The 93rd
Central Catholic’s Rally Puts Knights Over The Top
Unranked Lafayette Central Catholic came up with a third
quarter rally that got it back in the game and the Knights went on to capture
their third state title holding off Southwestern (Shelbyville), 68-64, in the
Class A State Championship Game.
The Knights, coached by Chad Dunwoody, finished 18-9 on the
season, while seventh-ranked Southwestern finished with a 22-5 record this
season. The Spartans were coached by Stacy Meyer.
Southwestern started out quickly, 5-0, and led for the entire first half including 39-27 at the break. Central Catholic went on a 15-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to take the lead 57-54. The Spartans, in their first state championship game, went scoreless for a span of 6:26 during that time scoring their first bucket of the fourth quarter with just 3:26 to play knotting the score at 57-57.
In the final minute of play, Lafayette Central Catholic’s
Alex Loepker hit four key free throws to seal the
game for the Knights. This was Lafayette Central Catholic’s and coach Chad
Dunwoody’s third state championship in the past six years (1998 and 2000) to go
along with a runner-up finish in 1999. Dunwoody now joins six other coaches
with three or more titles to their credit.
Southwestern’s Ryan Rooks scored
31 points, giving him the fourth highest scoring output in a Class A State Championship game.
Kristof Kendrick led the Knights
with 24, with Loepker scoring 21. Andy Hancock added
13 for the Southwestern.
Derrick Smith of Southwestern Wins Trester Award for Mental Attitude
Derrick Smith of Southwestern
(Shelbyville) was named winner of the Class A 2003
Boys Basketball Tournament Arthur L. Trester Award
for Mental Attitude. Members of the
IHSAA Executive Committee present the award to the outstanding senior
participant in each classification of the boys
basketball state finals. The recipients
of this award, who were nominated by their principals and coaches, must excel
in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in basketball.
Athletically, Derrick has been a
member of the Shelby County All-Stars for the last three years and on the all
Mid-Hoosier Conference basketball team the last three seasons. He is also a member of the Spartans tennis
team.
This year, Derrick received the
Robert Hollenbeck Boy of the Year Award from the Foundation for Youth at the
Columbus Boys Club for mental attitude and ability. His other awards include receiving the
Outstanding Junior English Student Award, being named a delegate to Hoosier
Boys State, a former member of the Homecoming Court.
He is also a member of 4-H and has
done volunteer work with the FFA Flower and Garden Show Tour, the Edinburgh
Fall Festival and the Gosport Lazy Day Festival.
Academically, Derrick is a member
of the National Honor Society, ranking second in his class of 57 and has been a
member of the Shelby County All-Academic Basketball Team for three years. He plans to attend Indiana University,
majoring in Pre-Dentistry and Religious Studies.
Derrick is the son of Kim and Mark
Smith of Edinburgh.
Farm Bureau Insurance, IHSAA
corporate partner, presented a scholarship check for $1,000.00 to Southwestern
(Shelbyville) High School in the name of Derrick Smith.
Game Notes
·
Nine Loss
State Champions
Lafayette Central Catholic, which finished 18-9, joins two other teams to win a state title with nine regular season losses. Anderson finished 22-9 in 1935 and Jasper won the 1949 championship following a 21-9 campaign. No state champion has ever had more than nine losses.
·
Third
Championship In Six Seasons For Central Catholic
The Knights won titles
in 1998 and 2000 in Class A to go along with today’s state championship. Pike,
in tonight’s Class 4A title game, will try to match the feat.
· Coach Dunwoody’s Third State Championship
Lafayette Central Catholic coach Chad Dunwoody guided his team to its third state championship in four appearances in the state finals. He joins six other coaches with at least three to their credit.
Bill Green – Indianapolis Washington 1969, Marion 1975, 1976, 1985, 1986, 1987
Everett Case – Frankfort 1925, 1929, 1936, 1939
Marion Crawley – Washington 1941, 1942, Lafayette Jefferson 1948, 1964
Glenn Curtis – Lebanon 1918; Martinsville 1924, 1927, 1933
Bill Harrell – Muncie Central 1978, 1979, 1988
Ernest (Griz) Wagner – Franklin 1920, 1921, 1922
· Second Meeting of the Year
Central Catholic and Southwestern had met on Feb. 8 at Lafayette with the Knights taking an 80-48 victory.
· Class A Records Set
Most Free Throws Made – 11 by Ryan Rooks, Southwestern (Shelbyville) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic.
Free Throws Attempted (Tied) – 12 by Ryan Rooks, Southwestern (Shelbyville) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic.
Highest Free Throw
Percentage – .916 by Ryan Roos, Southwestern
(Shelbyville) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic.
Team Posters And Individual Action Photographs Available
Visit 20-20 Photographic,
the IHSAA’s photographer and the
For t-shirts and sweatshirts commemorating the 93rd
Annual IHSAA State Finals or for any of our events, visit our friends at Morris, Inc.
State Finals
Programs Available
Couldn’t be at Conseco Fieldhouse for the state
finals? You can still purchase a copy of the official souvenir program while
supplies last! Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in person at the IHSAA Office
(
Game Quotes
Lafayette Central
Catholic Coach Chad Dunwoody
“After the game, I told the kids this game was a microcosm of our season. We didn’t come out as strong defensively as I would have liked. Offensively, I thought we were a bit impatient and forced shots at times. At halftime, I tried to tell the kids that we reached the goal of making it back to the state finals and now we had to overcome a 12 deficit. I think we knew we had a 28 point difference earlier in the year, and that we could make up the 12 points in the second half, they believed.”
“I think the press took them out of their game, and, in hindsight, I probably should have gone to it (press) earlier. We were a little worried about their quickness, but our kids did a great job of making the press work to our advantage. I’m very proud of these kids. We’ve been here a number of times and I don’t think I’ve ever been as proud of a bunch of kids as I am these.”
“I honestly felt the team that got off to the best start would win this game. But fortunately for us, that didn’t happen. They came out shooting with confidence and we were forcing things on our offensive end. They came out and played a great half of basketball. Our kids really sucked it up today, especially in the second half. I knew when Sabastian Greene got some tough breaks with fouls that other guys would step up. And did they ever.”
“I think these last four weeks we played as close to our potential as possible. This 2003 team has made me proud.”
Central Catholic’s
Alex Loepker
“After the tough first half, I knew if we could start getting to Kristof Kendrick down low, that it could open up things for other guys on the perimeter. It would give us more opportunities for other players in the offense to drive or dish.”
Central Catholic’s Kristof Kendrick
“I told the guys at halftime, let’s have no regrets. They followed me and everyone really stepped up their play. I knew this could have been a revenge game for them (Southwestern) so we had to play a much better second half. It was good how we changed our strategy with the press. We had the advantage of experience but Southwestern showed a lot of heart and character. They are good team.”
Southwestern Coach
Stacy Meyer
“We got off to a super start. We weren’t tight at all. We played with a lot of heart. We just didn’t connect from the line when we needed to.”
“The (Central Catholic) press put us on our heels. We had three straight possessions in the third quarter where we had turnovers. It was like a snowball effect. We ran out of gas. We only played six guys. All year long it seemed like we were catching our breath in the third quarter to make a run in the fourth (quarter) All good teams make runs. Theirs lasted longer than ours.”
(On second meeting with Central Catholic) “I knew we wouldn’t get blown out again. The first time we played was the worst game we played all year. We had two conference games that week and I just didn’t have them prepared. I’ll take 95 percent of that blame.”
Southwestern’s Ryan Rooks
(On third quarter run by Central Catholic) “We should have got together in the huddle. No one stood up and took charge. (Kristof) Kendrick stepped up big the third and took over the game from there.”