{"id":34435,"date":"2026-02-27T12:32:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/?p=34435"},"modified":"2026-02-27T12:32:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:32:05","slug":"roncalli-bellmont-to-play-for-3a-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/27\/roncalli-bellmont-to-play-for-3a-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Roncalli, Bellmont to play for 3A title"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If it seems Reagan Turk has been here before, it\u2019s because Roncalli\u2019s senior guard recently was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the striping was different, and the point of emphasis was one net rather than two, but it was, indeed, the same Gainbridge Fieldhouse court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly four months after helping lead the Royals\u2019 volleyball team to a Class 3A state title \u2013 and being named the Mental Attitude Award recipient \u2013 Turk goes for the rarest of doubles now that her school\u2019s girls\u2019 basketball team has qualified for its first State Finals in 40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roncalli (27-3), riding a 17-game win streak, faces Bellmont (24-3) in Saturday\u2019s 3A final starting at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"IHSAA Girls Basketball 3A State Finals: #5 Bellmont vs #1 Roncalli - WZBD Radio\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I1bHOD2WLAU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy teammates in volleyball, they\u2019re special, but I\u2019m happy to do it with my basketball team because these girls put so much work in,\u201d said Turk, who averages 6.6 points a game. \u201cI\u2019m glad to see everything pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to those close to both the Roncalli and Bellmont programs and they\u2019ll tell you how similar the teams are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roncalli is led by 5-9 junior guard Elliot Leffler, whose 18.8 scoring average is more than double her team\u2019s next-best point producer in senior guard Brennah Cerny (9.3). Then it\u2019s senior guard Catie Rosko (7.0), Turk and 6-2 senior center Lydia Stahley (5.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom the start, we were always, like, we\u2019re going to make it. We\u2019re going to put all of our heart and soul into it, even if we\u2019re so sore. And that\u2019s what we did,\u201d said the 5-6 Cerny. \u201cThis is very special. We always have fun no matter what. It\u2019s just knowing we are here, and it\u2019s what we all dreamed of. It\u2019s just very, very exciting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Braves feature a pair of double-digit scorers in sophomore twin sisters Ashley and Mary Bleke (pronounced Blakey). Ashley, a 5-9 guard, averages 13.5 points per game, while Mary, a 5-11 center, is close behind at 13.3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Junior guard Lanie French produces 8.9 points a contest, while soph guards Oni Krueckeberg and Kaitlyn Barton sport norms of 7.8 and 6.3, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is only one senior on the 12-player Bellmont roster, which might just make this postseason run as surprising as it is rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI feel like we just knew we had experience from the year before, so I think we knew it was possible this year,\u201d Krueckeberg said. \u201cThis is unreal. I\u2019m so grateful for this opportunity, but you never know what\u2019s going to happen. We had to take advantage of winning this year, hopefully, and then next year, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-101.jpg?resize=640%2C960&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-101.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-101.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-101.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Braves average 58.7 points a game compared to Roncalli\u2019s 59.1. Also close to identical are Bellmont\u2019s averages in rebounds (28.7) and assists (12.8) compared to the Royals (28.5 and 12.1). One noticeable discrepancy is Bellmont\u2019s accuracy behind the 3-point stripe (.325) to that of Roncalli (.250).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Braves are making their State Finals debut, the Royals\u2019 lone trip came at the end of the 1985-1986 season during the single-class era. Roncalli, coached by the late Bob Kirkhoff, came up short against Fort Wayne Northrop, 50-36, in a semifinal at Market Square Arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-96.jpg?resize=640%2C427&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-96.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-96.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bellmont had been to three single-class semistates (1979, 1992 and 1992) before breaking through this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOver the last few years, just think it\u2019s been our defense, in general,\u201d said 15th-year coach Andy Heim. \u201cA handful of years ago, we were mostly a 2-3 sort of matchup zone, and this year we\u2019re basically man, and we pick you up full-court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think what\u2019s changed, really, with this team is we just have more offensive firepower than we had in the past. A bunch of scorers who can score from anywhere to back up with a good defense makes us dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rise of the Bellmont program under Heim is noteworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-88.jpg?resize=640%2C427&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-88.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-88.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-88.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In his first five seasons in charge, the Braves were 21-88, which included a 0-21 mark in 2013-2014. Compare that to the past decade that has seen Bellmont go 189-55.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, 124 postseason games in, the Braves are playing for a state championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt takes a lot to get here,\u201d said Heim. \u201cWhen we played Homestead early in the year, while we ended getting beat by 20, we were leading after the first quarter and we were close at half. It was a game, and you sort of walk away thinking if we\u2019re going to be able to play with that many Division I people, we\u2019re going to be alright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlaying (4A finalist) Norwell, we ended up getting beat by 10, but we understand Norwell\u2019s pedigree. And then it was probably against Warsaw where it finally clicked where we had Warsaw down by 12 at one point in time. Everybody was, like, ok, this could be a team that can do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out it is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If it seems Reagan Turk has been here before, it\u2019s because Roncalli\u2019s senior guard recently was. Some of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33747,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[41,13,15],"class_list":["post-34435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-basketball","tag-bellmont","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scheumann_Photography-116.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34435","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\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34435"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34436,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34435\/revisions\/34436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}