State Finals and Way Too Early Look Into Next Season

It’s been a long season with alot of ball played. Saturday was the culmination of all the hard work that started way back in October. The day started out with Barr Reeve and Triton in 1A. Two teams that I didn’t expect to make it this far. The last few years the 1A level has been unpredictable and full of surprises. Barr Reeve was in my initial top 10 @ the beginning of the season but I definitely slept on Triton. The 2A matchup is probably the game I was looking forward to the most. My preseason #2 Parke Heritage took on a top 5 team all year in Westview. The Silver Creek v. Columbia City collision course got derailed last weekend in the semi state finals. Cathedral and New Haven has the makings of being a fun game full of athletes. My preseason #1 (as much heat as I took for not taking Fishers) Crown Point got the matchup with the best player in the state, Luke Ertel and his Mt. Vernon squad.  I appreciate you all for rocking with the site this past season. I hope I put out some good info. and you all enjoyed it. And if you didn’t that’s too bad because it was free. I’m also going into a quick Top 5 for next year (before the transfer portal goes crazy in the offseason). Let’s get to some of the games.

Westview v. Parke Heritage- This matchup was the game I was looking forward to the most once the semi states were over last week. I don’t get to see Westview often other than streams but the Warriors came into the season in my top 5 and have done nothing to prove otherwise beating my preseason #1 Gary 21st. PH has been the model program in 2A south for the past half decade getting to the semi state the last 4 years straight and have a legit Indiana All Star candidate in Sr.. Treigh Schelsky. The Warriors came into the game 27-1 while PH was 26-4. The Wolves started out hot from the floor jumping out to a 20-9 lead after 1 including hitting four 3s. Most people think of seniors Treigh and Isaac Pickle when they think of PH but they’ve got alot of underclassmen on this roster. Juniors Brenden Goins, Carter Crum and soph. Joel Miller play a big role on this team. As for Westview they’ve got some really good underclassmen as well with Junior All star candidate, Austin Schlabach. In the 2nd quarter the Warriors fought back with a 12-2 run to make it a PH lead 24-23 after a follow up lay in by freshman Bryce Yoder and fastbreak 2 from Sr. Kaden Grau. After a 6-0 run PH, Goins picked up a technical (for what I’m not sure) that gave Westview 2 free throws and then a controversial 3 pointer at the buzzer from Grau that they counted cut the PH lead down to 30-28 @ halftime. Jr. Daniel Yoder was a real spark for the Warriors in this one scoring 9 pts on 3/3 on outside shooting. Another spark to end the 3rd was a 3 by the freshman, Bryce Yoder to cut into the PH lead, 48-45. The Wolves held onto a lead and were on the verge of breaking the game open in this game but Westview just wouldn’t go away. They hit big shot after big shot and answered every punch from PH. After a 3 from Pierce Yoder of Westview to open the 4th, the game was tied. Up to this point the Warriors had shot 12/22 from 3. The tide seemed to be turning in Westview’s direction when a Grau 2 gave them their first lead in a long time. Throughout the 4th both teams battled back and forth trading leads. With just over a minute left, Austin Schlabach got the steal and breakaway dunk giving Westview a 1 pt. lead. Schlabach solidified his spot on the Jr. All Star team, in my mind with his 13 pts and 8 assists in the game. Then the last minute happened. With Westview up 1 and the possession, PH was forced to foul a few times before getting them into the bonus. Watching it live it looked as though the Wolves were trying to give a foul when Grau went out of bounds with the ball. When watching it over on replay the ball was never actually out of bounds while Grau was touching it. It was hard to tell on replay if his foot touched the line (while the ball was out of his hand being dribbled in bounds) and there’s certainly a case to be made for a foul call, but the ref looks to anticipate it and called Grau for out of bounds and PH ball with 30 seconds left. That’s when Coach Schelsky put the game/ season in the hands of his son, Treigh to go make a play at the end. And like most everyone else I was expecting him to make the last shot to win it for a storybook ending, but he made the right play instead and dropped it off underneath on the drive to Pickle who laid it in with about 8 seconds left. That did leave the door open for Westview to get down the floor and make something happen. And it came about as close to happening as you could get. Schlabach got the ball and got the switch on Pickle, drove to the basket and laid it up going right and from my view in the end zone I thought, that’s going in. The ball bounced a few times on the rim long enough to have the thought, it’s going to drop in. And in the end, it just came off the rim and out. Heartbreak for Westview and jubilation for Parke Heritage. The game was really that close all the way through and these teams were a bounced shot going in or out from being near even as it gets. What a way to cap off a high school basketball season with one of the best games I saw all year @ the state finals. Someone on the PH side solidified himself as an Indiana Star in Treigh Schelsky. The senior capped off his career with 17 pts, 5 assists, and a state championship after winning 4 sectional and regional titles in his career. The Wolves will make the move to 3A next year due to success factor and the Warriors return a large percentage of their team who look to be a top 3 team in 2A going into next season.

News and Notes from the State Finals

• Cathedral won the 3A State Championship game by defeating New Haven, 71-61. Irish Sr. Keaton Aldridge put in 17 pts, 12 rbs, and 7 assists. Jr. Deuce Baskerville scored 20 for New Haven.
• Barr Reeve defeated Triton, 50-37. Soph. Josh Miller with 13 pts and 9 rbs for the Vikings.
• Mt. Vernon came back from a 10 pt. deficit to beat Crown Point in the 4A state championship game, 52-50.

5 Stars from State Finals Saturday

Sr. Luke Ertel- Mt. Vernon. 26 pts, 10 rbs, and 6 assists and a State Champ. W v. Crown Point.

Sr. Julien Smith- Cathedral. 21 pts and 9 rbs and a State Champ. W v. New Haven.

Sr. Treigh Schelsky- Parke Heritage. 17 pts and 5 assists and a State Champ. W v. Westview.

Sr. Dikembe Shaw- Crown Point. 21 pts and 9 rbs v. Mt. Vernon.

Soph. Joshua Miller- Barr Reeve. 13 pts and 9 rbs and a State Champ. W v. Triton.

Game of the Week- Parke Heritage v. Westview

Top Freshman from Around the State in the State Finals

Bryce Yoder- Westview. 8 pts and 2 rbs v. Parke Heritage.

Jayon Thomas- New Haven. 7 pts and 4 rbs v. Cathedral.

Jayden Kennedy- Cathedral. 5 pts and 4 rbs in a State Champ. W v. New Haven.

 A Way Too Early Top 5 Looking Into Next Season (before any transfers)

1A Top 5

1. Barr Reeve Vikings
2. Liberty Christian Lions
3. Cloverdale Clovers
4. Rossville Hornets
5. West Washington Senators

2A Top 5

1. Oak Hill Golden Eagles
2. Westview Warriors
3. Austin Eagles
4. FW Blackhawk Braves
5. Blackford Bruins

3A Top 5

1. Cathedral Irish
2. Silver Creek Dragons
3. Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles
4. New Haven Bulldogs
5. Boonville Pioneers

4A Top 5

1. New Albany Bulldogs
2. Pike Red Devils
3. Carmel Greyhounds
4. Fishers Tigers
5. Homestead Spartans

Mr. Basketball Candidates (alphabetical order)

• Jason Gardner Jr- Fishers
• Isaiah Hill- Pike
• Brandon Hunter- Silver Creek
• Elijah King- SB St. Joe’s
• Jahari Miller- Pike
• Mack Welker- Homestead
• Cooper Zachary- Fishers