Golden Eagles square off against NorthWood for state title
By RICHIE HALL
The Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles have been soaring since the boys basketball tournament started, making their way to a third appearance at the IHSAA state finals.
While Guerin Catholic is flying high, the team is also doing a good job of staying grounded – or in this case, on event level at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That’s where the Golden Eagles will be on Saturday night when they take on NorthWood in the Class 3A state championship game, which tips off at 6 p.m.
Guerin Catholic practiced at Gainbridge Thursday morning, and it was a practice session that GC coach Bobby Allen said was “intense.”
“We talked about taking in the environment after we got off the bus and walked into the gym,” said Allen. “We also made it very clear to them that we had 55 minutes of business to take care of,” and the Golden Eagles did, having what Allen called “one of the best practices we had all year.”
“They came down to earth pretty quickly there,” said Allen, something that the coach finds most impressive about his team. “They’re taking it one game at a time,” he said. “They know how important our routine has been.”
That routine has led Guerin Catholic to a 20-8 season, and its first appearance at state since 2015. This is the Golden Eagles’ fifth 20-win season in the program’s relatively brief history since it began full-season play in 2006-07.
TWO MAIN PLAYERS
The last team standing between Guerin Catholic and the state championship trophy are the NorthWood Panthers. The No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A, the Panthers are 27-2 for the season. Their only two losses were a 55-51 decision to Beech Grove, the defending 3A state champions, and a 60-42 loss to undefeated Ben Davis, which plays Kokomo in the 4A championship game.
NorthWood played the Giants in the Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 30. Since then, the Panthers have been on a long winning streak, with 19 consecutive victories.
“They’re a very big and physical team,” said Allen. “They’ve been No. 1 in 3A for a reason all year. They really don’t have a lot of weaknesses.”
NorthWood’s two leading scorers are both seniors. Cade Brenner, a 6-3 guard, leads the way with 18 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Ian Raasch, a 6-6 forward, adds 15.1 points, along with 56. Rebounds and 3.1 assists. Allen said they are “both very aggressive players and we will have our hands full with them.”
Ian’s younger brother Tyler Raasch is a 6-8 sophomore, and he is the top rebounder at 6.9 per contest, along with 9.5 points. Junior Ethan Wolfe, at 5-11, is the leading assist man with 3.6 per game (and 7.0 points), while 6-2 senior Brock Bontrager rounds out the starting lineup (4.6 points, 4.5 rebounds.)
The Panthers have cruised through the postseason. NorthWood hosted its own sectional, where it blasted through Wawasee 52-23, Fairfield 59-33 and No. 7-ranked West Noble 57-24. The Panthers triumphed at the South Bend Washington regional by beating No. 8 Lake Station Edison 72-35, then won their first-ever semi-state, defeating Bishop Dwenger 53-43 in the semifinals and Delta 51-36 in the championship at Elkhart.
Aside from the two losses, only three teams have been able to get within single digits of NorthWood all year.
“They’re not just beating teams,” said Allen. “It’s not even close. So, they’ve been playing well all season.”
CIRCLE CITY WINS
The Golden Eagles have also cruised through the post-season. Guerin Catholic won the Shortridge sectional with wins over two Circle City Conference teams, Brebeuf Jesuit 58-45 and Bishop Chatard 53-41. The Golden Eagles then took care of Danville 66-52 at the Lebanon regional.
That sent Guerin Catholic back to the Seymour semi-state, where it defeated last year’s 3A state champion, Beech Grove 58-46 in the semifinals. The Golden Eagles then cruised past Scottsburg 56-40 to earn a trip to the state finals.
Guerin Catholic’s top scorer and rebounder is junior Robert Sorensen, who puts in 14.6 points per game and collects 4.6 rebounds. Kamea Chandler, the only senior in GC’s starting line-up, contributes 11.0 points and 3.3 assists per game. Junior Jack Cherry, a varsity player since his freshman year, is solid all-around with 4.3 points, a team-leading 3.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds.
Two 6-7 players complete the starting roster. Junior Dylan Murans scores 8.1 points per game, and sophomore Bryson Cardinal adds 6.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.
“They have their unique style, which they have embraced,” said Allen. “I think our coaching staff has done an incredible job of making sure they’re prepared. And it’s really been a full team effort.”