INDIANAPOLIS – Down by nine points at halftime, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers had two choices during the IHSAA girls basketball Class 2A state final Saturday afternoon.

Keep playing Brownstown Central’s game or theirs.

The 10^th-ranked Knights chose the latter, and their defense clamped down in the process, to secure a comeback 44-36 victory inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the program’s state record-tying seventh title.

“It was a tale of two halves. In the first half, we were turning the ball over. We weren’t rebounding the basketball and we were letting them get to the free-throw line,” said Bishop Luers coach Mark Pixley.

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“They had a nine-point lead at halftime, and we just told the girls we needed to start playing our ball. We told them that they got seven from the (foul) line, six or eight from second-chance points. We had to rebound and clean it up.”

The Knights (20-6) poured in 19 points in the third quarter and added 10 more in the fourth, while the Braves (21-9) tallied 12 second-half points, as Luers’ sophomore center Miley Wareing provided a boost on both ends of the court.

Wareing finished with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line, and the Knights converted a blistering 60% from the field in both the third and fourth quarters.

“I didn’t expect the run we went on, but these girls played the best defense I’ve seen in the last 16 minutes of that game to win our seventh state championship at Luers,” Pixley said.

Brownstown Central, which was making its first state finals appearance in 13 years, was attempting to win its first state title and knock off its third ranked opponent this postseason after beating No. 9 Austin for the sectional title and No. 3 Eastern Hancock for the semistate championship last weekend.

The Braves attacked the glass with 23 rebounds overall — most of them collected in during the first half — and had 10 second-chance points total.

Sophomore Sophie Wischmeier had a team-high 11 points and eight rebounds, followed by sophomore Harley Toppe’s 10 points, but the momentum shifted in the third quarter.

“These girls really responded. I think they knew they left a lot of points out there, and our defense wasn’t what it should be and has been all season," Pixley said. "They kind of took ownership of that and really did a great job in the second half."

“They were so physical, and I don’t think we were ready for that in the first half. But in the second half, we were the more aggressive team, especially in our press.”

Wareing was the catalyst, spearheading the Knights’ defensive pressure, which Bishop Luers moved up from half court to stymie the Braves' rhythm. Brownstown Central shot 25 and 20% in the third and fourth quarters and 31.7% for the game.

“Within our team, I knew we had these three seniors, and these are girls I’ve grown up with, so going in that’s what I was playing for. Playing for my last game,” Bishop Luers senior Addie Shank said.

“We all knew we left points out there, and we had stuff to do. I knew in that locker room (at halftime), we were going to go out and win. I saw it on everyone’s faces that we were going to go out, lock in and get that win.”

Senior Annika Davis had 10 points for the Knights, including two 3-pointers and a team-best five assists. Shank had three points and three rebounds. Senior Kyndal Tyree added six points, three assists and two rebounds.

The Knights overcame seven lead changes and four ties with a strong nine-point run in the third quarter to build their largest lead at eight points with 26 seconds remaining in the game.

With three seniors on the roster and tradition at stake, the Knights turned their state-record 10^th state finals appearance into the program’s first title since 2011.

Much like in 2011 when Bishop Luers defeated Brownstown Central for the 2A crown, the Knights once again prevailed.

“This win was more than just winning a game. It was winning with people I grew up with. It means a lot,” Tyree said.

It was historic as well, tying them with Heritage Christian with a record seventh state championship since 1999.

The program won four straight state championships from 1999-2002. The 2002 state title was one of two at the 3A level. The other was seized in 2006.

“We talk about the tradition, but drought or not a drought, there’s so much rich history there that we just wanted to get our names with those past teams,” Pixley said.

“It’s been 12 years, but us and (Heritage Christian) are blue bloods of high school girls basketball. When you have seven championships, you are doing something because none of them come easy. You have to put the work in, and that’s what I love about all these girls and the rest of the team. We never quit, and we pulled it out in the end.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bishop Luers ties record with 7th Indiana girls basketball state title