On Saturday, Bellmont will make its first-ever state finals appearance in girls basketball as it faces off against Roncalli, which is making its first girls state finals appearance since 1986. The tip for the game is set for around 6:12 p.m., according to the IHSAA.
The game is the first of Session 2 on the day, with gates opening at 5 p.m. and teams taking the court for warmups at 5:40 p.m.
TWO STORYLINES
THE RISE OF THE BRAVES
There are many programs in northeast Indiana with really good stories of rising up the ranks and becoming title contenders. None have been quite like Bellmont, as it enters the state championship game as a team that had not advanced past regionals since 1993.
For those who know the lore in Decatur, a lot of this turnaround came with the catalyst of Grace Hunter, who was Outside the Huddle’s first-ever Player of the Year in 2019. But head coach Andy Heim has been the real master of it all. In 2011, he took over a program that sat near .500 every year and hadn’t won a postseason title in almost a decade. The Braves were essentially an afterthought in the area. In his third season, they went 0-21, finishing the year with a 53-point loss to eventual big-time rival Norwell. A dozen years later and Heim has Bellmont in the state finals. Norwell just happens to be in the state finals too, just now in a different class.
Bellmont’s rise over a 12-year period has been a fun one to watch. From 0-21 to 24-3 and on the cusp of taking home the big trophy. The year after zero wins, they won four, then seven, then in 2016-2017 went 18-5 and have not looked back. This is the Braves’ third 20-win season since (and second in a row) and they have never had less than 17 wins during this decade-long run.
A 40-YEAR WAIT
Despite being the top-ranked team in Class 3A and a familiar name state-wide for its school, Roncalli is making just its second-ever state finals appearance in girls basketball.
It is kind of a surprising stat for an athletics program that boasts 22 state titles all-time and a girls basketball team that has 29 total postseason titles, including 18 sectional crowns that includes back-to-back the last two years. Just ten years after the girls state basketball tournament began, Roncalli made the state finals in 1986 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. That season, with the state finals still a four team, two-game affair before the implementation of class basketball, Roncalli reached the final four. It fell to Northrop, which went on to win the state title.
It has been a long wait to get back, but the Royals will now make the whole 16-minute drive north on Saturday afternoon to try and nab an elusive state title.
FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
ASHLEY BLEKE, BELLMONT
The Bleke family has been a major catalyst for the recent surge at Bellmont and this season, sophomore Ashley Bleke has been able to raise her game after a solid freshman campaign. While there is a lot of help around her, Bleke has taken a major leadership role for this team. She leads Bellmont in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg) and assists (2.7 apg).
ELLIOT LEFFLER, RONCALLI
The Royals’ leading scorer has had a really good junior season. Her 18.8 points per game leads all scorers in the Class 3A title game and she is the fourth-leading scorer among the eight state finalists. Leffler has not had a single game with less than double digits this season, including games of 32 points against Harrison and 30 against Pike. She is shooting 40 percent from the field.
ONI KRUECKEBERG, BELLMONT
Krueckeberg has been part of a talented underclass core that has added depth and defensive pressure to the lineup. In the morning game of semistate last weekend, she stepped up big in scoring as she led Bellmont with 16 points in the win over Culver Academies, including opening the game with a three-point make to help set the tone.
LYDIA STAHLEY, RONCALLI
The 6-foot-1 senior leads Roncalli in rebounding at 5.3 per contest, while also adding 5.8 points per game. She shoots over 40 percent from the field, as well. Stahley has 11 games with seven or more rebounds, with a high of 15 against Bishop Chatard. She has a pair of double doubles this season.
KEY TO VICTORY – BELLMONT
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
When you compare a lot of the statistics of these two teams, it is fair to say many things look even. Offensively, Roncalli edges Bellmont by 1.1 points per game. But if you flip it to the defensive end, you can see where Bellmont’s potential advantage really is. While Roncalli gives up 44.2 points per game, Bellmont is surrendering only 35.3 points a contest, winning games by an average of 23.4 point, almost nine points more than Roncalli is winning by.
The Braves are a dangerous defensive team. Bellmont’s 11- and 15-point wins in the semistate round were its closest games this postseason. Only two teams have touched Roncalli’s scoring average this season against Bellmont, and both of those were losses for the Braves (Class 4A opponents Homestead and Warsaw). In Braves wins, they have not given up more than 53 points and that 53 to Northrop is the only time a team has crept into the 50s against Bellmont in a win. So is 54 the magic number for Roncalli to get to?
KEY TO VICTORY – RONCALLI
STAY DIVERSE IN YOUR APPROACH
Roncalli gets a lot of help in a lot of different areas. So often, even this late in the season, teams rely heavily on a star who is going to lead them in most – if not all – major statistical categories. For example, Bellmont’s Ashley Bleke leads her team in points, rebounds and assists. Meanwhile, Roncalli has three different girls in those leader spots; Elliot Leffler, Lydia Stahley and Catie Rosko in points, rebounds and assists, respectively.
Everyone chips in for the Royals, who have played 11 different players in 20 or more games this season, including six who have played in all 30 contests. Leffler’s scoring is double of the next person in line, Brennah Cerny, but behind Leffler still sits 40 points per game of scoring. Cerny’s nine points per game is solid, but three others also contribute 5.8 per game or more. Roncalli has three players with 4.5 or more rebounds per game and four with 1.8 steals per game or more.
Contributions from the entire roster is the key for Roncalli.
BOUNCE’S PICK
This is an interesting game with two teams built on consistency. Bellmont shoots just two percent better from the field and half a percent better from deep. Roncalli is better at the line by four percent, while Bellmont outrebounds by 0.2 per game and Roncalli scores 1.1 points per game more than Bellmont.
On paper, this is about as even as it gets.
But the game isn’t played on paper. It is played by many intangibles, including the guys on the sidelines: Bellmont’s Andy Heim (210-143 in 15 seasons) and Jason Sims (141-48 in eight career seasons). Roncalli is the top-ranked team in the state, but that isn’t likely to slow down a Bellmont team, which has shown the ability to control pace and tempo regardless of opponent. BOUNCE PICKS BELLMONT
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