forward (Gadberry was a double-figure rebounder in Saturday’s scrimmage against Class A powerhouse Vincennes Rivet); and 5-9 Lara Benningfield and 5-8 Lane Bond up front. Bond has an injury issue right now, but the Arrows don’t have a game until they meet South Vermillion on Nov. 19.
The sophomore is 5-6 Sierra Walters, who adds strength and an aggressive mind-set.
Don’t be surprised if the two freshmen lead the team in scoring a few times, however.
Rhagen Smith’s debut is much anticipated, particularly after her brother Rhett stepped in as a freshman star with the Sullivan boys team last winter, and she is 6-1 and strong. Caelan Jones is 5-2 and fearless, ready to run the offense and be the team’s best 3-point shooter — unless Smith is.
“We can win a lot of games this year,” Meeks said after seeing her team scrimmage.
Sullivan schedule
Nov. 19 — South Vermillion (WIC), 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 — At Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 24 — At Terre Haute South, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 1 — At West Vigo (WIC), 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 — North Central, 12:30 p.m.
Dec. 10 — Terre Haute North, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 12 — At Brown County (WIC), 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 14 — At Shakamak, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17 — Evansville Harrison, 8 p.m.
Dec. 19 — Bloomfield, 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 22 — At Edgewood (WIC), 6 p.m.
Dec. 29-30 — At Vincennes Rivet Tournament, TBA
Jan. 7 — At South Knox, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14 — Vincennes Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 — North Knox, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21 — At Clay City, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 — Northview (WIC), 6 p.m.
Feb. 2 — North Daviess, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5 — At Owen Valley (WIC), 6:30 p.m.
WIC — denotes Western Indiana Conference game
Sullivan roster
Player Ht. Yr.
Lara Benningfield 5-9 Jr.
Lane Bond 5-8 Jr.
Kelsey Burr 5-5 Jr.
Delaney Gadberry 5-5 Jr.
Joscelyn Mann 5-4 Jr.
Sierra Walters 5-6 So.
Caelan Jones 5-2 Fr.
Rhagen Smith 6-1 Fr.
S. Vermillion schedule
Today — Seeger, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday — vs. Terre Haute South in HI-99/Terre Haute Savings Bank Classic at West Vigo, 6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday — HI-99/Terre Haute Savings Bank Classic at West Vigo, TBA
Nov. 19 — At Sullivan (WIC), 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 24 — At North Putnam, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 1 — At Attica, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4 — At West Vigo (WIC), 6 p.m.
Dec. 8 — At South Putnam, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11 — Owen Valley (WIC), 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 15 — Covington, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 18 — At Riverton Parke, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 5 — Rockville, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14 — Turkey Run, 8 p.m.
Jan. 16 — Cloverdale, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 — At North Vermillion, 8 p.m.
Jan. 22 — At Northview (WIC), 6 p.m.
Jan. 26 — At Edgewood (WIC), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30 — Brown County (WIC), 3 p.m.
Feb. 2 — Terre Haute North, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4 — Cascade, 7:30 p.m.
WIC — denotes Western Indiana Conference game
S. Vermillion roster
Player Ht. Yr.
Alex McMasters 5-11 Sr.
Allie Milam 5-4 Sr.
Lauren Samuelson 5-6 Sr.
Jalen Brower 5-9 Jr.
Mandy Kelly 5-4 Jr.
Kenzi Cheesewright 5-7 So.
Ashley Farrington 5-0 So.
Kendall Kirby 5-7 So.
Jessie Lubovich 5-1 So.
Gretchen Riggen 5-6 So.
Morgan Samuelson 5-4 So.
Brittani Wright 5-7 So.
High School
Girls Prep Basketball Previews: S. Vermillion, Sullivan look to improve in 2009-10
- High School
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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