The Mt. Vernon girls basketball team celebrate as the buzzer sounds after they defeated Pendleton Heights in the Class 4A Sectional 9 final at Mt. Vernon High School on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. (Richard Sitler/Daily Reporter)
FORTVILLE — In the biggest moment of the team’s season, Mt. Vernon went to the players that have the best understanding of playing in those big moments.
Led by its three veterans that came into the Class 4 Sectional 9 championship game with a combined five girls basketball sectional tournament titles, the Marauders avenged a regular season loss and won their second straight sectional championship, 53-49, over Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon High School, Tuesday.
Seniors Madison Swingle and Shay Shipley and sophomore Ellery Minch scored 49 of the team’s 53 points. Swingle and Shipley were part of sectional titles as freshmen and last season. Minch was one of last year’s sectional celebrators.
“It’s absolutely huge (to have that tournament experience),” Mt. Vernon head coach Julie Shelton said. “Swingle and Shipley have both been in two regionals in basketball and they’ve had several championship type experience as (Mt. Vernon soccer players) and it was huge that Ellery got the first one under her belt last year.”
Swingle scored 19 points. She hit two first-quarter 3s to help bounce back from an early 6-0 deficit. She also went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
Minch, who scored 30 in Saturday’s semifinal win over Anderson, had 18. She scored 16 points in the second-half, including eight of the team’s 10 third-quarter points.
Shipley had 12, six in each half. She hit two second-quarter 3s and went 6-for-6 at the line in the final two quarters.
“We built chemistry between each other all season because we’ve had to rely on each other so much,” Swingle said. “I trust them just like they trust me. When you know your teammates have your back, if you miss that shot, they’re going to hit the next one. That made the difference in us hitting shots.”
Mt. Vernon hit a lot of their shots, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. The vets hit two each. Minch hit both of her attempts. Swingle was 2 of 3 and Shipley hit 2 of 4.
Add on a strong defensive performance from the entire squad, Shelton couldn’t have been happier with her team’s performance.
“We still had turnovers and we still had mistakes, but this was one of our best games of the year where we really executed what we were prepared to do and moved the basketball where it needed to go,” the coach said. “We stayed focused for the most part. I was very proud of all of them.”
Along with being the team’s second straight sectional title, it was the third in the last four years. Overall, Mt. Vernon has won 17 girls basketball sectionals.
Last year’s sectional championship team got to the regional title contest before losing to eventual Class 4A state runner-up Brownsburg.
The win also avenges a 47-36 regular-season loss on Dec. 4 to the Arabians, also played at MVHS. The game ended up being the decider for the Hoosier Heritage Conference championship. Pendleton Heights finished HHC play as league champs with a 7-0 record. Mt. Vernon finished 6-1.
“Our girls gave everything they had,” Pendleton Heights coach Chad Cook said. “Give (Mt. Vernon) a lot of credit. Mt. Vernon played great and played good on the defensive end and made things tough on us. It’s very disappointing knowing we were right there.”
In the fourth quarter, Mt. Vernon led by as much as seven, 46-39, after two Minch free throws.
Pendleton Heights battled back. Two free throws from Kylea Lloyd with 52 seconds left, cut Mt. Vernon’s margin to five, 46-41.
Abi Rosenkrans stole the ensuing in-bounds pass, scored, was fouled and added the free throw to cut it to 46-44 with 48.6 left.
Down the stretch, Swingle, Minch and Shipley hit 6 of 7 free throws to clinch it.
Pendleton Heights scored the game’s first six points and led 10-8 after the first period.
Beginning with a Swingle 3 late in the first, the Marauders went on a 12-2 run. They took their first lead on a Shipley 3, 13-10, with 6:29 remaining in the period.
There were four lead changes in the second quarter. Back-to-back 3s from Pendleton Heights Kaycie Warfel and Rosenkrans turned a 15-10 MV lead into a 16-15 Arabian advantage.
Shipley responded with her second 3 of the period to make it 18-16 for the hosts. PH’s Hailee Brunnemer countered with a trey of her own to give the lead back to Pendleton Heights, 19-18, with 2:14 remaining until halftime.
Mt. Vernon scored the final four points. Swingle put the Marauders up with a bucket at the 1:13 mark. MV added another two from sub Khloe Patterson for a 22-19 halftime lead.
After having four lead changes in the second period, there were four ties in the third. With 12 seconds left in the period, Rosenkrans scored to knot the game up, 32-32.
Mt. Vernon will play Ben Davis, the winner of the Perry Meridian Sectional, in a regional semifinal game at Decatur Central Saturday at 10 a.m. A second regional semifinal will follow between winners of the Warren Central and Brownsburg sectionals. The championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Mt. Vernon 53, Pendleton Heights 49
Mt. Vernon;8;14;10;21;—;53
Pendleton Heights;10;9;13;17;—;49
Mt. Vernon (17-8): Alaina Nugent 0 0-0 0, Shay Shipley 2 6-6 12, Ellery Minch 5 6-10 18, Easton Wampler 0 0-0 0, Madison Swingle 6 5-5 19, Khloe Patterson 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Laffey 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 17-21 53.
Pendleton Heights (19-6): Hailee Brunnemer 1 0-0 3, Kaycie Warfel 5 0-2 11, Abi Rosenkrans 5 7-8 19, Kylea Lloyd 2 3-4 7, Whitney Warfel 4 0-0 9, Morgan Martin 0 0-0 0, Berkley Shelton 0 0-0 0, Skylar Baldwin. Totals: 17 10-14 49.
3-point goals: Mt. Vernon 6 (Shipley 2, Minch 2, Swingle 2); Pendleton Heights 5 (Rosenkrans 2, Brunnemer, K. Warfel, W. Warfel)
