While posing for pictures after Crown Point secured its fourth straight sectional title, Emily Phillips lifted Brooke Lindesmith and cradled the junior guard in her arms.
It was a twist on what happened during the game Tuesday.
With Merrillville especially focusing on star seniors Jessica Carrothers and Lilly Stoddard, Lindesmith carried the Bulldogs for stretches.
“They left the baseline open a lot, which led me to go to the basket more, and they left me open a lot on the 3-point line,” she said. “I was able to make some shots and not be nervous.”
Lindesmith scored a team-high 14 points and made several key plays during the Bulldogs’ narrow 50-48 win in the Class 4A Crown Point Sectional championship game.
Lindesmith, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL as Crown Point won a state title, finished one point short of matching her career high.
“She was outstanding,” Crown Point coach Chris Seibert said. “Whether it was passing or defending or hitting some huge shots, she just stepped up and was a big reason why we were able to pull this game out.
“The biggest thing with Brooke, we always know what we’re going to get as far as the effort. We always know we’re going to get her battling out there and being physical. (Tuesday) we just wanted her to be physical attacking the basket.”
In a game that featured significant runs by both teams, Crown Point (22-3) didn’t take the lead for good until Carrothers scored on a drive with 2:36 left for a 47-45 edge over the Pirates (17-9). That basket came after she corralled two offensive rebounds on the possession.
Carrothers, an IUPUI recruit, made 3 of 5 free throws in the final 2:21, including a pair with 30.6 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 50-46 lead.
“I didn’t have my best shooting game,” Carrothers said. “But I leaned on my teammates, and they did the job. I wouldn’t want to rely on anybody else besides my teammates. They showed up (Tuesday), and that’s what we needed.
“Brooke’s great. She’s gotten a lot better throughout the year. I hope that continues throughout the postseason.”
Merrillville lost to Crown Point 56-36 in their Duneland Athletic Conference game Jan. 15. The postseason rematch was dramatically different.
“It was two good programs playing each other on a great stage,” Merrillville coach Kelly Kratz said. “We have immense respect for their coach. … The girls executed. You can do one thing in practice, but they came out and executed and played hard.
“We just came in believing we could play with the best. … We’re very proud of them. Obviously this hurts. You want to come out on the other end of this. But I told them they can’t hang their heads.”
Carrothers, who was shadowed throughout the game by the combination of Teresa Leavy and Kennedie Burks, and Stoddard each scored 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half for both. Stoddard, a Purdue recruit, also had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Freshman guard Kylie Wells had 16 points for Merrillville, all in the first half, and senior guard/forward Davina Smith also had 16 points, all in the second half.
Merrillville led 21-20 at halftime before Crown Point reeled off the first 14 points of the third. Lindesmith capped that run with a 3-pointer with 3:14 left in the quarter before Smith completed a 3-point play for the Pirates with 2:43 left.
Merrillville proceeded to put up the first seven points of the fourth to tie the score at 37-37 on SaMya Miller’s basket with 6:16 left.
Lindesmith bounced in a 3-pointer and fed Stoddard for a layup to give Crown Point a 42-37 lead with 5:07 left before Merrillville went ahead 45-44 on Leavy’s 3-pointer with 3:41 left. Stoddard tied the score on a free throw with 3:11 remaining.
“What a fantastic game,” Seibert said. “A game of runs. A game of answering runs. One team after the other, no one would back down. I’m just so proud of our kids and their resilience. I truly, truly believe the schedule we played and what they’ve been through the last four years is a big reason why we were successful coming down the stretch here.”
Crown Point, which completed a four-season run of 42 straight wins on its home court, will play Penn (19-6) in the semifinals of the LaPorte Regional on Saturday. The Bulldogs, who beat the Kingsmen 53-26 on Dec. 24, will meet Penn at the regional level for the fourth straight season, with Crown Point having won two of those previous three games.
But Seibert said the Bulldogs savor their escape against Merrillville.
“Give all the credit in the world to coach Kratz and to (assistant) coach (Tom) Peller,” Seibert said. “They did a fantastic job. Their girls battled.
“I’m just happy. Whether we won by one point or 30 points, this is something truly, truly special. There’s nothing better than walking up that ladder and cutting down the net in the state of Indiana. They’re used to it. That’s all these kids have known. But they should really cherish this and celebrate this and really enjoy being together.”