INDIANAPOLIS – Clark Kent, or in this case Triton senior Clay Yeo, finally donned Superman’s cape. The kryptonite, however, was just too strong to overcome. In Saturday's Class 1A boys basketall state championship game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Trojans’ do-it-all standout scored 19 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-6 Valparaiso University-bound Yeo, making his case yet again as to why he should be on the Indiana All-Star team, helped the slow-starting Trojans trim a 12-point deficit down to two. But while Yeo won the battle, putting on an impressive showing in the final quarter of his prep career, the Borden Braves won the war – hanging on for a 55-50 win in their first state finals appearance in any team sport in their school's history. “We didn't get off to a very good start,” said Triton coach Jason Groves, whose team trailed 13-7 after one quarter of play, 18-9 at halftime and 28-19 heading into the fourth quarter. “That hurt us. We dug ourselves a hole. I knew that was one thing I didn't want to happen against these guys because they can spread you out and they really make it difficult on you.” The Trojans, who advanced to state for the fourth time in six years, finished the season with a 20-6 record. Borden capped its dream season with a 24-3 mark. “I thought it could happen,” Borden coach Doc Nash, a Manchester College graduate, said of winning the state title. “It's our goal every year to win a state championship and be competititve in the state tournament. I've always dreamed of being here. I believe in these kids and I believe in our community. Our community really supports us.” Playing on the game's biggest stage Saturday, the Braves certainly gave the Borden community reason to support them. The Braves held Triton to an 18-of-43 performance from the field, including a 4-of-17 effort from three-point range. The Trojans made just 4 of 16 shots in the first half. “Our offense was stagnant,” said Groves. “You know, credit them, they did a great job defensively. It didn't look like it was their first time being here. It looked like it was our first time here.” Though the Braves only made 18 of 39 shots overall in the win, they were 8 of 14 from the arc. Borden made 4 of 5 three-point attempts in the fourth quarter while the Trojans tried to make things interesting. For a team that has never played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Wednesday's practice session at the 20,000-seat home of the Indiana Pacers was just what the Braves needed. “They had the NBA line out there and I air-balled an NBA 3,” said Nash. “Then my guys go out and make it look easy. They were making all kinds of shots. On the bus ride home, I told our assistant coach Ray (Weatherford), I hope they save some for Saturday morning. Looking at the stat sheet, I think we did. I'm not sure we've ever made eight 3s in a game.” They certainly picked the right day to do so, as their sniper-like range in the fourth quarter, as well as their clutch free throw shooting, answered each Triton rally. Senior Jalen McCoy hit three treys for Borden and led the Braves with a team-high 15 points. Classmates Michael Lynch and Cody Bachman scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, while senior Billy Kirchgessner chipped in with nine points. More impressive than Bachman's 10 points was his defense on Yeo through the first three quarters. Through 24 minutes of action, Yeo, who went into Saturday's game averaging nearly 27 points per game, was just 3 of 9 from the field for seven points. The fourth quarter was a different story, however, as Marshall County's all-time leading scorer was 6 of 9 from the field and 5 of 5 from the charity stripe en route to 19 points in the final eight minutes. Yeo finished his prep career with 1,992 points. He was trying to become just the 42nd boys player in state history to score 2,000 points. “We kept talking about it in timeouts, 'It's going to Yeo, it's going to Yeo,'" said Nash. "Give him credit. He made one shot falling away on the right side and had two guys in his face. He's got a good basketball IQ. “The kid is good,” continued Nash. “He's the best player we've played. I think he's going to have a good career at Valpo. Give him all the credit in the world.” What Yeo really wanted was a state championship. He's done just about everything else in a Triton uniform. The one thing that will always elude him is a state title. “Credit their defense in the first half,” Yeo said of the Braves, who held him to two points in the first half. “They knew where I was at all times. They did a great job defensively.” Junior Tanner Shepherd scored 10 points for Triton, while senior Seth Glingle and junior Joey Corder scored four points each and senior Trenton Cooper and junior Cody Shively chipped in with three points each.
