Braves Cruise to Indianapolis to Become Back-to-Back State Champions

The Borden Lady Braves were not done winning at the state level after defeating Lafayette Central Catholic 49-40 last year. This year, the Borden Lady Braves faced off against the Eagles of Fremont. The Braves had their typical slow start, but still found themselves up 12-9 to end the first quarter. The Lady Braves had a strong second quarter, as they went on a huge 9-0 run to lead 22-15 at halftime. The Lady Braves have played well in the third quarter all season long, and that did not change as they started with a 6-0 run as AJ Mallad hit two quick three pointers to give the Lady Braves a 28-15 lead. The Lady Braves never looked back, outscoring the Lady Eagles 18-5 in the quarter. The Lady Braves had a chance to break a 1A State Champion record, as the Lady Eagles were at 29 points with 30 seconds left, but scored two points to get to 31, meaning the Lady Braves tied the record for fewest points allowed in a 1A State Championship game. Before the game, coach Matt Vick said he hoped the Lady Eagles would have a bad shooting game. Well, the Lady Braves held the Lady Eagles to just 30% from the field and just 6.7% from beyond the three-point line. Here is what coach Vick said about that: “We knew that they were a good shooting team, and I thought we did a good job at switching on ball screens and being on top of shooters. We switched to the 1-3-1 after getting in foul trouble, and I just told the girls to contest their shots. It is totally different playing in this arena, but I think our length was the factor.” Emma Hart had a team-leading 15 points, while AJ Mallad had 13. Here is what coach Vick said overall about the game: “I think winning this game goes back to what we have done all year. Our defense has been wonderful, while our offense has been inconsistently consistent. I am really proud of these girls because, a lot of times, kids do not want to play defense, but they dove right into it. I am really proud of these girls, and they have won a lot of games for me in the past four years.” Riley Rarick would also tie a record, recording eight assists, tying her for the most in the 1A State Championship game. Rarick also had ten points. Ava Wheeler added seven points, Saylor Scheleicher added four points, and Paityn Fisk had two. The Lady Braves shot 45.2% from the field, and went 10-13 at the free throw line.