The Wolves will play the top-ranked team in 2A, South Knox, in the 10 a.m. semifinal Saturday at Jasper.
The historic season continues.
According to Parke Heritage girl's basketball coach, this season has been five years in the making, and the historic season continues after the Wolves knocked off Monrovia, 64-44, Saturday afternoon in the Greencastle regional.
With the win, Parke Heritage improves to 23-4 and punched its ticket to the Class 2A semi-state for the first time in program history. The Wolves will play the top-ranked team in 2A, South Knox, in the 10 a.m. semifinal Saturday at Jasper.
The other semifinal features 10th-ranked Brownstown Central (22-5) vs Heritage Christian (14-12)
"It's great. We are making history, and that is what I am thrilled with. The program has been climbing, and we have had this in place for five years. Each year, we have moved up in the rankings and with our competitive play. It means the world. The seniors are setting a precedent," Parke Heritage coach Mark Harper told The Parke County Post after the victory.
After a back and forth start to the game, the Wolves settled in for a 16-15 lead off a basket by Cate O'Brien and would never look back. Parke Heritage opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run en route to a 38-29 halftime advantage thanks to solid shooting, a rebounding edge and a defense that turned the Bulldogs over 12 times in the first half.
"We knew they had the potential and capability of competing early, and they did that. We also knew when we got spreads, we had to protect spreads. They made a couple of runs at us, but our kids rose up and said they weren't going to leave with anything less than a regional championship," Harper said.
The halftime break did little to slow down the Wolves, who came out on fire and built a 14-point advantage after Addison Jenkins drilled a three pointer. Another three pointer by O'Brien pushed the lead to 54-37 and began the celebration in the stands and on the Parke Heritage bench.
Parke Heritage was led offensively by Emma Simpson, who scored 17. Addilee Jenkins chipped in with 14 and Raegan Ramsey rounded out the double figure scorers with 10.
With its ticket punched to the semi-state, Harper understands Parke Heritage is two wins away from a state title appearance and from being where he hopes the program will get.
"I love it and I want it. Our younger kids see this and this program isn't going to be happy until we get to Indianapolis at some point and upset a tournament. Happy to be there, obviously, but we also know we are in the final eight now. You are two wins away from where we want to be. We are not going to kid ourselves. We know the competition feeding these semi-states is high," Harper said.
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