Mt. Vernon Wins Class 3A

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Mt. Vernon's Sydney Shelton took control and ran away with Saturday's Class 3A girls basketball state final, scoring a game-high 29 points and hauling in six rebounds to lead the Marauders to a 61-47 win over the Hamilton Heights.

Shelton's aunt, who is also her coach, says the state finals atmosphere is where she thrives.

"She is a gamer, great player likes the pressure the bigger stage the better she does," Mt. Vernon coach Julie Shelton said. "Occasionally at the end of the game she makes me nervous because she plays like it is still the first quarter instead of slowing it down but everything else is perfect, couldn't ask for a better guard."

Erica Moore had 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Rachel Houck scored nine points to help Mt. Vernon to victory in the team's second straight trip to the state finals.

Kiley Walters scored 13 points and Dakota Weatherford had 12 to lead Hamilton Heights (23-3), who made their first state finals appearance.

After falling behind 5-2, the Marauders (23-4) went on a 14-2 run to close out the first quarter.

Shelton, who had 17 first-half points, missed a 3-pointer, but grabbed the rebound and scored a lay-up. The Huskies missed a shot and Shelton hit a 3-pointer and on the next possession scored two free throws to give Mt. Vernon a 9-5 lead with 3:19 left in the first.

Moore hit a jumper and a free throw while Shelton scored two free throws and Shockley another basket to give the Marauders a 16-7 run at the end of the first quarter.

The Marauders went on a 13-3 run in the second quarter to eventually lead 32-20 at halftime after Houck hit a 3-pointer with under five seconds left in the half.

"They shot the ball extremely well to start the game, and we did not shoot the ball very well at all," Hamilton Heights coach Tod Windlan said. "So we couldn't get into our full court pressure defense like we would like to have gotten into and just dug ourselves too big of a hole early in the game to try to overcome a good basketball team like Mount Vernon."

The Marauders pushed the lead further at the start of the second half. Moore scored and Shelton hit a 3-pointer to give the Marauders a 37-20 lead.

But then the Huskies took the momentum.

Matchett hit two jumpers and Cook a 3-pointer to make it 37-27 with 4:02 left in the third quarter.

Mt. Vernon turned the ball over five straight possessions, but managed to take back the momentum.

The Huskies missed a shot and turned the ball over twice and Moore scored four points on two trips to the line. At the start of the fourth quarter, she was fouled on a shot and scored the extra free throw to make it 44-28 with 7:13 left to play.

Houck hit a 3-pointer to make it 47-28 and to put the game out of reach.

"We've pretty much been through everything and I think that is why we were good at the end because we're fighters," Sydney Shelton said.

It wasn't the first time the two teams faced each other this season. The Huskies knocked off the Marauders, 70-61, on Nov. 21.

But this time it mattered most.

Before the regular season loss to the Huskies, the Marauders had the upper hand winning the previous four straight games.