Ertel, Marauders get by Crown Point for 4A boys basketball title

Brady Webber’s season averages insisted one thing, but his gut told him something else entirely.

Fouled with 11.3 points remaining in Saturday night’s Class 4A state championship game and his team leading by two points, the Mt. Vernon senior, a 53-percent free throw shooter, remained unruffled as he toed the stripe.

“I’m a horrible free throw shooter, I can’t lie,” said Webber, laughing, after the Marauders rallied to defeat Crown Point, 52-50, inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “It’s smart for Crown Point to foul me, but I knew this crowd had my back, God had my back and my teammates had my back.”

The 6-foot-1 Webber knocked down both charities, then made the first of two with 3.7 ticks showing to ice the Marauders’ first boys’ state basketball title.

With 6-3 senior guard and Indiana Mr. Basketball frontrunner Luke Ertel scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out six assists, Mt. Vernon bounced back from a 10-point halftime deficit to finish its historic campaign with a 28-3 record.

Afterward, Marauders’ coach Joe Bradburn, a Class 3A state runner-up as the Yorktown head coach at the end of the 1997-1998 season, went to tremendous lengths to deflect every bit of credit in the direction of those young men playing for him.

“For me, it doesn’t matter,” said Bradburn. “The biggest thing is I get to watch these guys enjoy this with their friends and families, and it’s very special because they come to work every day. And these guys have fought.

“They all have different stories where some of them got cut in ninth-grade. Some of them didn’t play varsity until this year. And they just found a way to fight through and just form a team. I’m very blessed to coach this group because it’s just been fun.”

The first half against Crown Point . . . not so much.

A deep 3-pointer from the left wing from guard Mason Darrell with 1.6 seconds remaining in the second quarter gave the Bulldogs a 30-20 lead at the half. Both squads struggled shooting the ball with Mt. Vernon going 6 of 22 from the field (.273) and the Bulldogs 12 of 29 (.414).

Crown Point never trailed during the opening half, jumping to a 21-10 advantage by the 5:17 mark of the second stanza. The Marauders crept close with six consecutive points, but the Bulldogs bumped the lead back to 10 at the break.

Ertel’s 11 first-half points led all scorers, but it came mostly on free throws as he was 2 of 10 from the floor.

The third period was a different story entirely, starting with Ertel’s old-fashioned three-point sequence 24 seconds in. A layup by junior center Max Vise followed by senior forward Jack Guerre’s triple from right in front of the Mt. Vernon bench made it a 30-28 ball game at the 6:47 mark.

Crown Point, led by smooth 6-7 senior wing Dikembe Shaw, held a 35-32 lead through three quarters, and eventually padded it to 38-32 early in the fourth.

It’s at this point that Ertel took control with a runner in the lane, and a 3-pointer from the right wing that cut the spread to a single point. Ertel’s two free throws at 3:08 pushed Mt. Vernon in front, 42-40, and his layup made it a four-point contest with 2:11 remaining.

Two free throws and a layup courtesy of from senior forward Jamaree Collins inside the final 44.9 also proved massive in the Marauders’ efforts to keep Crown Point at arm’s distance.

Not long after the final horn sounded, Bradburn instructed the 6-8 Vise to go cut down one of the nets while Ertel took care of the one at the other end of the court.

Vise, who’ll no doubt be regarded as one of the state’s top players entering the 2026-2027 season, finished his evening with 12 points, five boards and the aforementioned net draped around his neck.

“I’ve never felt anything like this before. This is what we looked up to all season, and to be able to win it, it’s really a dream come true,” said Vise. “We weren’t playing good basketball . . . we weren’t really aggressive. We weren’t attacking like we probably should have.

“That (halftime) message was to just be aggressive. We know what we’re about and keep playing our own game. It’s unreal playing with (Ertel) because sometimes I can just sit back, and he can still do his own thing. His basketball IQ is just out of this world.”

Shaw finished with 24 points and nine rebounds for Crown Point (25-2), while guard Kingston Rhodes added 10 points, five boards and two steals.

Class 4A State Championship Records

None

Mt. Vernon (Fortville)'s Brady Webber receives Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award

Members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Brady Webber of Mt. Vernon (Fortville) High School as the winner of the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A 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.

Brady is a dedicated three-sport athlete for the Marauders, competing in Basketball, Soccer, and Track & Field. He has earned Academic All-Conference honors three times in each of his sports and was recognized as a recipient of the Richard P. Jennings Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Scholarship.

In the classroom, Brady ranks among the top students in his class. He is a Lilly Endowment Finalist and a School Board Scholar. He is actively involved in numerous organizations, including the Hancock County Youth Leadership Team, National Honor Society (serving as Secretary), Student Government, Best Buddies, and Marauder Mentors.

Brady is the son of Luke and Stacy Webber of McCordsville, Indiana. He plans to attend Indiana University Kelley School of Business to major in Professional Sales and Marketing as well as Finance.

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 Mt. Vernon (Fortville) High School in the name of Brady Webber. 

The award is named in honor of the late Arthur L. Trester, who served as the first IHSAA Commissioner from 1929 to 1944 and was a guiding force after the Great Depression.

IHSAA’s Champion of Education Award, presented by Ivy Tech Community College

This award recognizes teachers and faculty who go above and beyond to challenge students to reach their full potential. As an organization that emphasizes keeping education at the forefront of high school athletics, the IHSAA is proud to shine a light on two honorees in this year’s class. On behalf of Ivy Tech Community College, presenting sponsors of the IHSAA Champion of Education Award, the IHSAA will award $250 to the classroom of each recipient.

Dylan Freeman teaches Social Studies at Mt. Vernon Middle School. Mr. Freeman is a dedicated educator who consistently operates with a student-centered approach. He pours his heart into everything he does and makes sure every student feels seen and supported. Dylan goes out of his way to help, often giving more of his time and energy than anyone expects. 

Mary Bachnak teaches Accounting and Marketing at Crown Point High School while also leading Business Professionals of America. Mary has made a meaningful impact on so many of her students and is someone they truly respect and trust. She is a strong advocate for all students.