The 2009-10 Lady Lion basketball season was truly one to remember. Expectations were high and the players delivered an unforgettable season. The Lady Lions rose to the rank of No. 1 in Class 3A and battle to the final game of the season – giving not only to the team, but also our community, cherished memories of a season on the hardwood. Here is a look back at the 28 games that made up the 2009-10 Lady Lion campaign.



Game 1

Rushville 58, Columbus East 39

The No. 3 Lady Lions opened the regular season by cruising to victory over visiting Columbus East 58-39.

Rushville went on a 10-0 run to end the first quarter to lead by 11 points and never looked back.

“I was very pleased with our defense,” RCHS head coach Melissa Marlow said. “If we continue to work that hard on the defensive end, we can be a very good basketball team this season.”

Alexa Bess led the Lady Lions with 16 points. Morgan Herbert finished with 12. Kaleigh Andrews had 11 followed by Meagan Hittle seven, Shelbie Justice seven and Krista Beaman five.



Game 2

Rushville 45, Mt. Vernon 36

In their first road-test of the 2009-10 season, the No. 2 ranked Lady Lions held off an upset bid by the Lady Marauders 45-36 in Hoosier Heritage Conference action.

A late 7-0 run by Mt. Vernon closed the game to 33-32, but an Andrews 3-pointer pushed the lead to four points and the Lady Marauders could get no closer the rest of the game.



Game 3

Rushville 71, Yorktown 39

It was rough. It was physical, but it was not close as the top ranked Lady Lions blew out host Yorktown 71-39 in Hoosier Heritage Conference basketball action Tuesday.

The Lady Lions led 16-7 after one quarter and scored the first 10 points of the second quarter to take control 26-7.

The lead ballooned to 35-12 at the half and 58-21 after three quarters.

For the Lady Lions, Justice scored 20 points followed by Bess 15, Andrews 13, Herbert seven, Ashley Hedrick five, Hittle three, Kayla Niehoff two, Krista Beaman two, Bekah Miller two and Taylor Linville two.



Game 4

Rushville 60, Richmond 45

Three trips on the road result in three Lady Lion victories as Rushville remained undefeated with a 60-45 victory at Richmond.

The Lady Lions improved to 4-0 on the season.

With the game tied 21-21 with 2:51 on the clock, the Lady Lions ran off 11 straight points to end the first half. Rushville outscored the Lady Red Devils 17-8 in the second quarter to lead 32-21 at the half.

The two teams combined to shoot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter. All 12 fourth-quarter points for Rushville came from the charity stripe – with Justice, Hittle, Kayla Niehoff and Ashley Hedrick all connecting from the line.

Justice led the Lady Lions with 17 points. Bess finished with 14 followed by Andrews nine, Herbert nine, Hittle six, Beaman three, Niehoff one and Hedrick one.



Game 5

Rushville 66, Jennings County 26

Rushville scored the first 21 points and the home basketball game against Jennings County was all but over as the Lady Lions rolled to a 66-26 victory over the Lady Panthers in Memorial Gym.

“I thought we came out with great intensity,” RCHS head coach Melissa Marlow said.

Rushville led 24-8 after one quarter, 38-12 at the half and 54-17 after three quarters en route to the victory.

Justice led all scorers with 19 points followed by Bess 16, Herbert 10, Andrews six, Hittle five, Hedrick four, Niehoff two, Janna Green two and Alexis Kirkham two.



Game 6

Rushville 68, Greenfield-Central 58

The top-ranked Lady Lions remained undefeated with a 68-58 victory over Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Greenfield-Central in Memorial Gym.

Rushville senior Alexa Bess drained four 3-pointers en route to 30 points to lead the Lady Lions.

The Lady Lions led 21-15 after one quarter and 35-28 at the half.

After the Lady Lions built the lead to 16 points, the Lady Cougars rallied and cut the deficit to 60-56 with 2:43 to play. Key offensive rebounds kept the Lady Cougars at bay as the Lady Lions held on for the 10-point win.

The Lady Lions had four players score in double figures – Bess 30, Herbert 10, Andrews 10 and Justice 10. Hittle finished with seven and Hedrick had one.



Game 7

Rushville 68, Connersville 48

Rushville used a 16-0 run in the second quarter and then held off a Lady Spartan third-quarter rally to remain undefeated with a 68-48 victory at Connersville.

With the game tight in the second quarter, that 16-0 run led the Lady Lions to a 36-19 lead and eventually a 38-21 lead at the half.

The Lady Spartans closed to within seven in the third quarter, but a Herbert bucket to close the third quarter had Rushville up by 11 points heading to the fourth quarter. A 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter put the game away for the Lady Lions.



Game 8

Rushville 80, Greensburg 73, OT

Host Greensburg led early and came from behind late to take a lead, but fell short in an extra session to lose 80-73 in a thriller to the Lady Lions.

The Lady Pirates grab their largest lead of 28-17 behind the scoring of Chas Lecher. Rushville rallied to lead 35-30 at the half.

The tight game saw the Lady Lions needing a 3-pointer late in the game and Justice connected to send the game to overtime. Bess scored to give the Lady Lions the lead in overtime and Rushville held on to overcome the upset bid by the Lady Pirates.



Game 9

Greenwood 70, Rushville 66

All three Lady Lion basketball teams were in action Tuesday hosting Greenwood. The Lady Lions won 2-of-3, but the Lady Woodmen won the big game in Memorial Gym – knocking off No. 1 Rushville 70-66.

The young Lady Woodmen team appeared to have no fear facing the No. 1 team in Class 3A. Greenwood's two senior only provided six points, it was the young players that shined in the upset of the Lady Lions.

Junior Nicole Thompson tallied a game-high 22 points for Greenwood.

Rushville had four players in double figures: Andrews 19, Bess 15, Justice 14 and Herbert 10. Hittle finished with six points and Niehoff had two.



Game 10

Rushville 57, Delta 33

Looking to get back on track after a bump in the road against Greenwood, the Lady Lions played host to conference foe Delta in Memorial Gym.

Rushville used a 20-6 run in the second quarter to pull away en route to a 57-33 victory over the Lady Eagles.

Rushville led 15-10 after the first quarter and took control in the second, grabbing a 36-15 lead at the half. Delta slowed the pace in the third quarter, but after three quarters of action, Rushville led 43-27.

Rushville was led by Justice with 15 points followed by Bess 14, Herbert 13, Andrews eight, Hittle four, Niehoff two and Hedrick one.



Game 11

Rushville 68, Shelbyville 16

One established program and one trying to get there. That is what was on the floor at William L. Garrett Memorial Gymnasium as the Lady Lions faced the host Lady Golden Bears.

Rushville, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, did not allow a point to Shelbyville (1-10) in the first half of a 68-16 Hoosier Heritage Conference rout.

The Lady Lions led 19-0 after one quarter. Rushville’s press proved to be too much for the Lady Golden Bears. The second quarter did not get any better for the host school as the Lady Lions scored 24 points to lead 43-0 at the half. Rushville led 57-6 after three quarters and cruised to the big win.



Game 12 – Hall of Fame Classic

Rushville 69, Mooresville 63

Class 3A No. 2 Rushville handed Class 4A No. 2 Mooresville its first loss of the season with a 69-63 victory in the second game of the City Securities Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle. The win advanced the Lady Lions to the title game to face Jay County, 35-30 double-overtime winners over Plainfield in the first game of the day.

The Lady Lions' ability to shoot well from the field and get to the free throw line was huge in the first half. Rushville connected on 68 percent from the field in the first two quarters and 80 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

The Lady Lions also went to the charity stripe 11 times in the first half, connecting on nine.

Mooresville hit just 48 percent from the field in the first half and chucked 16 from behind the arc, hitting six triples.

Andrews led the way for the Lady Lions with 20 points. Justice was next with 19. Herbert finished with 15 followed by Hittle eight, Bess six and Niehoff one.



Game 13 – Hall of Fame Classic

Rushville 48, Jay County 35

Each time a team enters competition, they are looking to win – unless you are the Indianapolis Colts. In the City Securities Hall of Fame Classic title game, Jay County knew that the only way the Lady Patriots had a chance was to slow the pace down on the Lady Lions.

The concept worked to a point. Jay County held Rushville to just 48 points, but on the flip side, the Lady Patriots only scored 35 as Rushville claimed the Classic championship by 13 points at New Castle.

Herbert and Bess both had 13 to lead Rushville. Justice finished with 12 followed by Hittle six, Niehoff two and Andrews two.

Rushville's Herbert was the tournament MVP. Justice and Andrews were named to the all-tournament team along with Jay County's Speed, Mooresville's Maegan Callaway and Mooresville's Sierra Chabra.



Game 14

Rushville 75, Union County 24

Rushville traveled to Union County Saturday for girls basketball action and overwhelmed the Lady Patriots 75-24.

Eleven Lady Lions scored as the starters played only the first quarter and gave the Lady Lions a 37-5 lead after eight minutes of action.

Rushville took a 51-10 lead to the locker room at the half and 59-18 after three quarters.

Andrews and Taylor Linville both had 11 to lead the Lady Lions. Justice and Kirkham both finished with 10 points followed by Bess nine, Hedrick six, Green five, Niehoff four, Bekah Miller four, Herbert three and Krista Beaman two.



Game 15

Rushville 54, Franklin County 37

Top ranked Rushville traveled to Franklin County (10-4) and knocked off the Lady Wildcats 54-37. The Lady Lions improve to 14-1 on the season.

The offense started slowly, but after the Lady Lions got things going, it was all Rushville. The Lady Lions led 12-4 after one quarter and pushed the lead to 29-15 at the half.

A Bess 3-pointer closed the third quarter with Rushville leading by 20 points, 43-23.

Bess led all scorers with 18 points. Andrews finished with 14 followed by Herbert seven, Hittle seven, Hedrick four, Niehoff two and Beaman two.



Game 16

Center Grove 64, Rushville 62

In a tight game between visiting Rushville and Center Grove, the contest came down to the final two possessions. Unfortunately for the No. 1 Lady Lions, Center Grove made the most of those final few minutes and escaped with a 64-62 victory Saturday.

Rushville's Justice gave the Lady Lions a 62-61 lead with a bucket. Center Grove coach Shawn Sanders called time-out with :33.5 left in the game.

Out of the break, Center Grove sophomore Jordan Jones, who had earlier completed a four-point play, drove down the lane for the lay-up to put the Lady Trojans on top 63-62.

After a Rushville time-out, Center Grove senior Kirsten Gliesmann came up with a huge blocked shot and got the ball out to Kayla Heldman, who dribbled time off the clock before being fouled.

Heldman knocked down 1-of-2 free throws with :03.2 to push the lead to 64-62 and Rushville never got a shot off as the Lady Trojans moved to 10-2 on the season. The Lady Lions dropped to 14-2.

Rushville had four players in double figures – Bess 16, Herbert 14, Hittle 12 and Andrews 11. Beaman finished with five points and Justice had four.



Game 17

Rushville 71, Shenandoah 32

It did not take long for the Lady Lions to get back in the win column. Coming off the loss at Center Grove, Rushville cruised to a big 71-32 victory at Shenandoah. Rushville improved to 15-2 while the Lady Raiders fell to 8-6.

The game was close for the first five minutes. Rushville then put the game away with a 7-1 run late in the first quarter, a 27-4 second quarter and 20-2 third quarter.

The Lady Lions' defense held the Lady Raiders to nine points in more than 18 minutes of action – including just six points total in the second and third quarters.

Following Herbert's 22 points for the Lady Lions was Bess with 15, Justice 14, Andrews seven, Kirkham four, Hittle four, Green two, Hedrick two and Miller one.



Game 18

Rushville 56, Pendleton Heights 45

Visiting Pendleton Heights hung around for a while. As a matter of fact, through the mid-point of the third quarter. That is when the favored Lady Lions went on a 12-0 run to take control of the Hoosier Heritage Conference game and post their sixth conference win 56-45.

Pendleton's Kelsey Hubble hit a 3-pointer and then scored on the fast break off the pass from Hannah Douglas to give the Lady Arabians a 35-34 lead.

Rushville's Hittle scored for the Lady Lions to give the lead back to Rushville and start a 12-0 run to close the third quarter. Rushville got buckets from Andrews, Herbert, Bess and Justice in the run that saw the Lady Lions grab a 46-35 lead heading to the fourth quarter and eventually to the win.

For the game, Bess had 18 points followed by Justice 13, Andrews 13, Herbert 10 and Hittle two.



Game 19

Rushville 61, New Palestine 35

A win over New Palestine Saturday was all that was standing in the way of the Lady Lions claiming the 2009-10 Hoosier Heritage Conference title. After eight minutes, there was little doubt that Rushville would accomplish that.

The Lady Lions jumped out to a 28-8 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 61-35 victory over the Lady Dragons. The win kept the Lady Lions’ record in the HHC unblemished at 7-0.

After a 2-2 start, the Lady Lions went on an 11-0 run to take command and roll to the HHC title.

Andrews led the Lady Lions with 15 points followed by Justice 14, Herbert 10, Hittle eight, Bess seven, Kirkham three, Linville two and Kristian Bradley two.





Game 20

Rushville 69, Heritage Christian 49

In their final road tune-up before the tournament, the No. 2 Lady Lions rolled over Heritage Christian 69-49. The win improves the Lady Lions to 18-2 while the Lady Eagles fall to 10-9.

After the game was even at 7-7, the Lady Lions outscored the host squad 20-8 to lead 27-15 after one quarter.

Rushville pushed the lead to 48-22 at the half and extended the lead to 28 points in the fourth quarter en route to the victory.

Bess led the Lady Lions with 21 points. Andrews finished with 16 followed by Justice 15, Herbert nine, Hittle four, Beaman two and Niehoff two.



Game 21

Rushville 76, Seymour 63

A 7-0 run by the Lady Lions in the fourth quarter gave Rushville breathing room in a tight game with visiting Seymour. That spurt was the back-breaker for Seymour as the Lady Owls could not get any closer than six points in the remaining 4:44 of the game as the Lady Lions went on to the 76-63 victory.

With Rushville leading 56-55 with six minutes to play in the game, Kaleigh Andrews scored to start the run. Morgan Herbert followed with a big 3-pointer and Alexa Bess followed with a bucket to give the Lady Lions a 63-55 lead with 5:03 to play.

Seymour's Chelsea Reinhart scored at the 4:44 mark to stop the run, but the damage had been done. Rushville's Meagan Hittle drained a pair from the line to push the lead back to eight and after a bucket from Nicole Hoene Herbert and Beaman added one free throw each. The Lady Lions scored their final nine points from the line in sealing the 13-point victory.

Bess led the Lady Lions with 23 points. Andrews and Herbert both had 16 while Justice had 14 followed by Hittle six and Beaman one.



Game 22

Rushville 50, New Castle 45

There was a celebration prior to the game Thursday against visiting New Castle and thanks to some late heroics, the celebration lasted after the game as the Lady Lions closed out the Lady Trojans 50-45 to end the season 20-2.

Prior to the varsity game, the Lady Lions honored senior manager Danniella Banks and players Andrews, Beaman, Bess, Herbert and Niehoff on Senior Night.

The Lady Trojans, who trailed by as much as 10 points in the fourth quarter, fought back to have a chance for the lead with :30.4 left in the game. New Castle's Molly Swift grabbed a rebound, put the ball back in and drew the foul to knot the game at 44-44. The free throw did not go down and the game remained tied.

With :25.6 on the clock, Rushville's Justice was fouled on a shot. The basket was good and her free throw was true to complete the three-point play and put the Lady Lions up 47-44.

After New Castle's Courtney Baker hit 1-of-2 free throws with :18.4 to play, Herbert hit 1-of-2 from the line and Beaman hit 2-of-2 to close out the 50-45 victory.

Justice led all scorers with 22 points followed by Herbert nine, Bess nine, Andrews six, Hittle two and Beaman two.



Game 23 - Sectional

Rushville 72, New Palestine 43

Rushville opened the sectional semifinals at Shelbyville with a good first quarter and pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 72-43 and advance to the sectional championship game.

With the Lady Lions leading 8-7, Rushville went on a 12-0 run to grab a 20-7 lead in the first quarter. Rushville doubled up the Lady Dragons 22-11 in the first quarter.

The Lady Lions extended the lead to 40-24 at the half. Rushville put the game away with an 18-4 fourth quarter.

The Lady Lions had five players in double figures: Hittle 14, Justice 14, Andrews 13, Bess 12 and Herbert 11. Beaman, Niehoff, Hedrick and Kirkham all added two points.



Game 24 - Sectional

Rushville 76, Hamilton Heights 69

It may have been a four-day wait due to the weather, but the outcome was as expected as the No. 1 Lady Lions captured the sectional title at Shelbyville with a 76-69 victory over No. 3 Hamilton Heights.

With two high scoring programs, it was not surprising that the teams combined for 41 points in the first quarter. The Lady Lions led 23-18 after the first eight minutes of action.

The Lady Huskies kept the game close and got within one in the second quarter, but a Hittle buzzer-beater gave the Lady Lions a 43-37 lead at the half.

Rushville opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run to extend the lead to 51-39. The Lady Huskies were not done as they closed the third quarter on a 6-2 run to get within 10 points at 57-47.

Rushville quickly responded to open the fourth quarter. Six straight points from the Lady Lions had the lead at 63-47.

With 1:51 to go, Hamilton Heights closed the gap to 64-61, but a conventional three-point play by Herbert was the key play in Rushville's victory, 76-69.

Justice led all scorers with 21 points. Andrews was next with 19 followed by Herbert 15, Bess 11, Hittle seven and Beaman three.



Game 25 - Regional

Rushville 69, Western Boone 52

Rushville wasted no time in letting Western Boone know that the Lady Lions were on a mission Saturday at the Mt. Vernon Regional. The No. 1 Lady Lions jumped out to a 19-6 lead after one quarter and rolled into the regional final with a 69-54 victory.

Rushville had the Lady Stars doubled up 34-17 at the half. After three quarters, the Lady Lions led 46-33.

Western Boone closed to within nine points, but there would be no comeback on this day as the Lady Lions closed out the win 69-52.

Bess led the Lady Lions with 19 points followed by Herbert with 17, Justice 16, Hittle 11 and Andrews six.



Game 26 - Regional

Rushville 50, Roncalli 38

Champions finish strong and the No. 1 Lady Lions had to do that in the regional final to stamp their ticket to the Class 3A Final Four.

Rushville and Roncalli were tied at 36-36 midway through the fourth quarter. The Lady Lions then got a huge 3-pointer from Bess that revitalized the Lady Lions and led to a 14-2 run to close out the 50-38 victory at the Mt. Vernon Regional.

The win moves the Lady Lions to the semistate to face No. 5 Evansville Memorial at 3 p.m. Saturday at Bedford North Lawrence.

Rushville was led in scoring by Bess with 18. Justice finished with 17 followed by Andrews 13 and Herbert two.



Game 27 - Semistate

Rushville 60, Evansville Memorial 49

One game. It has come down to just that. One game. After knocking off No. 5 Evansville Memorial 60-49 in the Bedford North Lawrence Semistate, the No. 1 Lady Lions will play one final game — the Class 3A state championship game against Ft. Wayne Concordia Saturday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne.

It was a slow start for the Lady Lions as Rushville trailed 9-6 after one quarter of play. Trailing 12-6, the Lady Lions ran off nine straight points to lead 15-12.

Herbert and Hittle both hit 3-pointers down the stretch of the second quarter as the Lady Lions led 25-21 at the half.

Memorial led 41-40 heading to the fourth quarter, but a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter sealed the Lady Lions’ ticket to the state championship game.

Justice led the Lady Lions with 21 points followed by Herbert 16, Hittle nine, Bess nine and Andrews five.



Game 28 - State

Ft. Wayne Concordia 59, Rushville 48

The saying is “defense wins championships” and although Ft. Wayne Concordia's defense was not stifling, it was enough to take No. 1 Rushville off its game and earn the Lady Cadets the Class 3A girls basketball state championship, 59-48.

“They are a very sound defensive team. They were in great position on every possession,” Rushville head coach Melissa Marlow said.

The Lady Cadets took full advantage early of Rushville being out of sync. Concordia scored the first 10 points of the contest. The Lady Lions closed to within one at the end of the first quarter and came all the way back to lead 25-24 at the half.

The third quarter turned out to be huge for the victorious Lady Cadets. After Rushville took a 30-26 lead, the Lady Cadets ran off seven straight points.

With the game tied at 35-35, the tide turned in favor of the Lady Cadets. Concordia went on an 11-2 run to close the third quarter.

In that third quarter, the Lady Lions hit just 29.4 percent from the field while the Lady Cadets connected on 69.2 percent.

After Concordia opened the fourth with a bucket to push the lead to 11 points, the Lady Lions were able to only get within seven points as the Lady Cadets pulled the upset to claim the Class 3A state title.

Rushville was led by Justice with a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds. Bess and Herbert both had 10 points. Andrews finished with nine points and Hittle had one.