The players were teenagers who knew very little about history. So when the victorious Decatur Central Eagles broke down the back of the net at Mooresville High School on Saturday night to celebrate the school’s first sectional title since 2005, they were caught up in the moment.

But their coach knows. Coach Brian Thurber is a lifelong coach at Decatur Township. He graduated from Decatur Central in 1999 and began his coaching career as an assistant coach the following year. He was a reserve in the last conference championship game. In Class 4A Section 12, the Eagles defeated a plucky Southport team (10-14) 69-62, giving them a school single-season winning record (19-6) and sending them into next weekend’s regional round of the IHSAA tournament.

“It was too deep for me,” Suber said. “I can’t imagine coaching anywhere else. This is home.”

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The Hawks hit 12 3-pointers from beyond the arc, the last two of which helped them cross the finish line. In the middle of the fourth quarter, Southport went on a 9-0 run, narrowing the point difference to 11 points 57-55 with 3 minutes left in the game.

That’s when Decatur Central’s three-point ace Nash Sigmund stepped up. The junior guard, who set the school season record for three-pointers made this year, hit two consecutive three-pointers in the lower right corner with 1:39 left in the game to help the Eagles lead 63-55.

“As soon as they left my hand, I knew they were going in – both of them,” Sigmund said afterwards. He finished with 12 points, all from long range.

Decatur Central’s leading scorer was Elias Zapata, who totaled 19 points, 11 of which came in the first quarter. In the first round of the second half, Zapata stole the ball in midfield and then pulled up and hit a three-pointer. But shortly thereafter, the 6-foot-5 forward picked up his third foul and headed to the bench. At this time, with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the Eagles led 37-35.

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Despite Zapata’s absence, Decatur Central extended its lead to 10 points at the end of the third quarter. The key was the performance of guard Makil Baker, who scored 10 points under the basket.

Southport’s appearance in the conference championship game was unexpected, as the Cardinals had lost six of seven games entering the tournament. But they played inspired basketball, defeated Center Grove and hosted Mooresville to advance to the championship game.

“Last week was the proudest week I’ve been all year with this team,” Cardinals head coach Ben Rhodes said of the game. “We gave it our all tonight.”

Southport lost three starting seniors — guard Malakai Bravard plus power forwards Samuel Lloyd and James Carrara (Bravard and Carrara had 17 points each) — but Rhodes plans to take advantage of the momentum.

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“This is a great teaching moment for our kids and I hope they can use this to be successful in the offseason,” he said.

Decatur Central will play Lawrence Central (14-11) in the regional round Saturday at 7 p.m. When asked about specifics for next week, Coach Sauber declined. “This is new for us,” the fifth-year head coach admitted with a smile. “We’ll take it day by day.”

This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: IHSAA Basketball: Decatur Central beats Southport to win first conference title since 2005

The players were teenagers who knew very little about history. So when the victorious Decatur Central Eagles broke down the back of the net at Mooresville High School on Saturday night to celebrate the school’s first sectional title since 2005, they were caught up in the moment.

But their coach knows. Coach Brian Thurber is a lifelong coach at Decatur Township. He graduated from Decatur Central in 1999 and began his coaching career as an assistant coach the following year. He was a reserve in the last conference championship game. In Class 4A Section 12, the Eagles defeated a plucky Southport team (10-14) 69-62, giving them a school single-season winning record (19-6) and sending them into next weekend’s regional round of the IHSAA tournament.

“It was too deep for me,” Suber said. “I can’t imagine coaching anywhere else. This is home.”

advertise

The Hawks hit 12 3-pointers from beyond the arc, the last two of which helped them cross the finish line. In the middle of the fourth quarter, Southport went on a 9-0 run, narrowing the point difference to 11 points 57-55 with 3 minutes left in the game.

That’s when Decatur Central’s three-point ace Nash Sigmund stepped up. The junior guard, who set the school season record for three-pointers made this year, hit two consecutive three-pointers in the lower right corner with 1:39 left in the game to help the Eagles lead 63-55.

“As soon as they left my hand, I knew they were going in – both of them,” Sigmund said afterwards. He finished with 12 points, all from long range.

Decatur Central’s leading scorer was Elias Zapata, who totaled 19 points, 11 of which came in the first quarter. In the first round of the second half, Zapata stole the ball in midfield and then pulled up and hit a three-pointer. But shortly thereafter, the 6-foot-5 forward picked up his third foul and headed to the bench. At this time, with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, the Eagles led 37-35.

advertise

Despite Zapata’s absence, Decatur Central extended its lead to 10 points at the end of the third quarter. The key was the performance of guard Makil Baker, who scored 10 points under the basket.

Southport’s appearance in the conference championship game was unexpected, as the Cardinals had lost six of seven games entering the tournament. But they played inspired basketball, defeated Center Grove and hosted Mooresville to advance to the championship game.

“Last week was the proudest week I’ve been all year with this team,” Cardinals head coach Ben Rhodes said of the game. “We gave it our all tonight.”

Southport lost three starting seniors — guard Malakai Bravard plus power forwards Samuel Lloyd and James Carrara (Bravard and Carrara had 17 points each) — but Rhodes plans to take advantage of the momentum.

advertise

“This is a great teaching moment for our kids and I hope they can use this to be successful in the offseason,” he said.

Decatur Central will play Lawrence Central (14-11) in the regional round Saturday at 7 p.m. When asked about specifics for next week, Coach Sauber declined. “This is new for us,” the fifth-year head coach admitted with a smile. “We’ll take it day by day.”

This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: IHSAA Basketball: Decatur Central beats Southport to win first conference title since 2005