A tough second quarter did No. 3 University in Saturday, as the Trailblazers fell 61-50 in the Class 1A Jasper semi-state to undefeated, No. 2 Vincennes Rivet.
The scoring pace started slowly, as it took 2:27 for the game’s first bucket, as junior guard Maddi Sears gave University (24-3) an early 3-0 lead from deep. It would prove to be the Trailblazers’ only lead, though, as over the next three minutes, Rivet (29-0) clawed ahead with six consecutive free throws — four from junior guard Tia Tolbert, and two from senior forward Grace Waggoner.
The stretch was a preview of what was to come in multiple ways — Waggoner and Tolbert would ultimately combine for 41 of their team’s 61 points, and how they scored would prove consequential, with both senior forward Jhordan McGuire and junior center Lindsey Syrek finding themselves in foul trouble early. Yet despite a plethora of turnovers and foul trouble to their key bigs, University used solid marksmanship to stick around through the quarter mark — senior guard Lucy Snyder, senior guard Jenna Blakley and Sears all hit 3-pointers in the final 2:30 of the quarter, meaning the Patriots’ lead was just one, 13-12, after one.
But the Trailblazers weren’t so lucky to stick around in the second.
Rivet started the quarter on a 5-0 spurt, but arguably, the two biggest plays came when the Trailblazers had the ball. With 5:52 left in the second, McGuire picked up her third foul while driving to the hoop on a 50/50 call, with Waggoner sliding over to take what was deemed a charge. Just 30 seconds later, after the Trailblazers had gotten a stop, Syrek was hit with a foul.
With the foul count 8-1, University played most of the remainder of the second quarter with McGuire on the bench and Syrek working to make sure she didn’t pick up a fourth foul. It proved disastrous for University, as the Patriots stretched that 5-0 spurt into an 18-3 quarter, taking advantage of the foul trouble to get put-backs at the rim. While the Trailblazers generally handled Rivet’s full-court press, a couple key turnovers late in the quarter helped move the deficit from a manageable 10 to 14, with Rivet adding a bucket with 25 seconds left in the half to lead 31-15 at the break.
Coming out of the break, University began to chip away at the Rivet advantage. Free throws from Lily Snyder and a bucket from Syrek cut the deficit to 12 two minutes into the half, and by the time two more minutes had elapsed, the lead was down to 10 on a Sears 3. With 1:23 left in the quarter, University closed within seven, 41-34, on Sears’ fourth 3-pointer of the game — the junior guard led the Trailblazers with 17 points.
Once the Trailblazers cut it to seven, though, the Patriots held tough and kept University at arm’s length. The Rivet lead was 45-37 after three quarters, and an early 3-pointer in the fourth stretched that lead back to 10. University quickly answered through a Syrek bucket, and a McGuire 2 with 6:13 cut it back to a seven-point game. But the teams kept exchanging buckets, which didn’t help matters. Sears and McGuire answered Rivet buckets to move the score back to seven, before McGuire fouled out with 3:07 left and the score 52-45.
The Patriots split a pair of free throws with 1:57 left to extend their lead to 53-45, but Syrek answered to bring the game to its closest second-half margin, 53-47, with 1:39 left. University fouled Tolbert, who missed the front end of the 1-and-1, meaning the Trailblazers could make it a one-possession game with a 3-pointer.
University didn’t get a shot, though, as a Blakley pass was tipped and stolen by Rivet. Waggoner raced down to the other end for a transition layup, pushing the lead to eight, before the Patriots salted away a return to the state championship game at the line.
The Trailblazers finish the season having set a program record for wins (24) in a season where they captured their first conference championship, back-to-back sectional championships, and the school’s first girls basketball regional since 2009. While they lose four starters and seven total seniors from this year’s squad, the Trailblazers will return Sears and Syrek (who scored 13 points on Saturday) to lead them into the 2019-20 season.
Vincennes Rivet 61, University 50
University FG FT TP PF
Lindsey Syrek 5 3-4 13 3
Lily Snyder 2 3-5 8 4
Lucy Snyder 1 0-0 2 2
Maddi Sears 6 1-2 17 2
Jhordan McGuire 3 1-2 7 5
Jenna Blakley 1 0-0 3 3
Haley Tomlinson 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 18 8-13 50 19
Score by Quarters
Rivet 13 18 14 16 – 61
University 12 3 22 13 – 50
University 3-pointers (6) Sears 4, Li. Snyder 1, Blakley 1.