BRAZIL, Ind. — Edgewood girls basketball just wanted to play.
The Mustangs’ opening game in the Northview sectional against South Vermillion was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but because of last week’s winter storm, it got pushed to Friday.
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On Friday afternoon, the game was bumped to Saturday due to icy road conditions after the storm.
But Edgewood and South Vermillion didn’t play on Saturday, either. Brown County wouldn’t let its team travel to Brazil for the game, so the teams couldn’t take the court.
Edgewood head coach Gary Sims had enough. He called a practice. He knew his team needed it — not only to stay fresh for the postseason, but just to blow off steam from waiting.
“I think it was necessary,” senior Zoe Powell said. “We got the text, ‘Practice at 3. No game,’ and we all came in and we worked hard. We scrimmaged a lot of the practice to keep us going.”
The hard work paid off when the Mustangs and Wildcats finally played on Monday. Edgewood dominated the contest, en route to a 58-19 victory. The Mustangs (19-4, 7-3 Western Indiana Conference) advance to the sectional semis against Northview (20-4, 9-1) on Tuesday.
Totally in control
The Mustangs were down a starter, as senior Trista Helms was sick. But it didn’t matter. Edgewood took control early, forcing a flurry of turnovers with its full-court press and turning it into a big advantage on the scoreboard.
Powell said the team had good vibes flowing the entire night.
“We got hyped from the start. It was honestly a fun game,” Powell said. “We’re good at working together as a team. We have that chemistry where we work together all the time. It’s always fun playing with them.”
Edgewood led 33-12 at halftime, and allowed just two points in the third quarter. The game moved to a running clock with 1:38 left in that third quarter, when Edgewood’s lead grew to 35 points.
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Senior Carly Sherfield led Edgewood with 18 points. Senior Shayla Chambers chipped in 10.
Chambers said it can be a bit tricky to stay engaged in the game when the score becomes lopsided, but credited her team for staying locked in.
“I think it gets a little tough with the crowd yelling and stuff. But I have great teammates to help me keep focused, and a really strong group of seniors that lead the way.”
Back in action
After waiting for five days, just getting on the bus to go to Northview for the game was a relief for Edgewood’s players.
Sims said the work they did in practice really helped in this game. Despite the frustration and uncertainty from the game being pushed back, it wasn’t a light practice.
“We got after it a little bit,” Sims said. “We did some fundamental work. We didn’t back off on them. They needed to get their legs back.”
The Edgewood coach added that his team’s “outstanding” senior leadership — between Chambers, Powell, Helms, Sherfield, and Cara Clark — was critical in helping the team stay focused among all the extenuating circumstances.
Both Powell and Sims felt this matchup was helpful for Edgewood to settle back into game action with a tougher matchup on deck. Northview pulled out a narrow 48-47 victory when the teams played in January.
The Mustangs remember.
“We’re definitely ready to play Northview,” Powell said. “We’re excited, especially after the loss by one point last time. We’re excited to come out and try our hardest against them. That’ll be a good game.”
looking ahead
Edgewood and host Northview will face off at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, directly after the completion of the Brownstown Central, West Vigo game.
If the Mustangs win, they will play for the sectional championship at 7 pm Wednesday.
Follow Herald-Times sports reporter Seth Tow on Twitter @SethTow, or email him at stow@heraldt.com.
