In 2010 at the Class 4A Valparaiso Regional in girls basketball, with former Memorial star Akyah Taylor forced from a semifinal game with a knee injury, the Chargers' Brionna Barnett, then a sophomore, helped the squad overcome the loss and finish off South Bend Clay.

Barnett went on to score 22 points in the championship game against Merrillville, but as has been the case each of the last eight years, Memorial would come up short against a regional opponent, ending the season earlier than anyone wanted.

When Barnett steps on the regional court at Valparaiso this year, as a senior, her coach will be Steve Scott, whose Clay team was the one victimized in that regional semifinal.

The duo, along with the rest of the Memorial squad that heads into the weekend with a 20-5 record on the season, is hoping to erase a lot of bad memories all the way around.

“We remember that feeling, the losing,” Barnett said. “It feels like the world just stops turning. It's the most horribile feeling and that's what we remember every time that we go down to Valpo.”

Coming into their ninth straight regional appearance, Memorial has seen just about everything, from the beginning of the run when expectations were low to four straight years of bowing to the brilliance of current Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins during her South Bend Washington career. As well as the last two years when highly rated Memorial teams entered as one of the favorites only to lose in gut-wrenching fashion.

The 2010 team that lost to Merrillville did so by a single point, and last year's team fell in the regional final to Penn by two, 36-34.

“They just ran into some very good teams, but any team that wins eight sectionals is doing something right,” Scott said. “I was in the South Bend Sectional at the time and no one could beat those Washington teams, and some of it was just a little bit of circumstance and matchups. We're trying to change the mindset. We've kind of flown under the radar a little bit a the end of the season and we're not the favorite, which I think works to our advantage.”

This year, the Chargers will face East Chicago Central (17-6) in Saturday's second semifinal. The Cardinals feature a standout player in Andriana Moore, who had 25 points and 19 rebounds in the team's 68-59 sectional final victory over Lake Central.

In addition to Barnett, who is averaging 15 points per game, the Chargers also boast rising sophomore forward Khadijah Moore, who averages 13.9 points.

“They're very athletic. Moore is a load down low,” Scott said of his team's opponent. “They have real good quickness at the guard. We're going to face a team that's every bit as quick as we are. We need to pick up where we left off from the sectional. We need to get contributions from everybody. It can't just all be Brionna and Khadijah.”

The team that Memorial lost the regional title to last season, Penn, returns to Valparaiso this year as the clear favorite.

The No. 2-ranked Kingsmen (23-1) will face Michigan City (18-6) in Saturday's opening semifinal.

“We know that when we step on the floor we have to be ready to play ball. The girls are pretty tuned in and focused,” Penn coach Kristi Kaniewski said. “Michigan City is going to look to push the tempo in transition. We know that we're going to have to take care of the ball and retain composure no matter what situations arise.”

For Memorial's Barnett, playing at Valparaiso one more time is a final chance to have a good memory override three years of frustrating recollections.

“We just have to come together and play as a team. With it being my last year, I have to step up and be the leader, and we don't want this to be our last game. We have winning-state goals so we can't take any plays off,' Barnett said. “When it's your senior year, you kind of want it more and more. It's my last time playing in an Elkhart Memorial uniform.”

4A Valparaiso Regional
Saturday
(Eastern Times)
• Penn (23-1) vs. Michigan City (18-6), 10:30 a.m.
• Memorial (20-5) vs. East Chicago Central (17-6), approximately 12:30 p.m.
• Championship, 8:30 p.m.

View forums in a separate tab.

 

Classified Cafe

Featured Links