Governor Braun Welcomes Eight Teams to IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals

Governor Mike Braun welcomed administrators and coaches from all eight schools bound for the IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals at a ceremonial gathering Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the same arena that will host four state championship games this Saturday.

The 116th annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals, presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, tips off March 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The eight programs that earned a spot in the field survived a state tournament bracket that has run from early March sectionals through last Saturday's semistate round.

The day begins at 10:30 a.m. with the Class 1A championship between Triton and Barr-Reeve, followed at approximately 12:45 p.m. by the Class 2A title game between Westview and Parke Heritage. The evening session opens at 6 p.m. with Cathedral facing New Haven in the Class 3A final, and the night concludes at approximately 8:15 p.m. with the Class 4A championship.

The Class 4A final features Mt. Vernon Marauders (27-3), coached by Joe Bradburn, against the Crown Point Bulldogs (25-1), led by veteran head coach Clint Swan, who enters his 29th year of coaching overall.

On the other side of the bracket, Barr-Reeve's Vikings carry a 27-1 record into the 1A final under first-year head coach Heath Howington, while Triton's Trojans are 25-3 under Jason Groves, who is in his 21st year at the school with a record of 371-153. Westview (27-1) and Parke Heritage (26-4) meet in the 2A game.

All four championship games will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, home of presenting partners the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. Admission is $20 per person, with all tickets reserved seating for one session covering two games. All four games will stream exclusively on IHSAAtv.org and the IHSAAtv suite of apps via pay-per-view for $20 per game or $25 for all games.

The governor's visit to Gainbridge Fieldhouse puts a state government stamp of prestige on a tournament that has been a cornerstone of Indiana culture for over a century. The IHSAA is a voluntary, not-for-profit organization whose mission since its founding in 1903 has been to provide wholesome, educational athletics for the secondary schools of Indiana. Saturday's games will settle which four programs get to call themselves state champions when the final buzzer sounds.