Bearcats head to fourth regional in school history behind youthful star

UNION TWP. | It's been four years since Becca Bruszewski wore the green and orange of the Wheeler girls basketball team, but the winning tradition she helped instill is returning for the Bearcats.

Led by a talented freshman and a determined coach, the Bearcats will be playing in the regional semifinal for the first time since Bruszewski left Wheeler to star at Notre Dame.

"I think Becca would be pleased with the fact that the Wheeler tradition that she helped build is carrying on without her," Wheeler coach Marc Bruner said. "As a school we are tremendously proud of what she's gone on to do and I'd like to see her No. 32 jersey retired and hanging in the gym. Having said that, this is the first sectional championship team that she wasn't a part of."

Freshman Nickole Finch scored a career-high 21 points in Saturday night's 42-34 championship win over Hanover Central.

Finch is a big part of the success story this season, but the gratification didn't always come easy. When the freshman entered high school, still at the age of 13, Finch was used to a simplified playbook that included one play, not a complicated series of plays that included learning the responsibilities of all the other positions.

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