CORYDON

Charlestown outscored Brownstown Central 15-6 over the final 3:35 of the game to register a 54-45 win in the semifinals of the Corydon Central girls basketball sectional Friday night.

Charlestown (15-10) will play Class 3A No. 1 North Harrison tonight for the championship.

A 3-point basket by Brownstown junior Payton Farmer, with 4:50 remaining, tied the score at 39 all.

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On the next possession, Samantha Matthews matched that 3-pointer with one of her own to put the Pirates ahead 42-39 with 3:35 on the clock before Charlestown was able to pull away.

“When it came down to the end, they made shots and we had good looks under the basket that we just couldn’t get to fall tonight and that’s kind of been our problem all year long,” Braves coach Karla Rieckers said. “They’re a very good shooting team, and they put the ball in the basket and we struggled a little bit when we needed to made some shots.”

The Braves made 13 of 59 shots from the floor and the Pirates made 20 of 45.

Both teams started out sluggish on offense with each team scoring only four points through 4:30 minutes of play.

Brownstown’s Shelby Stuckwisch changed that with back-to-back 3-pointers, one minute apart setting the score 10-4 with 1:52 left in the period.

Grace Jaynes added a basket at the buzzer to give the Braves a 12-7 lead at the end of the period.

The Braves were leading 16-8, 30 seconds into the second period, when the Pirates went on an 11-2 run to take a 19-18 lead on a rebound basket by Matthews with 2:52 left in the half.

Two free throws by Farmer put the Braves on top 22-19 before the Pirates moved on top 23-22 at the break.

Farmer led the Braves in scoring in the first half with eight points while Matthews topped the Pirates with 14.

The Braves shot 5-for-27 and the Pirates 9-for-25 from the floor in the first half. The Braves were 10-for-11 at the free throw line.

Both teams scored 10 points in the third quarter, with Pirates on top 34-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

Ashley Schroer had two baskets and Farmer made a 3-pointer to spark the Braves.

Farmer topped the Braves in scoring with 13 points and Schroer scored eight and had 13 rebounds.

Matthews topped the Pirates with 21 points.

The Braves finished the season 15-11.

The only senior on the tournament roster for the Braves was Leah Stidam.

“(Stidam) is a kid who had sat out two years and decided to come back and she came to practice every day and worked hard,” Rieckers said. “That is a hard role to be in and she was always cheering for the other girls and also positive and we will definitely miss her.

“As far as my kids coming back, we have a good nucleus coming back, we just need to get them in the gym and make sure they put a lot of shots up so we can put the ball in the basket a little bit more next year.”