LOGANSPORT — That flaming “E” that constitutes the Eastside High School logo quickly proved a fitting one Saturday morning at the Berry Bowl.
The Blazers came out scorching hot on their way to a 58-45 Class 2A Logansport Semistate semifinal win over Whitko to put the flame out on the most scalding season in Wildcat girls basketball history.
No. 5-ranked Eastside raced to a 26-11 lead through one quarter and stretched the spread to 31-11 by the opening minute of the second period.
The Blazers (27-1) drained 13 of their first 19 shots from the field — including 5-of-7 on 3-pointers — and even when they did miss, it didn’t much matter, because they also had eight second-chance points over those initial nine minutes.
“I thought there were a couple times early that we lost track of where they were, and they were obviously hot,” Whitko coach Justin Jordan said, “but the biggest thing that stood out to me is we gave up so many points on out-of-bounds plays, too.”
Senior guards Sydnee Kessler and Lily Kreischer did the resounding bulk of the early damage for Eastside, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the first quarter on the way to sharing game-high honors for the day with 17 apiece.
Even Blazer coach Mike Lortie was bedazzled by his club’s start.
“The girls were bouncing off the walls before the game, so there were jitters,” Lortie insisted, “but they came out of it really quick. We made our first couple shots and that got us going, got everybody relaxing, and then our defense was kind of triggered off that. Our defense got us into some good transition looks on offense.”
No. 17 Whitko (21-5) scrapped to within 38-27 thanks to a 9-0 run late in the second quarter, but it was a fleeting tease.
That’s because Eastside notched the final five points of the first half for a 43-27 lead, then started the second half with a 9-0 spree for its largest lead all day, 52-27 at the 4:20 mark of the third quarter.
The Blazers cooled substantially after that, but the Cats could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way, coming at 55-43 with 2:12 left in the game.
Whitko’s feisty defense — highlighted by junior Reese Stonebraker’s seven steals — helped force 27 turnovers on Eastside, but the Cats committed 22 of their own.
That was too many when paired with Whitko’s game-long shooting woes.
“I would’ve liked to have seen what happens if we’d have made a few more of our shots,” Jordan said, “but Eastside’s a really good defensive team and that’s how it goes sometimes.”
The Cats finished a frigid 12-of-52 from the field for 23%, their 7-of-25 on 3-pointers actually ahead of their 5-of-27 on 2s.

    Whitko junior Reese Stonebraker finds her way through a pair of Eastside defenders during the first quarter...NieterThe Blazers closed at 23-of-51 from the field for 45%, including 9-of-17 on triples.
Sophomore Jayma Stonebraker led Whitko with nine points and three assists. She hit 4-of-4 at the line, but she and sister Reese, cornerstones in the Cats’ success all winter, combined to go just 4-of-23 from the field with three treys.
Reese scored six points, as did senior Adriyanna Phillips, senior Braisha Harrison and sophomore Anna Allebach. Freshman Hazel Leffers added five points and five rebounds, the latter matching Reese for team-high honors. Sophomore Ally Brown blocked a pair of Eastside shots.
For the Blazers, Kreischer hauled in a game-high 15 boards, keying their 45-29 advantage on the glass, to go with three steals and two blocks. Kessler made three steals as well and dished four assists. Senior Paige Traxler added 12 points.
While Whitko’s 45 points was its fewest in any of its final 15 games, it was also the most allowed by Eastside in a span of 12.
“I thought our defense was pretty solid, but they’re very good,” Lortie said of the Cats. “They play hard and didn’t stop coming after us. They’re well-coached with good kids.”
Three of those individuals now part in Phillips, Harrison and fellow senior Madison Cripe, leaving a club that won the program’s first-ever sectional and regional titles.
“They’ve been through it all,” Jordan said, “from six wins their first year when we were getting creamed to (40 wins) these last two years. The underclassmen look up to them and they mean everything to me. They’re like daughters and they’re going to do great things after high school.”
As for those potentially remaining, that includes four starters and several others.
“They’re hungry,” Jordan said. “We’ll get into workouts this spring and summer and be ready. They’ve got a taste of it now, making it to the sectional final last year and now getting to semistate, so I know they’re going to come back even hungrier.”
The Blazers’ own record-setting season ended in Saturday’s final with a 55-42 loss to No. 2 Rensselaer Central (26-2). The Bombers face No. 1 South Knox (27-2) in next Saturday’s 2A state championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.