Wrapping up 2024 IHSAA boys basketball state finals from A to Z

Emptying the notepad from a fun final day of the high school basketball season with the four state finals games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Let’s go A to Z style for the state finals:

A is for attendance. The numbers from Saturday: 8,772 for the first session and 11,615 for the second session for a single-day total of 20,387. It felt like there was a good buzz in the crowd all day. I don’t think the two-week break from the semistate, or the spring break schedule probably helped, but both were unavoidable this year.

B is for Benter. And Brownstown Central. For all of the points Purdue recruit Jack Benter scored (he had 25 on Saturday to finish his career with 2,549 to rank No. 11 on the state’s all-time list), it might be a pass he is best remembered for — at least from Saturday’s game. His perfectly placed, 30-foot behind-the-back bounce pass to teammate Micah Sheffer for a 3-pointer in the second half of his team’s 55-36 win over Wapahani was a thing of beauty. How did he see it? I have no idea.

C is for Chase. As is, Chase Konieczny, the 6-3 junior for South Bend Saint Joseph. The Class 3A state championship did not turn out like he would have hoped but Konieczny was impressive in his team’s 67-57 loss to Scottsburg. He made his presence known with 15 points and 11 rebounds and played all 32 minutes. “It definitely hurts that we lost this game,” he said. “But I’m definitely going to use this as motivation the whole summer and the next season and we’re definitely going to be back here next year.”

D is for defense. Brownstown Central is known as an offensive team. But the Braves took pride in the defensive end on Saturday the 55-36 win over Wapahani, holding the Raiders (averaging 64 points) to a season low. Wapahani was just 5-for-28 from the 3-point line. Brownstown Central’s length had a lot to do with that.

E is for emotion. A very heartfelt moment at halftime of the Class 2A game as longtime referee Kevin Lewis was honored with the IHSAA commissioner’s distinguished service award. Lewis, who his battling pancreatic cancer, rose from his wheelchair and gave a fist pump. Inspiring moment. Glad Lewis was able to feel the love from his fellow officials and the entire crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

F is for Fishers. I’m not sure anybody thought Fishers was going to win a state championship after Jalen Haralson transferred to La Lumiere in July. The Tigers were the best team in Class 4A from start to finish. Credit coach Garrett Winegar and his staff for player development from the returners, a couple of talented freshmen and a competitive roster that pushed each other all season. The Tigers also stepped up in some big-time environments, including the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game vs. Ben Davis. That is not always easy for a team without experience winning those games previously.

G is for George McGinnis. Just a thought: Why not name one of the Mental Attitude award winners after the former Indianapolis Washington star who died in December at age 73? I’m not sure there is anyone who better exemplified “mental attitude” than McGinnis, one of the state’s all-time great players and people. Congratulations to this year’s winners: Bethesda Christian’s Luke Douglas (Class A), Wapahani’s Isaac Andrews (2A), South Bend Saint Joseph’s Jerry Barca (3A) and Fishers’ Parker Perdue (4A). One of the highlights of the state finals every year is announcement of these awards.

H is for Hall. Fishers’ junior JonAnthony Hall proved he is more than just a football prospect (though he is an excellent wide receiver and kick returner with offers from Indiana, Purdue and others) with a 23-point, 10-rebound performance in a 65-56 win over Ben Davis in the Class 4A championship. “I know JonAnthony has a lot of football offers but if I’m any mid-major in the country I’m trying to talk him into play basketball,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said. “That dude is a winner.”

I is for Isaac Andrews. The Wapahani senior left it all out there, rallying his team back to get within six points of Brownstown Central in the third quarter. Andrews played all but 27 seconds of the game and finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists in his final game. Andrews finished with 2,151 career points to rank No. 37 on the state’s all-time list. “No. 20 here will go down in our history as the all-time leading scorer, all-time leading scorer in Delaware County history and an all-time winner and class act. He’ll play college basketball and somebody is going to get a winner.”

J is for Jack Miller. Holy smokes. The Scottsburg senior was outstanding in his team’s 67-57 win over South Bend Saint Joseph in the Class 3A championship. The 6-6 Miller, the son of Hanover coach Jon Miller, put on a show with 32 points and four rebounds while playing all 32 minutes. Impressive is an understatement. Miller dunked, made 3-pointers (3-for-6) and played with supreme confidence all evening.

K is for Kiwanis Club luncheon. This is one of my favorite annual events. I’m honored to be a part of it but more than anything it is also a great time to get to know the players and coaches before we watch them play on Saturday.

L is for Luce. Wapahani coach Matt Luce thoroughly enjoyed bringing his team to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the program’s first state finals appearance in the Class 2A game against Brownstown Central. It did not end how the second-ranked Raiders hoped in a 55-36 loss to Jack Benter and the No. 1 Braves. But Luce, a Wapahani grad, was able to get the program to the state finals for the first time in his 17^th season. “Awesome young men,” Luce said of his team. “They give me pride and should give the rest of us pride that the future is bright for Indiana and America.”

M is for Mlagan. It was not the ending Bethesda Christian would have liked with a 48-41 loss to Fort Wayne Canterbury in the Class A game. Bethesda leading scorer, senior Sam Mlagan, was limited to eight points (with four rebounds, three assists and two steals). But it was an incredible Bethesda career for Mlagan, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer during its IHSAA history. Cool, too, that he broke his brother Jake’s record. And that Jake was an assistant coach.

N is for national anthem. And Noelle Duncan, a star on the rise. The Kokomo junior might have been the most talented person in the building on Saturday — and that is saying something. Noelle is a star on the rise. Her rendition of the national anthem before the Class 3A and 4A games was outstanding. Ella Chambers of Brownsburg also did a phenomenal job prior to the first two games. Well done.

O is for offense. I wondered coming into Saturday if the shooting numbers would suffer with a two-week break. It didn’t really feel that way. The Class A game was a bit sluggish offensively, but the others did not feel that way. The highest team point total was 67 (by Scottsburg) but that is not unusual for the state finals.

P is for Pat Rady. It was great to catch up with the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach between sessions. Rady, who won 761 games before his retirement at Cloverdale in 2015, has a lot of great stories from his 51 years in coaching. Rady was talking in the hallway with former Ben Davis coach Steve Witty, who knows a thing or two about basketball, too. It is cool to see the former coaches play an active role and attend the state finals.

Q is for question. Is the lack of television broadcasts for the state finals going to hurt the overall product? I know we are in a different world of fractured interests and the media landscape is ever evolving. This is not necessarily a criticism, but I have to wonder — hearing this often on Saturday — if the common fan without a rooting interest is going to shell out $20 to watch all the games. And I have a family member who did. But those might just be the diehards. I don’t have an answer here, just thinking out loud and wondering if the overall product will take a hit.

R is for respect. Keenan Garner, just 18 months after moving from Germany, where he lived on a military base with his parents, was not sure what to expect when he moved to Indiana. But standing there with a state championship medal around his neck Saturday night, Garner (19 points and nine rebounds in the 65-56 win over Ben Davis in the 4A game) had certainly earned the respect of his teammates and vice versa. Garner was outstanding all season, leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding and showing up in all the big moments. How about the 3-pointer he hit to put Fishers up by four with 4:20 left in regulation? Huge.

S is for speed. Mark Zackery IV going downhill with the basketball. Whoosh. The Ben Davis junior jumped into the point guard role and ran with it, playing his best basketball in the tournament. The 6-1 Zackery might be a football prospect — a really, really good one — but I wonder what his recruitment might look like if he was basketball only. He went for 14 points and five assists in the state finals.

T is for Taylor. Ben Davis interim coach Corey Taylor took over at the start of the season, moving over from assistant to head coach, and led the Giants back to the state finals. It is easy to criticize coaches — and many do, obviously — but Taylor handled what could have been a difficult situation and did his job remarkable well. I can’t imagine Taylor won’t have some options out there to be a head coach if that is what he desires. I’m sure Don Carlisle would also love to have him on his staff, too.

U is for under the rafters. Scottsburg coach Eric Richardson said there is a spot already picked out for the Class 3A state championship banner in the Meyer Gym — also known as the “Pressure Cooker.” One to match the girls’ 1989 single-class state championship. Pretty cool for seniors Kody Clancy, Jack Miller, Wyatt Zellers and Caden Richardson.

V is for victory. It is sweet for all the champions, of course. You had to feel good for a coach like Dave Benter of Brownstown Central, who has coached for 26 years and brought his team to Indianapolis twice for the state finals only to fall short. “This is the closest locker room I’ve ever had,” Benter said. “There’s something to be said about winning games together and playing for each other. I think Wapahani was the same way.”

W is for Windham. I’m not sure anyone took Ben Davis’ loss to Fishers as hard as Ben Davis guard and Northwestern commit K.J. Windham. Though it did not end with the back-to-back state championship he hoped for, the senior became the first 1,000-point scorer at Ben Davis since his brother, Jalen, accomplished the feat in 2019. The Windham siblings, along with older sister Jazmine, left quite a legacy at Ben Davis. All three won a state championship, though Jazmine might have bragging rights with a pair of titles in 2009 and ’10.

X is for x-factor. Sometimes the season averages just don’t make sense. Fort Wayne Canterbury senior John Parent, averaging 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, went for 22 points and 10 rebounds in his team’s 48-41 win over Bethesda Christian in the Class A championship. It takes those type of performances to win a title.

Y is for you. Appreciate you readers for following along all season. I honestly already can’t wait for next season. There are so many talented juniors returning. Or … expected to return. The wheels of the high school basketball transfer portal are in motion at all times, sometimes leading to prep school transfers. There are a few coming. Expect it. But next year will still be fun.

Z is for Zachary. Fishers’ freshman Cooper Zachary won’t have a tougher matchup than facing Ben Davis’ Mark Zackery. But the kid is a gamer — and a big reason why Fishers was able to raise the Class 4A trophy. Zachary and fellow freshman Jason Gardner Jr. will feel like they have been around a decade by the time their four years are up at Fishers.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school basketball state finals wrapup from A to Z