INDIANAPOLIS — Playing without 6-foot-2 standout center Mackenzie Blazek, Whiteland’s girls basketball team had a good excuse to lose Wednesday at Perry Meridian.
The Warriors did lose, but they kept things much more interesting than it appeared they would at the beginning.
The host Falcons bolted to a 25-11 halftime lead, but Whiteland kept whittling away at the lead, drawing within three points in the game’s final seconds. Perry Meridian used strong free-throw shooting to hold off the Warriors and claim a 53-48 victory.
Blazek, who averages 16.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots, sat out Wednesday’s contest with a shoulder injury. Whiteland coach Kyle Shipp said he also expects Blazek to miss the Warriors’ games in the Vincennes Rivet tournament Dec. 29.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryIn her absence, Whiteland struggled mightily offensively in the first half, but its defense kept the game from becoming a blowout. The Warriors rallied late, but Perry Meridian fended off the comeback with its free-throw shooting. The Falcons (6-6) hit 23 of 27 from the foul line for the game (85.2 percent), including their final nine tries.
“Some of the people we fouled hit around 50 percent (free throws) on the season, but they hit free throws in big situations,” Shipp said of the Falcons. “We had to figure out how to play without Mackenzie, and played a little timid (in the first half). We took the reins off and got some production in the second half.”
Sidney Crowe and Megan Harlow took over the scoring load with Blazek sidelined, scoring 19 and 14 points, respectively. Harlow also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as Whiteland (5-6) hung with the taller Falcons on the boards. Perry Meridian, which started a front line of 6-foot-3 Caitie Baird, 6-foot Sadie Hill and 5-foot-8 Ariana Booker, outrebounded Whiteland only 29-27.
Crowe’s 3-pointer with 15.5 seconds left trimmed Perry Meridian’s lead to 51-48, but the Falcons’ Melody Johnson sank both of her free throws two seconds later to ice the win.
Johnson, a sophomore guard, finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, and hit 9 of 11 from the foul line.
Perry Meridian built first-half leads of 15-3 and 25-9 before Whiteland came back. The Warriors pieced together a pair of 6-0 fourth-quarter runs that cut the deficit to 44-39 with 2:32 to play, but the Falcons’ foul-shooting prowess kept Whiteland from getting over the hump.
“We’re going to have to figure out where roles are going to change without Mackenzie, and that’s going to take a little bit of time,” Shipp said. “We played some people in situations where they don’t normally play.”
