Christian Heritage defense outshines Fairview
It isn’t supposed to look so easy on semifinal Friday at State Fair Arena.
The Christian Heritage girls overwhelmed Fairview with defensive pressure, and buried 3-pointer after 3-pointer on the other end, ultimately running away with a 61-35 win in the semifinals of the Class 2A girls state basketball tournament.
The undefeated defending champions have looked incredibly comfortable under the bright lights of the Big House through two games. Their pressure defense forced 27 turnovers — 18 of them in the first half — which sparked the offensive efforts.
“We felt like we needed to put pressure on them and push them hard,” said sophomore guard Myka Parrish, who had 10 points and two steals. “We knew they were gonna give their all, and we had to give it back to them.
“Defense is our main focus. Our press gives people the most difficulty, so we know we have to use it well.”
CHA advances to Saturday’s 12:15 p.m. championship game against the winner of Cashion and Howe.
Olivia Curtis led CHA with 20 points and seven rebounds, going 4-of-6 from 3-point range. As a team, CHA was 9-of-20 from deep. Rylee Langerman, Lexie Davis and Mary Kathryn Nuthman had nine points apiece.
“We’ve been working really hard all season to make our defense work as one unit,” said Langerman, who led CHA with three steals. “It’s really coming through in these last few games. It’s really coming together.”
Fairview, which concluded its season at 26-4, was led by Lexi Reihm with 14 points.
CHA coach Lisa LittleJim has seen a level of calm from her team that has not only helped them remain unbeaten at 29-0, but play with confidence in pressure situations like the state tournament.
“Our focus, our goal, day-to-day, is real simple,” LittleJim said. “We want to execute what we’ve gone over, execute the game plan, and we want to play to the very best of our ability as unto the Lord. And when those things happen, so far, good things have happened.”