Phone: 317-846-6601 Fax: 317-575-4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
_________________________________________________________________________
March 28, 2009
JAC-CEN-DEL
CLAIMS FIRST-EVER CLASS A STATE TITLE
Jac-Cen-Del’s big second quarter propelled the Eagles past defending
state champion Triton, 66-55, to win the school’s first-ever state championship
in any sport in the Class A state championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The
top-ranked Eagles (25-2) led 6-5 after the first quarter but picked it up in
the second hitting eight of nine field goals including 10 points from Blake
Sutton to take control of the game. Jac-Cen-Del owned
a 25-13 lead at halftime, was never seriously threatened in the second half and
went on to post its 18th straight win to complete a 25-2 season.
Jac-Cen-Del
led by as many as 20 at 44-24 after Matt Gehl hit a
layup, was fouled and converted the free throw with 1:40 left in the third
quarter. Triton rallied in the fourth cutting the lead to nine on two occasions
but could never get any closer.
Gehl led
all scorers with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Sutton contributed 19 points and
five rebounds, Trevor Arnett had seven points and 11 rebounds, and Gerald
Hardesty added eight points and six rebounds to the mix.
Gryffin
Carpenter led the Trojans in scoring with 14 points. Colton Keel had 12 points and 13 rebounds,
and Joel Meister chipped in 12 points.
Coached by
13th year coach David Bradshaw, Triton shot 52.2 percent for the
game and held Triton to just 29.5 percent.
Third-ranked
Triton, which was attempting to become the first school to win back-to-back
Class A state championships, finished the season 25-3 under fourth-year head
coach Jason Groves.
GERALD
HARDESTY NAMED MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER
Following
the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Gerald Hardesty of Jac-Cen-Del 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.
Gerald
ranks second in his class of 58 and is president of the National Honor Society
and his senior class. He was selected to the All-County team this year and will
play in the 40/8 All-Star game. Hardesty was voted most-improved player for the
Eagles in 2008 and is captain of this year’s squad averaging nine
rebounds per game.
In the
community, Gerald is a 10-year member of 4-H and also works with the Catholic
Youth Organization. He is a finalist for the Coca-Cola National Scholarship and
the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. He volunteers as a tutor, helped
organize a food drive for the National Honor Society and helps out with the
Biddy Ball program at Jac-Cen-Del.
Hardesty
also participates in track and baseball and has been an All-Conference
selection four years for the Eagle soccer team.
This is the
first Mental Attitude Award in any sport for Jac-Cen-Del.
Gerald will
attend Purdue University in the fall to study engineering.
He is the
son of David and Jennifer Hardesty of Osgood.
Indiana
Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate
partner, will present a $1,000 scholarship to Jac-Cen-Del
High School in the name of Gerald Hardesty.
The award
is named in honor of Arthur L. Trester, the IHSAA’s first commissioner who served the Association
from 1929-44.
VSN MEANS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Visit our
friends at Visual Sports Network, the IHSAA’s official photographer for all state
championship events and one of the leading action photographers in the
CLASS
A POST-GAME QUOTES
Triton Head Coach Jason Graves
(General
comments) “We ran into a pretty good team today. They’re long,
athletic, tall and contested our shots. I think that
bothered us. … Especially in the second quarter, I think we got a little
frustrated and lost our focus a little offensively. They’re a good ball
club; give them credit.”
(On Jac-Cen-Del’s rebounding edge) “That’s
what they’ve been doing all year. … Coming into the game I really
didn’t want to play zone because I felt they’re too good of an offensive
rebounding team. I felt that playing man-to-man, it
would allow us to get on the boards a little.”
(On Jac-Cen-Del’s Matt Gehl). “He did a great job. He’s athletic, long and
cuts to the basket well. He looks like he understands the game.”
(On his
team’s development and return trip to the state finals) “Throughout
the summer these kids really transformed. I could see the confidence in them
and the fact they expected to win every game they went into.”
(On his
team’s persistence at the end of the game) “That’s what this
team was about. They always put forth the effort. In the offseason these kids
worked so hard. We talked at the beginning of the season about not letting our
expectations go down after last year. These kids waited patiently for their
opportunity to come. And when it came, they really took advantage of it.”
Triton forward Colton Keel
“I’m
glad we made it this year with these guys. It shows we’re fighters and we
know what it takes to win. We went 5-of-27 in the first half. That was probably
the biggest killer. If we had hit half those shots, we probably could have been
in it the whole time.”
--
--
Jac-Cen-Del Head Coach David Bradshaw
(General
comments) “I couldn’t be happier. This is 25 years of teaching and
coaching and it’s kind of a dream come true. I guess you could
call it a great silver anniversary present, not only to me but the entire
community of Jac-Cen-Del.”
“This
is a team that a coach really learns to enjoy.
… (The Jac-Cen-Del players) really
don’t care who scores the points as long as they get the job done.
That’s kind of been their motto since junior high, a very humble and
unselfish approach.”
(Was he
concerned about team’s slow start offensively?) “Not when I saw the
defensive effort by our team. Our defense in the first quarter was absolutely
tremendous … everything was to perfection almost. The No. 1 thing is, we really contested shots today. I bet you we really
contested 80 percent of their shots.”
Jac-Cen-Del guard Matt Gehl
(On scoring
none in the first half and finishing with 26) “(Coach Bradshaw) told me
to keep my head up and let the game come to me. That’s what I did and I
started scoring. I started pulling up for jump shots instead of trying to take
it all the way … Let it come to me. I kind of did that.”
Jac-Cen-Del center Gerald Hardesty
(On winning
the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award)
“Obviously, it’s a great honor. Even just to be nominated was a
great honor. It’s great for our school, too.”