By the numbers: What to know about 2023 IHSAA basketball state finalists
There are eight teams remaining playing high school basketball with the four state championship games coming Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. One thing to know, by the numbers, about each of the teams competing:
1: State ranking in Class 3A for NorthWood (27-2), which is making its first state finals appearance after winning its first regional since 2007 under 16th-year coach Aaron Wolfe. NorthWood’s only losses came in December to last year’s 3A champion, Beech Grove, and in the Hall of Fame Classic to 4A top-ranked Ben Davis. NorthWood has won 19 consecutive games led by 6-3 senior Cade Brenner (18.0, 4.6 rebounds), 6-6 senior Ian Raasch (15.1 ppg, 5.6 rebounds) and 6-8 sophomore Tyler Raasch (9.5 ppg, 6.9 rebounds).
2: Previous state championships for Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, which won the Class A title in 2019 and 2A championship in 2A in 2021 under previous coach Marc Davidson. Current coach Matt Roth was an assistant for three seasons from 2013-16 under Davidson, who died last May after battling cancer. Roth, the former Indiana sharpshooting guard, was hired last spring before Davidson passed. One of Marc’s sons, Jimmy Davidson, is a 6-3 senior who averages 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Blackhawk Christian (26-3) is led in scoring by Josh Furst (19.0 ppg, 7.6 rebounds), the younger brother of 2021 Mr. Basketball Caleb Furst.
What we learned from semistate: Ben Davis didn't get to 32-0 on talent alone.
3: Consecutive wins over top-10 teams for No. 8 Lutheran (19-7), which is making its first state finals appearance since 2008 and seeking its first title, before defeating unranked Rock Creek Academy 55-47 in the semistate championship Saturday night at the Hatchet House in Washington. The Saints defeated No. 5 Greenwood Christian 61-57 in the sectional championship, beat No. 1 Bloomfield 43-40 in the regional championship and took out No. 4 Loogootee 67-66 in the semistate semifinal Saturday. Lutheran, the two-time defending state champion in football, is looking for its first title in boys basketball.
4: Years since Linton-Stockton last appeared in the state finals. The Class 2A top-ranked Miners (29-1) are seeking their first state championship under unusual circumstances after reaching the state championship in 2013 and ’19. Noah Hawkins is serving as the interim coach for the second time this season after coach Joey Hart was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated last week. The Miners are led by Hart’s son, also named Joey Hart, who is a 6-6 senior who is headed to Central Florida. Hart averages 23.7 points and 6-3 senior Logan Webb averages 16.7 points and 3.5 assists.
5: Seasons Bobby Allen has been coach at Guerin Catholic, which is making its fourth state finals appearance and looking for its third state championship after winning 3A in 2012 and ’15. Allen played in the first class basketball state championship season 25 years ago for Cathedral, which won 3A and played 4A championship Pike to a 62-58 loss in the ill-fated Tournament of Champions. Allen’s team knocked out defending 3A champion Beech Grove 58-46 in the early semistate game at Seymour, then took out Scottsburg 56-40 after leading by 22 points at halftime.
6: Games into the season before Southwood, making its second state finals appearance in Class A, recorded its first victory. The Knights (15-12) were 0-5 before knocking off Southern Wells, a six-win team, by 44 points. First-year coach Christian Perry, previously an assistant under John Burrus, was hired in July when Burrus took the Maconaquah job. Southwood was 10-12 entering the sectional, but all of those losses came to 2A and 3A programs. With a victory over Lutheran, Southwood would equal the fewest number of victories for a state champion, matching the 1911 Crawfordsville and 1912 Lebanon teams. Southwood is the first team to reach the state finals with 12 or more losses.
7: State finals appearances for Class 4A top-ranked Ben Davis (32-0), which is back for a second time under coach Don Carlisle, who led the Giants there in his first season in 2019. Ben Davis last won a championship in 2017 under coach Mark James and won back-to-back titles for Steve Witty in 1995 and ’96. These Giants would break the school record for wins with a victory and would be second all-time in wins behind 1922-23 state champion Vincennes, which went 34-1.
8: Shots per 10 attempts that Flory Bidunga makes. Actually a little better. The 6-10 junior, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the county in the junior class is hitting at an 80.9% clip this season. Bidunga is averaging 20.3 points, 13.9 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game for the 24-4 Wildkats, who are making their first state finals appearance since 2011 and seeking their first title since 1961. Kokomo was the state runner-up in 1925, 1944, 1959, 1989 and 2011.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
IHSAA 2023 boys basketball state finals schedule
When: Saturday
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Tickets: $15 per person, per session
TV: Class A and 2A games will air on Bally Sports Indiana, while Class 3A and 4A games will air on Bally Sports Indiana Extra due to overlap with Pacers game
Class A
Southwood (15-12) vs. Lutheran (19-7), 10:30 a.m.
Class 2A
Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (26-3) vs. Linton-Stockton (29-1), 12:45 p.m.
Class 3A
NorthWood (27-2) vs. Guerin Catholic (20-8), 6 p.m.
Class 4A
Kokomo (24-4) vs. Ben Davis (32-0), 8:15 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school basketball state finals: What to know about teams
