Parke Heritage embraces 'underdog' role in upcoming regional

New faces.

New coach.

Same results for the Parke Heritage girl's basketball team.

A new coach and several new faces was the perfect recipe for success for the Park Heritage girl's basketball team last week, as they captured a Class 2A Sectional 41 title, defeating North Putnam, 46-34.

For first year head coach Mitch Simmons, it was win number 18 on the season and for the program, it was the third straight sectional championship, but first for Simmons.

"It's a lot. There's days and nights where I'm staying up watching tape. I have four kids at home and they go from 1 to 15. Thanks for my family and administration for allowing me to do this. There is a lot that goes into this, a lot of give and take, but they understand this. We are going to work and this is why you do it," Simmons told The Parke County Post after cutting down the nets. 

In the sectional championship, the Wolves got 13 points from Lila Busenbark, and 10 points from Kennedy Mitchell, a freshman. 

While the team may not have had the experience of last year's, which advanced to the semi-state, Parke Heritage had plenty of tradition to will them into a regional rematch with Monrovia. The regional will be held at Terre Haute North at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Pregame coverage begins at 3:40 p.m. on GIANT fm WAXI. 

Simmons admitted that winning is an addiction and habit, and one that his team wanted to continue to experience.

"Once you get used to winning, you find ways to win. These girls may not have been a huge part of last year, but when you are in the gym every day with winners, it rubs off. You look at our girls program and our boys program, winning is an addictive drug. When we get to our ways, we are a very good team," Simmons said.

Mitchell had quite a sectional tournament, leading the Wolves past Southmont in the opener and then setting the tone in the semi-final against South Vermillion. Against North Putnam, her defense and rebounding helped settle Parke Heritage down after a shaky first quarter. 

"Taking the job, we had to see who we had and where are we and then we had to recruit some girls out of the hallway. One of those players was Carly Newnum, who came back to play because I took the job. Look at what she did for us. In Kennedy, we knew we had a basketball player, and we knew she was going to work at it every day. We can see how much time these girls watch film and you would be amazed how much time they put in watching film," Simmons said. 

Days after cutting down the nets, Simmons said he was unsure if the win had sunked in, but he also knows what is on the horizon. 

"I am not sure it's really sunk in yet. We know it's a huge accomplishment and you don't take those for granted, but the competitor in me turned attention to Monrovia within 12 hours of winning. Whenever our season does come to an end, I think that's when we can finally take a look back at all of our success this season," Simmons admitted. 

In Monrovia, Parke Heritage finds a team ready to wrestle the regional away from the Wolves. Last season, the Wolves held off the Bulldogs, 64-44 before falling to South Knox, 77-40, in the semi-state.

Leading the way for Monrovia is sophomore Zoie Walls, who averages over 20 points, 8 rebounds and three assists per game. In addition, junior Grace Deaton averages 10 points and junior Brynlee Hamblin has come on the last few weeks of the season to aid in scoring and rebounding. 

"You get past the sectional, and everyone left is good. Monrovia has a lot of size and athleticism. They play a lot of girls and really like to play the game at 90 feet. They press back into some heavy pressure defense. It will be a tough matchup for us," Simmons said. 

While there has been plenty of success in recent years, Simmons admits his team has embraced the role of the underdog against Monrovia. 

"I think the past success helps mold the team of today. Winning is an addiction. These kids have seen the past teams win and the efforts it takes to win. But for Saturday, we get to play the true role of underdog and just show up, compete at our highest level and let all the chips fall where they may," Simmons said,. 

What will it take for the Wolves to emerge victorious and move one step closer to playing for a Class 2A state crown?

"We will have to be great defensively and not give up too many second chance points and offensive rebounds. Offensively, we need to play patiently, take advantage of the mistakes they make and just play our game with confidence and purpose," Simmons said.