Class A: Howell 'bout that: Lapel downs Loogootee in first finals trip since '40

By E. Shawn Aylsworth

HA.com Managing Editor

INDIANAPOLIS â�?��?? The Class A final that led off a full day of Indiana high school basketball March 26 at Conseco Fieldhouse pitted the irresistible force (second-ranked Lapelâ�?��?�s second-highest scoring offense in the state at 75.1 points a game) vs. the immovable object (No. 6 Loogooteeâ�?��?�s No. 5 scoring defense at 41.0).

In the end, Loogootee won the battle but, due to the Lionsâ�?��?� steadfast refusal to take good shots or make the second pass (let alone the extra one) lost the war, falling 51-40 in a game that wasnâ�?��?�t that close.

Loogooteeâ�?��?�s 40 points are the lowest in the eight years of Class A championship play. The previous record was 43 by Tecumseh in a 12-point loss to Lafayette Central Catholic in 1999.

Despite an off-game shooting against Loogootee, Lapel&acutes high-scoring Jason Holsinger never failed to entertain in a Cinderella season for the Madison County small school. It had been 65 years since the Bulldogs last made the state finals. Photo by Natalie Evans

Making the defeat doubly frustrating for the Lions was the fact that Loogootee held Lapel high-scoring guard Jason Holsinger in check as the Evansville-bound senior â�?��?? who exploded for 37 in the previous weekâ�?��?�s semistate win over defending state Class A runner-up Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian — scored only 14 points, well below his season average of 22.8.

But Holsingerâ�?��?�s backcourt mate, junior J.R. Howell, picked up the slack by logging a perfect shooting game, going 5 for 5 from the field (including 4 of 4 from 3-point range) and 2 for 2 from the free throw line to score 16 points in leading the Bulldogs (25-3) to their first state championship.

Lapelâ�?��?�s last visit to the state finals was in 1940, some 65 years ago.

The first possession of the game proved to be a sign of what was to come as Lapel missed four shots but pulled down the offensive rebound after the first three (the Bulldogs would grab five offensive boards in the opening period).

â�?��?We expected quickness, and them crashing the boards,â�?� said Loogootee 6â�?��?�5â�?� senior center Bart Hill. â�?��?Getting three rebounds on the first play shouldnâ�?��?�t happen.â�?�

Despite Holsingerâ�?��?�s 0-for-4 effort and only 4-of-15 accuracy as a team, Lapel still led by an 8-2 count after the first quarter. And it would have been a paltry 5-2 lead had the 5â�?��?�9â�?� Howell not banked in a 35-footer as the buzzer sounded.

â�?��?Hitting that shot really got our team going,â�?� said Howell, who grabbed a rebound, looked up at the clock, took a couple dribbles (didnâ�?��?�t hear this writer say â�?��?thatâ�?��?�s goinâ�?��?� inâ�?�), and launched. â�?��?We were kind of dead for a while and that gave us confidence that we would win this game.â�?�

Lapel junior guard J.R. Howell drives around Loogootee&acutes Jackson Hembree at Conseco Fieldhouse. Howell&acutes buzzer-beating 35-footer at the end of the first quarter set the tone in a Bulldogs romp. Photo by Natalie Evans

The son of Lapel coach Jimmie Howell doesnâ�?��?�t lack for confidence, thatâ�?��?�s for sure. After the shot, Howell whirled and stuck his hand to his ear while waiving at the Loogootee fans. Of course, Lapelâ�?��?�s fans were going nuts across the way, and thatâ�?��?�s pretty much how things stayed the rest of the game.

Loogootee (21-5), the state runner-up to Marion in 1975, did manage to cut the lead down to two on a pair of occasions in the second quarter, but one never got the feeling it would last — especially with the Lions forcing shot after hurried shot.

â�?��?Our offensive execution just wasnâ�?��?�t there today,â�?� said Loogootee Steve Brett. â�?��?We struggled all day long, couldnâ�?��?�t get where we wanted to and made some poor decisions.

â�?��?We really needed to get it inside more than we did and werenâ�?��?�t as patient as we needed to be to do that.â�?�

Uh, YEAH.

Even though the Lions trailed by only a touchdown at halftime (21-14), their consistently poor shooting — 35 percent in the first half, 35 percent in the second half — prevented them from sustaining even one serious run at Lapel.

â�?��?Lapel is a very good basketball team,â�?� Brett said. â�?��?Theyâ�?��?�re very explosive, and I thought we did a very good job defensively in the first half holding them to 21 points.â�?�

Indeed. The Bulldogs were not faring much better from the field, going only 9 for 23 and just 2 of 7 from 3-point land. That included a 1-for-7 effort for Holsinger, who missed all five of his first-half trey attempts.

But Lapel shot much more efficiently in the second half, going 10 for 19 from the floor and 4 of 6 from behind the arc. The athletically superior Bulldogs went on another 8-2 run to start the third quarter, increasing their lead to a virtually insurmountable 30-16, and ended the period with a 34-21 lead.

â�?��?We are probably one of the smallest teams to win the state,â�?� said coach Howell, whose starting five goes 5â�?��?�8â�?�, 5â�?��?�9â�?�, 5â�?��?�11â�?�, 6â�?��?�2â�?�, and 6â�?��?�2â�?�. â�?��?But I think we are one of the quickest Class A teams in the state.â�?�

Three quick 3s â�?��?? two of them by Howell â�?��?? midway through the fourth gave Lapel its biggest lead at 45-26. The advantage reached 19 again at 50-31 before Loogootee went on a 9-1 run in garbage time to finish down by only 11.

The younger Howellâ�?��?�s 16 led all scorers, and he was joined in double figures by the left-handed Holsinger, the Trester Award winner who finished with 14, including a pair of 3s in the second half.

â�?��?A lot of people can catch and shoot, a lot of people can put it on the floor and take it all the way,â�?� Holsingerâ�?��?�s coach raved. â�?��?But he can break people down and stick it from 3 better than any other kid Iâ�?��?�ve ever seen.â�?�

Loogootee guard Todd Baker shoots for two over Lapel&acutes Jason Holsinger during Class A first-half action. Baker was the only Loogootee player to reach double figures as the Lions struggled all game from the field, shooting just 35 percent. Photo by Natalie Evans

Sophomore guard Todd Baker was Loogooteeâ�?��?�s only double-digit scorer with 11 points. Hill, meanwhile, finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

The resounding Lapel victory culminates quite a finish to the 2005 basketball season for the Howell family. Coach Jimmieâ�?��?�s niece, Jodi Howell, was named Indiana Miss Basketball just last week.

â�?��?We been blessed — it is unbelievable,â�?� said Howell the elder. â�?��?My parents â�?�¦ a son winning the state, grandson winning the state, and a granddaughter being named Miss Basketball.

â�?�What more could you ask from a basketball standpoint?â�?�

No foolinâ�?��?�.

Holsinger wins Trester Award

Lapel senior Jason Holsinger was named the 2005 Class A winner of the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude.

A four-year starter who earned All-Madison County and All-White River Conference accolades all four seasons, the 2004-05 Hoosier Basketball Magazine first-team all-state selection and University of Evansville signee finished second on Lapelâ�?��?�s all-time scoring list with 1,752 career points. Holsinger also was a member of the Spiece Select AAU state champions for three years.

Ranked second in his senior class of 62 with a 3.98 grade-point average, Holsinger serves as class president and is a National Honor Society member. Holsinger serves as a cadet teacher at Lapel Elementary School and is an active volunteer with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, visiting nursing homes and working on food drives.

â�?��?Jason is a tremendously hard-working, conscientious, dependable, and reliable person,â�?� said Lapel Principal Jerry Kemerly. â�?��?His work ethic in the classroom and on the basketball floor is second to none. He has a tremendous attitude and an overwhelming personality.

â�?��?He is one of the most natural student-athlete leaders that I have ever encountered. His unselfishness on the basketball floor may be unparalleled to anything I have ever observed in athletics.â�?�