YEAR 80 {1990}

Attendance record set

INDIANAPOLIS | A new high school tournament national record was set when a crowd of 41,046 attended the first state finals ever held at the Hoosier Dome.

The fans got their money's worth when Damon Bailey led Bedford North Lawrence to a dramatic comeback victory against previously unbeaten Concord in the state championship game. Trailing by six points with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter, Bailey scored his team's final 11 points to propel the Stars to a 63-60 win.

Bailey's 30 points in the title game and his 25 in the Stars' 58-55 semifinal win over Southport helped him finish with a career scoring total of 3,134, an amount that surpassed Lewisville star Marion Pierce's previous record of 3,019 set during the span of 1957-61. Bailey, the winner of the Trester Award for Mental Attitude, is still the IHSAA's all-time career scoring leader.

James Johnson led Concord with 20 points in the title game and 21 in the Minutemen's 70-66 semifinal win over Anderson.

The Region connection

Roosevelt advanced to a semifinal of the Lafayette Semistate, in which the Panthers experienced an 84-78 setback against Anderson.

YEAR 81 {1991}

Robinson leads Roosevelt to glory

INDIANAPOLIS | This was the first state finals that did not play in front of a sellout crowd since 1930, and it's too bad because Glenn Robinson and his Roosevelt teammates put on a show at the Hoosier Dome.

Robinson scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Panthers to a 51-32 romp of Brebeuf in the state championship game. The highly anticipated duel between Robinson and Alan Henderson resulted in Roosevelt's favor as Henderson finished with a team-high 14 points.

In the semifinals, Roosevelt fell behind early but eventually thrashed Whitko 83-53 as Robinson scored 23 points and Panthers guards Jeff Graham and Darryl Woods added 16 and 10 points, respectively.

Roosevelt coach Ron Heflin had been to the state finals twice before, but the third time was a charm for Heflin and his Panthers (30-1). Roosevelt's only loss that season came against Martinsville. The Panthers suffered a 66-62 defeat after starting the season with a record of 11-0.

YEAR 82 {1992}

Overtime madness in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS | Richmond had to win two games in overtime during the same day to capture the state title.

The Red Devils' 77-73 victory over Lafayette Jefferson in the championship game at the Hoosier Dome gave coach George Griffith redemption for two previous defeats in the state finals. It also gave Richmond the honor of becoming the first member of the North Central Conference, which was formed in 1926, to capture a state crown.

Richmond's Robert Sanders scored a game-high 25 points in the title game, and fellow swingman Chad Austin added 19 points for the Red Devils (24-5).

Richie Hammel led Lafayette Jefferson with 24 points in the championship game. The winner of the Trester Award for Mental Attitude, Hammel also scored 25 points to lift his team a 71-58 semifinal win against Warsaw.

In the other semifinal, Austin scored 26 points to lead Richmond to another overtime triumph, this time a 94-92 win over Jeffersonville.

In 1997, Griffith was elected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Region connection

Michigan City Elston made a deep playoff run by advancing to the title game of the Lafayette Semistate, in which it fell to eventual state runner-up Lafayette Jefferson 82-62. Lafayette Jefferson eliminated E.C. Central with a 99-89 win that set up its matchup with Elston.

YEAR 83 {1993}

Seventh time's a charm

INDIANAPOLIS | The wait finally ended for Jeffersonville.

After advancing the Final Four six times without winning a state title, the Red Devils captured the crown with a 66-61 victory against Ben Davis at the Hoosier Dome.

Brien Hanley, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound forward, scored a game-high 22 points to lift Jeffersonville (29-2) to the ultimate prize.

Scott George led Ben Davis with 15 points.

In the semifinals, Hanley scored 25 points and Cory Norman had 23 to lead Jeffersonville past South Bend St. Joseph 87-74. South Bend St. Joseph standout Chris Quinn led all scorers with 28 points.

Ben Davis had four players score in double figures as it defeated Carmel 62-46 to earn a berth in the title game. Carmel's Mark Giller scored a game-high 17 points in a losing effort.

The Region connection

Merrillville advanced to the championship game of the Lafayette Semistate before falling to Carmel 59-52. The Pirates set up their showdown with Carmel by handling Michigan City Elston 74-58 in a semifinal.

YEAR 84 {1994}

Valparaiso surrenders lead, title

INDIANAPOLIS | Valparaiso was the eighth team in history to enter the state title game with an unblemished record.

And the Vikings appeared on the verge of becoming the seventh state champion to go undefeated, but their eight-point lead with 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter didn't hold against South Bend Clay (27-2).

The Colonials charged back, forced overtime and prevailed 93-88 at the Hoosier Dome. Forward Jaraan Cornell led South Bend Clay to its first title with 30 points.

Tim Bishop scored a game-high 35 points for the Vikings, and Bryce Drew, the recipient of the Trester Award for Mental Attitude, added 32 points.

Valparaiso defeated Ben Davis 84-69 in a state semifinal, and South Bend Clay edged New Albany 61-57 to reach the title game.

The Vikings advanced to the Final Four by knocking off E.C. Central 83-82 after four overtimes in the championship game of the Lafayette Semistate.

YEAR 85 {1995}

Pirates walk plank in title game

INDIANAPOLIS | For the second consecutive season, a Region team fell just short of winning a state title.

This time, state-ranked No. 2 Merrillville couldn't seal the deal as it suffered a 58-57 loss against top-ranked Ben Davis at the newly named RCA Dome (formerly the Hoosier Dome).

With its victory, Ben Davis (32-1) captured its first state title after reaching the Final Four twice before and recorded the most wins in a season since Vincennes compiled 34 in 1923. Merrillville (27-2) hadn't been to the Final Four since 1978.

Center Courtney James hit both foul shots of a one-and-one to give Ben Davis the winning margin. James finished with 17 points, and forward Damon Frierson scored a game-high 25.

Joe Stavitzke led Merrillville with 23 points, and Jamaal Davis scored 20. Pirates 6-foot-8 forward T.J. Lux added nine points and was named the winner of the Trester Award for Mental Attitude.

On its path to the state title game, Merrillville edged rival Andrean 91-85 in the Gary Regional.

YEAR 86 {1996}

Ben Davis repeats

INDIANAPOLIS | In a back-and-forth nail-biter, Ben Davis finally prevailed against New Albany 57-54 in double overtime of the state championship game at the RCA Dome.

In front of a crowd of 21,748, Ben Davis standout forward Jeff Poisel nailed his sixth 3-pointer of the game as time expired in the second overtime, lifting the Giants to their second consecutive championship. Ben Davis became just the eighth school to win consecutive state titles and the first team to win a state championship without hitting a free throw in the final game (the Giants were 0-for-4 against New Albany).

Poisel led the Giants (22-6) with 20 points, and forward Yon Price added 12 points.

Lamont Roland led New Albany with a game-high 27 points.

The Final Four teams -- Ben Davis, New Albany, Lafayette Jefferson and Warsaw -- were all former state champions. This had only happened once before -- in 1962.

The Region connection

Lew Wallace and Portage (14-12) met in a semifinal of the Lafayette Semistate. The Hornets (18-7) prevailed 94-77 but fell to Lafayette Jefferson 80-65 in the semistate championship game.

YEAR 87 {1997}

Bloomington North wins last single-class title

INDIANAPOLIS | Bloomington North completed an impressive run by defeating Delta 75-54 to win the final state championship before the IHSAA adopted a tournament with a multiple-class format.

Coached by Tom McKinney, top-ranked Bloomington North posted its 18th consecutive victory and finished 28-1 overall. The Cougars were the first Bloomington to reach the state finals in 37 years.

Delta, which had never before reached the tournament's Sweet 16 level, completed its season with a record of 24-5. The Eagles were coached by Paul Keller.

Bloomington North jumped to a 7-0 lead after one quarter and never trailed. The Cougars led 30-17 at halftime and 50-35 after three quarters at the RCA Dome.

Kueth Duany and Ryan Reed shared scoring honors for the champions with 17 points each, while Patrick Jackson and Rob Robbins paced Delta with 13 points apiece.

As a team, Bloomington North shot .574 from the field and committed only four turnovers.

The Region connection

LaPorte narrowly missed a berth in the state championship game. The Slicers (22-5) led Delta 18-4 after just four minutes of play in a state semifinal game, but they couldn't hold on. The winning score came with four seconds left when Patrick Jackson dribbled the length of the floor before passing to Tyce Shideler for a layup. Shideler led Delta with 21 points, and Ben Tonagel paced LaPorte with 21 points.

YEAR 88 {1998}

Pike forces Marion to finally stumble

INDIANAPOLIS | In the first season of class basketball, Pike won the Class 4A state championship by triumphing against Marion 57-54 at the RCA Dome.

With the win, Pike (28-1) earned its first state championship in boys hoops and its third team title in school history.

Marion (24-3) suffered its first loss in seven state championship game appearances.

Class 3A: With its 72-47 victory against Yorktown, Indianapolis Cathedral joined Lafayette Central Catholic, the Class A victor, as the first Catholic schools to win boys hoops state titles.

Catholic schools were first admitted to the IHSAA in the 1942-43 season. Evansville Rex Mundi (1964), Andrean (1980), Indianapolis Cathedral (1982), Bishop Noll (1988), South Bend St. Joseph's (1989, 1993) and Brebeuf (1991) had previously lost in the state finals.

Class 2A: Alexandria defeated Southwestern (Hanover) 57-43 to win its first state title in any sport. The Tigers joined rival Anderson, which won state titles in 1935, 1937 and 1946, as the only Madison County schools to claim a state championship.

Class A: Lafayette Central Catholic defeated Bloomfield 56-48 in the state title game. Central Catholic coach Chad Dunwoody, in just his third year with the Knights, became the youngest man to win a state title since 25-year-old Ike Tallman at Muncie Central in 1963. 

The Region connection

Four local teams -- LaPorte (Class 4A), Crown Point (4A), Andrean (3A) and Kouts (A) -- each advanced to semistate.

YEAR 89 {1999}

Indianapolis North Central prevails

INDIANAPOLIS | Indianapolis North Central captured a 79-74 victory over Elkhart Central in the Class 4A state championship game at the RCA Dome, which was replaced by Conseco Fieldhouse as the venue for the state finals the following year.

Senior guard Jason Gardner scored a game-high 24 points, helping North Central earn its first state championship.

Ranked ninth in the final Associated Press poll, North Central (23-5) also received 20 points from Shawn Radford, who pulled down 10 rebounds.

Unranked Elkhart Central (18-8), bidding for its first state title in its sixth appearance at the state finals, was led by guard Anthony Kyle with 23 points.

Class 3A: Plainfield had four starters score in double figures and posted a 77-64 triumph over Muncie Southside to win the state championship. 

Jake Wiltrout led Plainfield with 19 points and Gavin Groninger finished with 17 as the Quakers (26-1) earned their school's first state title in a team sport.

Class 2A: First-time state finalist Westview scored 26 fourth-quarter points to pull away from Paoli for a 71-52 win and the Warriors' first state championship in any team sport.

Class A: First-time state finalist Tecumseh (23-4) had four scorers in double figures and pulled away from defending state champion Lafayette Central Catholic in the second half to post a 55-43 victory with the state title on the line.

The Region connection

Merrillville suffered a 67-50 loss to Elkhart Central in the Class 4A Lafayette Semistate, and Andrean fell 87-70 to Muncie South in the 3A Muncie Semistate.