Norwell and Center Grove will wrap up the 2026 State Finals on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The two teams will play in the Class 4A title game with a scheduled 8:15 p.m. tip.
TWO STORYLINES
NORWELL IN CLASS 4A
Since the IHSAA adopted Tournament Success Factor was started in 2013 – which is what pushed Norwell up to Class 4A this season – the Knights are the second-smallest school to make a 4A final behind 2020’s Northwestern team. That also means that the Knights have the chance, since Northwestern did not win in 2020, to be the smallest school to ever win a Class 4A title and the opportunity to win back-to-back titles in different classes.
Not only is a 4A record in play, only one team in the history of the one-class system won a state title with a smaller enrollment. That team was Heritage in 1982, which one the single-class championship. So when we look at the “grand prize” as being one-class or 4A titles, Norwell has the chance to really make a significant mark in Indiana high school basketball history.
AN UNDEFEATED SEASON
On February 4, 2025 Center Grove lost to Franklin Central 54-47 in overtime of a first-round sectional game. It ended a solid 18-4 campaign for the Trojans that came after back-to-back semistate appearances.
Center Grove have not lost since.
It has been 28 up and 28 down in Coach Kevin Stuckmeyer’s sixth 20-plus win season over his nine-year tenure leading the program. The Trojans opened the season with a 49-47 win over that same Franklin Central team. It probably didn’t fix the pain of losing to that team to end the previous season, but it is ironic in some way that they started the streak against Franklin Central. Center Grove also has not played a game as close to that since.
Instead, the Trojans have done some other fascinating things. They have held three different opponents to 19 points, scored a season-high 72 points in a win over Indianapolis Attucks, won the Johnson County Tournament and the Center Grove Tournament and then beat Franklin Central again on Feb. 7 (55-50) to win a sectional title. Their only other super-close game was a three-point win over Lawrence Central to win semistate.
With a win on Saturday night, the Trojans would become the first girls basketball team to finish undefeated since Bedford North Lawrence in 2012-13 and the 18th overall.
FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
VANESSA ROSSWURM, NORWELL
It was said by someone, somewhere last week on the interwebs that Rosswurm’s name needs to start being mentioned amongst Indiana Miss Basketball candidates – that couldn’t be closer to the truth. Rosswurm leads Norwell in nearly every way. She was a great sidekick on a 3A runner-up team, an Indiana Junior All-Star that led Norwell to a state title last season and she just keeps getting better. Earlier this season, Rosswurm became Norwell’s all-time leading scorer and leads the Knights at 23.3 points per game, as well as pacing the team with 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
GRACYN GILLIARD, CENTER GROVE
Her 25.7 points per game average leads every single player in the state finals across all four classes as she has her name fully at the top of the Indiana All-Star conversation. She also averages 4.2 rebounds and a team-best 2.5 steals per game. Gilliard not only has not had a game in single-digit scoring, her season low is 18 points and she has scored less than 20 just three times. Gilliard’s season high was 38 points against Hamilton Southeastern on 13-of-22 shooting. She also hit a high five threes in a win over Greenwood.
ASHLEY WALDMAN, NORWELL
Waldman may be one of the most underrated players on this Norwell team. She always chips in, always is reliable and is a significant cog for a defense that gives up just 39.4 points per game. Waldman had four steals in the semistate finals win over McCutcheon. When we talk about cogs that move the wheel for a team of consistency like Norwell, it is important to spread some praise to Waldman for her role.
LILLIA TAPAK, CENTER GROVE
This freshman guard has been able to consistently set the tone in the backcourt. Her scoring isn’t always what drives her game – she missed the first 10 shots of her high school career and went scoreless for two games – but she has grown since, including six games with three or more triples made. Tapak is third in scoring, rebounding and steals for the Trojans while leading them in assists per game at 2.7. She had a season-best seven assists against Indianapolis Attucks.
KEY TO VICTORY – NORWELL
PLAY LIKE YOU’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE
2024. 2025. 2026. Norwell’s three straight visits to the state finals.
The Knights are the first team to make three consecutive championship game appearances since Northwestern in 2018, 2019, 2020. With a win, the Knights would become the first team to win 3A and 4A in back-to-back years. So needless to say, Norwell has been here and done this before. Several of these players are in their third trip to the state finals and much of this team is back from last season’s Class 3A championship squad.
The bright lights are far less bright when it has just become a place of habit to end your season with. Norwell goes to state, that is now just kind of a way of life. So for the players and coaches at Norwell, the entire week is just kind of normal, as normal as a state finals week can be.
Sometimes the jitters just get to you. But for the likes of Coach Eric Thornton and leading players Vanessa Rosswurm and Macie Saalfrank, this shouldn’t be an issue. Play like you’ve been here before and bring everyone on your squad who hasn’t been here up to your level. It is a nice advantage to have.
KEY TO VICTORY – CENTER GROVE
EVERYBODY BE READY
Center Grove’s top four leading scorers are four of their top five in field goal percentage this season. Those are important numbers when you know just how dominant of a leading scorer that Gracyn Gilliard is as she flirts with a 700-point season.
Gilliard is going to draw a lot of interest from the Norwell defense, as she has from many teams throughout the season. But others have stepped up and been ready when they need to be. Second-leading scorer Haley Wagoner shoots a team-best 54 percent in front of Gilliard’s 53; third-leading scorer MacKenzie Pierce is fourth in field goal percentage and fourth-leading scorer Lillia Tapak is fifth on the team in field goal percentage. Senior Ella Sprong joins the four with over 100 field goal attempts this season.
Center Grove has a star. But that doesn’t mean that Center Grove hasn’t had a lot of other players make big plays. That depth is just as important as the superstar scorer.
BOUNCE’S PICK
Getting to the state finals undefeated is never an easy thing, and that should stand out for Center Grove. Going undefeated at 28-0 does not happen by accident and the Trojans have made life difficult for most of the teams on their schedule this season.
Center Grove comes into this game shooting quite better than Norwell (45.5% to 38.4%) and has so many advantages on paper, including the distance to Gainbridge Fieldhouse (less than half an hour).
But on paper doesn’t take into consideration this: Norwell has shined and everyone in northeast Indiana knows just how good, just how cool and collected and just how ‘wow’ing’ that Norwell has been. To be a fair prognosticator, Bounce’s head says Center Grove. But everything else says something different. BOUNCE PICKS NORWELL
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