{"id":13659,"date":"2024-02-22T10:41:21","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T15:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/?p=13659"},"modified":"2024-02-22T10:41:22","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T15:41:22","slug":"knights-one-win-away-from-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/22\/knights-one-win-away-from-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Knights one win away from title"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RANDY HISNER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WZBD.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s Note: Fans of the Norwell Knights can listen to the full broadcast of Saturday night’s game live with the Z Team on 92.7 FM or online with wzbd.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only the Gibson Southern Titans stand between the Norwell Knights and a state girls\u2019 basketball championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The showdown between the #2 Knights and the #3 Titans is slated for 6:00 P.M. this Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Knights, ranked #2 in 3A, knocked off the #1 Hamilton Heights Huskies 64-50 in the first round of last Saturday\u2019s semistate at Huntington North and then, in one of the most lopsided semistate championship games ever, annihilated Bremen, 64-20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Norwell Knights were all smiles after practice Wednesday, just three days before playing in the championship game in Indianapolis. (Photo by Randy Hisner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gibson Southern also dominated its semistate with two double-digit victories\u2014first, an 81-66 decision over #9 Scottsburg, then a 63-48 dismantling of the 24-4 Danville Warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eric Thornton, in his 27th<\/sup> year at the helm of the Knights, has built a juggernaut of a program. He\u2019s seventh among active coaches in wins with 452 (with only 191 losses). All the coaches ahead of him have been coaching at least 31 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He knew he had something special with this team, so he challenged them with the toughest schedule of any 3A team in Indiana. Of the Knights\u2019 22 regular-season games, 13 were against 4A schools, yet Norwell has compiled a 23-4 record. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All four losses came at the hands of 4A schools ranked in the top ten\u2014#7 Northridge, #10 Homestead, #9 Lawrence North, and #4 Fort Wayne Snider. Only Snider, with a 65-50 victory, defeated the Knights by more than four points. Norwell\u2019s biggest regular-season win was a 45-44 nail-biter over the Columbia City Eagles, an NE8 rival who ended the season ranked #3 in 4A. Clearly, the Knights are battle tested and won\u2019t be intimidated by the 25-4 Titans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they do have a healthy respect for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re fearless,\u201d Thornton said of the Titans. \u201cThey\u2019re battle tested too. It\u2019s a little bit like looking in the mirror; that\u2019s always challenging. I think both groups are not afraid of the stage. When you watch style of play, they\u2019re going to do what they do. They\u2019re not going to get rattled by it, and neither are we. You got to this point for a reason. Both groups are deserving, and that\u2019s the way a state championship game ought to be.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two teams had only one common opponent, and there wasn\u2019t a nickel\u2019s worth of difference between the outcomes: Lawrence North beat the Titans by three and the Knights by two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Titans average 65.5 points per game, 46 of them coming from a trio of stars: junior guard Gabby Spink (19.4 ppg), senior guard Chloe Graham (17.2), and 6-1 freshman center Paige Schnaus (9.7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thornton knows Spink, who averages 5.9 assists per game, is a terrific player who not only scores consistently but also drives the Titans\u2019 impressive transition game.  \u201cShe does a great job of just, if you\u2019re open, she\u2019s going to hit you on the spot, in stride. Just catch it and lay it up, before the defense can recover,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be really good in our transition, getting back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Graham, she is sixth in the state in three-pointers with 81, and her 42% accuracy from behind the arc is among the best as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpink and Graham at the guard spots, they complement each other well,\u201d Thornton said. \u201cThey both shoot it really well. They both can drive it. Spink is a little more of a creator, obviously from the point spot. Graham can create a shot too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Norwell coaches and players have spent the week preparing for Gibson Southern. (Photo by Randy Hisner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thornton has seen enough video of Gibson Southern\u2019s games to be impressed by the progress of Schnaus. \u201cShe\u2019s really improved from the beginning of the season to now,\u201d he praised. \u201cYou watch them play Evansville Memorial earlier (the regular season game in December) and then you see them in the sectional championship, and see her confidence, just how active she is\u2014she creates a lot for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the Knights have their share of outstanding players too, starting with three first-team All-NE8 players: senior guards Kennedy Fuelling and Makenzie Fuess, and sophomore swing player Vanessa Rosswurm. And the other two starters are no slouches either. Senior 6-0 center Dekota Hubble is an inside defensive force, a shot blocker who made second-team all-conference. Senior NE8 honorable mention pick Annabelle Johnson is a very capable defender and rebounder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuelling, who averages 21.6 points, broke Jessica Rupright\u2019s career school scoring record of 1,591 points with her last basket in the regional championship game. She is especially dangerous from three-point land, where she is hitting 43.2%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted how much the strong support from the Norwell community means to her and her teammates. \u201cIt helps us a lot,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s good for our confidence and just coming out and playing hard. Community support is something we never take for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuess is also a prolific scorer (16.1 ppg), capable of dominating a game, as she did in Norwell\u2019s sectional championship win over Bellmont when she led all scorers with 25 points. Like Fuelling, she is accurate on three-pointers (36.6%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosswurm (11.6 ppg) is a versatile, quick, and wiry athlete who can take over a game if opponents focus too much on Fuelling and Fuess. As the only non-senior starter, she is looking forward to the experience of a state final, and she wants to soak it all up. \u201cI\u2019m so excited to be with my seniors one more time,\u201d she said. She knows there\u2019s no guarantee that her team will make it to state again in her career. \u201cYou never know,\u201d she admitted. \u201cAll you can do is just take it all in, have fun, and enjoy the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These Knights have no trouble having a bit of fun. (Photo by Randy Hisner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hubble looks forward to the challenge of defending the 6-1 Schnaus. \u201cThis whole tournament I haven\u2019t played against anyone my size yet, so I think it will be fun,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibson Southern primarily plays an active man-to-man defense, while Norwell loves to disrupt their opponent\u2019s offense with a 1-3-1 zone trap. Statistically, the teams are a nearly dead even match. Gibson Southern averages 65.5 points, with an average winning margin of 20.0. Norwell averages 65.0 points with a margin of 22.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing is almost certain: This will not be a slow-down game. \u201cI think both teams are going to push the basketball,\u201d Thornton said. \u201cI think we\u2019re two fun teams to watch. Should be a fun game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RANDY HISNER WZBD.com Editor’s Note: Fans of the Norwell Knights can listen to the full broadcast of Saturday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13662,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[41,15,46,26],"class_list":["post-13659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-basketball","tag-featured","tag-norwell","tag-sports"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_2319-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}