checking the map

Like many journeys, ours has not followed a straight path.  We've relied on our instincts & suggestions from others, traveling from one gym (& story) to the next.  But you can't always lead, sometimes you have to tag along and that's what we've been doing for the past two weeks.  Going to Jac-Cen-Del for the first time, we saw a tale of tradition, from the motto over their gym door ("Tradition Never Graduates") to the banners hanging inside.  We didn't know, however, that the Lady Eagles would show us more about Hoosier Hysteria than we imagined.  Don't get me wrong, they aren't the only ones who carry on these traditions, just the ones we happened to find at this point in our story. So, as they continue their trip through the bracket, we're just along for the ride.  CGS/MEK.

the picture

As a photographer there are times when all the things you hope for come together - good light, nice composition and a worthy subject. On Saturday, that moment found me.  Jac-Cen-Del was about to play Indianapolis Tindley in the first round of the Regional at Southwestern (Shelbyville) High School and we were prepping for the game.  Built in the 1950's, the Spartan gym has all of the components that make Indiana high school gyms famous - tight spaces, marginal lighting and the acoustics of a barn. Minutes before tip-off I descended the stairs to the Lady Eagles locker room & witnessed something very special - morning light streaming in on senior Brooklyn Ronsheim leading her teammates in their pre-game call & response cheer. No coaches, no managers, no cheerleaders - just their voices echoing off the empty spaces. Fifteen frames and it was over - up the stairs they went, about to have the day of their lives.  CGS.

sectional 60

bulldog pride

As the Jac-Cen-Del Lady Eagles prepare for their trip to the Regionals, another, quite different story played out across the state for the Union (Dugger) Lady Bulldogs.  Their loss in the semifinals of the Clay City Sectional was their last. Not last of the season, but the very last.  You see, their school is closing - a victim of consolidation.  Two weeks ago, Michael traveled to Dugger to visit the school & the town and what he came back with was a story all too often repeated.  A town that had lost its economic base (coal production), it's population and eventually the means to support a school.  Nonetheless a town (& school) full of pride, celebrating their final boys games, their last Homecoming and full of questions about the future.  Here's a small selection of Michael's photos and a video that pays homage to Dugger's place in the history of Indiana high school basketball.  MEK/CGS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SqYVwtvCfU

snow delay

For the Jac-Cen-Del Lady Eagles the weekend weather only pushed back the inevitable - a sixth straight Sectional crown.  CGS.

semifinals

Delayed twice by weather, the 1A Girls Sectional 60 Semifinals got underway at Jac-Cen-Del High School in Osgood on Saturday afternoon.  The host Lady Eagles defeated a scrappy Hauser squad in the early game 49-34, and then awaited the winner of Rising Sun/South Decatur.  Two evenly matched teams who had played earlier in the year (with South Decatur winning 51-49), the Lady Cougars (of SD) & Lady Shiners brought all of the intensity, athleticism and heart you could ask for at Sectional time. And I think the packed gym of screaming fans answered any questions about class basketball and the downturn of "Hoosier Hysteria."  The winner?  Everyone, especially the Lady Cougars, who punched their ticket for Monday's championship game.  CGS.

just another Friday night

A cold, snowy February night - the perfect time to head for an Indiana high school gym.  CGS.

versailles, the new

South Ripley High School - the new home of the Raiders, ready for the future & remembering the past.  CGS.