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Marissa Pleasant leads Marquette in state final

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INDIANAPOLIS — Marquette freshman Marissa Pleasant said it was “normal” for her to warm up before Saturday’s Class 1A state championship game.

However, once the game started, the performance of the 1.80 tall guard was no different.

“The shot was open, so I took the first one,” Pleasant said. “Then I started knocking them over, so I just kept going.”

Pleasant hit a 3-pointer less than two minutes later to give the Blazers a 9-2 lead over Lanesville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“So I heard the crowd and that gave me confidence,” he said.

Pleasant finished the first quarter with 13 points, including Marquette’s 11, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles held on for a 51-43 victory.

“This is no surprise to any of us,” Marquette coach Katie Collignon said. “This is what MP is doing. This is a huge increase for us. Coming here and starting like this calmed a lot of nerves. We didn’t really get back to it until late, which is a bit disappointing. We have to move the ball a little better and find players to shoot when it gets hot. Have you ever watched “NBA Jam” when someone goes 3-on-3? I said, ‘Heat check, heat check, give him the ball.’ It’s disappointing. We need to find our shooters a little more.

“It was a great start for a freshman. I’m not sure there’s another freshman who started a state finals game going 3-for-3. That’s the type of player he is. He’s confident.”

Marquette’s Marissa Pleasant moves the ball during the Class 1A state championship game against Lanesville on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Gard/Post-Tribune)

In what was a back-and-forth game from start to finish, top-seeded Lanesville (29-1) was able to pull away from Marquette (24-5) in the final stages. Junior center Shelby Allen scored a 20-game high for the Eagles, who won back-to-back state championships, matching the Blazers’ success in 2018 and 2019.

Star sophomore guard Laniah Davis He led the Blazers with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He needed 14 points to reach 1,000 points for his career and eclipsed that plateau after a scoreless first quarter. young striker Livia Gathering He added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

“We were pretty well prepared,” Balling said. “We were all pretty confident. But we got caught up in the moment and ended up losing our rhythm. We just have to remember to keep pushing.”

Marquette Catholic's Laniah Davis takes a shot during the Class 1A state championship game against Lanesville on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  (For Michael Gard/Post-Tribune)
Marquette’s Laniah Davis (4) shoots during the Class 1A state championship game against Lanesville on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Gard/Post-Tribune)

Trailing 27-26 at halftime, Marquette took the lead 33-31 in the third quarter when Pleasant made a stylish offensive hit to junior forward Natalie Robinson as time expired.

Lanesville, which lost its leading scorer, junior guard Hadley Crosier, to a knee injury while driving to the basket towards the end of the first quarter, got a 3-pointer from senior forward Emma Davis with 5:05 left in the game. We are ahead 38-35.

Marquette came within one point four times, the last one on a Balling basket to make it 44-43 with 1:44 left, but couldn’t go over the top.

Collignon said he hopes this experience will be a source of motivation for the Blazers.

“The drills in practice or the monotonous and repetitive plays in practice seem like they don’t matter, plays like this are when you remember they are,” Collignon said. “These are little things. We had 24 turnovers. We have better ball handlers than that. This should never happen. Maybe a ball-handling drill, we’ll be a little more focused. Or we missed some easy ones early by making layups. Those are the focal points.”

“We Are Young. We talked throughout the offseason, even though we’re young, we’re not talking about next year or coming back. But it’s going to hurt a little bit. I hope that in May, March, April, May, when these trainings start, when we start moving forward again, we can take this moment and the blue We remember what a red medal feels like when we ask for a medal. They’re ready to bring it. They know what it takes. They know what it feels like to be here. Our fans and our families have been great this year. It’s so much fun to be a part of it. But I wish we were cutting down the nets right now and having a “We thought we had a chance. Use it as fuel. Come back stronger than ever and commit half as many turnovers.”

Livia Balling of Marquette Catholic moves the ball during the Class 1A state championship game against Lanesville on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  (For Michael Gard/Post-Tribune)
Marquette’s Livia Balling moves the ball during the Class 1A state championship game against Lanesville on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Gard/Post-Tribune)

The Blazers started three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman against Lanesville. They have two seniors on their roster who play sparingly.

“It’s an accomplishment to get this far, but the biggest accomplishment would be that first place, that blue one,” Pleasant said. “We didn’t get it this year, but next year will definitely be our year. We can’t get any worse. We will get better.

“I see that big cup in our future. “We have everything we need.”

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