Shelbyville Lady Golden Bears Basketball

Lady Golden Bears whip Whiteland By JEFF BROWN Saturday, February 17, 2001 at 8:00 AM GREENFIELD — Athletic ability and skill will carry a basketball team only so far. That's when mental preparation and experience becomes key. After defeating Greenfield-Central Tuesday in a quarterfinal sectional game, the Golden Bears found a newspaper article taped to their locker room door the next day. The story detailed how Class A Southwestern went to Whiteland one week earlier and defeated the Class 3A Warriors. Shelbyville coach John Fair didn't want his Golden Bears to underestimate Whiteland — their sectional semifinal opponent Friday — a team they had beaten by 19 points earlier in the season. Then, when Purdue lost to Ohio State on an offensive rebound and score with no time left on the clock, another newspaper article found its way onto the door with the words “You better block out” scribbled on it. All of that factored into the psychological warfare of being ready for state tournament action. And Shelbyville seemed to take the words to heart. There was no lackluster effort to begin the game. The Golden Bears were only outrebounded, 33-31, and Whiteland junior All-State candidate Megan Liffick was never able to dominate the game the way Shelbyville senior Sarah Laird did. Laird tied her career-high with 29 points — even though she scored just three points in the fourth quarter — as the Golden Bears held off a stubborn Whiteland squad, 74-61. With the win, Shelbyville (19-3) advances to tonight's Sectional 26 championship game against Franklin (13-7), a 50-45 winner over Rushville (5-16) in the other semifinal game at Greenfield-Central High School Friday. Shelbyville's love of the jump shot — one that never seemed to consistently find the mark — allowed Whiteland to take a 33-30 halftime lead. “We got on them at halftime about settling for the jump shot,” said Shelbyville coach John Fair. “I told them we have to drive the basketball. When we drive the basketball, we're a pretty good team.” And then there's that vaunted Shelbyville full-court, trapping defense. Fair chose to apply nothing more than token pressure in the first half. By the time the third quarter began, the defense was unleashed. Whiteland committed four turnovers in the first minute of the second half which allowed the Golden Bears to recapture the lead. A Whiteland timeout slowed the Shelbyville momentum, albeit temporarily. After a Liffick baseline drive and score, the Golden Bears scored the next 11 points to finally take control of the game. “Shelbyville turned up the pressure in the third quarter and we didn't respond,” said Whiteland coach Alan Weems. “I think we used a lot of energy in the first half playing so well. We needed to rise to the challenge (in the second half) but Shelbyville's defensive pressure was very good.” It was Laird and Susan Kolls that combined to score all 11 points in the run. Laird would finish the third quarter with 14 points — five more than the Warriors would score — as Shelbyville outscored Whiteland, 24-9, in the quarter. Kolls would finish with 12 points off the bench. Gretchen Haehl added 10 points and seven assists. Jenni Ross grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Liffick, who averaged just over 22 points per game this season, finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. Summer Vick scored 17 points and had eight rebounds for Whiteland. Shelbyville needs one more win to erase a 21-year drought without a sectional title. No matter the opponent, Fair points to one key for tonight's game — rebounding. “The big thing is we have to rebound,” he said. “We need to be a little more aggressive. Everyone tends to stand around and watch Sarah and Gretchen shoot. We can't afford to stand around.”