Springs Valley Community High School

Saturday night didn't go to script for Maci Eckerty. The freshman guard had been a model of consistency for the Springs Valley girls' basketball team this season. More often than not she'd provide a steady hand in the backcourt, distribute the ball well, score when she needed to, contribute defensively, and get more rebounds than she probably should at her size. When the Blackhawks hosted Barr-Reeve for the IHSAA Sectional 63 championship game though, her night was far less predictable. She got called for a charge about 25 feet away from the basket in the first quarter, picked up a second foul shortly after, and hit the bench until the second quarter. Her return didn't last long — she picked up another offensive foul soon after subbing back in — and she finished the half with more fouls (three) than points (zero). Despite all of that, she’d become a key figure as the game progressed. She re-entered the game midway through the third quarter and immediately ended an offensive lull for Springs Valley by putting her head down and getting to the basket for a layup. For some time she’d platoon with teammate Bella Shipman, playing only offense while Shipman played defense. At the very end of the game she’d be tasked with playing defense again and, in doing so, she’d make the play of the night. With three seconds left on the clock and the Blackhawks leading 41-40, a foul stopped a Barr-Reeve fastbreak and gave the Vikings an opportunity to inbound the ball from the sideline. The ball, however, would never make it to its intended destination. A Barr-Reeve guard ran off a screen to the top of the key, but Eckerty was lurking. She shuffled toward the cutter from the wing and swatted the pass to the court with her left hand, then won the scramble for the loose ball. She was fouled with 0.1 seconds to play, hit one of her two free throws, and that was that. Springs Valley 42, Barr-Reeve 40. The Blackhawks were sectional champions. “I just saw the ball and went for it hoping that I could get it. I did, so I was really happy about that,” Eckerty said. “I knew how important it was to everyone and I was just hoping to make the play and make everyone proud.” Eckerty’s ability to make the plays that she did down the stretch without really having a rhythm was eye-opening. She went from not being established in the game at all to being the player who made the decisive play in a flash. Her even-keel temperament allowed her to step up in the clutch, and it was exactly what the Blackhawks needed. “It was impressive that she came in and right away she went to the bucket. That was impressive because she hadn’t been as aggressive offensively lately as she was earlier in the year,” Springs Valley coach Marty Niehaus said. “She just kept her composure, stayed the course, and made that big stop when we needed it.” Eckerty’s heroics were just the highlight of a strong defensive performance by Springs Valley. That’s been the end of the floor that the Blackhawks have been best on for much of the season, they’ve built their identity around it, and it bore fruit once again against Barr-Reeve. Springs Valley’s post players, particularly, stood out during the sectional title run. Bella Nottger led the way down there, more or less nullifying two of the best players in the sectional with the help of her teammates. In Friday’s semifinal she held Vincennes Rivet’s Mary Herman to just eight points and four rebounds. On Saturday, she held Barr-Reeve’s Hannah Bledsoe to eight points as well on 3/7 shooting from the field. “Nottger had a great weekend defensively. She held Herman down to single digits, held Bledsoe down to single digits. We were fortunate that we could help off of a kid in both games and get a little help inside,” Niehaus said. “I do think that was key. I think (our posts) did a great job.” The most unsurprising development of the evening was that Maddie Carnes stood out for Springs Valley, though it was harder than usual for her to make her mark. The Vikings put together a solid gameplan — hound the freshman nonstop with a litany of defenders — but even when it seemed like it was working it ultimately didn’t work. Carnes finished with 18 points, hitting nine of her 14 shots, while also amassing 11 rebounds and blocking a pair of shots. Carnes was excited about the win and her performance in it, of course, but she was also excited for Niehaus, the woman who led the Blackhawks to and through Saturday night right down to moving Eckerty away from the inbounder so she could make the final steal. In her long career — more than 700 games coached across more than three decades — Niehaus had won five sectional championships, one regional championship, and a semi-state championship to boot, but since coming to Springs Valley back in 2017-18 she hadn’t been able to get the Blackhawks over the top. That changed on Saturday. “I love Coach. We have chemistry even though she doesn’t like to admit it. I know our bond is really, really tight,” Carnes said. “It’s really exciting, I wanted to see her all excited and fired up.” Niehaus herself didn’t draw any attention to what the title meant to her, she wanted the focus to be on her players, but it was also one of the things she was chasing at this point in her career. “I appreciate that from the kids. I had some friends at Forest Park earlier this year ask why I was still coaching, what I was trying to do, if I was trying to get to however many wins or what. I told them I wanted to win another sectional,” Niehaus said. “I wanted to do it at Valley and I didn’t make a big deal out of that, but I think the kids knew that was a top goal for us. I’m really happy to be able to get it done.” The championship is the fourth that Springs Valley (17-7, 5-1 PLAC) has ever won. It’s the third since 2015 and pairs nicely with the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference championship that the Blackhawks won earlier this season. They’ll continue their State Tournament run next Saturday, taking on Class 1A No. 4 Trinity Lutheran at the West Washington Regional, and when they take the floor against the Cougars they’ll face a challenge unlike any they’ve faced this season. Trinity Lutheran senior Bailey Tabeling, an Ohio University commit, is one of the best players in the state, particularly at the small-school level, and will force the Blackhawks to shift away from the gameplan they implemented against Vincennes Rivet and Barr-Reeve. Niehaus believes that her players will embrace the challenge and, if they can step up to it, they could win the program’s first-ever regional championship by taking down the Cougars. They’ll be hard at work all week with that goal in mind. “I think we’re just going to come out and practice way harder than we did this week,” Carnes said. “I think we’re really motivated to do it, so we’re going to focus in practice on what Coach wants us to do.” SPRINGS VALLEY BLACKHAWKS 42 3P;AFG;FT;R;PF;Pts Buchanan, g;0-1;2-10;1-4;6;1;5 Eckerty, g;0-1;2-3;1-3;5;3;5 Carnes, f;0-0;9-14;0-2;11;2;18 Hall, f;0-0;1-4;1-2;3;3;3 Nottger, c;0-0;4-11;0-1;6;2;8 Bonta;1-1;1-2;0-0;0;1;3 Allstott;0-3;0-4;0-0;0;0;0 Shipman;0-0;0-1;0-0;0;1;0 McCormick;0-0;0-0;0-0;0;0;0 Totals;1-6;19-49;3-12;31;13;42 Shooting;.167;.388;.250 BARR-REEVE VIKINGS 40 3P;AFG;FT;R;PF;Pts Trambaugh, g;3-9;6-16;1-2;3;2;16 Bledsoe, f;0-0;3-7;2-4;13;1;8 Thompson, g;0-3;1-11;4-6;6;2;6 B. Graber, g;2-3;2-4;0-0;2;2;6 Emmons;0-1;0-1;0-0;1;0;0 Brunson;0-0;0-0;0-0;0;1;0 Carter, f;0-0;2-4;0-1;4;4;4 Totals;5-16;14-43;7-13;29;12;40 Shooting;.313;.326;.538 Springs Valley (17-7);9;11;16;6—42 Barr-Reeve (15-10);3;16;13;8—40 TO: Barr-Reeve 13, Springs Valley 9.