Mt. Vernon, Hancock County dominate All-Hoosier Heritage boys basketball honors

A state championship turned into a conference takeover, with Hancock County claiming six of the 13 spots on the 2026 All-Hoosier Heritage Conference boys basketball team. The haul was headlined by Mt. Vernon coach Joe Bradburn, who was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Marauders to a 28-3 season, a 7-0 conference mark and the first boys basketball state title in school and county history.

Bradburn’s team did its biggest damage on the biggest stage, rallying past Crown Point 52-50 on March 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to win the IHSAA Class 4A championship. Mt. Vernon trailed by 10 at halftime, then closed the game with the kind of late push that defined its season. The Marauders shot 60% in the second half and finished the 116th annual IHSAA boys basketball state finals as champions, with Bradburn adding another line to a career that already included a Yorktown team reaching the 1998 Class 3A semistate.

The all-conference list only reinforced how much of that run was built on recognizable names. Luke Ertel, the state’s Mr. Basketball and a Purdue-bound point guard, was the season’s central force, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals while leading Indiana with 98 made 3-pointers. He backed up the résumé when it mattered most, finishing the state title game with 26 points and 10 rebounds before being formally presented the No. 1 jersey on April 9. Junior Max Vise gave Mt. Vernon another anchor, averaging 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 blocks while leading the Hoosier Heritage Conference in blocks.

The county’s footprint extended beyond Fortville. New Palestine placed sophomore Will Davison and senior Evan Darrah on the team, and Davison’s 18.5 points per game and 59 threes signaled a program that should stay in the mix. Davison also had a career-high 25 points in a February 25 win over Franklin, a reminder that the Dragons’ future already has a clear scoring option. Greenfield-Central’s Clay Mullins, headed to Franklin College, rounded out the county’s heavy presence after averaging 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals while knocking down 57 threes.

The rest of the league honor roll, with selections from Shelbyville, Yorktown, Delta, New Castle and Pendleton Heights, showed the conference was deeper than Mt. Vernon’s perfect run. Shelbyville’s Caden Claxton averaged 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists, while Mar Nicholson finished with 1,095 career points. Yorktown’s Jabin Barnes and Mason Trammell also made the team, but the league’s loudest message was in Hancock County: the championship was no fluke, and the next wave is already in place.