INDIANAPOLIS — The Marauders faced high-pressure situations all year long.
They grew from it, turning an 11-win 2017-18 campaign into a 20-win team and a sectional championship this season.
They weren’t intimidated by the pressure of facing a favored Ben Davis team on a regional stage Saturday, but the literal pressure the Giants applied was too much to overcome.
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It was something else entirely, at another level from what Mt. Vernon had seen this season. The Giants applied a full-court press early and often, utilizing a swarming defense to force Mt. Vernon into turnovers.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Marauders fell behind and Ben Davis pulled away. The Giants emerged with a regional semifinal victory, 52-32, advancing to Saturday night’s regional final, where they lost to Lawrence North, 60-46.
“It was exactly what we expected,” Mt. Vernon coach Julie Shelton said of the Ben Davis defense. “The problem is, we don’t have any way to simulate that. We told them, we showed them, but until you feel that pressure, if we could have simulated that in practice to make us feel that … We tried, but we don’t have the ability to simulate that.”
The Giants started the game fast, but Mt. Vernon wasn’t caught off guard. The Marauders handled the early press well, with four lead changes in the first five minutes of the game.
Once Mt. Vernon took an 8-7 lead, though, the Ben Davis pressure started wreaking havoc.
The Giants went on a 16-0 run, holding Mt. Vernon scoreless for almost an entire quarter while opening a big lead. They held the Marauders to just 4 of 13 shooting in the opening half, nabbing eight steals and forcing more than a dozen total turnovers.
Mt. Vernon went into the half down 18, but they didn’t give up. The Giants kept pressing, finishing the game with 13 steals and forcing more than 20 turnovers. The Marauders grabbed seven steals of their own, but they couldn’t get the lead under double-digits at any point after the big second-quarter Giants run.
“In moments, I thought certain kids really stepped up,” Shelton said. “I was super proud of Tessa Freeman. I thought she really handled the pressure well, and had probably one of the best games she’s had all year. Sydnee Perry scored the ball and got herself open. She’s just got to continue to work on confidence in handling the basketball. I saw some bright spots.
“We didn’t quit, kept trying to battle. Just happy that we’ve seen where they’ve got to get for next year.”
Perry led Mt. Vernon with 13 points, making three of her six 3-point attempts. Freeman was the only other Marauder in double-digits, scoring 10 points while grabbing four rebounds, two steals and dishing out an assist.
Lexi Shelton added four points and six rebounds, Olivia Yeley had three points and senior Lindsay Hartl had two points and three rebounds.
With almost the entire team returning next year — Hartl is the lone senior of the group — the Marauders will hope to build off the experience of competing in a regional, of winning a hard-fought sectional championship against a county rival.
There was a huge leap in progress from 2017-18 to 2018-19. But Saturday was a measuring stick, just like games against Warren Central, North Central and Crown Point were earlier this season.
“I hope that they understand that we’re proud of them,” Shelton said. “We thought they had a great season, but we’ve had, including this final game, four or five games against the Top 10 teams in the state that now we know what we have to do between now and Oct. 16 to be able to compete in a regional like this.”
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Ben Davis 52, Mt. Vernon 32
Ben Davis;13;18;12;9;—;52
Mt. Vernon;8;5;10;9;—;32
Mt. Vernon: Lexi Shelton 0 4-6 4, Abby Worley 0 0-0 0, Sydnee Perry 4 2-2 13, Tessa Freeman 4 1-1 10, Lindsay Hartl 0 2-2 2, Olivia Yeley 1 1-1 3, Shay Shipley 0 0-0 0, Maddie Swingle 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9 10-12 32.
Ben Davis: Cherrelle Newsom 5 0-0 15, Ambrea Wensey 5 0-3 10, Khera Goss 5 0-0 10, Jada Coleman 1 5-8 7, Geniya Petty 1 0-0 2, Djanae Walker 1 0-0 3, Alycia Nyre Williams 0 0-2 0, Darieyn Royston 0 0-0 0, Micah Jett 1 0-0 2, Natalie Howard 0 3-4 3. Totals: 19 8-20 52.
3-point goals: Ben Davis 6 (Newsome 5, Walker), Mt. Vernon 4 (Perry 3, Freeman).
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