Dribbling toward the basket with no one around her, Libby Fitzpatrick made a layup that sent the Sacred Heart cheering section into a frenzy. Once down by 11 points, the Cardinals cut the Rosepine lead to one late in the third quarter.
That was the closest they would get.
Behind four 3-pointers from Case James, Rosepine rebuilt a double-figure lead and avenged last season’s semifinal loss with a 56-44 victory Monday at University Center in Hammond. James, a junior guard, finished with 25 points and made five 3-pointers.
“We let them get hot,” Sacred Heart coach Courtney Ward said. “That was the difference in the game.”
Sacred Heart freshman Zoie Kelly scored a team-high 18 points and senior Leah Varisco finished with 12. Varisco and Fitzpatrick played all 32 minutes in their final high school game together.
The Cardinals made their first two state tournament appearances over the last two seasons. Last season’s team finished as runners-up to Lafayette Christian.
“To make it to Hammond two years in a row is amazing,” Varisco said. “Sacred Heart has never done that before. These coaches definitely helped so much with that. I just love this team so much.”
Rosepine (27-7) built its first double-figure lead in the second quarter, scoring nine second-chance points off seven offensive rebounds to turn a 9-all tie into a 27-16 halftime advantage.
With a leaping steal near midcourt, Varisco sparked a rally that included several baskets off turnovers. Fitzpatrick’s layup that drew the Cardinals within 37-36 late in the quarter came off another turnover near midcourt.
“We knew we had to come out with energy,” Varisco said. “As always, defense brings the energy.”
Whatever momentum Sacred Heart (21-4) gained went the other way when James made a 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer. She drained another one to start the fourth, and the Eagles regained control.
“That’s the best feeling, when you get hot,” James said. “It’s like, ‘OK,’ you just keep going.”
The lead reached double figures again when James hit her final 3-pointer, this time with too little time for another rally.