INDIANAPOLIS – Orleans captured its first-ever IHSAA state championship in school history Saturday with a 64-55 win over Clinton Prairie in the Class A Boys Basketball State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Bulldogs (25-4) saved their best performance for the season finale, evidenced by a state finals record-setting shooting feat. Orleans made 23-of-36 (64%) shots from the floor, including 6-of-10 (60%) from beyond the arc, which shattered IHSAA record books. Orleans never trailed by more than one possession and finished the final frame on an 18-9 scoring run to pull away with the 1A state title.
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Orleans coach Tom Bradley, the longest-tenured coach competing at the 115th annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals, brought Orange County its first state champ after 26 seasons with the Bulldogs.
“Our community is just so good about supporting anything that goes on here,” Bradley said. “Two thousand people that were here. They support us so much and more than anything, it is a gift to our (community).”
Alex Dewitt caught fire early by scoring the first three baskets, along with the first bucket of each quarter for the Bulldogs. Orleans fan section erupted once Bryce Jones went up and under the rim to connect on a circus layup. After Nate Brown secured a steal, he found senior Ryan Crocker for a transition 3-pointer to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 11-5.
The Gophers (26-3) showed they would not go down without a flurry of their own, retaliating with a 9-0 scoring run to take the lead after a pair of 3s made by Evan Smock and Alex Farley. A critical foul drawn beyond the arc in the waning seconds of the first quarter gifted three made free throws for Crocker to knot it up at 14-14.
Dewitt broke the ice in the second quarter by crashing the boards to score a second-chance layup and regain the lead. Dewitt finished with a game-high 24 points and led the Bulldogs with seven rebounds.
As the pace of play increased, both teams traded three baskets a piece. Clinton Prairie momentarily took a 23-21 lead midway through the second frame once Smock drilled his second 3-pointer, but Orleans responded with a 7-0 scoring run, initiated by Crocker hitting his second shot from deep. The Bulldogs continued to attack the glass and outrebounded the Gophers 13-4 in the first half.
Jones kept pounding the boards to score a second chance layup, then made a pull-up jumper in the final minute as Orleans took a 28-25 lead into halftime. Jones, the Ray Craft Mental Attitude Award winner, added 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor.
“It means a lot to me,” Jones said after receiving the award. “We put in the hard work and I’m trying to help guide these guys.”
Orleans opened the second half on a 16-8 scoring run and took its biggest lead by 11 points once Crocker buried his third shot from beyond the arc. Crocker contributed 16 points to Orleans first state title win.
Clinton Prairie fought back and stormed on a 13-2 run over a four-minute span to tie it up at 46-46 early in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs entered the state finals allowing the fifth-fewest points per game in Indiana and showcased outstanding defense to control the pace for the final 20 minutes of action.
To be the best, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs had to beat the best, in order. Orleans had not competed in a state championship game since 1914, but knocked off the top three ranked 1A teams, Clay City, Hauser, and Clinton Prairie, in the most critical affairs of its triumphant season.