TERRE HAUTE —
The second annual Canterbury-Mater Dei Invitational in Hulman Center is still a few days away, but unfortunately none of our Wabash Valley teams are available to make the high school girls state basketball championships a little more exciting.
That doesn’t mean that our girls didn’t make it exciting for us the last few months, however, led by a bevy of senior players from around the Valley who will be very hard to replace. Here are your Amey teams for the 2012-13 season.
Did a mention we had a lot of good seniors? The Clutch Team is so stacked with them that there’s not a captain; there’s not even a starting five. What we have is a seven-player rotation of clutch performers who, sadly, have all completed their prep careers: Nicole Anderson of Terre Haute North, Tasia Brewer of Terre Haute South, Sara Dickey of Riverton Parke, Ariana Kuhn of Marshall, Jenifer Lee of Rockville, Rhagen Smith of Sullivan and Taylor Turchi of North Vermillion.
Also in the same category are Alex Basile of Greencastle, Katelyn Freed of South Vermillion, Joie Gadberry of Linton, Brittany Gordon of Rockville, Labrea Joyner of South, Charity Lane of West Vigo, Kenzie Pollard of Riverton Parke, Hallie Smith of Union, Abbey Timberman of Northview and Allison Wininger of White River Valley.
Competitors? We’ve got a team full of those too, and six worthy captains: Kaydie Grooms of Marshall, Caelan Jones of Sullivan, Gabby Kreischer of North Central, Darby Martin of North Vermillion, Kelsey Pilant of Shakamak and Paige Yando of Riverton Parke.
Joining them are Raleigh Amis, Jessica Lenihan and Callan Taylor of Greencastle; Taylor Birchfield of Casey; Paige Boardman of Rockville; Carlie Booe and Courtney Johnson of Linton; Layne Curley and Sierra Sykes of North; Maddy Dyer of White River Valley; Kylie Fendrick of South; Kayla Gallagher of Shakamak; Sierra Girton, Ashley Hughes and Cassie Weddle of Northview; Jordan Goddard and Chelsie Wood of Turkey Run; Cali Hale and Kolby Reynolds of Union; Kylee Hannahs and Kyndal Mendenhall of Robinson; Kylee Karr of North Vermillion; Bailey Mack, Ariel Spivey and Tori Vitaniemi of South Vermillion; Madison Toon and Elena Weddle of Bloomfield; and Brittany Voils of West Vigo.
Captains of the Unsung Team are a stellar player whose talents were obscured by part of a year off with injury, Emily Bell of South, and — as always on this team — a defender who, in her team’s last big win of the year, came up big in the scoring column too, Sydney Chapman of Sullivan.
Others who may have been underappreciated included Lizzie Barton, Shelby Byrley, Shyanne Elkins, Marissa Fox and McKenzie Little of West VIgo; Jerri Beck and Kelsey Fulford of Shakamak; Jennifer Bendickson, Lindsey Clark and Abby Middleton of North; Shelby Benell, Kelly Combs and Kori Wood of Riverton Parke; Tonia Bishop and Abbie Switzer of Marshall; Shawnacee Bowman and Mikayla Kinneer of North Vermillion; Kelli Buchanan and Bailee Williams of South; Meghan Bullington and Megan Gordon of Rockville; Gracey Caddell, Aubrey Evans and Tory Swalls of North Central; Mahayle Durga and Alex Wolfe of Clay City; Shelby Earl of Greencastle; Elana Edwards and Jetta Green of Casey; Alex Emery of Turkey Run; Jaleigh Gilham of Sullivan; Whitney Halfhill and McKenzi Kumpf of Northview; Lauren Hixon, Melanie Russell and Jamaica Wright of South Vermillion; Korissa Jobe of Union; Megan Lemmons, Lexi Pearson, Shannon Pittman and Taylor Resler of White River Valley; Brilee Parker of Linton; and Ashlyn Sullivan of Robinson.
Finding captains for the Unselfish Team is sometimes difficult, by definition. This year’s team leader is a veteran player who was always valuable, yet never needed the spotlight — Callie Dayhuff of Clay City.
Others who put the team first included Taylor Andrew of South Vermillion; Abby Awbrey and Rachel Grayless of Turkey Run; Hannah Bender of Marshall; Selena Bowman of Linton; Galina Carrio and Kaitlyn Crumrin of North Central; Jessi Covert and Delanie Stoltey of Greencastle; Mary Curley and Chiarra Pietracci of West Vigo; Kaleigh Decker and Claire Miller of Clay City; Cobie Harrison and Jenni Wilkes of Sullivan; Jasmine Padgett and Amy Ragle of White River Valley; Brittany Quick and Mickey Shook of Robinson; Kari Schulte of Bloomfield; Abby Shanks of South; Tiffany Spivey of Casey; and Gabby Staub of North.
Captains of the Most Promising Team are a couple of freshmen who are already fixtures on their respective teams and will be stars in the years to come: Lauren Hambrock of South and Alisha Steward of Clay City.
Bright futures are also in the offing for Morgan Black and Meagan White of Rockville; Meghan Bond and Emily Bucher of Bloomfield; Sydni Bowling, Kelcie Basan and Madison Thompson of Turkey Run; Lauren Bridgewater and Sydney Smiley of Greencastle; Kylie Cardinal, Brooke Houser, Leah Morrison and Abby Pointer of West Vigo; Conner Cutright and Kyleigh Decker of Casey; Avaree Dunn of Linton; Logan Ellinger of Clay City; Abby Howes of North; Sierra Hudson and Kierra Samm of Shakamak; Katelynn Kennedy of North Central; Carlie Johnson and Sam Rigsby of South Vermillion; Hannah Sullivan of Union; Shelby Virostko of Riverton Parke; and Kinsey West of North Vermillion.
Most Improved Players I saw this year included a quartet of post players within a few miles of our office: Lexus Elkins of West Vigo, Adrienne Pritchard of North and Mikayla Rowan and Mallory Smith of Northview.
Others who came a long way were Rachel Austin and Emily Virostko of Riverton Parke; Tiarra Black and Darian Morgan of Casey; Emily Calip and Tessa Laino of Robinson; Emily Cottom of Sullivan; Riley Davis, Lindley Higham and Kayla Speth of South; Shelby Edington of West Vigo; Lexi Graves and Madison Hockman of White River Valley; Alicia Hasler of Bloomfield; Breah Keim and Cheyenne Thompson of Marshall; Connor Kendall and Autumn Secrest of Union; Alexia Lear of Rockville; Taylor Netherlain of North Central; Megan Phipps of Shakamak; Mercedes Shafford of Linton; Taylor Stoltey of Greencastle; and Kylee Truax of Clay City.
And I didn’t see nearly enough left-handers this season, but I know I could take Brewer, Jones, Rowan, Shanks and Wright and have a pretty good start to a team.
n Say hello — Those of you who attend the games Saturday in Hulman Center will see a couple of familiar faces in striped shirts, by the way. Michael Stoffers of the Wabash Valley Officials Association will be working the Class 2A final and Jay Slater of the WVOA is on the crew for the Class 4A game.
Andy Amey can be reached after 4 p.m. at 812-231-4277 or at 1-800-783-8742; by email at andy.amey@tribstar.com; by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808; or by fax at 812-231-4321. Follow TribStarAndy on Twitter.
Sports Columns
AMEY TAKES AIM: Annual Amey Awards signal end of girls basketball season
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TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
In its rich 43-year history, the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic has long carried on a strong local racing tradition.
From its early beginnings starting in 1971, the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned event has been the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar at the Terre Haute Action Track as well as a key stop on the USAC sprint schedule and one of the most sought after wins in big league sprint-car racing. -
Shooters compete to fight cancer
A team of employees at Taghleef, formally A.E.T, would like to give a personal invite for you to join in on a lot of fun while helping save lives.
Cindy and Mark Wilguess are the inspiration behind the Taghleef Team. Cindy herself fought this battle with cancer and won. Last year she led her team to be the No. 1 fundraisers in the Relay for Life. -
TILL IT'S OVER: Terre Haute Triathlon's new race director seeks more events for his hometown
Today is the day for the Thunder in the Valley, and the Terre Haute Triathlon is under new leadership in 2013, the 28th year for the event at Hawthorn Park.
A former Terre Haute North track and cross country standout, Ethan Page is the race director as the race falls under the reign of Page’s new company, Crossroads Events. -
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
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TRACKSIDE: Terre Haute's Carmichael enjoying strong spring in modifieds, stocks
It might have been cold and blustery at Charleston Speedway on Saturday night, but for Terre Haute driver Kenny Carmichael the evening couldn’t have been more pleasant.
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From Terre Haute to the major leagues: Phegley's play could earn him promotion to Chicago
Josh Phegley's debut in the Major Leagues could be coming to a ballpark near you.
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There's an expert at Parker's Archery
As I was driving the winding roadways of southern Indiana, a rustic building caught my attention and the sign on the front revealed it to be an archery shop called Parkers Archery.
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TRACKSIDE: Rain still a pain for Wabash Valley racing organizers
Soggy weather conditions, which have rightfully drawn the ire of Wabash Valley race fans and crews in recent days, continue to plague promoters where it hurts the most — their pocketbooks.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers having a ‘Garden Party’
The Indiana Pacers are back in form and looking good.
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KENNY BAYLESS: Sponsors sought for 'Ladies Only' event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays
Sponsors are being sought at the Ladies Only event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays on Saturday at 10 a.m. Sponsors should be willing to donate $1 or more for every broken bird. Each lady is allowed 25 shots. Flat donations are gladly accepted. Also, organizers are looking for more ladies to participate. Ammo, clay birds, and guns (if needed) will be furnished.
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
RAMBLIN' RECK: It’s May … a time for horses and horsepower
It’s the first day of May, a great month for sports.
It begins with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. My Old Kentucky Home is played before the start of the race on which hundreds of bets will be placed by folks who ordinarily don’t bet on thoroughbred horse racing.
A week later, practice begins for the Indianapolis 500.
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Terre Haute runner sets up race to help Boston
Having competed in the Boston Marathon once before in 2003, 35-year-old Majel Wells of Terre Haute thought she should give it another try in 2013.
“My goal was just to finish and enjoy Boston,” she reflected this week. “I had an injury [runner’s knee] beforehand, so I wasn’t too worried about beating my time from 2003 [4 hours, 10.20 seconds].
“But nobody cares about what your time is at Boston anyway.”
From what I’ve heard over the years, she’s right. Unless you’re a super-serious runner, the Boston Marathon has been more about taking in the atmosphere and having fun than placing in the top 50, although Wells was pleased that she beat her previous time by finishing in 3:55.19 on April 15.
Obviously, her race time wasn’t the most vivid memory that Wells took away from her 2013 Boston experience. -
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. -
Foot Notes: ISU track athletes looking to keep improving at Drake Relays
Indiana State’s track schedule has helped its men’s and women’s teams escape the glacial Wabash Valley weather and enjoy warm days in Auburn, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn.
With the Sycamores’ track facility basically laid to rest for competition and construction on a new one planned near the Wabash River to begin in 2014, major kudos go to everyone involved for continuing to produce athletes that are NCAA contenders who race with some of the world’s best.
Some of ISU’s current athletes are hoping for season-best performances this weekend against strong competition in the Drake Relays.
Former Sycamore NCAA pole-vault champion Kylie Hutson, who competes professionally for Nike and trains in her hometown of Terre Haute, also has been in Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Pole Vault in the Mall on Wednesday night. -
REDNECK QUAKER: Variety of birds to search for in turkey hunting
My father-in-law, Donnell Dunn of Jacksonville, Fla., is a retired engineer from J.I. Case and an avid reader and loves information on anything he takes interest in. He has five patents under his belt during his career.
Donnell took great interest in the Turkey World Slam display at Gander Mountain and thought each bird needed some info to help people understand more about them. -
TRACKSIDE: USAC racing picking up, including Sunday's stop in Terre Haute
With a break in the weather, U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned racing will kick into high gear on the area motorsports scene this weekend with events scheduled at three Indiana ovals.
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Ramblin’ Reck: Sato first Foyt winner since 2002
Takuma Sato made Izod IndyCar Series history Sunday when he won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
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Former South players to play in Saylor benefit game
I had my first phone conversation with Mike Saylor since mid-February on Thursday and he sounded good.
The former Terre Haute South High School boys basketball coach, who’s been battling cancer this year, has been traveling back and forth to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for chemotherapy treatments. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers closing out a nice season
In case you hadn’t noticed, the final games of the regular season will be played this week in the National Basketball Association.
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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.
You would be wrong. -
Redneck Quaker: Mascari gets thrills from turkey hunting
Annie Mascari is a beautiful, vibrant, 26-year-old lady that loves the outdoors.
She comes from a large family of four brothers and a sister and lives the teachings of good family values.
Olivia Rightly let me know that I “should talk to my teacher at St. Pats School, Ms. Mascari, because she’s taken a turkey.”
As I shook Annie’s hand, I could feel the energy she has for life. As proof, the first time she went up in an airplane, she jumped out of it!
She’s also quite the hunter. Mascari picked up a used PSE bow for $30, one for a left-hander because her left eye is dominate for shooting. The Page Arrows are her choice for broadheads. -
RAMBLIN’ RECK: Louisville gets two shots at NCAA title
Louisville met Michigan in the championship game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Monday. Louisville faces Connecticut in the title tilt of the women’s tournament tonight.
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REDNECK QUAKER: Learning to shoot clays a great experience
Tom Mitchell from Burnett is an all-around outdoor enthusiast. His passions are motorcycles, cars, and most of all, shooting sports. When he sights in on metal target shooting with a hand gun or rifle you will hear a lot of “clang” noises, he can shoot very quiet also, because he is licensed to own suppressers.
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TRACKSIDE: Racing season picking up speed
With several tracks already open and others scheduled to get underway this weekend it’s a sure sign the area motorsports campaign has taken the green flag for the 2013 season.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: Out with the hoops, in with the bats
It’s a super week for sports fans — college basketball comes to a close and the first baseball games are played in the major leagues.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players
Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
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FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress
It all happened so fast in June 2010.
One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff. -
FROM THE PRESSBOX: NCAA got it right with Louisville in Indianapolis
The worst decision and the best decisions made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee shared space on Lucas Oil Stadium’s hardwood Friday night.
The Midwest Regional’s opener pitted Louisville and Oregon, two teams that were on the opposite sides of the NCAA’s coin on Selection Sunday.
Oregon, winner of the Pac-12 Tournament and Pac-12 runner-up in the regular season, was shockingly seeded 12th in the Midwest Region. - More Sports Columns Headlines
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