The Brownstown Central girls basketball team was able to play its style of ball in defeating Linton-Stockton and Eastern Hancock last Saturday to win the Shelbyville Semistate.

Coach Brandon Allman says if the Braves are able to control the tempo against Fort Wayne Luers on Saturday, they have a good chance to bring home the Class 2A state championship.

After Lanesville and Marquette Catholic play at 10:30 a.m. for the Class A championship, the Braves (21-8) will play Luers (19-6) at 12:45 p.m.

“They are big,” Allman noted as the Knights start 6-foot-2 sophomore Miley Waring and 6-foot senior Addie Shank.

Shank averages 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Waring averages 12.5 points and 9.4 rebounds.

This will be Allman’s first trip to the state finals, but the Braves advanced to the finals in 2011.

Luers has won six state championships. This season, the Knights have won nine games in a row, including beating Andrean 49-36 in the semistate finals.

“They are similar to us,” Allman said. “They play a lot of 2-3 zone, but they are going to press us in a 1-2-2 three-quarter press, then go back into a 2-3 zone, so we’re going to have to do a good job of being able to handle their pressure. Once you break their initial pressure, they kind of break off their trap and drop back into their zone. They really extend their zone out wide and try to cover the three-point line.”

Harley Toppe tops the Braves in scoring at 10.1 per game, and Sophie Wischmeier is next at 8 PPG. Wischmeier tops the Braves in rebounding with 7.1 per game, and Kinzee Dean is next at 4.8 per game.

“We’re just going to have to keep them off the offensive backboards first and foremost and try to keep them out of the paint,” Allman said. “We did a really nice job, especially in the second game against Eastern Hancock, of keeping them out of the point.”

Allman said his team needs to keep turnovers to a minimum.

“We’re just going to have to do a really good job of moving the basketball and making their zone work. We’re not going to be able to settle for one pass and a shot,” he said. “We’re going to have to get several ball reversals. We’ll have to get the ball into the high post and draw some of those girls out and then try to find those driving lanes and gaps to exploit.”

The Braves will have a workout on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor today, then will attend a luncheon at noon.

“It’s going to be difficult. It’s just a different venue than any of these girls are used to playing in because the background is so different,” Allman said. “Hopefully, we see that first shot go in and gain a lot of confidence.”

Allman said his team struggled down the stretch of the regular season, going 3-3 in its final six games. The Braves then defeated Southwestern 63-32 in the opening round of the sectional and have been playing well since.

“It has been a different mindset since the tournament started,” he said. “Our mindset, our attention to defensive schemes, our defensive scouting have been different than they’ve been all year, which has been so great to see. We try to emphasize how important that stuff is. When I look at the success we’ve had in the past, we’ve had girls that have always been locked into the scouting reports and understood things. This year’s team has been a little different, but since the start of the tournament, we have been locked in.”

Allman reached his 100th win at Brownstown in the win over Linton-Stockton. His career coaching record is 101-39.

Probable starters

Brownstown Central (21-8)

Player, class, height, scoring average

Kelsey Schneider, Sr., 5-9 (3.9)

Kinzee Dean, Jr., 5.7 (6.3)

Jenna Klosterman, Jr., 5-6 (7.1)

Harley Toppe, So., 5-7 (10.1)

Sophie Wischmeier, So., 5-9 (8.0)

Fort Wayne Luers (19-6)

Annika Davis, Sr., 5-7 (10.1)

Addie Shank, Sr., 6-2 (13.2)

Maggie Parent, Jr., 5-9 (4.3)

Reese Rhodehamer, Jr., 5-9 (7.1)

Miley Waring, So., 6-2 (12.1)