'We've been ready.' New Prairie girls basketball makes history at Bi-County tournament
LAKEVILLE — Much of what the New Prairie girls basketball team has been building toward the past four years culminated in Saturday’s Bi-County tournament championship.
For the first time since 2006, the Cougars claimed the title with a 41-21 win over John Glenn. It gave New Prairie win number 18 on the season, tying for the most in a single season in program history.
“It’s a great feeling because it was one of our goals at the start of the season,” fourth-year New Prairie coach Aimee Litka said. “We set some lofty goals for us, and (winning the Bi-County tournament) is one of the first ones on our list. And the next ones are coming ahead.”
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Morgan White, the tournament’s MVP, didn’t even realize the program milestone her team had reached Saturday night.
“Oh, wow, I didn’t know we had that many,” White admitted when told of her team’s 18-4 record. “I’m proud of our girls. I’ve known these girls since I moved here eight-plus years ago, and we’ve been waiting for this moment. We’ve all been developing over the past four years, so we’ve been ready.”
New Prairie’s defense was stymy all game, limiting Glenn to 11 points in the first three quarters. While the Cougars didn't put on a dazzling offensive display either, they were able to find its footing midway through the second quarter to eventually pull away from the Falcons.
“We like to think that, defensively, it has to get us going,” Litka said. “With the length that we have — especially in Maci Ernsperger and Jolie Johns — that really bothers people, so being able to capitalize on that was really good. The hustle plays, and the scrappiness of (Jayden) Flagg and White in doing what they need to do. And the battle in the post – that always goes unnoticed, but when you’re physical down there, they can’t get a whole lot going.”
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White finished with 18 points, while Ernsperger had nine and Johns seven.
At 18-4 on the season, the Cougars are in a strong position to break the program record for wins in a season. They have one last regular season game against Mishawaka Tuesday before they host a five-team sectional the following week, with the other four teams in the field having below-.500 records. The program hasn't won a sectional since 2000.
“Another one of our goals is at least 20 wins,” Litka said. “We take it game by game, and they’re very deliberate about having the goal sheet in their lockers. … It means a lot, especially for these seniors. We’re very senior-heavy with eight seniors, and so it’s a nice win for them.”
Bi-County girls summary: New Prairie 41, Glenn 21
At LaVille
JOHN GLENN (11-10): Andreia Weddington 0-2 0-0 0, Addison Reese 2-7 0-0 4, Sophia Romer 0-3 0-0 0, Rylee Johnson 3-3 0-1 6, Danni Divine 0-7 0-2 0, Arianna Stanley 1-3 0-0 2, Keelyn Bradley 0-1 0-0 0, Mia Hurford 1-2 3-4 5, Daelynn Nance 2-3 0-0 4. TOTALS: 9-26 3-7 21.
NEW PRAIRIE (18-4): Jolie Johns 3-7 0-0 7, Maci Ernsperger 4-4 1-1 9, Jaleigh McBride 0-1 0-0 0, Jayden Flagg 2-9 0-0 4, Morgan White 8-16 0-0 18, Morgan Flagg 1-1 0-2 2, Kayleigh Michael 0-0 0-0 0, Lauren Abbott 0-0 0-0 0, Neveah Trobaugh 0-0 1-2 1, Lilli Armato 0-0 0-0 0, Makayla Willoughby 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 18-38 2-5 8.
Glenn 4 | 3 | 4 |10 — 21
New Prairie 7 | 11 | 11 | 12 — 41
3-point shooting: Glenn 0-7 (Reese 0-4, Weddington 0-2, Divine 0-1), New Prairie 3-16 (White 2-7, Johns 1-4, J. Flagg 0-5). Total fouls: Glenn 11, New Prairie 8. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Rebounds: Glenn 14 (Divine 3), New Prairie 16 (White 4). Turnovers: Glenn 21, New Prairie 14.
Box score provided by Tribune correspondent Tim Creason
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: New Prairie girls basketball makes history with Bi-County tournament win
