It takes a master of his craft to end his story in a truly satisfying way, in a way that perfectly sums up everything that led to his final moment.
In Saturday’s 2A State Finals, Caleb Furst used his final half of high school hoops to solidify himself as a master of his craft. The Mr. Indiana Basketball hopeful fueled the second half surge that carried Blackhawk Christian to a 55-40 win over Parke Heritage for the Braves’ second-straight state title.
By the first half’s end, Furst had scored only two points – the same number of fouls he’d committed – and found himself on the bench for more than five minutes.
“Having to sit there and watch, that added a couple logs to the fire for him,” Braves head coach Marc Davidson said. “We’ve told him when he plays with assertiveness and aggression, we’re a completely different team. We have the luxury of knowing we have the best player in the gym. We just wanted to put the ball in his hands and let him go to work.”
Letting the big man work, it turns out, works. He made eight of his 12 shots after halftime, and his 18 second-half points almost outscored Parke Heritage, which scored 21 second-half points, altogether.
Furst’s senior counterpart Zane Burke helped write the story of the first half. It was one that, even with a slow start, portrayed Burke as a reliable character ready for the moment.
“Zane’s assertiveness in the first half was really important for us,” Coach Davidson said. “Calm is contagious. He’s calm, he’s confident, and that has a way of permeating our entire team.”
Burke scored the game’s first points to create a lead that never went away, and was often the Braves’ best option when it came to quelling Parke Heritage momentum. The future St. Francis Cougar scored 10 points on 50 percent shooting in the first, and ended the game with 14.
Jacob Boyer’s another hero in this story. Together, he and Burke scored 22 of the team’s 27 first half points. In Furst’s absence, Boyer provided a presence in the paint. He battled on the boards, once scrapping to make sure four straight offensive rebounds for Parke Heritage produced no points. Just like Burke, Boyer gave Davidson a great set piece out of timeouts.
As a whole, the Braves hit 45 percent of their shots, including a 40 percent clip from three-point range. They did allow 13 offensive rebounds, but also nabbed 10 themselves. Senior Marcus Davidson and Burke led the squad in assists, dishing out five and four, respectively. The final script didn’t produce a 25-point drubbing typical of this Blackhawk team that led the state in average margin of victory, but it did tell the tale of a game in which it never trailed.
The overall numbers, as usual, favor the Braves, but the only one that matters, really, is two – the number of state championships this historic senior class adds to its legacy, punctuating an important and inspiring story.
“What these guys have accomplished on the basketball court has been remarkable,” Davidson said. “These guys are remarkable young men. I’ve got a 10-year old son who’s a manager on this team, and I love that he gets to look up to these guys. Kids get to rub shoulders with these guys and start to dream a little bit. It’s a really powerful thing.”
