MUNCIE, Ind. — It's a bad sign for the rest of Delaware County that Yorktown is already winning the county tournament.
Why? A couple reasons:
- Yorktown starts three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. The core of this team isn't going anywhere.
- This team didn't just win the tournament. It dominated, winning two games by an average of 33 points.
Yorktown's freshman duo of Carley Culberson and Elizabeth Reece combined for 37 points to lead the Tigers to a 58-34 win over Delta in the Delaware County tournament championship on Saturday. It was the Tigers' first 2015.
"If we could play like we played on Wednesday, I felt like we deserved it," Yorktown coach Joy Matthews said. "The commitment to win, we're just on that path right now. ... They were able to play some of those moments where you're like, 'Oh crap, what team is gonna show up?' And that same team showed up. I'm so proud of them."
Yorktown dominated Wapahani from start to finish in the semifinals, but got off to a slow start in this one. The Tigers led 8-5 after one and trailed 9-8 at one point in the second quarter.
Culberson and Reece were ice cold for about 15 minutes. But they're freshmen, so they keep shooting. And once the defensive pressure got to Delta, the shots started falling. The Tigers ended the half on a 23-2 run and led by as many as 30 in the second half.
Those two combined for 37 in both tournament wins, which garnered some high praise from opposing coaches.
"For freshmen, they're two of the best I've seen as far as composure and the way they play," Wapahani coach Brad Cutter said.
Delta coach Andy Lewman added: "They do a really good job of creating opportunities for each other. For freshmen, they do a really nice job of giving themselves chances to score."
And they have been doing it all season. Culberson averages 15 points per game and Reece scores 13.6 per. They can shoot, handle the ball, and both have great instincts on defense.
Lea Alexander is another solid freshman who starts. Add in Ellie Miller and Tobi Bell who can rebound and can finish inside, Lea Alexander as another ball handler and Skyler Davis and Jaylynn Dunsmore inside, and this is a solid Yorktown bunch.
"Our teammates really make us look good," said Culberson, right before she stepped away from the interview to take a picture with her freshmen teammates.
The Tigers have good moments, like the tournament, and some not so good moments. That's what happens with young teams. But Matthews likes where they are with the season winding down.
"Early on we wanted our identity to be to press and play fast," she said. "It took a long time for kids to buy in and understand how it works. But here we are, and we're getting there."
So, basically, Yorktown is peaking and still has some growing to do. That makes them a scary team for the future.
Jake Fox is a high school sports writer at The Star Press. Contact him at (765) 213-5848, jfox@muncie.gannett.com or @FoxJake_.