IHSAA State Finals Live Blog

In 49 states it is just basketball…but this is INDIANA!!!

After a long season we have made it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for an event that every young Hoosier dreams of, a chance to cut down the nets and win a state championship. Today we will crown four state champions and Prep Hoops Indiana will be your one-stop-shop all day long for game recaps, player evaluations, top performers, and much more. You can also follow @BRamseyKSR on Twitter for live updates from each state finals game. Let’s enjoy a great day of hoops!

Class 1A: North Daviess Cougars 48 vs. Lafayette Central Catholic Knights 46 (2OT)

North Daviess had one of the best crowds that I have ever seen from a 1A school at the state finals. That fan support helped spur them to a fast start as junior guard Jaylen Mullen Jaylen Mullen 6'0" | PG North Daviess | 2023 State IN knocked in a pair of early 3’s, plus another jump shot, to lead the Cougars to a 12-11 first quarter advantage. The Knights were leaning on their size advantage early, but three first half fouls on sophomore Albert Schwartz and two on senior Clark Obermiller forced them to the bench. That foul trouble allowed North Daviess to extend their lead to 23-17 at the halftime break.

Lafayette Central Catholic got into the bonus midway through the third period but was unable to take advantage as they missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 20 seconds left in the quarter when they could have cut their deficit to four points. They missed the front end one more time in the fourth, but eventually got over the hump. A three-pointer by Clark Barrett Clark Barrett 6'5" | SF Lafayette Central Catholic | 2022 State IN and a tough basket inside eventually made it 34-32 with a couple of minutes to play.

Tanner Fields, a junior guard for the Knights, came up with a lefty runner with 1:07 to play to tie it up and that score would hold as the game went to overtime. The first overtime period was pretty uneventful. Devin Collins scored both baskets for North Daviess, but the Cougars held the ball for the final 90 seconds and never really got a good look. The game was knotted at 38 a piece going to the second overtime.

The pace picked up a little bit finally in the second overtime. Each team traded layups early and then LCC went back to pounding it into the post. Clark Barrett Clark Barrett 6'5" | SF Lafayette Central Catholic | 2022 State IN and Clark Obermiller scored on back-to-back post ups, but North Daviess maintained a one point lead after each basket. What transpired was one of the wildest finishes to a basketball game I have seen.

Clark Barrett Clark Barrett 6'5" | SF Lafayette Central Catholic | 2022 State IN was fouled on a three-point attempt with no time on the clock with the Knights down three. He hit the first but missed the second to end the game. North Daviess escaped with a 48-46 victory and their first state championship in school history.

Devin Collins led the way with 15 points for the Cougars while Jaylen Mullen Jaylen Mullen 6'0" | PG North Daviess | 2023 State IN added 13 points. Clark Barrett Clark Barrett 6'5" | SF Lafayette Central Catholic | 2022 State IN had 13 points and 10 rebounds for LCC in the loss. Clark Obermiller also had 13 points. 

Class 2A: Providence Pioneers 62 vs. Central Noble Cougars 49

Providence came out and delivered a haymaker from the opening tip. The Pioneers shot 10-14 from the field, including 4-5 from three-point range, in the first period to jump out to a 25-9 advantage. Things really slowed down in the second quarter, but Providence still maintained control. They held Connor Essegian Connor Essegian 6'4" | SG Central Noble | 2022 State #170 Nation IN , a Wisconsin signee, to 6 points on 2-8 shooting in the half. 

Things pretty much remained the same through the second half. It was a double-digit game the whole way and Providence pulled away in the fourth quarter. Pressure defense, offensive rebounding, and scoring in the paint was the name of the game for the Pioneers. A quick 11-0 run midway into the final period put the game on ice as they went on to cruise to a 62-49 victory to capture their first state championship.

Casey Kaelin Casey Kaelin 6'3" | SG Providence | 2023 State IN was excellent in the fourth quarter scoring 11 of his game high 21 points. He was 8-13 from the field in the game. Senior wing Grant Williams added 13 points while sophomore guard Quentin Hesse finished with 12 points.

For Central Noble, Connor Essegian Connor Essegian 6'4" | SG Central Noble | 2022 State #170 Nation IN was held to 18 points on 5-15 shooting. Logan Gard Logan Gard 6'6" | PF Central Noble | 2022 State IN played a good game finishing with 10 points on 5-6 shooting and 8 rebounds.

Class 3A: Beech Grove Hornets 53 vs. Mishawaka Marian Knights 43

The first half of the Class 3A State Final was a case study in what creating chaos can do for a team. Mishawka Marian shot 47.4% from the field and 4-10 from beyond the arc, but led by just two points despite Beech Grove shooting 25% and going 1-10 from deep. The Hornets collected 11 offensive rebounds leading to 10 second chance points and forced 11 turnovers, scoring 10 points off of the takeaways.

Beech Grove started to get hot from beyond the arc midway through the 3rd quarter. 6’6″ junior Cameron Brooks hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Hornets a 31-28 lead with 3:44 to play in the period. Then, he hit another one about a minute later to put them up by six. Brown finished with 11 points in the quarter and Beech Grove took a 36-34 advantage into the fourth. Richard Brooks Richard Brooks 6'3" | SF Mishawaka Marian | 2022 State IN nailed a three of his own as time expired to bring the Knights within two points.

Down the stretch, as the game got a little more chaotic, it fed right into the hands of the Hornets. Mishawaka Marian finished with 19 turnovers leading 20 Beech Grove points. Beech Grove also got 12 second chance points on 19 offensive rebounds. That is a lot of extra possessions to overcome. In the end it was an And-1 by Anthony Ball Anthony Ball 6'6" | PF Decatur Central | 2023 State IN with 2:02 to play that gave the Hornets a 45-38 lead and iced the game. They would go on to win 53-43.

Anthony Ball Anthony Ball 6'6" | PF Decatur Central | 2023 State IN led the way with 17 points and 20 rebounds, which was the third most in the class basketball era at the State Finals. Jeremiah Tate added 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 7 steals for the Hornets. Richard Brooks Richard Brooks 6'3" | SF Mishawaka Marian | 2022 State IN scored 13 points to lead the Knights in the loss.

Class 4A: Cathedral Fighting Irish 65 vs. Chesterton Trojans 31

Jake Davis Jake Davis 6'6" | SF Cathedral | 2023 State IN three-pointer. Jaxon Edwards Jaxon Edwards 6'6" | SF Cathedral | 2022 State IN three-pointer. Chesterton timeout. That was the first 46 seconds of the Class 4A State Final. The Fighting Irish would go on to extend their lead to 10-0 and rolled to a 22-10 advantage after the first period. Three three-pointers and four dunks made for some very efficient offense.

Cathedral was able to continue imposing their will in the second period. Jaxon Edwards Jaxon Edwards 6'6" | SF Cathedral | 2022 State IN was electric in transition, Tayshawn Comer Tayshawn Comer 6'0" | PG Cathedral | 2022 State #226 Nation IN was setting everyone up, and senior center Jaiden Malichi Jaiden Malichi 6'8" | C Cathedral | 2022 State IN provided some high-energy minutes off of the bench. It was an all-around dominant half for the Irish. They held Chesterton to 6-26 shooting (23.1%) and just 2-10 from beyond the arc.

Things got out of hand down the stretch in this one. The Fighting Irish went on a 16-0 run to start the 4th quarter to turn this one into a blowout. The Trojans finished 11-51 from the field and just 2-21 from three-point range. It simply was not the night for previously undefeated Chesterton as they would suffer their first loss 65-31.

Jaron Tibbs Jaron Tibbs 6'4" | SF Cathedral | 2023 State IN led Cathedral with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jaxon Edwards Jaxon Edwards 6'6" | SF Cathedral | 2022 State IN added 14 points, Xavier Booker Xavier Booker 6'11" | PF Cathedral | 2023 State #4 Nation IN had 13 points & 9 rebounds, and Tayshawn Comer Tayshawn Comer 6'0" | PG Cathedral | 2022 State #226 Nation IN finished with 11 points & 6 assists.

Coach Jason Delany is now the first head coach in Indiana Boy’s Basketball history to win a state championship at three different schools.