Phone: 317-846-6601 Fax: 317-575-4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
_________________________________________________________________________
March 28, 2009
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH HOLDS OFF
SNIDER FOR 4A CHAMPIONSHIP
Top-ranked Bloomington
South brought home its first boy’s basketball state championship since
1919, on Saturday night, against No. 6 Fort Wayne Snider, 69-62, for the Class
4A crown at Conseco Fieldhouse. The win capped a 26-0 season for head coach
J.R. Holmes and the Panthers, the 12th school to finish undefeated in state
history.
The two
teams traded the lead eight times in the game, including four times in the
fourth quarter when Darwin Davis’ two free throws with 2:27 remaining
gave Bloomington South a 59-58 advantage and a lead they would never surrender.
Davis led
four Bloomington players in double figures with 17 points. Eric Fromm had 14
points and nine rebounds, Jordan Hulls added 14 points, and Spencer Turner
chipped in 10.
Fort Wayne
Snider’s Bradley Sneary led all scorers with 22
points and 14 rebounds. Reggie Hearn
contributed 15 points and Jonathan Sims had 11 and six rebounds. The Panthers,
coached by Ray Sims, finished their season 25-2 after entering the game with 20
straight victories.
SNIDER’S
REGGIE HEARN NAMED MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER
Following
the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Reggie Hearn of Fort
Wayne Snider High School as the winner of the Arthur L. Trester
Mental Attitude Award.
The award
is presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was
nominated by his principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental
attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.
As captain
of the basketball team, Hearn ranks fourth in his senior class of 471 and is a
National Merit Scholar semifinalist. He has been recognized for his academic
achievement by the Fort Wayne Alliance of Black School Educators.
He is a
member of the National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars
as well as being named Best Male Citizen of his senior class. He has also been
on the Principal’s List all four years.
Hearn is
involved with Youth Leadership of Fort Wayne, the YMCA as a volunteer coach and
a member of the Fort Wayne Community Schools Planning Committee.
Hearn’s
area of study is currently undecided but he plans on attending Harvard or
Northwestern in the fall.
He is the
son of Crane and Lisa Hearn of Fort Wayne.
Indiana
Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate
partner, will present a $1,000 scholarship to Fort Wayne Snider High School in
the name of Hearn.
The award
is named in honor of Arthur L. Trester, the IHSAA’s first commissioner who served the Association
from 1929-44.
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CLASS
4A POST-GAME QUOTES
Fort Wayne Snider Head Coach Ray
Sims
“I
thought we were good enough to win – but we lost. We missed some free
throws down the stretch and some layups down the stretch. I’ve always
said, if you make free throws and your layups, you can win basketball
games.”
“I am
proud of our kids. No one talks about basketball when you talk about Snider
High School. Maybe the northern part of the state will get just a little bit of
publicity as it relates to basketball.”
(On the
last 3 minutes) “It’s no surprise that our kids never gave up. The
thing I’m proud of is that we took on all comers and didn’t back
away from anyone.”
(On Reggie
Hearn winning the Trester Award) “There is a
kid who deserves it. I’m just so happy for Reggie because he has worked
very hard in the classroom as well as on basketball.”
Bloomington South Head Coach J.R.
Holmes
“We
fouled all our big guys out and we still hung in there somehow. I just
appreciate that our kids never quit. We really had a hard time with (Snider) inside.”
“It’s
an honor to say you won the state championship. Our kids have played a year
where they deserve to win. It was a fantastic year.”
“(Fort
Wayne Snider) plays so hard. … Those five seniors are pretty good.”
(On the
play of Mulinix and Blackwell late in the game)
“They both shoot about 48 percent from the free throw line. And they both
hit two big free
throws. They came in and made us look good.”