Borden Repeats as IHSAA Class 1A Girls Champions, Top Fremont 51-31

Borden repeated as IHSAA Class 1A girls state champion, downing Fremont 51-31 Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Emma Hart paced the Braves with 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, AJ Mallad added 13 points, and Rarick finished with 10 points and a state record-tying eight assists as Borden improved on its 24-4 season mark listed on the IHSAA schedule.

Borden led 22-15 at halftime and seized control with an 18-5 third quarter that pushed the margin to 20 points by the period’s end. The Braves shot 45 percent for the game while holding Fremont to 30 percent, limiting the Eagles to the fewest points they scored all season and matching the Class A state final record for fewest points allowed.

The game’s momentum swing arrived early in the second half when Mallad, who battled early foul trouble, returned and canned a 3-pointer on Borden’s first possession. Mallad later converted a sequence created by an Emma Hart steal into another 3-pointer. Borden committed 14 turnovers overall, but the team limited mistakes between quarters two and three, coughing up just two possessions in that stretch and turning defensive stands into quick scoring opportunities.

Rebounding proved decisive at both ends; Borden won the glass 30-20 and converted second-chance opportunities into points that amplified the lead. Ava Wheeler contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks for the Braves while also dealing with early foul trouble. On Fremont’s side, Grace Scharlach and Mya Turner, Fremont’s top two scorers, combined for 18 points on 7-of-25 shooting and were a combined 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

The win capped a dominant tournament run for Borden, marking 14 straight state tournament victories for the program and the school’s second state championship in program history. All five Borden starters in the final were seniors, four of whom had been starters since their freshman seasons, and the roster includes three players who have reached the 1,000-point career milestone during their Borden careers.

Following the game, the IHSAA named Emma Hart the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award winner for Class 1A girls basketball. Hart, a three-year all-conference player who holds Borden’s school rebounding record and plans to attend Indiana University to major in elementary education, was honored with a $1,000 scholarship presented to Borden High School’s general scholarship fund in her name by the Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers, presenting sponsors of the tournament.

Borden’s repeat places the Braves among small-school powers in Indiana basketball history and makes them the second Southern Conference team to win consecutive 1A state titles, joining Lanesville’s 2023-24 run. The Braves’ combination of length, experience against larger schools in the regular season, and a suffocating third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse delivered a decisive 51-31 title performance.