Four state champions were crowned Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse at the IHSAA boys’ basketball State Finals. In Class 4A, Carmel won its second straight championship as the Greyhounds held off conference rival Lawrence North 51-46 in overtime. Silver Creek was a repeat winner in 3A after beating Leo in a 50-49 thriller. Kooper Jacobi led the Dragons with 18 points and 18 rebounds, while Purdue recruit Trey Kaufman-Renn had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Class 2A featured a back-to-back winner as well, as Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian defeated Parke Heritage 55-40. Blackhawk Christian was led by Purdue recruit Caleb Furst, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half. In Class 1A, Barr-Reeve used phenomenal first half defense to beat Kouts 64-48.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on the Baylor Bears in the men’s basketball national championship game tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Gonzaga is 31-0 after beating UCLA in an overtime thriller in the Final Four Saturday night. A 40-footer as time expired lifted the Zags to a 93-90 win in one of the best NCAA Tournament games of all-time. Baylor is 27-2 after easily handling Houston 78-59 in the national semifinals. The Bears are coached by Butler graduate and former Valparaiso coach Scott Drew. Gonzaga is aiming to be the first undefeated D1 men’s team since IU went 32-0 in 1976. The Bulldogs and Bears have spent almost the entire season one and two in the polls, and it’s the first time since 2005 that the top two seeds in the Big Dance meet in the title game. The two teams were scheduled to play at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in December, but the much-anticipated one-two showdown was canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Gonzaga program. The national championship gets underway at 9:20 Eastern tonight on CBS.
The Cincinnati Reds dominated the St. Louis Cardinals 12-1 to take the three-game series. The Reds lead baseball with 27 runs and 30 hits in 3 games. Zach Davies was the victorious pitcher in his Cubs debut, as Chicago defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 to win the series at Wrigley Field.
