The Gophers’ historic season came to an end in the State Finals at Gainbridge fieldhouse, falling to Orleans 64-55.
Both teams came out strong, trading threes and working it inside. Alex DeWitt was a strong interior presence all day for the Bulldogs, and he got them going early, scoring the first six points.
At the end of the first quarter, the game was locked at 14.
The Bulldogs’ defense has been stellar all year, ranking fourth in 1A in points allowed per game. Their defense came to play and keyed in on Clinton Prairie’s Jake McGraw. The senior, and leading scorer for Prairie, was held to five points on 1-8 shooting in the first half.
Alex Farley stepped up for the Gophers in the first half, forcing turnovers and knocking down threes. Farley and Evan Smock combined to shoot 4-6 of three-point range in the first half.
Offensive rebounds were the biggest difference through the first 16 minutes; the Bulldogs pulled down four and held the Gophers off the glass. Orleans won the second-chance points battle 7-0 in the first half.
At halftime, Orleans led 28-25, going on a 7-0 run late in the second to grab the lead.
The third quarter was similar to the first as the teams went back and forth. McGraw got going for Clinton Prairie, scoring 10 points in the third.
DeWitt, who stands at 6’3″, and Mason Freed, who is 6’6″, formed a tough-to-defend two big lineup that gave the Gophers trouble in the paint.
The defense of Clinton Prairie was key in keeping them in it. through the first 24 minutes, they forced 11 turnovers, scoring 14 points off of them.
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the third, Clinton Prairie cut the lead to two points, with less than a minute remaining in the quarter.
With eight minutes left to decide a champion, the Gopher came out on the floor with some extra energy.
McGraw tied the game at 46 early in the fourth. Orleans went on a run to make it 58-51 shortly after and controlled the game from there.
Rylan Crocker and Bryce Jones were key contributors for the Bulldogs, Crocker finished with 16, and Jones with 17.
The Gopher cut the lead to three, but weren’t able to get closer than that as a late bucket by DeWitt sealed the victory for Orleans.
The win marks the first-ever State Championship in any sport in school history for Orleans.
A storybook season for Clinton Prairie ends as runne-ups. The 2025 Gopher will be etched in Clinton Prairie history, being the first team to win a regional championship and the first to win a semistate championship.
Seniors McGraw, Farley, Ryan Harshbarger, Jake Swinford, and Kyle Harshbarger leave a lasting legacy at Clinton Prairie. McGraw, who finished with 24 points, moved further up the all-time scoring list in Indiana high school basketball, finishing his career with over 2050 points. Alex Farley, who played just one season for the red and black, ends his high school career with over 1000 points and is the record holder at Clinton Prairie for threes made in a game.
Congratulations to the Gophers on a fantastic year.
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