Indiana Finals Feature State Record, Buzzer Beater

By Chris Boone

In the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) boys basketball state finals, Brownsburg (Indiana) High School and Washington (Indiana) High School claimed the Class 4A and Class 3A titles, respectively. However, each school won in very different ways.

In the 4A title game, senior Gordon Hayward gathered a loose inbounds pass with 2.1 seconds remaining and hit a layup as the final horn sounded, giving Brownsburg a 40-39 win over Marion (Indiana) High School.

After Marion junior Scott Wood hit a three-pointer with three seconds left to give the Giants a one-point lead, Brownsburg drew up an inbounds play from the opposite frontcourt for senior Julian Mavunga. Initially, a Marion player caught the inbounds pass, but Mavunga tipped it to Hayward, who gave the Bulldogs their first boys basketball state title.

Marion was attempting to win its eighth state basketball title and tie Muncie (Indiana) Central High School for the most in state history.

Mavunga led Brownsburg with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Hayward added 10 points.

While Brownsburg won a nailbiter, Washington took home the 3A title with ease, handling Fort Wayne (Indiana) Harding High School, 84-60.

However, the game was not without excitement as Washington senior Tyler Zeller scored a state finals-record 43 points. Zeller hit 14 of 22 field goals and 15 of 18 free throws, breaking the finals record of 40 points set by Carmel (Indiana) High School's David Shepherd in 1970.

The seven-foot Zeller also added 16 rebounds, and 6-foot-11 teammate Seth Coy tallied 20 points and 16 rebounds, proving to be an unstoppable inside combination.

Zeller, who will play for the University of North Carolina next year, is the younger brother of Luke Zeller, who helped Washington win a state title in 2005 with a half-court shot at the buzzer and who now attends the University of Notre Dame. Another Zeller brother, Cody, was a freshman on this year's team.

The title is the fifth all-time for Washington.

Hall of Fame members reach milestones

By Cassie Krisher

Two National High School Hall of Fame coaches recently achieved milestones in their high school coaching careers. John Lowery of Shenandoah Junction (West Virginia) Jefferson High School reached his 1,000th baseball victory, and Dick Katte of Denver (Colorado) Christian High School achieved his 800th boys basketball victory.

Lowery was inducted in 2002 while Katte was a 2004 inductee.

Lowery has been building up to the 1,000 milestone since 1971. He started the 2008 season just two wins away from that magical number.

Lowery's penchant for the tradition of high school athletics is carried on in his son, Rusty. In the game that moved Lowery to the threshold, his team was pitted against South Riding (West Virginia) Freedom High School, where Rusty is the athletic director.

Jefferson won, 10-0, in a six-inning victory with a combined no-hitter.

Lowery is the 10th baseball coach to achieve 1,000 victories. He has coached Jefferson teams to nine West Virginia 3A titles, including the most recent one in 2007.

Dick Katte celebrated his 800th career win in February, an achievement 44 years in the making. He coached the Denver (Colorado) Christian High School boys basketball team to a 77-60 win over Lafayette (Colorado) Peak to Peak High School. His grandchildren were there to commemorate the event, holding up three signs - an eight, a zero and another zero.

During his time at Denver Christian, he has coached the Crusaders to seven state titles, spanning from 1970 to 2006. However, Katte's contributions to basketball go beyond his winning career. His coaching philosophy emphasizes basketball as a way to develop student-athletes into good citizens beyond their actions on the court.

St. Anthony finishes a perfect season

By Cassie Krisher

Tradition, excellence, success, citizenship. The Jersey City (New Jersey) St. Anthony boys basketball team has exemplified all of these characteristics in its extraordinary history.

St. Anthony finished the 2007-08 season undefeated, winning the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B state title and the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, in which all four class champions compete for an overall state title.

The state title is St. Anthony's 25th, placing them at the top of the list for most all-time state championships in the National High School Sports Record Book. Nine of those titles were consecutive (1983-91), placing St. Anthony at No. 1 for most consecutive state titles as well.

St. Anthony also participated in and won the 2007 NFHS T-Mobile Invitational basketball tournament this past December.

Bob Hurley, St. Anthony boys basketball head coach, is also recognized in the record book. With this season's record, he has accumulated 933 wins since 1974 and is listed as one of the top coaches for most all-time wins in boys basketball.

Hurley was honored in March with the first-ever Naismith National High School Coach of the Year award for his outstanding season.

In 35 years of coaching, Hurley has inspired his players both on and off the court. Through basketball, he has motivated them to earn good grades and become productive citizens during their high school years and in life beyond high school. Against the odds, Hurley's players enjoy great success not only in athletics, but also in academics.

Six seniors from this year's St. Anthony team will continue to play at NCAA Division I schools, where they have all received scholarships.

Michigan ice hockey state final goes eight overtimes

By Cassie Krisher


After eight overtimes and 109 minutes of play, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) was forced to declare a tie for the Division I ice hockey state final in Plymouth, March 8.

Marquette (Michigan) Senior High School and Orchard Lake (Michigan) St. Mary's Prep School were tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation play, but neither team could score another goal by the end of the eighth overtime. As exhaustion wore on, the MHSAA decided to declare both teams co-champions.

Mark Peterson scored for Marquette in the second period, and St. Mary's Tim Hooker made a goal in the third. St. Mary's goalie Ryan Morley-Stockton made 58 saves, a Michigan state championship game record. Marquette's Joe Nezich made 33 saves.

The game is tied for second in the National High School Sports Record Book for most overtimes. Minneapolis (Minnesota) South and Thief River Falls (Minnesota) played 11 overtimes in 1955. Aurora (Ohio) defeated Solon (Ohio) in eight overtimes in 2007. Because the time allotted for overtime periods was increased in 1979, the Ohio and Michigan games actually had longer play times than the 1955 Minnesota game.

The Michigan game was a rematch of last year's state final, in which St. Mary's took home the trophy with a 4-2 win over Marquette.

Chris Boone is the online editor of High School Today.
Cassie Krisher is a spring semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a senior at Butler (Indiana) University, majoring in journalism and media arts.