Page 20 - 2016-17 Boys Basketball State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review

New Albany Holds on for Second State Championship
Held to 16 points through three quar- to tie the game at 26. Lankford scored
ters, New Albany standout sophomore nine points during the run, including
Romeo Langford wouldn’t be denied. a layup with 1:39 left in the half. But
And neither would the Bulldogs. McCutcheon scored seven of the final
Langford – ranked in the top five in the nine points of the half to go back on top
nation among shooting guards in the 33-28 at the break.
Class of 2018 – scored 12 of his game-
high 28 points in the fourth quarter, New Albany opened the third quarter
leading Class 4A’s top-ranked team to with a 13-2 run to take a six-point lead.
a 62-59 win over No. 4 McCutcheon McCutcheon rallied back to retake
(28-4) in the state championship game. the lead, but a 3-pointer from Sean
It was New Albany’s second state title East gave the Bulldogs the lead for
and came 43 years after the first one. good with 1:32 left in the third quarter.
McCutcheon would close within a point
Langford, who came into the night multiple times in the fourth before New
averaging 30.3 points per game, Albany closed the game out, hitting 6-8
punctuated the win with a slam dunk off free throws in the final 49 seconds.
teammate Isaac Hibbard’s steal with 17
seconds left that gave the Bulldogs a The Bulldogs, who finished 27-1 under
six-point cushion. Coach Jim Shannon, got 17 points
from Hibbard and 10 points from East.
After falling behind 8-4 in the first McCutcheon’s Haden Deaton and
quarter, McCutcheon ran off 15 of the six points and assisted on both of Eddy Collins each scored 14 points
next 17 points to take a 19-10 lead Dunbar’s treys. for Coach Rick Peckinpaugh, while
with 6:35 left in the half. Gavin Dunbar Phinisee added 13 points, six rebounds
hit two 3-pointers during the run, while New Albany responded with its own and six assists.
teammate Robert Phinisee scored flurry, outscoring the Mavericks 16-7

Marion Scores State Record-Tying Eighth Championship
In rallying from a 10-point halftime def- for Head Coach James Blackmon, graduate himself. Javi Langley scored
icit in the Class 3A state championship it was extra special. Blackmon, who 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds
game, the Marion Giants were able to coached Fort Wayne Bishop Luers for the Bulldogs, while Erik Bell added
both make history and then tie it. to state titles in 2008 and 2009, is a eight assists.
1983 graduate of Marion. He was an
Trailing Evansville Bosse 35-25 at half- Indiana All-Star his senior year, lead-
time, the Giants hit nine of 10 shots on ing the Giants to the Final Four and
the way to a 3A-record 31-point third later being inducted into the Indiana
quarter, taking a 56-50 lead. Marion Basketball Hall of Fame.
would push the lead to 11 points in
the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs Evansville Bosse, making its eighth
rallied to take a 66-65 lead with 2:33 trip to the state finals, led 18-8 at the
to go. end of the first quarter and 35-25 at
halftime. After falling behind in the
But Giants senior Reggie Jones hit two fourth, sophomore guard Mekhi Lairy
free throws to give his team the lead scored 10 of his game-high 28 points
five seconds later, and then hit four during a 15-3 run to retake the lead.
foul shots in the final 17.9 seconds to But the Giants went 8-8 from the line
preserve the lead and give his team to close out the game.
a 73-68 win. Jones finished with 25
points, 19 in the second half, and eight Marion (23-7) also got 17 points from
rebounds. Juswon White – 13 above his season
average – 14 points from Tim Leavell
The championship gave Marion eight and 12 points from Vijay Blackmon.
state titles, which ties the Giants with
Muncie Central for the most in Indiana Bosse finished 19-11 under Coach
boys basketball state history. And Shane Burkhart, a 1992 Marion

20 IHSAA State Basketball Tournament presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever