The Indiana Pacers will honor the eight Indiana High School Athletic Association 2018 state basketball champions during Tuesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets during the final "Hickory Night" of the season. Continue reading to learn more about each state champion. (Note: All quotes are from The Indianapolis Star)
Girls
Four girls state championships were earned on February 24 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including one school winning their first state championship in any sport and an unranked team winning their first girls basketball state title.
Class A: Marquette Catholic 38, Vincennes Rivet 31
Top-ranked Marquette Catholic came out on top between the battle of the top two ranked teams in Class A, defeating Vincennes Rivet 38-31. In their victory, Marquette Catholic set a Class A State Championship record for points allowed with 31.
The victory caps off a dominant season for Marquette Catholic, who finished with a record of 27-2. They locked down Vincennes Rivet all game long, only allowing them to shoot 17.4 percent from the field in the game.
Class 2A: Central Noble 46, Winchester Community 42
Central Noble took home their first state championship in any sport by defeating Winchester Community, 46-42. They managed to overcome a six-point halftime deficit to take home the title.
Central Noble, who is coached by Josh Treesh, was able to keep pressure on Winchester Community throughout the game, helping them get 10 steals and 12 points off turnovers.
Class 3A: Northwestern 63, Greensburg 42
Northwestern earned their first girls basketball state title by taking down Greensburg, 63-42. Their dominant championship game caps off a season that featured only one loss.
Kathie Layden, Northwestern's head coach, took home her fourth state title and said that intensity was key to Northwestern's victory.
"We played the way we have all season long," Layden said, "We shared the ball, we were aggressive on defense and we rebounded well."
Class 4A: Warren Central 50, Zionsville 46
Warren Central capped off the girls championship with their first girls basketball state title, defeating Zionsville 50-46. The game was tied at 39 with 6:03 left to play, but Warren Central was able to gain an edge and close out the victory.
They came into the game unranked and trailed by one entering the fourth quarter, but Stacy Mitchell, the team's head coach, said that didn't deter them.
"We stayed poised and kept it together," Mitchell said. "When they made a run, we didn't succumb to the run mentally. This is something they can never take away from them."
Boys
On March 24, four schools took home their first boys state basketball titles, including a school that won their first state title in any sport and another that completed a sweep of the boys and girls state championships this season.
Class A: Morristown 89, Southwood 60
Morristown opened the day with a blowout, defeating Southwood 89-60. In total, 10 Class A State Championship records were set in the game, with five of those set by Morristown. Those records include Morristown's record for most points scored with 89.
Morristown dominated the glass in the game, grabbing 51 rebounds to Southwood's 29. They also moved the ball much better than Southwood, dishing out 25 assists to Southwood's 12. Head Coach Scott McClelland said that's just part of the team's identity.
"It's a product of who this team is," McClelland said. "They've shared the ball all year long."
Class 2A: Oak Hill 56, Forest Park 44
Oak Hill closed out the morning session with their first boys basketball state title, defeating Forest Park 56-44. The game was a defensive struggle throughout, as both teams struggled to score.
Oak Hill was able to get an edge by forcing turnovers, as Forest Park coughed up the rock 20 times. They were able to capitalize on those mistakes by tallying 16 points off turnovers. Fifteen of those turnovers came in the second half and helped Oak Hill put away Forest Park.
Class 3A: Culver Academies 64, Evansville Bosse 49
The evening session opened with Culver Academies winning the first state championship in any sport in school history. They defeated Evansville Bosse, 64-49. The state championship game got off to a scorching start for Culver Academies, as they jumped out to a 30-8 lead early in the second quarter.
They never relinquished that lead, staying in front for over 28 minutes of game time. That lead was maintained because they took advantage of Evansville Bosse's mistakes, forcing 18 turnovers and scoring 26 points off of them.
Culver Academies Head Coach Mark Galloway attributed the win to their defensive effort. "We just locked in and played really good defense," he said.
Class 4A: Warren Central 54, Carmel 48
The day was capped off with its closest game as Warren Central took down Carmel 54-48 to complete their undefeated season at 32-0. The win also meant that Warren Central had captured both the boys and girls state basketball titles.
Their victory didn't come easy, as they trailed by as much as 11 in the third quarter. Warren Central Head Coach Criss Beyers said that the lead never seemed insurmountable to his team.
"It definitely helped that we've been down worse than this," Beyers said. "They've believed all year long that there is no deficit that is too much."
Warren Central finished the season as the number two ranked team in the country, according to USA TODAY high school sports.