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It’s the goal of every player that picks up a basketball in the state of Indiana. It’s a stage where legends are created and dreams come true. It’s the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice. It’s the IHSAA boys basketball state finals.
On Saturday morning, the Triton Trojans will return to that stage for the fifth time in school history, searching for their second state title. Their opponent, Barr-Reeve, is looking for a third championship victory in eight tries. Competing in Class 1A, the two teams will tip off a busy day that will see eight teams across four classes attempt to cap off the season with one final victory.
“You don’t get too many opportunities in life to be number one at something. To win a state championship, to be a part of the number one team without a doubt, that’s not something a lot of people get to say they’ve done,” Triton senior guard Julian Swanson said at practice Tuesday.
The Trojans head coach, Jason Groves, knows how true that is. In charge of the program for the last 21 seasons, Groves oversaw the first four trips to the state finals in school history, including the team’s lone victory in 2008. Even with all four of those trips coming in and before 2013, Groves says getting back to this spot hasn’t been in the front of his mind.
“You always want to get back to that level of success, but coaching is about so much more than that. It’s about developing young men on and off the court,” he said. “I’ve had plenty of groups that did everything right but didn’t get the opportunity to make it this far.”
This group did.
This year’s Triton team has compiled a 25-3 record to this point in the season, having won 15 straight contests ahead of the clash with Barr-Reeve in Indy. Two of those three losses came to teams classed above the Trojans (2A Bremen and 3A NorthWood), with the third coming to No. 1 Kouts on January 9.
After winning their three sectional games by an average of 27 points, Triton picked up a thrilling 53-51 win over Marquette Catholic in the regional on a last-second shot by Gage Riffle after Landon Patrick came up with a game-changing steal. Returning to play at Lafayette Jefferson, the same semi-state site the team had its dreams dashed at a year ago, the Trojans used a running clock to dispatch Tri-County 78-46 in the first contest before defeating a tough North Vermillion squad 51-45.
“This has always been a special group, but what they’ve been able to accomplish the last month or so has been incredible,” Groves said. “We’ve always been very good and consistent on defense, but we’ve seen our offense really improve, guys are more aggressive, and it’s really paid off.”
Now, the Trojans will face off against their toughest test yet. The Vikings of Barr-Reeve boast a 27-1 record and come into Saturday’s game having won 18 in a row. The road for the champions of the southern half of the state was a grueling one. In the sectional final, Barr-Reeve defeated No. 5 Orleans, the reigning state champions, 54-36. After squeaking past West Washington 55-53 in the regional, the Vikings took on two more top ten opponents in the semi-state. Barr-Reeve narrowly won both of those, defeating No. 9 Liberty Christian 39-37 before taking down No. 3 Hauser 52-47 to clinch a trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Unlike Groves, who has called Bourbon his home for 26 years, this is the first year for Heath Howington as the head honcho in Montgomery. This is his third head coaching stop, having spent eight years at North Posey before five at Evansville Memorial.
The Vikings have three players that average double figures scoring, led by junior Kierson Lengacher and his 14.1 a game. Sophomore Jaylon Graber scores 10.8 a game while also leading the way in rebounding with a touch over four a night. Fellow sophomore Braxton Neidigh rounds out the top three scorers with 10.1 a game. Junior Carson Yoder sets the table for the group, dishing out over four assists per contest.
“They’re a really good basketball team on both sides of the court. They’re not super tall but they have some length and athleticism. Their kids just fight, they’re dogs on defense,” Groves said. “Offensively, they remind us a bit of ourselves. They’re very balanced and they spread you out. They’re hard to guard and they’re hard to come back against.”
With the game tipping off at 10:30 on Saturday morning, the Trojans will be spending Friday night in Indianapolis. For those wishing to cheer them on as they leave town, the school is doing a send off at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon as the fire department escorts the team out of town. The combination of sleeping in an unfamiliar bed the night before the biggest game of your life may create some jitters, but the players feel prepared.
“The nerves come with it. With all of the work you put in, it’s okay to be nervous because we haven’t been here before. But they haven’t either,” senior wing Gage Riffle said. “At the end of the day, no matter who’s feeling what, we have each other to help us get through it.”
With just 32 minutes standing between these two teams and the most sought after trophy in the state, any advantage helps. For the Trojans, they feel like their camaraderie is a big one.
“I think when we’re playing at the peak of our powers we’re a very hard team to stop. I think if we’re playing well and playing together, we’ll have the edge,” Swanson said.
