INDIANAPOLIS — Don't tell Ken Harkenrider that class basketball doesn't work in Indiana. The Canterbury athletic director has seen the benefits with the Cavaliers' consecutive girls' Class A state titles.

“I'm absolutely a class basketball fan,” he said. “In fact, I would be safe in saying that this team, of all the 17 teams we have, that class has had the most direct impact.

“In the old (one-class) configuration, we rarely got through the first (sectional) round. We rarely got within 30 to 40 points. In terms of historical timeline, this program has been dramatically impacted.”

Drama was everywhere in Canterbury's 72-66 overtime victory over No. 1 Vincennes Rivet at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. The No. 7 Cavaliers rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final five minutes, overcame leading scorer and rebounder Tabitha Gerardot fouling out, and still won.

Some might have found that nerve-racking.

Junior forward Cassie Kreiger found it exhilarating.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “Yes, it was close, but that's what makes it so exciting.”

Reaping the excitement benefits was Canterbury coach Scott Kreiger, who is now 2-0 in state title games.

“It's so difficult to get here once,” he said. “You have to stay healthy. You have to catch a couple of breaks. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing most of the time. To get back is so unusual.”

Kreiger tried to improve the odds by spending the season not talking about a repeat. Only when the postseason started did he mention the championship possibilities.

“I told them, starting with each game in the sectional and after that, that you can't win a state championship tonight, but you can lose it.”

The Cavaliers (23-4) didn't lose it at any time. Even when facing up-tempo Rivet, which used 10 players to Canterbury's seven to try to make fatigue a factor, the Cavaliers persevered.

“That's why I used all my timeouts, which I rarely do,” Kreiger said. “Rivet does tend to wear out opponents.”

In the end, it was pressure, and not fatigue, that made the difference. Canterbury handled it. Rivet did not. Credit the Cavaliers' experience edge (Rivet was playing in its first state title game).

“When we were down nine with five minutes left,” senior forward Megan Pedro said, “Never once did we say, ‘It's over. Let's lay down and die for them.'

“Five minutes is a long time. We pressured them. They turned it over and gave it to us.

“They had chances to put it away. They missed free throws. They missed simple passes. Having that extra experience gave us a chance to exploit those little faults they had.”

Pedro and sister Becky did the crunch-time exploiting. Becky scored Canterbury's last five points of regulation (including a basket when she bounced an in-bound pass off the back of a Rivet player to grab the ball and score) to force overtime. Megan scored the first five overtime points to give the Cavaliers an advantage they never lost.

“I told (Becky), ‘Let's go. Let's get it done,'” Megan said. “We have an all-around team and anyone can step up when we need her to.”

Just making overtime gave Canterbury an emotional edge, given that Rivet could have won in regulation.

“Once we got into overtime I felt we were in control,” Kreiger said. “We got a second life. We talked in the huddle, would you rather be us or them? It was unanimous that they'd rather be us.

“Rivet had a chance. It was on their fingertips and they weren't able to seal the deal. When that happened, our group sensed that and resolved to toughen up even more.”

Nothing shows resolve better than a two-year record of 44-9 with a pair of state championships.

“We have a lot of mental toughness,” senior guard Kelly Karr said. “We have talent. Most of all, we're a team. We're so close on and off the court. We pick each other up and get it done.”

Canterbury got it done, Kreiger said, because it minimized distractions.

“This week is pure chaos,” he said, “and our kids maintained focus. They waited until Thursday to ramp up. If you do it Monday or Tuesday, you'll be burnt to a crisp.”

There was no burning, but there was celebrating. Canterbury officials scheduled a pep rally for today.

“It's a great honor to make it back to the state title game,” Kreiger said.

“It's hard to do it one time. To do it a second time is a tribute to these kids and how hard they work and the quality of play they've been able to display these last few weeks.”