INDIANAPOLIS - Wawasee knows what it's getting into facing Brebeuf Jesuit for the second time this season.
The Braves beat Wawasee 58-53 in the night game of the Wawasee Shootout Dec. 23.
The Warriors saw 6-foot-6 center Ta'Shia Phillips, so they know what they're dealing with.What they may not know is that Phillips most likely wrapped up the Indiana Miss Basketball honor with her tremendous tournament run.
Phillips had 32 points on a 14-of-15 effort from the field, 16 rebounds and seven blocks in a sectional final win over Crawfordsville.
She earned what is believed to be the school's first triple-double in a regional semifinal win with 26 points, 19 rebounds and a mind-blowing 13 blocks.
Those numbers sound like they belong to another heralded post player from Indianapolis by the name of Greg Oden.
Phillips then followed that up with 22 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in the Braves' regional final win.
In a 55-53 overtime win over Evansville Bosse in the semistate, Phillips had 30 points and 19 rebounds.
The recruiting website Scout.com has Phillips ranked as the nation's fourth-best high school center.
The 220-pound Phillips committed to Purdue but opened up her recruiting and won't make a final college decision until after the season.
She was recently named to the McDonalds All-American Game and was the only player from Indiana selected.
Phillips is sitting on 1,900 career points, and with 27 points Saturday, would move into 25th place on Indiana's girls scoring list.
"As amazing of a player as she is, she's just as much of an amazing person," said Brebeuf coach Kendall Kreinhagen of Phillips. "She's one of the greatest post players ever in this state and I'm glad people will be able to see her Saturday."
Phillips is one of just two seniors on the Braves squad. Junior Callie Curry and sophomore Lauren Meadows are the only other players in double figures for Brebeuf with 10.9 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
Coach Kreinhagen is 97-33 in five years as head coach of the Braves after serving two years as an assistant.
A 2001 graduate of the University of Indianpolis where she played basketball, Kreinhagen went to Evansville Reitz High School and then Vincennes University. She is the granddaughter of former Evansivlle Bosse coach Jerry Canterbury.
The Braves have 13 sectional titles, six regional crowns, three semistate championships and 2004's 3A state title under their belts.
Brebeuf's state championship came the same year Warsaw, led by Jaclyn Leininger, fell to North Central and Amber Harris in the 4A game.
That title trip in 2004, said Kreinhagen, is quite helpful.
"It helps us as a staff to go about the week," said Kreinhagen of a return trip to Conseco Fieldhouse. "We just have to focus on basketball and the support staff takes care of everything else."
Brebeuf struggled last year with a 13-10 record.
While Phillips and Brebeuf enter as favorites, they aren't overlooking Wawasee.
"They're going to give you 100 percent," said Kreinhagen of Wawasee. "They really do a nice job of playing their roles. I've always liked Taylor Goshert as a player. She's going to be a really good basketball player."
Brebeuf is a private Roman Catholic high school for grades 9-12 founded in 1962. The school was only for boys until 1976 when it became co-educational.
The school is well-known for academics with an acceptance rate of just 35 percent of aplicants gaining admission.
The school has around 800 students, with former Indiana University star and NBA player Alan Henderson a notable alumnus.
Note - Look for more coverage of Wawasee's state championship game against Brebeuf in Friday's Times-Union.
