By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
INDIANAPOLIS – During the closing scene of the iconic film Hoosiers, as the camera zooms in to the team photo of the mythical state champions hanging forever on the gymnasium wall, the late Gene Hackman’s voice delivers a powerful final line.
”I love you guys.”
Orleans, the manifestation of small-town America, finally got its Hoosier moment. The Bulldogs already had the shrine spot, in a gym stocked wall-to-wall with old team portraits, selected for the future photograph. All that was left to decide was the caption.
It will read, after 114 years of program history, IHSAA Class A state champions. The Bulldogs completed a remarkable tournament journey on Saturday, finishing a sweep of the teams ranked above them in the poll with a gritty 64-55 triumph over Clinton Prairie, winning the first state title in school history, cementing their status as legends for generations to come.
The heroes were many. Alex DeWitt commanded a starring role with 24 points, Bryce Jones scored 17 and swept the hardware with the coveted Mental Attitude Award, and sniper Rylan Crocker added 16 as Orleans (25-4) set a Class A state record for shooting percentage – while probably giving their coach a record level of heartburn with some out-of-character turnovers. But when nerves had to be steel, Orleans was clutch with a fourth-quarter surge to secure the greatest trophy.
This truly is a love story. It’s about the relationship between a community that wraps its arms around their kids, and a team that got to this level because of that palpable, living energy. Everyone in Orleans, save for the unfortunate who were required to stay home and prevent a societal collapse, crowded into the corner and upper reaches of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The celebration will last forever, the championship will be shared by every citizen, those who still reside there and those who remember their heritage.
“More than anything else, it’s a gift to them,” Orleans coach Tom Bradley, one of the favorite sons of his hometown, said. “We wanted to show how much we appreciate the support, and we’re happy for everybody. Not just our team, but our community as a whole.
”Just to break through and reward our fans, we finally got it done for you. It was a relief, this is what we’ve been working for, this is how much we appreciate them.”
The crown was slippery at times. Orleans blasted to a double-digit lead in the third quarter, then stumbled as Clinton Prairie (26-3) roared back with a 13-2 run that concluded with the first basket of the fourth quarter. That’s when Orleans toughness, forged by wins over favored opponents in the semistate the week before, rose to the forefront. DeWitt worked free for a layup, Jones swished a huge trey from the key, and reserve Mason Freed found DeWitt for another close-range bucket to douse the Clinton comeback. In the final minute, as the clocked ticked down to history, DeWitt found freedom for a last basket, Jones and Crocker hit free throws, and the roars were deafening.
Then came the sweet part. The emotional hug between Bradley and assistant Mark Wheeler, the bowing of heads for those beautiful blue ribbons, the raising of the state trophy. Tears amidst triumph.
“It’s a long journey,” said Bradley, a 26-year coaching veteran with his alma mater. “For most people, it’s once in a lifetime. It’s one we will never forget. Thank the Lord for this opportunity.“
The Orleans town is built on work ethic, religion and pride, and the basketball program is built on similar basic fundamentals, none more important than protecting the ball. That’s why the early mistakes, especially when the Gophers went on their first run to an 14-11 lead late in the first quarter, were so concerning. Orleans had averaged only a handful of turnovers per game, especially during its postseason run, so seven at intermission (and 14 total overall) was a problem as Clinton Prairie’s 3-2 trapping zone created deflections and steals.
“We were forcing some things,” Bradley said. “We had to calm down.”
Orleans got to halftime with a 28-25 advantage, then made its first real move to a working margin. DeWitt dropped home a six-footer, Nate Brown buried a bomb from the key, Jones streaked coast-to-coast with a rebound, and Crocker darted home another trey for a 44-33 lead.
Clinton Prairie’s next rally started by accident as star Jake McGraw swatted in, like an annoyed porch sitter chasing away a fly, a missed free throw, and that sparked his personal rampage. McGraw spun the lane for a 3-point play and scored from the paint to power Prairie within 46-44, and his layup to start the fourth quarter created the 46-46 deadlock. From that point, Orleans went into title mode, and full protection mode. Any time a trap seemed imminent, the Bulldogs called timeout to save possessions.
“If you even think about the ball getting deflected, call timeout,” Bradley emphasized. “We had timeouts left, so if you’re undecided about what to do with the ball, call timeout. They probably got tired of hearing me say that.
“Teams like that will have a run. Every time, a team will have a run somewhere along the line. We had some things go bad for us. The next thing you know, it’s back to even. These guys have been through that. In the semistate, both games went down to the wire. The experience we gained from those games really helped us to understand this game was not over.”
In addition to the scorers, Orleans had other important contributors. Brown finished with 7 assists, Freed had 4 points and 5 boards off the bench. But if there was an MVP, it was DeWitt, who added 7 boards to his work.
“I just played my game,” DeWitt said. “I wasn’t looking to score a bunch of points. I just let it come to me.”
“Alex is a guy that has just turned it on the second part of the year,” Bradley said. “He has been spectacular – spectacular – since the Christmas time. We can count on him to score against a lot of guys in there.”
On the flip side, as Orleans swam in joy, Clinton Prairie was equally devastated. The Gophers won their first sectional since 1982 and rode that wave all the way to the end. McGraw totaled 23 points and Alex Farley added 16 plus four steals as a main aggressor in the passing lanes. The Gophers could not withstand the record-setting Orleans shooting (23 of 36, including 6 of 10 from deep).
“You hate to lose,” Clinton coach Chad Peckinpaugh said. “But it was to a class program.”
”We knew it would be tough,” Bradley said. “Clinton Prairie has a very good team. Hats off to them. I know it’s tough, for us to come out the winners. It took us a while in the first half to do what we wanted to do. After that, we got the shots we wanted.”
In the aftermath, Jones was awarded the Mental Attitude by legend Ray Craft (another Hoosiers and Milan connection).
”This guy has been a four-year starter, and it’s that captain leadership that got us through this,” Bradley said. “He’s just a clutch player. He’s been a rock for us – not just basketball. You won’t find a better guy, raised by tremendous parents. He knows this is how we act around certain people, and he sets himself apart. There are little kids that just idolize him.”
Orleans looked back to last year’s heartbreaking five-overtime loss to Barr-Reeve in the sectional final as its driving motivational force for this title run.
“It feels great,” Jones said. “We’ve been trying for four years. We thought last year we had a chance, and we had the five-overtime bust. So this is really nice. We took that to heart, to make us the best team we could be. We got here, and it made us a better team as we went along.”
All that remains now is the immortal team photo. And Orleans knows exactly where it’s going to hang. Perhaps there should be an electronic button somewhere on the frame to press, to hear “I love you guys” for all time.
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