Saturday was a great day of state finals games in Indiana with Northeast Indiana getting representation in two of the four state finals games.
New Haven became the third NE8 program to play in the state finals this season in basketball after both Norwell and Bellmont did so on the girls side. Meanwhile, Westview’s boys became the second program from the NECC to play in the finals, following the Fremont girls. Also of a fun note, the area had representations in every class this postseason with the Norwell girls in 4A, New Haven boys and Bellmont girls in 3A, Westview boys in 2A and Fremont girls in 1A.
What are some other notes of interest from state finals Saturday?
BRYCE YODER’S INTENSITY
Standing just 5-foot-5 and a freshman, you could think that Westview’s Bryce Yoder wouldn’t be able to alter a state title game much. And you would be wrong to think that.
Yoder was important in the first half of Westview’s Class 2A final against Parke Heritage because of his intensity. He is more thank just a pesky defender, but he does that really well. When Parke Heritage’s Brenden Goins was strong early, Yoder took over on him and really frustrated the key Wolves player. As the two battled back and forth and things got physical in the first half, Yoder both drew on offensive hooking foul and saw Goins pick up a let technical as they battled and talked back and forth.
That technical, while you can’t actually credit to Yoder, gave Westview free throws and eventual three pointer that cut a seven point game to a two point halftime deficit. Yoder also had a sneaky big basket in the first half, racing in from the perimeter to get an offensive rebound and score that was a big part of Westview’s first comeback in the game.
Yoder then also hit a big three to end the third quarter, Westview’s 11th triple of the game, to cut the Warrior deficit to three. With three seasons left in his high school career, it is easy to be excited about Yoder’s future.
THEY ARE ALL STILL YOUNG
Northeast Indiana has no boys team state champions this year, but what they do have are two teams who could fight to find their way back in Gainbridge Fieldhouse next season.
Westview started three juniors and a freshman this season. So while the loss of Kaden Grau is massive as a near 20 point per game scorer, the fact that the Warriors bring back all but he, Austin Troyer and Brett Springer and had a really good junior varsity team to call from is important.
Grau is one of just three Warriors that saw action in every one of their games this season, so in no way can we pretend it is an easy to replace him. But they still bring back 50.1 points in scoring for a team that ran through the NECC and basically through everyone else. Austin Schlabach has so much potential that he has reached and perhaps another level we’ve yet to see unlocked, while fellow juniors Daniel Yoder, Pierce Yoder and Kaine Reinhold will all see their roles enhance next season in Grau’s absence. You’ve already read about Bryce Yoder above, while other current freshmen Cooper Schwartz and Blake Hostetler could make nice impacts for Westview.
New Haven isn’t in the exact same position as they lose more bigger pieces but there is so much back to be excited about. The Bulldogs will say farewell to Jadrien Ezell, Darion Cryer, Daylen Jackson, Ja’Mere Walker and DaMarcus Wright now. But they will still return three starters who are juniors right now, as well as classmate Marquaylon Johnson and a freshman with a high ceiling in Jayon Thomas.
New Haven’s returners will bring back 38 percent of their scoring including leading scorer Tarvar Baskerville and 44 percent of their rebounding including their leading rebounder in Lavell Ledbetter.
Both state finalists will lose some key pieces, but neither cupboard is bare and these state finals runs will give both teams so much momentum into their futures.
THAT FINAL SHOT
That is the shot you want. It is the person you want it from.
That was all Bounce could think in the minutes after Westview junior Austin Schlabach’s final look lightly bounced on the rim as the Class 2A state title game ended. It would be hard to ask for a better look and you want Schlabach taking that shot, no matter how big other Westview players played all year or on Saturday afternoon.
Even Schlabach looked up at the rim, almost looking betrayed that the shot did not fall.
That is because, as far as I am concerned, Schlabach like most of us knew that shot was supposed to fall. That is what he has done so many times in his career and has been so clutch at this season especially in playoff basketball. Austin Schlabach makes shots. The Gainbridge Fieldhouse gods just had other plans on Saturday.
Schlabach finished his junior season 208 of 443 shooting the ball. His 61.2 percent coming into the state finals game was the third best of any Class 2A regular player. He hit 24 more shots this season than anyone else in the Class 2A finals. Bad players disappear when shots don’t fall and Austin Schlabach never disappeared this season; may mean bad things for defenders who line up against him next season.
ACTIVITY THAT DRIVES THEM
Looking solely at New Haven’s stats from their Class 3A title game loss to Indianapolis Cathedral, two names may not stick out over the others but those two players were deeply critical to the Bulldogs’ successes in the title game.
Daylen Jackson and Lavell Ledbetter didn’t have the greatest traditional best stat in that Ledbetter scored nine while Jackson had just two points. But the pair were the only Bulldogs with a positive +/- on the night and that is for a reason. They combined to shoot just 2-of-10 from the field on the night, which nobody wants, but they did basically everything else to help New Haven.
Ledbetter was a massive part of the New Haven lineup all season. There is a reason he played a team third best 26:59 in Saturday’s title game. Yet, he still doesn’t get enough attention for all of the little things that he does to make the engine go. While he did shoot poorly from the field in the loss, he went 7-of-7 from the free throw line, second in the game in both makes and attempts. Ledbetter also led New Haven with seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end, three assists, a steal and a block.
Jackson, while playing less at 15:15 also made up for any shooting woes by grabbing a team second best six rebounds, but also blocking a game high three shots.
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