All 4 One

With multi-class girls basketball now comfortably separated from the novelty it was, say, a decade ago, the IHSAA State Finals record book is an entirely different read. Whereas the Crown Points and Kokomos were, and considered to be, dynasties with consecutive championships during the 22-season era of single class, the bar has been elevated since. These days it takes three titles to truly raise eyebrows. To traditionalists, the ones who'll stubbornly carry their contempt for the current state tournament design to their final resting spot, it might even be four. Using the above system, Heritage Christian is a 3.5. Rounded off, that's a four. Then again, far too many jump shots, 30-second timeouts and hostile environments lie ahead for Eagles head coach Rick Risinger to even think about putting the opening tip before the pregame lay-up line. Unpredictability, after all, can play the role of foe just as easily as it can friend. Nonetheless, with all five starters returning from a 2007-08 squad that won its seven postseason games by an average of 27 points, one has to like the program's chances of becoming Indiana's second program, girls or boys, to rattle off four consecutive state championships. Alone in history's penthouse suite ordering room service is Fort Wayne Luers, whose girls cut down the nets with Class 2A superiority in 1999, 2000 and 2001 before doing so in 2002 as the queens of the 3A hill. Heritage Christian's objective is a fourth straight 2A title on the afternoon of March 7, 2009, inside Lucas Oil Stadium. But that's then. This is now, and the Eagles, spearheaded by the five-pronged nucleus of seniors Kelly Faris, Claire Freeman, Emily Anderson, Alyssa Burton and Meredith Martin, aren't even chatting about such nonsense at this juncture. Media members might. Portions of the Eagles' ardent fan base might. But players and coaches recognize they are only as good as their last game. "We approach every game the same. We care about every game, and we're trying to improve every game," said the 5-foot-9 Freeman, a four-year starter who a year from now will be suiting up for the Butler University Bulldogs. "We just play the best teams possible." Freeman's words might just qualify as the windmill dunk of understatements. All told, Heritage Christian's regular-season schedule includes eight of Central Indiana's 4A programs - seven of which appear post-Christmas break - and four more of the 3A variety. This is no accident. Nothing sharpens the Eagles' tournament claws quite like setting screens against programs from Fishers, Northwestern, Greenfield-Central, Cathedral, Crawfordsville, Carmel and Penn, and Risinger knows it. "There's always the philosophy to build a strong schedule that will prepare us for tournament time," Risinger said. "Sitting around talking about state championships, we don't talk about it at all, hardly. We just have great kids, great players. By having that type of character, it sort of takes care of itself." Downplaying the obvious, that is: Looking the other direction while the potential glare of four consecutive championships is going out of its way to make you see spots when blinking. You know, juggling nosebleed-altitude basketball expectations along with the other responsibilities that go along with being a student-athlete. "Another state championship is always in the back of our minds," admits Faris, a legitimate Miss Basketball candidate who has signed to play at women's powerhouse Connecticut. "During the regular season we do have tough games, but as we get closer to the tournament, people talk about it more." In last year's 53-31 victory over previously unbeaten Oak Hill, balance was again the name of the game. Faris and freshman (now sophomore) Liz Stratman each scored 10 points, Freeman chipped in nine and Kaycee Jones and Anderson, a 5-9 guard, tallied seven apiece. Two years prior, Anderson had 16 points and Faris 11 as Heritage Christian secured its first championship with a 46-34 victory against Westview. Detecting a pattern here? In Risinger's program, egos are set aside for the good of the ultimate objective, which is to glorify God while still finding a way to appear on the left side of the final tally once the final buzzer sounds. "We're pretty close-knit, even between the varsity and junior varsity," Burton said. "Everyone talks to each other. There are no cliques." But there are rings. Lots and lots of rings. The blue-studded variety awarded to high school state champions in Indiana, not the red-rocked brand symbolic of runner-up status. Not that one needs to be reminded, but Eagles players are in search of the former, not the latter. "We're girls," Freeman said, laughing. "Jewelry can never get too old." -