By Lewis Bagley, Special to IHSAA.org
INDIANAPOLIS – All season long, Manchester’s opponents have zeroed in on senior center Gavin Betten.
That’s no surprise since Betten stands 6-6 and came into the Class 2A state championship game with over 2,200 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
But, if you ask University coach Justin Blanding, senior guard Ethan Hendrix is as much of a factor that has turned the Squires into state champions.
“Everyone talks about Betten,” Blanding said after his Trailblazers fell, 59-54, to Manchester in the title game, “but Hendrix is the head of their attack. We knew we wouldn’t stop Betten, but we tried to make others beat us.”
Hendrix matched Betten’s game-high 21 points as the Squires claimed their first-ever state championship. In fact, the Manchester program hadn’t advanced beyond the sectional round since 1995, but this dynamic duo helped polish off a 26-2 campaign with the victory.
“Everyone tries to take Gavin away,” Manchester coach Eli Hanson said, “but Ethan does so much for us and it’s been that way all season. His ability to handle the ball and handle pressure in key moments has been huge for us.”
There were plenty of key moments in the title game. After a 21-21 deadlock at halftime, both teams took turns trying to seize control.
Manchester had the first spurt of the second half, taking a 39-32 advantage after a Hendrix 3-pointer with just :14 left in the third.
However, University (20-10) didn’t fold and scored seven straight points to tie the game at 39-39 with 6:37 left in the contest.
From there, the game was tied at 43-43 and 46-46 before University’s Blake Gray canned his fifth 3-pointer of the contest to give the Trailblazers what looked like a huge momentum boost.
But, back-to-back buckets by Betten and Hendrix gave Manchester a 50-49 advantage. University then took its final lead after two Faisal Mohamud free throws with 1:44 left.
However, a Betten basket on Manchester’s next possession followed by five Hendrix free throws clinched the game for the Squires.
“Coach (Hanson) keeps us calm in tight situations,” Hendrix said. “In the end, we were able to keep our composure and make that run.”
“We played outstanding, offensively, in the second half,” Hanson said. “Our defense struggled a bit because of their 3-point shooting, but when we needed stops late, we stepped up.”
“They made the plays,” Blanding said, “and we got to the basket a couple of times and didn’t convert.”
Gray led University with 20 points and Max McComb added 16. The Trailblazers were 11-of-25 from 3-point range, but hit only 7-of-26 2-point attempts.
Betten led all rebounders with 10.
Class 2A State Championship Records
Highest Combined 3FG Percentage: .459 by Manchester (6-12) and University (11-25)
3FG Made (Tied): 6 by Blake Gray of University (6 by Paul Bayt, Park Tudor vs. Bowman 2012).
Kaleb Kline of Manchester receives Trester Mental Attitude Award
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Kaleb Kline of Manchester High School as the winner of the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award in Class 2A Boys Basketball.
The award is presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was nominated by his principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability.
Kaleb is a four-year participant in Basketball and Football at Manchester. He is a All-Conference Honorable Mention and a two-time Academic All-Conference. Kaleb is third in his class of 102 students and has a cumulative GPA average of 3.96. He is also a part of the Future Farmers of America and National Honor Society.
He is the son of Duane and Rickell Kline of Claypool, Indiana and he is planning on attending Purdue University in the fall to study Agriculture. Kaleb is the first Manchester student to earn an IHSAA mental attitude award recipient since 2002 (Drew Walters, 2A baseball) and the school’s third overall.
The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, the presenting sponsors of the IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to the general scholarship fund at Manchester High School in the name of Kaleb Kline.
The award is named in honor of the late Arthur L. Trester, who served as the first IHSAA Commissioner from 1929 to 1944 as a guiding force after the Great Depression.