Using red-hot shooting from behind the arc, Ben Davis clinched their first trip to the state finals in the class era by defeating Castle by three points Saturday afternoon.

Castle showed why they were the state's top scoring offense off the bat, racing out to an 8-0 lead after Brandon Eades and Jack Nunge triples. Ben Davis would find their way on offense, with their damage also coming from behind the arc. The Giants hit five three-pointers in the first quarter, two of them off the right hand of senior guard Jalen Newsom.

Ben Davis would continue their hot shooting to start the second quarter, as Jalen Newsom would hit another three, but that success would catch up to them as they began to take quick and contested threes. Castle would take full advantage of this, running at every opportunity and opening up a seven-point lead. Iowa signee Jack Nunge would be the spark behind this run, as the senior would score 16 points in the opening half. The run would be answered by the Giants as Newsom would nail his fourth three-pointer of the first half and Datrion Harper would drive for a layin to close the gap to three at the break.

Aaron Henry would respond from a quiet first half with his play in the third. The junior forward had a quickness advantage over the bigger Nunge, and used that advantage all game long. He drove the lane at every opportunity, the biggest example came when he grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for an emphatic two-handed slam that gave Ben Davis their first lead of the game. Each side would then take turns grabbing the lead for the rest of the third, as threes rained down for each side.

Separation occurred as Ben Davis scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and held Castle without a point for the first four minutes. The Knights would attempt to spark a run by going to a 1-2-2 halfcourt trap, but that worked with only limited effectiveness, as Ben Davis extended their lead to ten points. The lead was eight with 2:12 remaining before Castle made their final surge.

Nunge would score on a putback. After Datrion Harper missed two free throws, Nunge would score again on a driving layup. Harper would split a pair of free throws, then Alex Hemenway would hit the last of his five three-pointers to cut the BD lead to two with 33 seconds left. After a Ben Davis turnover, Nunge would tie the game on a shot in the lane. That set up the finish. Datrion Harper would get the ball to Aaron Henry near the halfcourt line. Henry would drive left and get a little screen from Jalen Newsom. That forced a Castle defender to help just enough, and Henry found Josh Brewer. Brewer would let fly from about 3 feet behind the arc on the left wing, and the ball found the bottom of the net as the horn sounded, sending the Giants to state for the first time in 21 years.

Castle 20 14 16 21 - 71
Ben Davis 19 12 19 24 - 74

Castle: Jack Nunge 32 points (12/20 FGs, 2/7 3Ps, 6/6 FTs), 14 rebs; Alex Hemenway 21 points (8/17 FGs, 5/13 3Ps, 0/2 FTs); Brandon Eades 11 points (3/11 FGs, 1/5 3Ps, 4/4 FTs); Payton Mills 7 points (2/4 FGs, 1/1 3Ps, 2/4 FTs);

Ben Davis: Josh Brewer 19 points (8/10 FGs, 3/4 3Ps), 6 rebs; Jalen Newsom 18 points (6/11 FGs, 6/10 3Ps); Aaron Henry 17 points (7/13 FGs, 3/7 FTs), 5 asts; Datrion Harper 10 points (2/7 FGs, 1/2 3Ps, 5/8 FTs), 5 rebs; RJ Turner 10 points