Oak Hill Rallies to Capture First State Championship
After a two-year wait to get back to the Class 2A finals, Oak Hill made the most of its opportunity this time.
Coach Todd Law’s Golden Eagles overcame a nine-point, third-quarter deficit to post a 54-42 win over Winchester in battle of the last two runners-up in 2A.
Oak Hill (25-3) lost to Eastern (Pekin) in the 2017 title game, but took the trophy home this time thanks to a spark by senior Brittany McCorkle. The 5-5 point guard scored 14 of her 18 points in the third quarter to help the Golden Eagles rally from a 32-23 deficit.
Winchester (26-4) still led, 35-34, after three quarters and found itself in a 38-38 tie after a 3-pointer by Maddie Lawrence with 6:36 left. Lawrence led the Falcons with 20 points.
However, Oak Hill’s Kaela Robey scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter to help her team pull the game out.
For coach Holly Gutierrez’s Falcons, it marked the second-straight runner-up finish after a loss to Central Noble a year ago.
Class 2A State Championship Records
None.
Oak Hill’s Janessa Hasty named Mental Attitude Award winner
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Janessa Hasty of Oak Hill High School as the winner of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award in Class 2A Girls Basketball.
The award is presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was nominated by her principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.
She ranks 11th in her senior class with a 4.01 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is currently the Student Council President, Student Body President and is involved in the O-Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Spanish Club and the Orchestra.
Besides basketball, Hasty also runs cross country where she’s a three-time regional champion, and softball in which she’s a three-time All-Conference and All-County selection.
She is the daughter of Rick and Jackie Hasty of Swayzee and plans to study Nursing at Huntington University where she has signed to play both basketball and softball.
The Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers, the presenting sponsor of the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Oak Hill High School in the name of Janessa Hasty. Since 1989, more than $840,000 in college scholarships have been presented to deserving high school athletes in Indiana.
The award is named in honor of the former IHSAA assistant commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1999.