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Morristown’s return to the IHSAA boys basketball state finals couldn’t have been more spectacular.

The Yellow Jackets, making their first appearance in the state finals since the very first tournament in 1911, rolled to an 89-60 victory over Southwood in the Class A title game.

Coach Scott McClelland’s squad (28-2) set Class A finals records for most points, most points in a half (51) and largest margin of victory. Morristown also set an all-class record for most field goals made (37) breaking the old mark of 36 set by North Central in Class 4-A in 2010. The previous Class 1-A best was 30.

Senior Eli Streeval led the way for Morristown with a game-high 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting. Teammates Logan Laster added 24 points and Hayden Langkabel (who came in averaging 26.6 ppg) finished with 16. In addition to his 24 points, Laster added 13 rebounds and 10 assists to tally the first triple-double in a state championship game since Hauser's Bobby Jolliff (10 points, 15 rebounds, 11 blocks) since 2006.

Southwood’s cause was hurt by cold shooting as coach John Burrus’ team hit 26-of-72 (36 percent) from the floor, including 5-of-32 from 3-point range. Peyton Trexler led the Knights (25-4) 18 points and Matthew Nose netted 12.

Class A State Championship Records

Team Records (10)
Most Points: 89 by Morristown
Largest Margin of Victory: 29 by Morristown
Most points in a half: 51 by Morristown
Most field goals made (all classes): 37 by Morristown
Most combined field goals made: 63 by Morristown (37) and Southwood (26)
Most field goals attempted: 72 by Southwood
Most combined field goals attempted: 141 by Morristown (69) and Southwood (72)
Most 3-point field goals attempted: 32 by Southwood
Most assists (since 1972): 25 by Morristown
Most combined assists (since 1972): 37 by Morristown (25) and Southwood (12)

Individual Records (1)
Most assists: 10 by Logan Laster of Morristown 

Carson Blair of Southwood wins the Ray Craft Mental Attitude Award
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Carson Blair of Southwood High School as the winner of the Ray Craft Mental Attitude Award in Class A Boys Basketball.

The award is annually presented to a senior participant in the state finals who best demonstrates mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability and is nominated by his principal and coach.

Blair averages 17.8 PPG for the Knights, and has received many awards for his achievements on the court. He is currently the all-time leading scorer in Southwood history, and in Wabash County basketball history with 1,680 points, prior to the state finals.

Blair is ranked 17th in Southwood’s class of 70, and maintains a 3.72 GPA all while being a three-sport athlete. He has earned four letters in football, and was named to the Indiana North All-Star Squad, and three letters in baseball so far.

Blair is also a member of the National Honor Society, and is an active member at Wabash Missionary Alliance Church youth group. He donates his time to helping at the local YMCA and various sports camps.

Blair is the son of Tonya and Todd Blair of Wabash, Ind. He plans to attend Indiana University-Kokomo, but has yet to decide on a major.

Beginning in 2016, the Class A award was re-named in honor of Ray Craft, the long-time associate commissioner who served from 1983 to 2008. Craft was involved at nearly every level of Indiana secondary education and interscholastic athletics during his career including administering the boys’ basketball state tournament for many years. He was also a starting senior guard on Milan High School’s 1954 state championship basketball team.

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, the presenting sponsor of the IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Southwood High School in the name of Carson Blair. Since 1989, more than $840,000 in college scholarships have been presented to deserving high school athletes in Indiana.