By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
It was a little more than a month ago that Carmel and Warren Central’s boys basketball teams played each other for the Metropolitan Conference championship.
The Warriors won 66-65 a last-second basket. Do you remember? The Greyhounds weren’t allowed to forget it, as video of Antwaan Cushingberry’s jumper went viral and was all over TV that night.
Now on Saturday, the two teams will meet again in the biggest game of all: The Class 4A state championship. Tip-off is at 8:15 p.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Fans are advised to get their early since a) There’s the potential for a winter storm and b) There will probably be a large crowd expecting another epic game.
There are a myriad of storylines for this game besides what was already mentioned. For Carmel, it would be a chance to claim a fourth state championship, which would put them in rarefied air: Only seven schools have won four or more boys basketball state titles.
Warren, meanwhile, is playing in the state finals for the first time ever. If that weren’t enough, the Warriors are undefeated at 31-0. The Greyhounds are 21-7.
“Both teams will be prepared,” said Carmel coach Ryan Osborn. “I anticipate it being another great game.”
While Cushingberry made the big basket for Warren against the Greyhounds in the regular season, he isn’t the leading scorer. That statistic belongs to junior David Bell, who is sitting at 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Bell was the Warrior who made the big basket to send his team to state. It was his layin that won the game (64-62) for Warren Central over New Albany at last week’s Seymour semi-state. The Warriors have won 10 of their games this season by five points or less, including three overtime victories: The first came over Cathedral 66-64, the second was in triple OT over Zionsville 71-67, and the third was in the regional semi-final over Ben Davis 48-46.
“Warren Central is a balanced team that has been tested throughout the year,” said Osborn. “They play with a toughness, they’re unselfish and they play hard for 32 minutes.”
Two more Warrior players have double-digit scoring averages. Senior Dean Tate contributes 11.5 points per game, while 6-5 junior Jesse Bingham scores at an 11.0 clip. Cushingberry is next with 8.5 per game. Rounding out the list of probable starters is 6-6 junior Jakobie Robinson, who averages 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Carmel’s probable starters are tried and true. Junior John Michael Mulloy, a 6-10 Butler commit, leads the way in points (15.0) and rebounds (8.2) for the ‘Hounds. Andrew Owens, a 6-6 junior, is next in line with 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds. The other likely starters are junior Luke Heady (8.2 points) and seniors Cole Jenkins (7.8 points) and Eddie Gill (7.4 points).
“My hope is that our guys are able to keep the focus on us, our preparation and the things we need to do to give our team a chance to win,” said Osborn. “Both teams have worked hard to get to this point and I would like to think that is where the attention is centered.”
This will be Carmel’s sixth appearance in the boys basketball state finals. The Greyhounds first made it to state in 1925, in a tournament that was dramatically different from today. Should Carmel win its fourth state title, it will join a historic list of schools.
Marion and Muncie Central, powerhouses of the North Central Conference, have both won eight state championships. Washington has seven state titles, three of which are owed to a bunch of boys named Zeller.
Four more schools have four state championships: Crispus Attucks made history with three championships in the 1950’s, then won last year with most of those old players in attendance. Lawrence North’s first title came in 1989, with three more in the mid-2000’s thanks to guys named Oden and Conley.
Park Tudor is the most recent entrant into the four-time club, with all of its titles coming between 2011 and 2015. The first four-time winner was Frankfort, all of them in the 1920’s and 1930’s – back when the legendary Everett Case was the coach.

Carmel’s Eddie Gill (right) and Cole Jenkins (3) celebrate after the Greyhounds won the Lafayette Jefferson semi-state last Saturday. Carmel plays Warren Central this Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the Class 4A state championship. (Richie Hall)