IHSAA girls state finals produce breathtaking moments at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Borden closed out the Class A final with a 51-31 victory over Fremont, Eastern (Pekin) cut down the net after a 50-32 win over Oak Hill in Class 2A, and Bellmont edged Roncalli 55-46 in the Class 3A championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. IndyStar’s photo gallery from Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, documents those outcomes and the moments that surrounded them across the state finals.

In Class A action at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the gallery freezes the fourth-quarter tussle that decided the game: Borden’s Riley Rarick (2) and Fremont’s Willow Towers (1) are shown battling for position late, while Fremont’s Chloe Verdin (12) is captured driving to the basket. Postgame images show Borden celebrating with head coach Matt Vick after the 51-31 title.

Eastern (Pekin)’s Class 2A win over Oak Hill is marked by a classic championship ritual in the gallery: Avery Smith (24) cutting the net after Eastern’s 50-32 victory. Game-action photos include Oak Hill’s Kora Pond (25) driving to the basket during the matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. One supplied caption spells the association as IHSSA rather than IHSAA; that appears to be a typographical error in the caption text.

Bellmont’s 55-46 victory in Class 3A is recorded in images of both pregame and in-game energy. Roncalli forward Lucy Swartz (25) is pictured jumping in a dance circle before the Class 3A final, Bellmont center Mary Bleke (25) is shown going up for a basket against Roncalli guard Elliot Leffler (24), and Roncalli center Lydia Stahley (21) is photographed looking to pass after a rebound. The Bellmont student section is captured celebrating during the game, matching the scoreboard line that gave Bellmont the title.

IndyStar’s gallery describes coverage across all four IHSAA classes, but the supplied captions and images provided for this report include explicit names, scores, and scenes only for Classes A, 2A and 3A; no Class 4A score or player captions were available in the excerpted material. Sports Yahoo republished the gallery headline and photos with repeated page headers and app download prompts, indicating syndication of the IndyStar content rather than additional game reporting.

IndyStar promoted the package on Instagram, noting it offered “scores, recaps, highlights, photos and stats from each matchup” and directing users to the link in bio for full coverage. The gallery preserves the atmosphere, turning points and human drama from Feb. 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — from pregame rituals and fourth-quarter positioning to net-cutting and sideline celebrations.