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By Brad Rosemas
For the Mirror
PORTAGE -- Coming into Thursday's District 6 Class 2A quarterfinal matchup, the No. 2 seed Portage girls basketball team still had last year's bracket in the back of their minds.
The Mustangs, who were also the second seed in 2023, were upset by No. 10 Marion Center in the same round, ending a run of three straight appearances in the district title game, which included two championship victories. This time around, the squad was sure to not end its campaign on a similar note.
With the contest tied at halftime, Portage shrugged off a poor shooting performance in the first two quarters by opening up the game in the second half and defeating 10th-seeded Homer-Center 47-36 inside Len Chappell Gymnasium.
"That was most definitely our biggest motivation," said Portage senior Jenna Burkett, who led the Mustangs with 20 points. "We were all here last year for it. I don't think that memory will ever go away. It's a great feeling now knowing that we have a chance to make a deep run into the playoffs like I know we can."
Portage (22-2) advances to Monday's semifinal round, where the Mustangs will host No. 6 seed Bellwood-Antis, a 38-25 winner over No. 3 Penns Manor.
The Mustangs have faced the Blue Devils in each of the past four seasons, going 2-2. The win also guarantees Portage at least three more games, with the top four teams advancing to the state playoffs out of District 6.
"This is the most nerve-wracking game of a high school basketball season," Portage coach Lance Hudak said. "Last year, we were on the other end of this, and you feel it for the entire year. We played that way in the first half, scared and a little tight. Once we realized what we're capable of, we really settled in."
Portage would indeed be good spirits after the victory, but the Mustangs may have felt the effects of not playing since the Heritage Conference semifinals more than two weeks ago.
The Mustangs shot a combined 5-for-33 from the floor in the first half, as the two teams went into the break tied at 18-18.
Portage's six-point opening quarter lead quickly evaporated at the hands of Homer-Center's Alaina Fabin, who scored seven of her game-high 24 points in the second frame. Fabin surpassed 1,000 career points on a layup with 1:42 left in the half that gave the Wildcats a brief 16-14 lead.
"We know what we're capable of. We know we can shoot the ball," Hudak said. "They're going to fall. We've been that way all year. Shooting is contagious, and the girls know that and they feed off each other.
"We had strong defense and we were able to rebound the ball when we weren't scoring. Then when we started scoring, were finally able to get some separation and started to make some timely shots."
Portage came out of the half scoring eight consecutive points to grab a lead it would never lose.
The Mustangs made five of their first eight shots to lead 30-22 before knocking down three consecutive 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter and grab its largest advantage of the game at 41-28.
"For the whole season, we've always said that the first three minutes of the second half are the most crucial," Burkett said. "The first three minutes of the third, that's when you're going to break away. You've got to grab the momentum, and we definitely did that by knocking down some big shots."
Fabin, who scored all 12 of Homer-Center's points in the fourth, answered by leading an 8-0 Wildcats run to cut the deficit to 41-36, but the Mustangs scored the final six points at the free throw line to seal the win.
Cami Burkett also got into double-figures for Portage with 11 points.
"We're not done now," Hudak said. "We're playing into March. We have some lofty goals set for this year, and we're excited to see what we can do. We're going to enjoy this tonight, and get back to work tomorrow."
Homer-Center (36): Arone 0 0-0 0, Fabin 9 6-12 24, Marshall 1 0-2 2, Palmer 0 0-0 0, Kerr 3 2-4 8, Voyda 1 0-0 2. Totals--14 8-18 36.
Portage (47): Hudak 3 0-0 9, Chobany 1 2-2 4, Bagby 0 0-0 0, Myher 0 0-0 0, C. Burkett 3 3-6 11, Bednarski 0 3-4 3, J. Burkett 7 4-4 20. Totals -- 14 12-16 47.
Score by Quarters
Homer-Center 5 13 6 12 -- 36
Portage 11 7 12 17 -- 47
3-point field goals: Homer-Center 0; Portage 7 (Hudak 3, C. Burkett 2, J. Burkett 2).
Records: Homer-Center 11-13; Portage 22-2.