(Caleb Furst dominated the third quarter to push Blackhawk Christian to the title)

 

All season, Blackhawk Christian was the top-ranked 2A team in the state, and the Braves stamped the successful season with the state championship.

 

It was a slow offensive start for both squads. Purdue signee Caleb Furst missed his first couple of shots. Parke Heritage controlled the pace early and took a 5-4 lead four and a half minutes into the game. Furst found Zane Burke for an alley-oop layup to start a 7-0 Blackhawk run. Burke was aggressive early and scored ten of his 14 points in the first half.

 

Early in the second period, Furst picked up his second foul while trapping a Parke Heritage ball-handler 83 feet from the basket. A possession later, Blackhawk Christian coach Marc Davidson pulled Furst for the final 5:20 of the half.

 

With Furst on the bench, Connor Davis found breathing room in the paint. The six-foot-four senior did not in the first quarter, but he scored 11 in the second period. There were also driving lanes without Furst in the lane. Christian Johnson dropped a few dimes to Davis and other teammates after slashing to the basket. After Davis made his sixth and seventh free throws of the half, Blackhawk Christian’s advantage was only five.

 

In the second quarter, Jake Boyer stepped up for Blackhawk. His inside-outside game proved too tough for Parke Heritage to stop. He scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half. Without his production, Blackhawk might have been in trouble.

 

With under a minute to play in the half, Blackhawk milked the clock. As the clock ticked down, the official stopped play with 11 seconds due to Burke’s bloody knee. A bandage was quickly applied before he found Marcus Davidson for a corner three-pointer seconds before the halftime buzzer.

 

In the opening half, Blackhawk did not have a ton of success inside the arc as Parke Heritage collapsed into the lane, but the Braves shot five of nine from behind the arc. Parke Heritage went just one of five from deep.

 

After only scoring two points in the first half, Furst established himself on the offensive end in the third quarter. An early third quarter Blackhawk Christian possession saw the Braves get multiple shots before the ball bounce to Furst. He threw down a vicious two-handed dunk. By the end of the frame, he had scored ten of Blackhawk’s 12 points.

 

Despite Furst’s increased scoring, Parke Heritage hung tough. Johnson and Riley Ferguson kept throwing dimes to Davis and Anthony Wood. Even with Furst in the paint, Davis continues to finish in the lane. He finished the game with 19 points and eight rebounds.

 

Like the first half, Blackhawk Christian ended the third quarter on a high note. Furst scored the last four points to give the Braves an eight-point advantage heading to the fourth.

 

To open the fourth, Furst drilled a left-wing three-pointer to stretch Blackhawk’s lead to 11. It was a dire situation for Parke Heritage. The Wolves answered with an inside score by Davis, but that is the closest Parke Heritage made it. Furst, Burke, and Gage Sefton put the game away.

 

Johnson, Parke Heritage’s leading scorer on the season, could not get a shot to fall. He went 2-11 from the field on his way to four points. On the season, he averaged 16 points per game. Without Johnson scoring, Parke Heritage could not match Blackhawk Christian.

 

Blackhawk Christian cruised in the fourth to a 55-40 victory. The Braves won the 2019 1A state title and were heavy favorites last year as well. The Braves ended the season 28-3.

 

Furst finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. Boyer and Burke each scored 14 points in the win. Marcus Davidson added five points, six rebounds, and four assists. Gage Sefton recorded two points and four rebounds.

 

Davis led PH with 19 points and eight rebounds. Ferguson added nine points, three assists, and two blocks. Noble Johnson tallied three points and five rebounds.

 

Parke Heritage finished the season 27-4.