Davidson, Furst lead Blackhawk Christian to first boys basketball state championship
Thanks to a pair of double-double performances by senior Frank Davidson and sophomore Caleb Furst, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian captured its first-ever state championship with a 60-43 victory over Barr-Reeve in the Class A championship game.
Davidson, the son of head coach Marc Davidson, scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while the 6-10 Furst netted 16 points and 10 boards as the Braves finished 28-2 this season.
Barr-Reeve led, 2-0, before Blackhawk Christian scored the next eight points and never trailed again. Blackhawk Christian took a 30-17 lead into halftime before the Vikings cut the lead to 30-21 early in the third quarter. The Braves, however, closed the third quarter on an 18-2 run and eventually led by as many as 25 points (50-25) before settling for the final margin.
Zane Burke added 10 points for the winners.
Gabe Gladish led coach Josh Thompson’s Vikings (26-3) with 12 points, while Isaac Wagler and Brycen Graber each netted 10.
Class A State Championship Records
None.
Quentin Yoder of Barr-Reeve wins the Ray Craft Mental Attitude Award
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Quentin Yoder of Barr-Reeve 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.
Yoder has participated on both the basketball and baseball teams all four years at Barr-Reeve High School and was an important piece to their 50-7 record over the last two years, including two sectional and regional titles, and a semi-state crown this year.
Academically Quentin is ranked 2nd in Barr-Reeve’s senior class of 44, and maintains a 4.282 GPA all while being a two-sport athlete.
In his community, Yoder is heavily involved in his local youth group at Berea Mennonite Church and plays keyboard in the church’s praise and worship band. He has volunteered at Heaven’s Kitchen, a local food shelter for the homeless and he also volunteered at Parkview Christian Village.
Quentin is the son of Lloyd and Karen Yoder of Loogootee, Ind. He is undecided on his college choice, but he plans to go to medical school to become a pediatrician.
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 Barr-Reeve High School in the name of Quentin Yoder. Since 1989, more than $840,000 in college scholarships have been presented to deserving high school athletes in Indiana.