For Norwell the Knights during their entire tournament run proved that’s famous quote below from HOOSIERS.
Norwell Coach Eric Thornton said after the loss-
“We battled so hard that this loss really stings. They made their big run and we started ours a little too late.”
The Knights could have folded after falling behind late in the game…but they didn’t that was impressive.
Portions of story below courtesy of IHSAA
2-28-26 – For the first two and a half quarters of the Class 4-A championship game, Center Grove and Norwell were mired in a slog that resembled a street fight.
The final quarter and a half, however, proved epic.
Center Grove overcame an 11-point, third-quarter deficit on the strength of a 26-5, then held on for a 56-53 win to claim the Class 4-A state title.
CG coach Kevin Stuckmeyer explained-
“The only way to explain it is that our 12 girls and the coaching staff were all in a foxhole and we came together and found a way to win.”
Because the Trojans found a way, they claimed the school’s second state championship, with the first coming back in 1996. The 11-point deficit the Trojans faced matched the largest comeback ever in a 4-A title game.
It also capped a perfect season at 29-0 – the first unbeaten, state championship season since Bedford North Lawrence pulled off the feat in 2012-13.
Coach Thornton said-
“It was a street fight and you have to give credit to Center Grove. They have found ways to win all season long.”
The Knights (25-5) were poised to become the first team to win Class 4-A the season after winning the 3-A championship. Midway through that third quarter, it looked like Norwell would pull it off.
At the 4:00 mark of the third quarter Norwell held a 36-27 lead. After the media timeout, senior Vanessa Rosswurm canned a pull-up jumper to give the Knights that 11-point lead.
During the media timeout, Stuckmeyer lit into his team with an extremely animated tongue-lashing.
Stuckmeyer said-
“I didn’t like the look in the players’ eyes of his message. We didn’t come this far to just give it a good run.”
The Trojans did cut into the deficit to pull within 43-38 after three quarters, then exploded by scoring the first 15 points of the fourth quarter.
It was junior guard McKenzie Pierce who sparked the run by hitting a pair of 3-pointers that sandwiched a put-back bucket by Haley Wagoner that gave CG a 46-43 lead.
The Trojans never trailed again.
Wagoner said-
“I decided if I was open, I was going to shoot it. Hitting that first one got the momentum going and it helped me hit the second.
It was what we needed to get the energy up.”
Stuckmeyer added-
“(Pierce’s) threes were ginormous. She was ready for the moment and has a poise about her where no moment is too big.”
By the time the run was over, Center Grove had a 53-43 lead, forcing Norwell into a timeout with 2:33 left. After the break, Norwell scored the next nine points, pulling within 53-52.
Wagoner hit a free throw with :22 left to reestablish a 2-point lead. On Norwell’s next possession, Rosswurm fired a 3-pointer from Steph Curry-range, but missed. Teammate Alivia Green rebounded, was fouled on her put-back attempt and converted one of two free throws to make it 54-53.
Center Grove then inbounded to Miss Basketball-candidate Gracyn Gilliard, who was immediately fouled with :12 left. She converted both free throws to close the scoring. Gilliard finished with game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (nine).
Norwell’s final shot rimmed off and Center Grove escaped.
Rosswurm led the Knights with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Macie Saalfrank and Ashley Waldman each added 11 points.
Norwell’s Macie Saalfrank named Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award
The IHSAA Executive Committee names Macie Saalfrank (#24) of Norwell High School as the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award winner in Class 4A 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.
Macie has maintained a 4.04 GPA while balancing her commitments as a member of the National Honor Society, an Executive Officer for Riley Dance Marathon, and a multi-sport athlete in basketball, volleyball, and tennis for the Knights. Beyond the classroom and competition, she gives back by volunteering as a coach, serving in her church, and helping lead the Friday Night Cleanup Crew following football and basketball games.
She played a key role on the 2025 3A State Championship team and the 2024 3A State Runner-Up team. Saalfrank has earned All-Conference honors in all three of her sports, along with All-State recognition in tennis.
Macie is the daughter of Terry and Shalynn Saalfrank of Ossian, Indiana. She is undecided on her college plans but would like to pursue a degree in psychology.
The Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers, the presenting sponsors of the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to the general scholarship fund at Norwell High School in the name of Macie Saalfrank.
The award is named in honor of the late former IHSAA assistant commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1999.
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