GBB 4A SECT. 10: #5 Roncalli rallies to stun #3 Lawrence North, 65-55

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By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor

LAWRENCE – When Class 4A third-ranked Lawrence North nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to take a commanding 30-14 lead midway through the second quarter of its Lawrence Central Sectional championship showdown with No. 5 Roncalli, the state’s top-rated team in the latest Sagarin power ratings looked a like a regional shoo-in.

Then virtually everything went wrong for the white-clad Wildcats, who got outscored 46-14 over the next 17:30 in falling behind by 16 points themselves as the rallying Rebels devoured stunned Lawrence North, 65-55, for the sectional crown Feb. 9.

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Six-foot freshman guard/forward Lindsey Corsaro sparked the second-quarter charge, scoring 11 unanswered points – including 6 of 7 from the free throw line – as the Rebels cut LN’s lead to 30-25 before the Wildcats reeled off five straight in the first half’s final minute to seemingly regain momentum and take a 34-25 lead into intermission.

As former IU football coach and ESPN’s Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend!”

Roncalli (22-3) – which had seen this show before in a pair of four-point losses to Lawrence North in December – roared out to an 8-2 run to start the second half, bringing to life its usual throaty throng that dominated the decibels at LC and forcing an LN timeout.

From there, first-year coach April McDivvit Schillings’ Rebels rounded out a 23-8 third period with a 15-6 run to take a 48-42 lead into the final eight minutes.

The keys were a ferocious rebounding effort that transformed many of LN’s many missed shots – the Wildcats were just 7 of 28 (25 percent) in the second half after going 13 for 26 (50 percent) in the first – into fast-break lay-ins at the other end and a shell-shocked LN team that either turned the ball over or missed all but two of its third-quarter shot attempts.

That, and a suddenly unleashed 6’2” senior guard/forward Bridget Perry, who went 5 of 7 from both the field and the line in the second half to finish with a game-high 23 points to go with 12 rebounds for a monster double-double.

The dagger, tough, was free throw shooting, a losing proposition no matter the approach for first-year LN coach Chris Giffin.

When Roncalli – a six-point underdog, according to those same Sagarin ratings – wrangled its way into the bonus with just under six minutes to go and a 50-42 lead, the Rebels gave Lawrence North (21-4) one last chance when Perry missed the front end of a one and bonus.

But LN junior point guard Ana Owens fouled out at 4:37, and the bonus/double-bonus ensuing procession resulted in a dozen straight free throws to make it 64-50 with just over a minute left as the Rebels went 25 of 29 (a torrid 86 percent) overall.

Ballgame.

Junior 6’1” forward Elizabeth Bowers added 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting for Roncalli, which will face 13th-ranked Brownsburg (20-3) in Game 2 of the Decatur Central Regional Feb. 16. The winner will face either No. 18 Mooresville (18-4) or Connersville (16-8) – McDivvit Schilling’s alma mater from her 1999 Miss Basketball season – in the championship.

The insanely consistent Rebels scored either 65 or 66 points in all three of their sectional appearances, while Lawrence North – which was led by the 14 points of 6-foot senior forward Mikale Rogers – was held to 22 less than the 77 they scored in their first two postseason forays.

10. Lawrence Central Sectional
Game 1: #5 Roncalli 66, Warren Central 40
Game 2: #3 Lawrence North 77, Lawrence Central 38
Game 3: #5 Roncalli 66, Indianapolis Cathedral 62
Game 4: #3 Lawrence North 77, Indianapolis Tech 53
Championship: #5 Roncalli 65, #3 Lawrence North 55