St Peter’s Lutheran’s Hazel Sasse hits a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of a 34-31 win against Central New Haven in the championship game of the Indiana Lutheran Schools Athletic Association state tournament at Fort Wayne Concordia High School.
Submitted photo
The St. Peter’s Lutheran eighth-grade girls basketball team won its third consecutive Indiana Lutheran Schools Athletic Association state tournament, but this year, the Lions did something they haven’t done in Rick Patberg’s decade-and-a-half of coaching.
At 22-0, St. Peter’s is undefeated heading into the Lutheran National Tournament.
“I’m really blessed to be coaching this group of young ladies,” Patberg said. “Their basketball IQs are excellent, but more important, they know what it means to be a team. It’s just a fantastic group to coach.”
In the ILSAA state tournament earlier this month in Fort Wayne, the Lions cruised past Emmanuel St. Michael 38-16 in the quarterfinals and St. Paul 42-23 in the semifinals. That set up a title-game matchup with Central New Haven.
The St. Peter’s Lutheran crowd cheers after Hazel Sasse’s game-winning 3-pointer in the championship game of the Indiana Lutheran Schools Athletic Association state tournament at Fort Wayne Concordia High School.
Submitted photo
After a back-and-forth game, Hazel Sasse hit a 3-pointer with about 10 seconds left to give St. Peter’s a 34-31 victory.
“They fought us pretty tough,” Patberg said. “They came out and got us pretty good early and had us down six at half. The third quarter, we came out fantastic and took over the game. It was tied at the end, and we executed the play perfectly and ended up with a wide-open 3-pointer, and she hit it. It was certainly an exciting finish.”
St. Peter’s Lutheran’s Bailey Rhode drives to the basket in the third quarter against Central New Haven in the championship game of the Indiana Lutheran Schools Athletic Association state tournament at Fort Wayne Concordia High School.
Submitted photo
Sydni Schiefer was named tournament MVP, and fellow eighth-grader Rian Streitelmeier also made the All-Tournament team. Eighth-graders Brooke Moss and Kara Beach and seventh-graders Bailey Rhode, Vada Riegle and Tess Mormino also played key roles.
“It was really a team effort,” Patberg said. “We typically are very balanced. It’s unbelievable how well we play together. Two of our starting guards fouled out, so we had to rely on our bench, and two of our seventh-graders came through.”
St. Peter’s Lutheran coach Rick Patberg talks to his team during the Indiana Lutheran Schools Athletic Association state tournament at Fort Wayne Concordia High School.
Submitted photo
The state title was the third in a row for the Lions.
“We didn’t talking about it being a three-peat, but everybody there, the tourney directors, were talking about it,” Patberg said. “We didn’t want to talk about it, but once we got it done, it’s exciting.”
St. Peter’s will head back to Fort Wayne for the Lutheran National Tournament March 21-23. Last year, the Lions overcame an early loss to win the consolation bracket and finish ninth overall.
St. Peter’s Lutheran won the Indiana Lutheran Schools Athletic Association state tournament at Fort Wayne Concordia High School. Team members include, front row from left, Kate Andrews, Madelyn Tapp, Syndey Baker, Ella Bethurum, Miranda Ortega, Izzy Houchin; and back row, asstistant coach David Luken, athetics director Idel Dawson, Stella Thompson, Bailey Rohde, Brooke Moss, Rian Strietelmeier, Sydney Schiefer, Hazel Sasse, Cara Veach, Tess Mormino, Vada Riegle, assistant coach Heather Riegle and head coach Rick Patberg.
Submitted photo
Patberg, is hoping to be one of the top four seeds for this year’s national tournament, stresses three “E”s to his team — effort, enthusiasm and encouragement.
“They do all three of those,” Patberg said. “We’re not as talented as we were with Avery (Johnson), but what makes up for it is, we just have the ability to play together that is second to none. We do a lot of things right. It’s a lot of the little things like not caring who scores. They just want to win.”
