GBB SECT. 11: Southport upends rival Perry Meridian, 40-31

INDIANAPOLIS – There was a time, over a generation ago, when the name Southport represented the best Indiana had to offer in girls basketball. The Cardinals awoke the echoes of those days Feb. 10 at Franklin Central with a stunning Class 4A Sectional 11 upset of Perry Meridian, a name that has often represented the best Indiana has had to offer in this generation.

Southport’s 40-31 victory over its Conference Indiana and Perry Township arch-rival was no fluke. The Cardinals (8-13) dominated nearly every aspect of the game, and their game plan was masterful. They controlled tempo, got to the vast majority of loose balls, and defensively frustrated Perry’s inside scorers the entire evening.

An evenly played first quarter revealed little of what was to come. The controlling factors in the play were both the doing of the Falcons. Perry Meridian (9-11) was ice cold from the field against Southport’s 2-3 zone, but the Falcons took full benefit of their size advantage to control the boards at both ends. 

The result was more scoring opportunities for the Falcons, yet the Cardinals clung to an 11-10 lead after the first eight minutes.

The second quarter began revealing signs of what was to come. It was Southport’s turn to dictate the controlling factors in the play. 

First, the Cardinals began controlling the tempo of play. They moved the ball crisply versus the Falcons’ man-to-man defense and ate up large chunks of time with each possession. Secondly, they began to eliminate that Falcon advantage on the boards. In fact, they held Perry Meridian to just two points in the final five minutes of the half. 

The problem was Southport’s inability to finish possessions with points. When the teams filed to the locker rooms at halftime with Southport leading 19-15, the question was whether the Cardinals had wasted an outstanding effort by leaving the high-powered Falcons in the game.

That question was quickly answered when Southport held the Falcons scoreless through the first four minutes of the third quarter. During that span, the Cardinals went on a 6-0 run to pad the margin to 10 at 25-15. 

The real question of the night became clear when Perry Meridian responded to the deficit by outscoring Southport 7-2 over the remainder of the period. The issue entering the final quarter of play was whether the Cardinals would withstand the pressure of being in position to do what few thought they could. 

The verdict was a resounding “yes” as Perry Meridian never closed the gap to fewer than five in the final eight minutes. When it came to crunch time, Southport sealed the decision by draining nine of 11 fourth-quarter free throws.

The celebration began when the horn sounded, and it continued for some time inside the Cardinals’ locker room. 

First-year coach Leah Enterline made no secret in talking with Hoosier Authority of just how much this victory meant for the Southport program. Perry Meridian was gracious in defeat, yet do not feel too sorry for coach Mike Armstrong’s Falcons. 

You may rest assured the Falcons – with four regional appearances in the past eight seasons, including a state runner-up finish to Kokomo in 2003 – will not fade from the forefront of Indiana basketball in the seasons to come.

The first game at Franklin Central Wednesday featured two Mid-State Conference teams very familiar with each other. Franklin and Greenwood squared off in a postseason rematch of a 52-48 overtime game won Dec. 18 by the Grizzly Cubs. 

Franklin scored a total of two field goals in the entire first half of this contest. That is not the astounding fact. The remarkable thing is that the Cubs were still in the game. 

Thanks to enough trips to the charity stripe to sink 10 free throws, Franklin trailed only 18-15 at the half. Both teams had displayed stingy half-court defenses in the opening two periods. 

The opening minutes of the third quarter made one wonder if he was watching the same squads. Franklin took just three minutes to connect three times from the field, and Greenwood matched them bucket for bucket. That set up the key stretch of the contest. 

Greenwood’s defense stiffened once again, and the Woodmen had eight opportunities to increase the margin past five points bridging the final minutes of the third quarter and the opening seconds of the fourth. 

They scored a grand total of one point in that span. The lost opportunity to put the contest away set the stage for a dramatic finish. 

Franklin cut the advantage to three, 33-30, with just over three minutes to play. The Grizzly Cubs closed within two at 38-36 with 1:25 to play. Greenwood hit one of two from the line in the next minute, and Franklin scored but failed to convert on a three-point play opportunity.

The score stood at 39-38 with 10 seconds to play. The Woodmen hung on by dropping two charity tosses and forcing a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer that was not close.

The verdict sets up a semifinal sectional match between Indianapolis southsider Southport and neighboring Johnson County Greenwood on Friday night. The winner will face either host Franklin Central (7-13) or Whiteland (11-10) in the 7:30 p.m. Saturday championship.