Putting to rest another IHSAA basketball season filled with highs and lows, the 4A title game did not disappoint as Jeffersonville outpaced Fishers 67-66 — putting an end to an incredible 43-win streak. 

“First game I coached, [Cathedral] beat us by 50,” Jeffersonville head coach Sherron Wilkerson said. “Last game I coach, we get to play for a state championship. I think that puts in perspective how much we’ve matured and grown over the last three years.”

As is typical with most championship bouts, the Tigers and Red Devils got off to a rather slow start in the first quarter, with Fishers boasting a slim 11-8 lead. 

The winners of 43 in a row would not be able to sail smoothly like they have done nearly all year as senior Northwestern commit Tre Singleton poured in 11 of his 26 points in the first half, pacing Jeffersonville to a 30-24 halftime lead. 

“We knew coming into the game here they played a lot of bully ball,” Singleton said. “We knew if we wanted to win, we’re going to have to play bully ball back.”

Starting the second half, the Red Devils did just that — shooting a blistering 58% from the field for the  game. With such an elite clip from the field, it made the Tigers’ 45% look poor and inefficient.

Settling in down the stretch of the third quarter, it was clear that Jeffersonville had been the better squad for the majority of the game. 

However, a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter from senior Millen McCartney helped revive the Tigers’ spirit. This propelled them to within three points entering the final period of play, the closest they had been in nearly six minutes of game time. 

“[I told the guys] that they’re the defending state champs and they’re not just going to go away,” Wilkerson said. “Hence the reason that it went to overtime, when you got a team like Fishers that is ultra-aggressive and puts pressure on you both ways, it makes it really tought to make plays when it counts.” 

Going back and forth throughout the fourth quarter, it was a couple of big shots from sophomore guards Zachary Cooper and Jason Gardner Jr. down the stretch to keep Fishers afloat against Jeffersonville. 

With Gardner Jr. giving the Tigers a two-point lead late in the game, it was a driving lay-up from senior Michael Cooper that knotted the score back up at 60 — eventually sending the game into overtime.

Overtime was more of the same, with junior guard Elijah Cheeks eventually cutting to the basket for what would become the game-winning play after a defensive stand by the Red Devils. 

“[As I am in the post], I see his man starting to dig on me,” Singleton said. “I knew that was an open pass, so as soon as I saw him he did a good job to catch the ball and finish through traffic.” 

Jeffersonville’s championship marks its first since coach Wilkerson was a player on the first-ever title in school history in 1993. 

“I keep trying to explain to people, this is God’s plan,” Wilkerson said. “I know it sounds cliche, but man, they were defending champs, ranked eighth in the country and beat everybody by 25 points in the tournament — it was a David vs. Goliath story.”