Heritage Christian Looks to Resume Sectional Success

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By Anders Rotto

For VYPE Magazine

With calendars everywhere flipped to the month of February, girls basketball teams across the state are preparing for the epitome of the high school season - the state tournament.

One of those teams is Class 2A No. 13 Heritage Christian (13-9), led by head coach Rick Risinger. In seven years at Heritage Christian, Risinger has had an impressive career that includes a 150-32 record, four state titles, and seven City Tournament championships.

Heritage Christian is led by seniors Brittany Webb (an Indiana University recruit), Brittany Wells (a Maine recruit), Gabby Bryant (headed to Grace College to play basketball), and Chandelle Davis. Freshman Sydney Hall has also proved to be an extremely valuable asset to the team as the season has progressed. Her 23 points in the finals of this year’s City Tournament proved to be the difference maker.

This Heritage Christian team has been through a lot together, starting way back at the beginning of the season. With the graduation of four-year starter 6-foot-3 center Liz Stratman, who is currently playing basketball at Xavier University, Heritage Christian was left without a leading scorer and a dominant post threat.

“We’re basically playing a lineup of all guards,” Risinger explained. “It has mostly affected us on the defensive end, however, since we do not have that strong defensive post that we were accustomed to.”

Chandelle Davis, only 5-6, is their tallest starter and leads the team with 5.0 rebounds per game. Only a 2-4 team six games into the season, some observers thought for the first time in many years, Heritage Christian would struggle to succeed.

Yet, Heritage Christian found its groove in its seventh game of the season and won three games in a row, defeating two 3A schools and a 4A school. Heritage Christian concluded what Risinger calls the “first season” with a record of 6-7.

After the holidays, the team began the “second season” with a bang and won five games in a row, highlighted by a City Tournament championship.

They found their identity in being a smaller team and used this as a positive, rather than a hindrance.

“Brittany Wells and Chandelle Davis played really well for us down low in the post, despite the fact that they are traditionally both guards,” Risinger said. “We started using our height as an advantage against teams with big post players who had a hard time matching up with us on the offensive end.”

The whole team is able to handle the ball and oftentimes Davis and Wells are able to drive on slower defenders who may have a height advantage, yet lack the speed to defend guards.

Not only did they play well on the defensive end during the “second season,” but their stars shined on the offensive side of the ball as well. This was evident in the City Tournament championship as Heritage Christian defeated 4A Cathedral, 56-55. The Eagles shot 12-of-26 from 3-point range. Hall and Webb had 23 and 17 points, respectively, in this game.

Heritage Christian is now riding a two-game win streak into what Risinger labels as the “third season,” or the state tournament.

The Eagles have only played two 2A schools all year and they have the 40^th-most difficult schedule in the state according to the Sagarin Ratings. Risinger believes this has prepared his players for a deep state tournament run.

“We started off a little bit slow record wise and we probably were not playing as well as we would have liked,” said Risinger. “We played some very good teams during our strong schedule, though, and I think we are peaking at the right time for this third season.”

The 2011-12 season was definitely unique for a team playing with no true center or power forward. The Eagles also have six seniors on their roster this year, including Hannah Lundell and Rachel Vantries, but no juniors.

“This season has been really special for the senior girls as four of us have played all through high school together,” Chandelle Davis explained.

This interesting circumstance was strengthened by the fact that a freshman was also in the starting lineup.

“I think it should be an advantage to us because the senior-dominated team should have all the experience and understand what it means to do well in the state tournament,” Risinger said.

Heritage Christian’s first sectional game is on Feb. 7 against 2A Broad Ripple at 6 p.m. at Broad Ripple High School.

Risinger says he feels “comfortable” with the sectional and regional field ahead and believes both titles are attainable for his girls. Heritage Christian is favored in Sectional 42 where it hopes to take back the crown after its streak of sectional championships was halted at eight last year.

“We are excited for the state tournament, since this will be our last opportunity to play, and hopefully win a state title, together,” Davis said.

This tournament looks to be promising for the Eagles, as well as next season. After the seniors graduate, Risinger said that it will be up to his three freshmen on varsity this year to become leaders as sophomores next year.

“That’s something that we’ll address over the offseason, but we have some pretty strong eighth grade and seventh grade classes,” Risinger explained. “We’re just trying to focus on this year, though, as we look forward to having a successful run in the state tournament.”