Expectations were high for Andrean junior Lindsay Arcella coming into this season.
The 5-foot-9 guard was viewed as something of an heir apparent to Tori Allen, who graduated last year as the 59ers’ career scoring leader.
But Liv Delevic, the only senior on Andrean’s roster, suggests Arcella is more like a very good version of herself. Delevic points to the Class 2A Lake Station Sectional championship game against Illiana Christian last week.
“She’s been amazing for us,” Delevic said. “Even though we had a rough start in the beginning of the season, I knew she was under a lot of pressure. It’s not easy to take the role of Tori Allen, and everyone really expected her to be like that. But she’s her own athlete, and she has her own strengths that she brings to the team.
“When we’re in a sectional game and she hits four threes in a row, that’s pretty big to me. For her to be doing that, and I get to be there cheering her on, that’s amazing. She really does take a big role.”
Arcella shifted to the point after two seasons as a starter off the ball, and it might’ve taken a little time for her to find her footing. It also might’ve taken the 59ers a little time to find theirs.
But Arcella and her teammates have arrived in a familiar place, having won their fifth straight sectional title. Andrean (12-14) plays LaVille (12-11) in the Class 2A Winamac Regional on Saturday with a chance to go back to back. Before last season, Andrean’s only regional title came in 1999.
Arcella has been a catalyst for the 59ers, who have won six of their past seven games. She is averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds, ranking second behind junior forward/center Maddie Walton in both categories, and team highs of 1.9 assists and 2.3 steals.
Andrean coach Tony Scheub noted that Arcella, whose father, Mike, was an all-state quarterback for Lake Central in 1998, has become a focus for opponents this season. She averaged 8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals as a sophomore and 7.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals as a freshman.
“The last two years, she shot the ball really well for us,” Scheub said. “She’s a really good spot-up shooter. This year, she has a whole different role being the point guard and still trying to find her shots. It’s been a little bit more difficult than we thought it would be. She’s handled it really well, going from one extreme to the other, where defenses weren’t absolutely keying her the last two years to now they’re double-teaming her, box-and-oneing her and putting a lot of pressure on her.
“It was a huge change. In the summer, you don’t see it. Then when the season started, it was a huge change in roles for her. It was something that took all of us by surprise a little bit.”
When it has mattered most, Arcella has been on top of her game. In a sectional semifinal against Lake Station, considered Andrean’s most likely challenger, she had a gem of an all-around game with a career-high 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocked shots. She followed up with 20 points, the second-highest total of her career, in the championship game against Illiana.
“At first, I was just worried about getting the team going, getting the offense going,” Arcella said. “Everything else would take care of itself. My stats started to come just as I played the game. I wasn’t worried about scoring. I just wanted to do what’s best for our team.
“In the beginning, I felt a little bit of pressure. But after a couple games, I was like, ‘This is the game I’ve always played since I was little. There’s not much pressure on me. It’s what I’ve always done. It’s just another game, and I know what I’m capable of.’”
Arcella, Delevic and Walton, the three returning starters from last season, are also the team’s captains. They have been the anchors for the 59ers, who started 0-4 and were 6-13 before their recent run.
“It’s indescribable,” Arcella said. “We didn’t know how well we were going to do. We all had our struggles. We all had our issues. But something clicked. It’s actually crazy. Nobody would’ve thought of this outcome with how the season started.
“It’s just been a little bit different this year. Me and Maddie and Liv, we all picked up bigger roles this year, so it felt a little more personal to us. We have a bigger impact on the game. Even with the new girls, too, it’s a little bit different this year. We went through more highs and lows as a team, so the wins feel so much bigger this year.”
