Just one more game to go.
If the Brownstown Central girls basketball team can tame the No. 1 team in Class 3A for the second time this season, they’ll have secured their second trip to state in program history.
But one thing will be missing from this Saturday’s rematch against Mid-Southern Conference rival Salem.
The element of surprise.
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Now at 26-3, the Braves have quietly but forcefully made their presence felt even before the state tournament began.
Still, the Braves never soared in the rankings, cracking the top 10 in December before falling out and settling at 16th before the start of the postseason.
The disrespect despite their great record and relative nonexistent fanfare has worked into the Braves’ favor.
"A lot of people definitely overlooked us, but that has been a big factor into our success," senior Halle Hehman said. "People don’t know about us, and then we made them know."
But if there is a team that won’t overlook Brownstown Central, it’s the top-ranked Salem Lions.
Back on Dec. 10, the Braves went to Salem and left with a 54-50 win despite not playing their best game.
Brownstown Central coach Brandon Allman remembers his team not scoring for the first three minutes of the game and turning the ball over quite a bit but still sitting a good position.
"We turned it over on our first five possessions, but we had a ton of energy," Allman said. "I remember yelling out that we have like 10 turnovers and we’re only down 5-0, and we were perfectly fine."
Allman explains the Lions are very good at turning teams over and getting points in transition. Among the several keys to success for the Braves, limiting turnovers and the Lions’ transition buckets are at the top of the list.
Another is keeping Salem out of the lane and off of the free throw line, the latter something the Braves did very well in their first meeting. During their regular-season scrap, the Braves went to the free throw line twice as many times as Salem and hit twice as many of their shots.
Allman estimates the Lions score anywhere from 18 to 20 points at the free throw line per game. He says their athleticism and speed make them a difficult cover when they look to drive the lane.
The Braves had a similar task last weekend against Heritage Christian, another team predicated on driving to the rim for layups or fouls and free throws.
Brownstown Central’s 2-3 zone put a stop to that, but they also benefited from the Eagles not knocking down many 3-point chances.
Like the Braves, the Lions are a very good 3-point shooting team, and Hehman says the challenge of keeping them out of the lane and running them off of the 3-point line is going to be tough.
But it’s what teams have tried to do to BC, so the task is at least a familiar one in theory.
"They’re kind of like us. They have a lot of good 3-point shooters, but if we cut that off, they can drive, too, so we have to pay attention to both," Hehman said. "I feel like we’re similar."
Though they weren’t at their best, Allman states his girls left Salem with a win over the No. 1 team in the class because of their defense and rebounding and hopes they can replicate that Saturday. He also notes that in two of the Braves’ three losses this season, they were outrebounded.
Defending against the Lions isn’t going to be easy, but Allman says as long as his players keep providing the same effort they have all year, they can get the job done.
"We always talk about guarding your yard," he said. "At some point, guarding the basketball is about guarding your 3-foot-by-3-foot area, and that just takes a lot of individual effort."
Effort, defense and rebounding aren’t the most showy things in basketball, but it’s what has gotten the Braves to this point.
"Not saying our girls aren’t athletes, but we have really solid girls who love to play the game of basketball and play it the right way, and that’s why we’re successful," Allman said. "There is nothing flashy about us. We go out, play hard and we execute."
The Braves hope their modest play and hard work pay off in a state championship berth at 1 p.m. Saturday at Jeffersonville High School.
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Jackson County
Team;W;L;Off;Def
*Brownstown Central;26;3;56.3;40.4
Trinity Lutheran;24;4;56.7;41.6
Crothersville;11;12;48.3;49.1
Seymour;8;17;44.1;54.5
Medora;0;16;19.9;58.6
Scoring leaders
Player;GP;TP;Avg;Hi
Tabeling (TL);28;599;21.4;36
Meyer (S);25;425;17.0;33
Benter (BC);29;457;15.7;29
Jaynes (TL);28;425;15.2;27
Schroer (BC);29;438;15.1;24
Cole (C);23;275;11.9;26
Helt (C);23;243;10.5;23
Hackman (BC);29;294;10.1;19
Schrader (S);25;245;9.8;24
Mariah Cobb (M);16;148;9.2;17
Sabotin (TL);27;231;8.5;19
*Still playing
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Jackson County
Team;W-L;Off;Def
Crothersville;10-9;61.3;56.5
Trinity Lutheran;11-11;60.2;61.9
Seymour;7-12;42.4;46.7
Brownstown Central;6-14;47.2;53.2
Medora;1-20;37.3;69.6
Scoring leaders
Player;GP;TP;Avg;Hi
Marksberry (TL);22;315;14.3;24
Thomas (C);19;282;14.1;25
Spall (C);19;264;13.9;24
Goecker (TL);22;302;13.7;29
McCoy (S);19;251;13.2;30
Wineinger (BC);20;250;12.5;28
Hackman (TL);22;229;10.4;18
Chastain (BC);20;198;9.9;18
Norton (TL);22;198;9.0;20
Myers (M);20;177;8.8;24
Hoosier Hills Conference
Team;HHC;All
Jeffersonville;5-1;15-5
Bedford North Lawrence;5-1;14-8
Floyd Central;4-2;14-6
New Albany;4-2;12-8
Seymour;3-4;7-12
Jennings County;2-5;11-9
Madison;1-4;10-10
Columbus East;0-5;3-17
Mid-Southern Conference
Team;MSC;All
Silver Creek;8-0;20-2
Scottsburg;8-1;12-10
North Harrison;7-2;15-5
Clarksville;6-3;12-7
Corydon Central;4-4;10-10
Salem;4-4;9-11
Brownstown Central;2-6;6-14
Austin;2-7;3-16
Charlestown;1-7;3-16
Eastern (Pekin);0-8;2-17
Southern Athletic Conference
Team;SAC;All
Lanesville;4-0;11-9
New Washington;3-1;12-9
South Central;2-2;8-12
Crothersville;1-2;10-9
Henryville;1-3;7-13
Borden;1-4;6-13
Southern Roads Conference
Team;SRC;All
Evansville Christian;5-0;10-11
Madison Christian;4-1;24-6
Columbus Christian;2-3;10-23
Cannelton;2-3;6-16
Dugger;1-2;5-15
Medora;1-4;1-20
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