Evansville-area Girls Basketball Falls Short in Semistate No State Representative

There won't be a representative from the Evansville area at the IHSAA girls basketball state championship for the first time since 2021. The regional semistate weekend ended with three losses for local programs across Classes 1A, 2A and 3A.

No. 8 Jennings County defeated No. 6 Washington 60-54 in the Class 3A semifinal at Southport. Washington trailed by 11 early in the second half before Jennings County battled back to lead with under six minutes remaining. Aniston Kent had 10 points in the final quarter for Jennings County, including a personal 8-0 run to reclaim the lead. Kansas recruit Mollie Ernstes led the Panthers with 21. Shay Hawk had a game-high 25 points for Washington (22-5). "Kierstyn Kaiser had a team-high 17 points and six rebounds. She finished strong around the rim and made a positive impression at the top of the zone defense," the roundup noted; Rhyan Wagner added 10 points in the second half, while Bailey Hape and Keilah Mitchell were limited to four points apiece. "They make you do things you don’t want to do," Stone said. "I’ve been at this thing a long time. That’s probably the best collective defensive team I’ve seen in high school girls basketball. We weren’t able to get to our entry spots and get the ball where it needed. We didn’t do enough to get going. We spent so much time talking about downhill drivers with Gilliard and (Tapak). When a bunch of them step up and make shots, it took the wind out of us." This was Washington’s first semi-state appearance since 1997.

Eastern (Pekin) upset No. 4 North Knox 49-44 in the Class 2A semifinal at Greencastle. The account reads that "The Warriors led by one with under two minutes remaining before the Musketeers took control with a 6-0 run." Later the same writeup states, "North Knox got within three points twice in the final minute, on buckets from Lexi Primus and Roselyn Armes, but never had a possession to potentially tie." The Warriors finished with a 19-7 record and their first appearance at the semi-state since 2023. The roundup’s play-by-play contains conflicting phrasing about which team executed the late 6-0 burst; the final score, individual buckets by Primus and Armes in the closing minute, and Eastern’s 19-7 mark are the clear outcomes reported.

No. 2 Borden pulled away in the second half to beat No. 8 Evansville Christian 56-38 in the Class 1A semifinal at Charlestown. "The Eagles led the defending state champions by eight at halftime but struggled offensively after the break - only nine points over the final two quarters," the roundup says. Riley Rarick had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Borden.

There were a pair of close calls on Saturday, but individual performances, Shay Hawk’s game-high 25, Mollie Ernstes’ 21, Aniston Kent’s late 8-0 surge and Riley Rarick’s double-double, were not enough to carry an Evansville-area squad into the state-final weekend. The semistate results end Southwestern Indiana’s run of representation at the IHSAA girls basketball state championship that had extended through 2021.