ANOTHER award
INDIANAPOLIS — Besides winning a state championship, and finishing as Columbus North’s all-time leading scorer, assist leader and steals champ, senior Ali Patberg was chosen as the Patricia L. Roy Mental Award Winner.
Patberg thanked her parents and teammates for helping her earn the award.
“Most of all I thank God,” she said.
Patberg is two-thirds of the way to basketball’s coveted triple crown. The third jewel, Miss Basketball, will be announced later.
“It means a lot to me, and I hope it means a lot to the school and to the community,” Patberg said of winning the mental attitude award. “I try to work hard everywhere, even when no one is watching,” Patberg said. “I work as hard in school as I do on the court.”
Messing with streak
After North senior guard Debie Gedeon lost her No. 4 jersey during the sectional playoffs, she switched to No. 40 and the Bull Dogs continued to win.
Eventually, North assistant RaNae Isaak found the No. 4 jersey stuffed in a team hamper. Gedeon, however, hung the jersey away from the rest of the team jerseys as if it was jinxed.
Gedeon softened her stance going into the title game against Homestead and decided to go back to her beloved No. 4.
Her teammates and coaching staff didn’t like the decision, not wanting to test the basketball gods, but Gedeon stood firm.
So after a solid warm-up before Saturday’s game, Gedeon peeled off her #JoshStrong T-shirt to reveal her No. 4.
Overcoming injury
On the first defensive possession of the game for the Bull Dogs at Saturday’s IHSAA state championship game, Paige Littrell went up for a rebound. Instead of landing solidly on the floor, she got tangled up with a Homestead player, injuring her lower leg in the process.
Littrell hustled back down the floor for North’s next possession, but something wasn’t right. She had to exit the game, and left the bench area to have her ankle examined.
“I thought, crap, that was the first possession,” Littrell said. “There were so many possessions to go.”
No more than a few minutes later, Littrell was ready to come back in.
“In this game, it was no question – I was going back in. I came out, got it taped. The coaches asked if I was ready. I was ready to go back in,” Littrell said.
Quick hands
With a steal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Columbus North’s Ali Patberg set the school’s career steals record.
Patberg recorded her 273rd steal, breaking Sarah Kerkhof’s record of 272.
Two grand
Patberg soared past the 2,000-point mark for her career. Patberg came into the game with 1,995 points and took six minutes to get it done, hitting a layup toward the end of the first quarter.
Touch of Irish
Patberg’s future Notre Dame teammate had her showcase immediately before the Bull Dogs took the floor. Princeton junior Jackie Young scored 36 points to go along with 12 rebounds, in the 3A title game.
