It's No. 1 Brownstown Central vs. No. 2 Wapahani in IHSAA Class 2A basketball state final
Sharing a stage with Class 2A state finals competitor Dave Benter on Friday at the annual Kiwanis Club luncheon, Wapahani coach Matt Luce delivered a humorous line that Brownstown Central should allow his team’s feel-good story to continue one game further.
It could happen. But don’t look for top-ranked Brownstown Central (27-4) to roll over quite that easily for second-ranked Wapahani (26-2) at 12:45 p.m., Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“No matter how far away we go,” Brownstown Central senior Parker Hehman said, “we have a lot of fans. We know they are going to support us. We can’t thank those people enough.”
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That same could be said for both programs. There may not be two more hungrier fan bases on Saturday than those of Brownstown Central and Wapahani. For the Braves, this is a third attempt at a state championship after losing in the 2A state finals under Benter in 2004 and ’09. This is the first state finals appearance for Wapahani, which clinched its bid with a 60-49 overtime thriller over defending state champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian in the semistate final at Lafayette Jeff.
The hero of that game was Wapahani senior Isaac Andrews, who drilled three 3-pointers in overtime to provide the dagger. The 6-1 Andrews (24.6 ppg) is ranked No. 45 on the state’s all-time scoring list with 2,130 career points.
“I’ve coached Isaac from a very young age, but most importantly for four years in high school,” Luce said. “He was built for this. Most teams would have lost in overtime. The maturity of our team and ability to keep their composure to allow our captain to take over says something about them. We just said, ‘Make the right play.’ And the right play was him hitting three (3-pointers) in a row.”
The semistate win came with an added emotional backdrop after a tornado ripped through the Selma community in Delaware County where Wapahani is located. Two days later, fans lined the streets of Selma in the cold to welcome the team back from Lafayette.
“I’ve been dreaming of this my whole life, basically,” Andrews said. “I wouldn’t want to be doing it with anybody else.”
There are a lot of similarities between the programs and the two coaches. Luce, in his 17th year at Wapahani, is a 1992 Wapahani graduate. He is coaching his son, Nate, a junior guard. Benter, in his 26th year as coach, is a 1992 Brownstown Central graduate. He is also coaching his son, 6-6 senior and Purdue recruit, Jack Benter.
Benter (25.6 ppg, 7.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists) is the only active player higher on the state’s career scoring list than Andrews. Benter has 2,524 career points going into Saturday’s game to rank No. 12 on the all-time list.
“It’ll be a huge crowd,” Luce said. “Andrews and (Camden) Bell are related to everyone in Muncie. Our crowd is the same one that followed the Muncie Southside Rebels in 2001 with Brian Bell (the Trester Award winner for the Class 3A state champions). His son is Camden and I think they are related to everyone in Delaware County. They all had to change their shirts (from Muncie Southside to Wapahani).”
Class 2A state finals matchup: Brownstown Central vs. Wapahani
Class 2A state finals details: Tipoff at 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse; game will live streamed on IHSAAtv.org for a cost of $15 or $20 for all games; Tickets are $15 per person for one session and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. Participating schools also have tickets available at the respective schools.
Key players
Jack Benter, Brownstown Central: The 6-6 Purdue recruit, a senior, is averaging 25.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists (leading team in all three categories). He is shooting 55% from the field, 44% from the 3-point line and 83% from the free-throw line.
Chace Coomer, Brownstown Central: The 6-5 junior is averaging 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists, connecting on 40% of his 3-point attempts this season.
Colby Hall, Brownstown Central: The 6-6 junior is averaging 10.6 points (third on the team) and is second in rebounding at 6.8 per game. He also dishes 2.3 assists per game and shoots 58% from the field.
Parker Hehman, Brownstown Central: The 6-1 senior is averaging 11.6 points and is tied with Benter for the team high in assists with 5.2 per game. He shoots 41% from the 3-point line and 87% from the free-throw line.
Micah Sheffer, Brownstown Central: The 6-3 sophomore is averaging 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and shooting 45% from the field for the Braves.
Eli Andrews, Wapahani: The 6-3 sophomore is averaging 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and is shooting 44% (22-for-50) from the 3-point line for the Raiders.
Isaac Andrews, Wapahani: The 6-1 senior guard is averaging 24.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He is shooting 44.9% from the 3-point line. Andrews has 2,130 career points to rank No. 45 on the state’s all-time list.
Camden Bell, Wapahani: The 6-foot sophomore guard is second on the team in scoring to Andrews (13.0 ppg) and also averages 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Bell is shooting 46.2% from the 3-point line (46-for-108 for 42.6%).
Nick Cook, Wapahani: The 6-3 senior is averaging 8.5 points and 6.1 rebounds and shooting 38.4% (38-for-99) from the 3-point line.
Nate Luce, Wapahani: The 5-8 junior is averaging 8.3 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game, shooting 39% (58-for-149) from the 3-point line.
How Brownstown Central can win
Use its size. Brownstown Central is a much bigger team than Wapahani (Luce joked about already losing the “eye test” at the Kiwanis luncheon). The Braves’ length on defense could create problems for the Raiders. On offense, Brownstown Central can play through Benter, who is just as good of a passer as scorer.
How Wapahani can win
Get off to a good start. Both sides will have a big crowd, but the Raiders could make Brownstown Central feel some pressure with a solid start. Obviously, 3-pointers and rebounding will tell the tale for Wapahani’s chances. The Raiders are a 41% 3-point shooting team on the season. A number around there would be beneficial.
Prediction
Brownstown Central 70, Wapahani 65.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA basketball Class 2A high school state finals preview, prediction
