(Jaxon Edwards turned in a big performance in the Cathedral win)

 

Chesterton came to the 4A state final for the first time in school history, and the Trojans tried to cap a perfect season by beating Cathedral. However, the Irish entered the game 25-6 on the year and had different plans.

 

Cathedral jumped out to a 10-0 lead as Xavier Booker turned away Chesterton shots, while Jake Davis and Jaron Tibbs buried threes on the first two Irish possessions. Cathedral’s lead extended to 13-2 when Jaxon Edwards broke free for a dunk. Edwards was outstanding on each end as he pressed the passing lanes before turning the steals into dunks.

 

Together with the overall Cathedral size, Booker forced Chesterton into forced and contested shots each trip. The Trojans only shot 6-26 from the field in the opening half. Sophomore Tyler Parrish scored the first five points for Chesterton as the Trojans struggled to score.

 

Cathedral led 22-10 after one quarter, but the Chesterton defense started to get stops in the second period. Senior guard Carson Parrish came off the bench to give the Trojans a second-period push. Following the spurt by Parrish, Chesterton pulled within 25-17.

 

Down eight, star senior Travis Grayson had a one-plus-the-bonus free throw but missed the front end. Edwards drove down the middle of the lane for a Cathedral dunk. The Irish pushed the lead back to 14 behind Edwards, Tibbs, and Jaiden Malichi. The senior forward, Malichi, came off the bench as Booker and Sincere Germany found foul trouble.

 

By halftime, Cathedral led 36-21.

 

Out of the locker room, Davis drilled a three from the left wing, and Comer drove to the basket for a layup to make it a 20-point game. Chesterton cut it to 16 with a Carson Parrish bucket, but it was all Cathedral the rest of the way.

 

Cathedral went on a 22-0 run from the middle of the third quarter to the middle of the fourth period. The Cathedral defense has been great all season, and it showed itself to be elite during the stretch. Booker, Tibbs, and Edwards were tremendous during the run, and most of the damage occurred in transition.

 

The Trojans typically rely on Grayson to create most of the offense, and Comer plus the size of the help defenders helped take away that from Chesterton. Unfortunately for the Trojans, that led to the prolonged scoring drought.

 

In the second half, Cathedral outscored Chesterton 29-10 to win, going away. But, in the end, the Irish won 65-31.

 

The state title with Cathedral made head coach Jason Delaney the first coach to win state titles at three schools – Waldron, Arsenal Tech, and Cathedral.

 

Cathedral’s margin of victory (34) tied the largest for class basketball, and the widest margin in 4A history.

 

Tibbs finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Edwards added 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals, while Booker contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Comer tallied 11 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Davis posted nine points, six rebounds, and four assists.

 

Tyler Parrish and Carson Parrish each scored seven points. Sims added six points and three rebounds. Grayson finished with five points, six rebounds, and three steals.