1A title preview: Perseverance, hard work pays off for state-bound Bethany Christian
GOSHEN — Krysten Parson has stayed the course, stuck with the plan and trusted the process.
Now, the Bethany Christian girls basketball coach and her program are being rewarded in a big way for their patience and perseverance.
Parson will guide her No. 7 Bruins into the quest for the ultimate prize in the Hoosier State Saturday. Bethany, sporting a 24-3 mark, will meet No. 1 Lanesville (27-2) in the Class 1A state title game in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 10:30 a.m.
The Bruins, from a school on the south edge of Goshen known mainly for its soccer success, will try to bring home the first state championship in school history. It's also the first appearance in a basketball title game, boys or girls.
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Parson, an Indianapolis native who went on to star in both basketball and softball at Goshen College, is excited about the opportunity in front of her team.
"It's hard to put into words what this means," said Parson, a 1998 graduate of Lawrence Central High School. "It's a little surreal to be living it now. I just feel fortunate and blessed to be in this position.
"It's an amazing thing. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for our girls that very few kids get to experience. It's about our kids. Their hard work has paid off."
Parson, 42, is the longest tenured high school hoops coach, for girls or boys, in Elkhart County. She is 190-198 in her 17th season. The Bruins prior to this year had won two sectional titles in program history, including one under Parson in 2016. Bethany now has its first regional and semistate crowns and will play for the big trophy Saturday.
"We talk a lot in our program about trusting the process," said Parson, who was the Bethany boys JV coach during the 2005-06 season before taking over the girls program. "Nothing great ever happens until you go through the hard crap. You hope and dream for these moments.
"This is a big deal to us. It's so incredibly awesome for our entire Bethany community. The memories we are making now, our kids will never forget this."
The Bruins were less than a second, away from being sidelined in their first tournament game. Bethany trailed host Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian with 0.9 seconds left before junior star guard Zoe Willems scored off an inbounds play, hit the ensuing free throw after being fouled to give her team a thrilling 33-32 win.
"It's kind of cool looking back on that game now," said the 5-7 Willems of her sectional heroics. "It's like wow, if that didn't happen the way it did we would not be here now."
Willems and classmate Mariah Stoltzfus, who have played together since grade school, give Bethany (the smallest school of the eight in the State Finals with an enrollment of 140 students) a pair of big time stars in their backcourt. Willems, who went over 1,000 career points earlier this season, averages 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds, while premier point guard Stoltzfus is at 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per contest.
Stoltzfus missed the first 13 games last season due to a foot injury and Bethany struggled mightily. The Bruins were 4-9 without her and finished 11-12 a season ago, one of the program's eight losing seasons in the previous 16.
"I knew this team could be special," Willems said. "We have a very experienced team with four seniors and four juniors. Having Mariah back healthy this season has been so helpful. But with her out last year that made the rest of us step up and I think that has helped us this season too.
"I knew that we could win the sectional this year, but if you had told me at the start we would go to State I would not have believed it. I would have said you're joking. This just means a ton to us. All of our hard word has paid off."
The 5-2 Stoltzfus boasts big game and was at her best in the semistate Saturday. The point guard scored a game-high 23 points, including 19 in the second half in a 55-50 semifinal win over No. 6 Washington Township. She then poured in 14 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Bruins rallied from a six-point deficit to beat No. 2 Tri 58-54 in the title tilt.
Stoltzfus, whose older brother Carter helped Grace College claim the Crossroads League regular season title Saturday, was 17-18 from the free throw line in the pair of semistate wins. She scored the final six points of the title game from the free-throw line and totaled 11 assists in the two wins.
"Mariah was amazing at the semistate," Willems said of her teammate and best friend. "She stepped up and carried us on her back. The great thing about this team is that it's not just me and Mariah. Everyone knows their role for us and everyone does their job. We had a lot of players step up in the semistate for us."
Parson, who is a counselor at Bethany, knows the value of her pair of backcourt aces.
"Those two have led the way in truly helping change the culture here," Parson said. "They own it and are willing to carry it. They are selfless and all about their team first. They have played together since the first grade and truly are best friends.
"We were 4-9 last year with Mariah out. We took our lumps then, but we knew that was also preparing us for this year. Mariah keeps us moving and makes things happen. She's not afraid of the big moments. She wants those, as does Zoe."
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The Bruins, who rank 17th in the state in scoring defense (33.4 ppg.), also count on senior starters Kiersten Todd (6.6) and Kolette Kern and junior Eva Horning. Julia Moser (5.7) and Jessa Caffee are two key reserves for Bethany.
"I really feel good for my assistant coaches too," Parson said of Brent Reinhardt, Margene Zink and Jon Wingard.
Reinhardt has been on the coaching staff for all of Parson's 17 seasons, while Zink is in her 16th. Wingard is a first-year assistant coach for the Bruins. Parson and Zink were basketball teammates at Goshen College, just down the road from the BC campus, for two seasons.
Willems, who totaled 34 points in the two semistate wins, is confident heading into the biggest game of her prep career.
"We can win this", said Willems, who plays soccer for her father Hank, who is also Bethany's principal. "We just have to play our hearts out on Saturday."
Parson says the last few weeks have been an incredible ride, even a long, long bus ride home Saturday night from Frankfort with a very hungry group of young ladies. The Bruins could not find an open restaurant to feed the team and ended up stopping at a gas station to feed their voracious appetites with things like Lunchables and chips.
"I've never laughed so much as I have these last three weeks," Parson said. "These things like the bus rides with these girls are the memories that will last forever."
"We're going to enjoy this, laugh a lot and stay the course. And be ready on Saturday."
No. 7 Bethany Christian Bruins (24-3) vs. No. 1 Lanesville Eagles (27-2)
WHAT: Class 1A state championship game
WHERE: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Saturday
TICKETS: $15 each. Al tickets are digital only purchased by mobile phone at Ticketmaster.com (service fees apply)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana
STREAMING: Available on pay-per-view for $15 on IHSAAtv.org
RADIO: WRSW 1480AM and WRSW 107.3FM (out of Warsaw)
PLAYERS TO WATCH: For Bethany...5-7 junior guard Zoe Willems (17.1 ppg., 8.5 rpg), 5-2 junior guard Mariah Stoltzfus (10.8 ppg., 4.5 apg.), 5-10 senior forward Kiersten Todd (6.6 ppg.), 5-3 junior guard Julia Moser (5.7 ppg.). For Lanesville...5-9 senior forward Linzie Wernert (13.5 ppg., 7.7 rpg.), 5-9 sophomore guard Hadley Crosier (9.9 ppg.), 6-1 senior center Morgan Sonner (7.7 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)
WORTH NOTING: This is the first appearance in the State Finals for both programs...Bethany Christian lost to Class 3A state finalist Fairfield 50-26 in the regular-season finale...Lanesville ranks second in the state in points allowed per game at 28.4...The Eagles have won 12 straight games...Bethany beat two ranked teams to win its first-ever semistate championship...Lanesville coach Angie Hinton coached undefeated New Albany to the 1999 Class 4A state title in the last championship game played at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.
IHSAA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, Feb. 25
At Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis (all times EST)
CLASS 1A
10:30 a.m.: No. 7 Bethany Christian (25-3) vs. No. 1 Lanesville (27-2)
CLASS 2A
12:45 p.m.: Lapel (22-7) vs. No. 2 Forest Park (25-3)
CLASS 3A
6 p.m.: No. 7 Fairfield (27-2) vs. No. 6 Corydon Central (27-2)
CLASS 4A
8:15 p.m.: No. 3 Fishers (26-2) vs. No. 7 Bedford North Lawrence (26-3)
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA girls basketball 1A state title preview: Bethany vs. Lanesville
