Bloomington South takes state title, finishes 26-0

INDIANAPOLIS — It took Bloomington South 90 years for its second boys basketball championship. Darwin Davis can get another one next year, and even the year after that.

The 5-foot-10 sophomore scored 17 points and hit two clinching free throws and a breakaway layup in the final seconds to give the Panthers a 69-62 victory over Fort Wayne Snider, finishing an unbeaten season with the Class 4A title Saturday night.

"I think all the hard work paid off," Davis said. "I believe anything can happen on any given day. I'm trying to celebrate this right now."

Bloomington led most of the game but never by a comfortable margin.

"It was close, but I think everybody believed," Davis said. "I think it was just our time to win it."

It was the first title for the top-ranked Panthers (26-0) since 1919 and made them just the 12th team to go unbeaten in the 99-year history of the boys tournament. Princeton, which beat Rochester 81-79 in double overtime in the 3A final, was the 11th.

Snider (25-2), whose only other loss was to 2A champion Fort Wayne Luers, twice battled back from eight points down and pulled within 65-62 on a free throw by Brad Sneary with 37 seconds left. Snider had a chance to tie after a Bloomington turnover, but Carl Miller missed three straight 3-point attempts, and Davis finished the scoring with his clinching free throws and layup just before the final buzzer.

"I had no idea it was going to be like this," Bloomington coach J.R. Holmes said of the Panthers' perfect record. "Unbelievable season.

"Our kids deserve it," he said. "There are a lot of coaches that don't get it. I would have to say the good Lord was looking after us tonight."

IU commit Jordan Hulls and Eric Fromm added 14 points each for Bloomington. Sneary led all scorers with 22 points and Reggie Hearn added 15 points and was named 4A Trester Award winner for mental attitude. Davis was named tourney MVP by The Associated Press.