Salem girls basketball feature

SALEM, Ind. (WDRB) — All of this winning started with loss.

The Salem High School girls basketball team is in the state championship game for the first time in program history. The Lions play Northwood for the IHSAA Class 3A state title Saturday at Indianapolis' Bankers Life Fieldhouse and they'll take the court with a couple of people on their minds.

First, Leah Miller. The two-time all-state point guard continues to rehab a torn ACL she suffered before the Lady Lions' magical season even started.

"It was definitely hard," said Miller, who has had to sit out her entire senior year. "Obviously, these girls have stepped up and they’re doing exactly what we wanted to do this year, so I couldn’t be more proud of them."

Head coach Jerry Hickey called Miller one of the top two players to ever play at Salem. Sidelined by her injury, she has become the team's emotional leader and is easy to spot freaking out on the sideline during games. 

"Oh my gosh, the things they do. I know I am crazy," Miller said. "There’s a lot of pictures of me on Facebook roaming around, and I just get very excited."

Leah Miller

Leah Miller (Candy Striped Pants) celebrated a basket during Salem's semi-state win over Brownstown Central.

The Lions have had so much to cheer about — in a season that almost looked derailed from the beginning. 

"We all had to come together and rely on each other," senior center said Lettie Nice. "And we realized we could still do this, and we all had to step up." 

"I said, 'If you don’t believe in our goals, then you probably need to turn and walk out this gym right now,'" Hickey added. 

Miller's injury was the second time the Lions were forced to come together. Losing a player to injury is tough, but it happens during the course of a season. These girls are also coping with a loss that no team should have to deal with: Assistant coach Joe Jackson died in May 2019 after a battle with cancer. 

"To lose a mentor and friend was very difficult," Hickey said. "He knew we were going to play for him, and the team knows what he means to us."

Assistant coach Joe Jackson

Salem High School assistant coach Joe Jackson died in May 2019 after a battle with cancer. 

Jackson had been around Salem’s gym for years, coaching both the girls and the boys. In his obituary, he and his family passed on flowers and instead asked for donations to Salem basketball. He was buried in his Salem jumpsuit, Hickey said, with the keys to the gym in his hands. 

"That speaks volumes," Hickey said. 

"So passionate," Miller added. "He loved us like one of his own, and we just really miss that about him."

Jackson watched these girls win a regional title in 2019, but state? Well, nobody at Salem High School has ever seen that.

"He’s definitely up there watching and looking over us," Nice said, "and I think it would mean a lot to him."

For a team that’s dealt with so much loss this season, a state championship is just one win away.

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