By RICHIE HALL
For the third team this season, the Hamilton Heights girls basketball team has an opportunity to play for a championship.
This time, the Huskies are competing for a conference title. Heights will travel to Lafayette Central Catholic on Friday for the Hoosier Conference championship game, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. Not only is the title on the line, but so is the Huskies’ long win streak.
The game will be between two teams ranked in the top 10 in their respective class. Unbeaten Heights, at 15-0, is rated No. 7 in Class 3A. Meanwhile, the Knights are ranked No. 6 in 2A and hold an 11-2 record.
“Friday night versus Lafayette Central Catholic will be tough, for multiple reasons,” said Huskies coach Keegan Cherry. The coach pointed out that LCC features two Division I soccer players from its state championship team. The Knights won the Class 1A state title last fall, beating Park Tudor in a dramatic championship game, outlasting the Panthers 9-8 in penalty kicks.
“So they are a gritty, physical team that knows how to win,” said Cherry. “They will compete very hard. In addition, they have some capable 3 point shooters. When you combine their athleticism and ability to shoot it, they can be a tough cover.”
Cherry knows one player on the Central Catholic team well: His niece, Karsyn Cherry. Coach Cherry said that his team will “really have to key on” his niece in order to be successful.
“Karsyn is an elite level athlete that will be attending Louisville on scholarship to play soccer,” said Keegan Cherry. “She is a handful to stay in front of and is their leader.
“To win, it will require 32 minutes of doing the little things. We’ll have to execute versus their pressure offensively and then be locked in on personnel defensively.”
The Knights won the Hoosier Conference West Division in order to earn a spot in the championship game. Central Catholic didn’t begin division play until two weeks ago, then won all four of its division games consecutively.
The Knights’ first two division wins were easy: Twin Lakes 73-47 and Rensselaer Central 74-40. The last two games were the toughest, two-point victories over West Lafayette 55-53 and Benton Central 38-36. Central Catholic warmed up for the conference championship game by beating Logansport 72-39 in a Tuesday game at the Berry Bowl.
In non-division play, the Knights won their first five games of the season before falling to Cathedral 54-46 for their first loss of the year. LCC bounced back with a 57-33 win at Rochester on Dec. 19 before going idle for two weeks. On Jan. 5, the Knights dropped an away game at Pioneer 64-49, but then shifted to division play and have now won five in a row.
“LCC is a tough place to play and win,” said Cherry. “It’s going to be a major challenge. Win or lose, if we compete and play hard with intelligence, it will be a great experience preparing for sectional.”
The Huskies earned a spot in the championship game by winning the East Division, beginning play on Dec. 19 with a 39-27 victory over Northwestern. Heights then zoomed past Lewis Cass 59-20 and Western 61-35, then clinched the division title by beating old rival Tipton 40-35.
The Huskies have been led by a solid mix of experienced players and freshman stars. Camryn Runner, one of those freshmen, is the leading scorer with 15.7 points per game. Right behind her is senior Jillian Osswald, who is adding 14.6 points per game. Junior MyKayla Moran is next with 7.6 points per game, followed by freshman Ella Hickok with 5.8 points per game.
Heights is already well-prepared for tournaments. On Dec. 26, the Huskies won the Frankfort Holiday Tournament with easy wins over the host school 64-17 and Lapel 67-42. Just a couple days later, Heights picked up another tournament win at the Lebanon Holiday Classic, with wins over Perry Meridian 39-17, Lowell 52-30 on Dec. 28 and Lebanon 43-34 on Dec. 29.