Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
INDIANAPOLIS -ÊCoach Steve Neff will have stories for years to come about the 1999 girls basketball state finals.
He will have the story about being an underdog for the first time in years.
He will have the story about the bus ride to Indianapolis.
And he will have the story of the 72-71 win over the No. 1 Indianapolis Cathedral Irish to become the first person in NorthWood history to coach a team to a state title.
After a mixup at the chartered bus company, Steve Neff frantically searched for a bus to take his team to Indianapolis. He found a bus, but no driver, so Neff, who has his commercial driver's license from teaching summer biology, took the wheel and got his team to Market Square Arena himself.
"The bus was supposed to pick us up at 1:45, and at 1:55 was still not there," said Neff. "They stiffed us. So I found someone with a bus, jumped in, and drove the bus today. We made it to Indy in a bus in less than three hours."
Once the team got to Indianapolis, the Panthers were all business as they faced Indianapolis Cathedral for the Class 3A state title.
NorthWood's Natalie Will scored the first basket of the game as the Panthers took a 2-0 lead. At the other end of the court, Carol Duncan stole the ball from Jennifer Callier and got the ball to Amy Zercher. NorthWood had a 4-0 lead with less than one minute off the clock.
NorthWood held its lead for the first four minutes, but Cathedral took a 10-9 lead with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter. The Panthers refused to let the Irish get the best of them and restored their lead.
After another lead change with 2:20 remaining in the first frame, the Irish took a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the quarter.
Heading into the second stanza, Cathedral held a slim 19-21 lead over NorthWood. That lead was short-lived, however, as Angie Callander hit a jump shot to tie the score at 21.
The Panthers and Irish played duelling baskets for the next minute until NorthWood took a 27-25 lead with 5:58 left in the first half.
NorthWood built a six-point lead with 4:34 to play, but the Irish refused to give in and came back to tie the score at 33 and then 35 with just over a minute left to play. NorthWood and Cathedral exchanged turnovers for the next 59 seconds, but Asjah Zinnerman hit a 17-foot running jump shot to put Cathedral on top 37-35 at the half.
Zercher jumpstarted the second half as she made a layup to tie the score at 37, but that would be as close as the Panthers would come to taking the lead as the Irish got into gear and built a 10-point lead with just 52 seconds remaining in the third quarter. NorthWood scored four points in the final seconds of the third frame to cut the Cathedral lead to six, 59-53, going into the final frame.
"We were happy at the half because we were only down by two," said Neff.
NorthWood continued to chip away at the Irish lead in the beginning of the fourth as Duncan, Will and Zercher each scored in the first 1:25 of the quarter to get the Panthers within one.
Kasey Chamberlin netted an 8-foot jumper with 6:32 on the clock to give the Panthers their first lead of the second half, 60-59.
NorthWood built a three-point lead with just 4:21 to play, but again Cathedral came back to take a two-point lead, 68-66, with 2:43 on the clock.
The score see-sawed back and forth for the next minute with neither team taking more than a two-point lead.
With 17.7 seconds left in regulation, Zinnerman netted a basket for the Irish to tie the score at 71. NorthWood moved the ball down the court, and Will went under the basket, where she was fouled by Callier.
Will stepped to the charity stripe, where she hit one of two free throws with 5.6 ticks on the clock to give the Panthers a one-point lead.
"When I was younger I dreamed of this scenario," said Will. "To go to the state championship my senior year and the fate of the game is up to you. I'm just glad I could play well and hit the shot when we needed it."
Indianapolis Cathedral moved the ball down the court for one last shot. Zinnerman tossed up a shot at the buzzer that went into the basket and bounced back out, leaving Cathedral with its first loss of the season and NorthWood with its first state title in any sport.
"I have never felt so much sadness turn into so much joy when that ball bounced out of the basket," said Zercher. "This is what I have worked for my whole career, it's unbelievable."
"It's sweet," said Will.
"It's awesome," said Callander. "It was not a blowout. We had to work for everything we got, so it means more because we earned it."
After the trophy for the state title was presented, Zercher was presented with the mental attitdue award.
"This is the first NorthWood press conference after a state that has been upbeat," said Neff. "Our girls kept their composure throughout the game and never lost their confidence. They plated a great game out there today."
NorthWood 72 Cathedral 71
NorthWood 19 16 18 19 - 72
Cathedral 21 16 22 12 - 71
NorthWood FG FT R A S Pts.
Chamberlin 5-9 3-4 5 1 1 13
Zercher 6-12 4-7 7 5 0 17
Callander 4-6 0-0 3 4 0 8
Will 10-13 4-7 3 8 3 24
Duncan 5-6 0-0 4 1 3 10
Stichter 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Newcomer 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0
Totals 30-47 11-18 23 20 6 72
Cathedral FG FT R A S Pts.
Corbett 2-3 3-5 8 1 2 7
Roederer 3-12 0-0 1 3 1 8
Zinnerman 5-10 0-0 1 3 3 10
Callier 11-13 1-2 7 1 3 23
Webb 7-16 7-7 4 5 5 21
Miller 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Bego 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Rehme 1-2 0-0 3 0 0 2
Kiwanuka 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 29-56 11-14 24 13 14 71
Three-point goals - NorthWood 1-2 (Zercher 1-2), Cathedral 2-10 (Corbett 0-1, Roederer 2-6, Zinnerman 0-2, Webb 0-1). Turnovers -ÊNorthWood 21, Cathedral 15. Fouls -ÊNorthWood 12, Cathedral 16. Fouled out - Webb.
Officials - Rhonda McGee, Robert Cochran.
