IHSAA State Finals Top Performers

The 112th annual IHSAA Boy’s Basketball State Finals are in the books and we have officially put a bow on the 2021-2022 Indiana High School Basketball season. Beginning with 407 member high schools in Sectional play a few weeks ago, the field was whittled down to four state champions culminating in Saturday’s State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Class 1A North Daviess, Class 2A Providence, Class 3A Beech Grove, and Class 4A Cathedral all cut down the sets to win their respective classes. If you missed any or all of Saturday’s action be sure to go back and read our Prep Hoops Indiana live blog from the day to get yourself caught up. Now, let’s take a look at the top individual performers from Saturday’s State Finals.

Anthony Ball Anthony Ball 6'6" | PF Decatur Central | 2023 State IN (Beech Grove H.S. 2023): Pulling down the third most rebounds at the State Finals in the class basketball era will turn some heads. That is what the 6’7″ Ball did on Saturday as he went for 17 points and 20 rebounds in Beech Grove’s state championship victory. The offers could, and should, start rolling in for the junior forward during the spring and summer.

Xavier Booker Xavier Booker 6'11" | PF Cathedral | 2023 State #4 Nation IN (Cathedral H.S. 2023): In front of a who’s who of college coaches at Gainbridge Filedhouse watching him play, Booker was a dominant two-way force. The 6’11” junior forward had 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots to secure the state title for the Fighting Irish.

Devin Collins (North Daviess H.S. 2022): The Cougars relied heavily on junior guard Jaylen Mullen Jaylen Mullen 6'0" | PG North Daviess | 2023 State IN to get them to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He was good on Saturday as well scoring 13 points, including 8 quick ones in the first quarter, but it was senior Devin Collins who stepped up down the stretch. Collins finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds including a couple of huge buckets in the overtime periods to secure the state title.

Tayshawn Comer Tayshawn Comer 6'0" | PG Cathedral | 2022 State #226 Nation IN (Cathedral H.S. 2022): Comer proved why he deserves Mr. Basketball consideration on Saturday night. He doesn’t always put up the biggest scoring numbers, though he did lead Cathedral in scoring for the season, but he dictates everything that happens on the floor. The Eastern Kentucky signee capped off an incredible career with 11 points and 6 assists.

Jaxon Edwards Jaxon Edwards 6'6" | SF Cathedral | 2022 State IN (Cathedral H.S. 2022): Chesterton simply had no match for the athleticism of Edwards. The Murray State signee was excellent on both ends of the floor finishing with 14 points on 7-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocked shots.

Casey Kaelin Casey Kaelin 6'3" | SG Providence | 2023 State IN (Providence H.S. 2023): Kaelin came out strong as the Pioneers delivered a quick knockout punch to Central Noble out of the gate. He would go on to finish with an efficient 8-13 shooting night from the field for a game-high 21 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. His name will be one to remember heading into next season.

Jeremiah Tate (Beech Grove H.S. 2023): It was a dominant two-way performance by Tate. Offensively he made plays for both himself and his teammates while simply living in the passing lanes on the defensive end of the floor. The 6’0″ junior guard finished with a crazy stat line of 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 9 steals.

Jaron Tibbs Jaron Tibbs 6'4" | SF Cathedral | 2023 State IN (Cathedral H.S. 2023): Tibbs was his normal, consistent self on Saturday night. The junior wing led Cathedral in scoring with 15 points while also pulling down 7 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. He finished an excellent junior season by cutting down the nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and should get some serious Indiana Junior All-Star buzz.