Steve Scott earns 300th coaching win in Marian rout of Saint Joseph for 3A sectional title

MISHAWAKA — When Steve Scott talks, his Marian Knights listen and then execute.

How else do you explain the Knights’ four trips to the regional round of the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 3A girls basketball tournament in Scott’s six years at the helm?

Scott’s message was simple to the No. 8 Knights before they faced rival Saint Joseph — start fast. Marian broke out to a 16-0 lead in the first five minutes for a 71-31 victory in the Class 3A-Sectional 19 on the school’s Demetrius Jackson Court, handing their coach his 300^th coaching victory in a 20-year career which includes previous stops at South Bend Clay and Elkhart Memorial.

Roundup: Inspired Panthers roll to sectional crown

“Our motto tonight was to be all business,” Scott said after the Knights improved to 22-5 heading into next Saturday’s Jimtown Regional against 21-3 Tippecanoe Valley, which beat John Glenn 44-38 to capture the Class 3A-Sectional 18 title at Bremen. “It didn’t matter what their record was — we wanted to come in here and be all business.”

It will be Marian’s first regional trip since the 2019-20 campaign when they beat South Bend Washington 53-45 at John Glenn but then loss to eventual state champion NorthWood 44-38 in the regional. Scott’s first two Marian teams also lost in Class 3A regionals to back-to-back state champion Northwestern. Steve Reynolds’ Washington Panthers, the reigning 3A state champion, have moved up to Class 4A after ousting Marian in sectional tournaments in 2021 and ’22.

Senior Nevaeh Foster, who was a freshman on Marian’s last sectional championship team, once again led the way, scoring a game-high 24 points. Fellow seniors Shayla Alexander scored 20 points and Aliyah Hershberger added 14 as the three seniors combined to hit 10 of Marian’s 11 3-pointers.

The Knights also got yeoman’s work from their frontline underclassmen, junior Sam Gruber (5 points, 5 rebounds) and sophomore Christa Porter (3 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, nine in the first quarter).

How dominant were the Knights in taking a 24-2 first-quarter lead? They not only held Saint Joseph coach Scott Francoeur’s team to just two free throws in the quarter, but they also forced nine turnovers. Freshman Kayla Woods, who started the season on the junior varsity team, had a double-double for Saint Joseph with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

“To be sectional runner-up is something we’re proud of,” said Francouer, whose team was missing three starters with injuries. “I’m really proud of Kayla. When she joined the varsity at the holidays, she took the task fearlessly, got comfortable and has gotten really productive. We just ran into a great team that is playing very well.”

Marian’s success all begins with the 5-foot-9 Foster, who was happy that she got contributions from others in the starting lineup.

“They came out with their game faces on,” said Foster, whose 10 first-quarter points were matched by Alexander while no one could match the rebounding efforts of Porter. “I just knew if I gave the ball to my teammates, they would contribute and make the right plays.”

The 5-foot-10 Alexander wanted to show her game after having just 10 points in Marian’s 49-38 victory over Jimtown Tuesday and just two in Marian’s 55-29 semifinal victory over New Prairie Friday.

4A:South Bend Washington Miss Basketball candidate Amiyah Reynolds ruled out for rest of year

The 5-foot-9 Porter is an imposing figure underneath, and the Indians certainly had to work hard to get what chances they could.

“The first two games I was a little scared and didn’t play with confidence,” Alexander said. “Today I just went with the flow, played with my team — they fed me the ball and I hit my shots. Christa’s performance shows how well we can play as a team.”

“My job is getting the rebounds and kicking (the ball) out to my teammates, making sure I’m setting people up with my screens,” Porter said. “Just being a beast down low, pretty much.”

Porter drew two fouls in the first quarter, but Scott didn’t hesitate to put her back into the game when Saint Joseph made a second-quarter run which ended with Marian increasing its lead at halftime to 37-13. The Knights increased their lead to 55-29 after three quarters and then finished the game with a 16-2 fourth quarter.

For the game, Marian forced 27 turnovers and made only nine and shot 41.5 percent (27 of 65) from the field while holding Saint Joseph to 29.3-percent shooting. Saint Joseph did manage to win the rebound battle 46-44.

“I’m happy for all the girls because this is something they will have the rest of their lives,” Scott said after his team’s ninth straight victory. “Going to the regional again never gets old.”

Three hundred victories in 20 seasons, that doesn’t get old either.

MARIAN 71, SAINT JOSEPH 31

Demetrius Jackson Court, Marian

MARIAN (71): Nevaeh Foster 24, Aliyah Hershberger 14, Shayla Alexander 20, Christa Porter 3, Sam Gruber 5, Nadalyn Gerwels 2, Abilina Dubree 0, Madison Myers 0, Sydney McIntee 0, Theresa Reynolds 3, Fane Sete 0, TOTALS 27 6-16 71

SAINT JOSEPH (31): Kenadie Schrock 4, Kayla Woods 17, Lauren Harrington 4, Nicki Byrne 2, Greta Chadwell 0, Paige Goben 2, Morgan Sandor 0, Anne Cummings 2, Aurora Nunez 0, Anika Risk 0, Grace Schiccitano 0, Michelle Carter 0, TOTALS 12 5-17 31.

3-point goals: Marian 11 (Hershberger 4, Foster 3, Alexander 3, Reynolds 1), Saint Joseph 2 (Schrock 1, Woods 1). Shooting: Marian 27 of 65 for 41.5 percent; Saint Joseph 12 of 41 for 29.3 percent. Rebounds: Marian 44 (Porter 15, Gruber 5), Saint Joseph 46 (Woods 14, Byrne 6, Chadwell 6). Turnovers: Marian 9, Saint Joseph 27. Total fouls (fouled out): Marian 12 (none), Saint Joseph 12 (none). Records: Marian 22-5, Saint Joseph 5-21. Officials: Zachary Sliwa, Ryan Labis, Tim Hamann.ReplyForward

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA Class 3A Marian High School girls basketball sectional final