HIGH SCHOOL

HS girls basketball: HSE dominates from start to finish against Crown Point, clinching state finals berth

The Royals defeated Crown Point 61-28 to advance to the Class 4A state finals.

LAPORTE – It was a trek for Hamilton Southeastern to make it to its semistate meeting with Crown Point on Saturday. The map says 120 miles to be exact. Crown Point is 53 miles away from LaPorte. In fact, there’s a Crown Point logo in LaPorte's gym — they’re in the same conference.

Yet in the second quarter, this was the chant rising from the Royals cheering section underneath the basket:

“This is our house…”

That was in the second quarter, with Hamilton Southeastern up 29-13. By halftime, the Royals led 37-17, well on their way to a 61-28 win and clinching a Class 4A state finals berth.

More:Lawrence North overcomes slow start to book first state finals trip

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With 1:22 to go in the third quarter, the chant was “Double Score.” Scoreboard said so. HSE 50. Crown Point 25.

In the fourth quarter: 

“Royal Nation…”

“We want LN…”

And with 2 minutes to go:

“I believe that we will win…”

The Royals fans certainly made their presence felt, distance be damned. And the top-ranked Royals put on a show from start to finish, as they have so often this season. They got it done on the offensive end, shooting 55 percent. They got it done on the defensive end, holding Crown Point to 20 percent shooting and five field goals over 32 minutes, forcing 12 turnovers and scoring 23 points off the miscues. 

HSE's Sydney Parrish after the team's semistate win over Crown Point.

Did Royals coach Chris Huppenthal think his team would be this dominant against a team that was 28-0?

“I hoped. I knew we had the ability,” he said. “They’re just doing what they do. We have a saying that we’re going to come out every game and ‘be us.’ Well, this is us. We played liked us.” 

The Royals turned in a balanced performance on offense, as Amaya Hamilton and Sydney Parrish had 14 points each. But it was the defensive effort that was particularly impressive — the Bulldogs entered the game averaging 64.3 points per game. They had three field goals in the first half and just two in the second.

“There are times where I think they’d rather be on the defensive end than the offensive end,” Huppenthal said. “They’ve got a lot more control defensively than they do offensively.”

Added Hamilton: “Hard work on defense gets us so far on the offensive end.”

Amaya Hamilton scored 14 points in HSE's win over Crown Point.

And Parrish: “On defense we work super hard and I don’t think a lot of people notice it. That’s our key.”

The game was in hand early enough that most of HSE’s starters sat over the final minutes, allowing other players to see the floor. Lauren Morris scored 2 points, as did Bailee Poore and Makayla Hinshaw. Poore hadn’t scored since Jan. 11. Moore hadn’t scored since Dec. 15. Hinshaw had scored eight points all season. And here they were playing with their team on the brink of a trip to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“It’s really cool to be able to play so many girls. They all work hard and contribute to our success,” Hamilton said. “Every single girl has a role. We all know our roles and are willing to do it to the best of our abilities. That’s what has taken us so far.”

And so the journey continues for HSE, with one more stop. The Royals will meet Lawrence North in the 4A state championship game 8:15 p.m., Saturday.

“They’ve got a lot of confidence right now and they’re playing well,” Huppenthal said of LN. “It’s probably going to be a great game.”

For now, the Royals will celebrate. Then they’ll prepare for one more test. 

And the trip will be a lot shorter.

HAMILTON SE 61, CROWN POINT 28

Crown Point 7 10 10 1 — 28
HSE   23 14 17 7 — 61

HSE (26-1) — Malea Jackson 3-6 2-2 8 Lydia Self 2-3 0-0 4 Amaya Hamilton 5-8 3-5 14 Sydney Parrish 6-16 1-3 14 Makayla Hinshaw 0-0 2-2 2 Jackie Maulucci 2-4 2-2 6 Molly Walton 1-1 1-1 3 Tayah Irvin 3-4 0-1 6 Lauren Morris 1-1 0-0 2 Bailee Poore 1-1 0-0 2. Team totals: 24-44 8-13 61.

Crown Point (28-1) — Caitlyn Phillips 0-2 0-0 0 Ellie VanDeel 2-8 5-7 9 Lilly Stoddard 1-3 7-8 9 Jessica Carrothers 2-9 3-4 7 Grace Tyndall 0-0 1-2 1 Alyna Santiago 0-2 2-2 2 Allie Govert 0-1 0-0 0. Team totals: 5-25 18-23 28.

3-point goals: HSE 5 (Hamilton 3, Walton, Parrish) Crown Point 0

Follow IndyStar girls basketball Insider Matthew VanTryon on Twitter at @MVanTryon.