1999 IHSAA Boys Basketball

Class 3A State Finals

 

PLAINFIELD GRABS CLASS 3A STATE CROWN

 

Plainfield placed four starters in double figures and posted a 77-64 triumph over Muncie Southside to win the IHSAA Class 3A state championship on Saturday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

 

Jake Wiltrout led Plainfield with 19 points and Gavin Groninger finished with 17 as the Quakers earned the first IHSAA title in a team sport in school history. Jeff Wiltrout added 15, while Adam Musters chipped in 11 for the Class 3A top-ranked Quakers who finished 26-1 under coach Dana Greene.

 

Plainfield survived a 26-point, 26-rebound (11 offensive) outing by Muncie Southside's Gerry Hall. In comparison, the 6-1 junior center's performance was the third-best rebounding effort ever in the state finals, single or multiple class. Rushville's Brad Miley had 29 rebounds in a 1976 semifinal game and George McGinnis of Indianapolis Washington had 27 boards in a 1969 semifinal game.

 

Brian Bell added 13 points for the Rebels, who also were making the school's first appearance in the state basketball finals. Unranked Southside finished 17-11 under coach Rick Baumgartner this season. Interestingly, Baumgartner's father, Dick Baumgartner, was the coach of Crawfordsville's state runner-up team in 1958.

 

After a 16-16 tie after the first period, Plainfield took a 34-31 lead into the locker room at halftime. After leading 54-45 after three frames, the Quakers outscored the Rebels 23-19 through the fourth quarter.

 

 

PLAINFIELD'S JEFF WILTROUT WINS CLASS 3A TRESTER AWARD

 

Jeff Wiltrout of Plainfield High School was selected by the Executive Committee of the Indiana High School Athletic Association as the recipient of the Arthur L. Trester Award for Mental Attitude in Class 3A Boys Basketball.

 

The award, named in honor of the IHSAA's first commissioner, is awarded to one senior boy in each classification at the state finals who best demonstrates mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability during the four years of high school.

 

Wiltrout, a two-year captain for the Quakers basketball has also excelled for Plainfield on the tennis court and baseball diamond. He contributed 15 points and eight rebounds in helping his team to its first IHSAA state championship in school history.

 

Academically, Wiltrout ranks fourth in his senior class of 229 with a 4.4 GPA (on 4.0 scale) and is a member of the National Honor Society. He plans to study business at the University of Notre Dame.

 

Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Plainfield High School in the name of Wiltrout.

 

 

CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP BOX SCORE

Muncie Southside (17-11)

Name

Min.

FG

3FG

FT

R

A

F

S

TO

TP

Ryan Baumgartner

25

0-8

0-7

3-5

5

4

4

2

4

3

Brian Bell

29

5-18

1-8

2-2

3

3

5

0

3

13

Brice Jones

17

4-10

0-0

0-4

6

1

3

2

3

8

Gerry Hall

30

10-18

0-0

6-8

26

0

5

0

2

26

Tyrone Mason

23

2-13

1-5

0-1

2

1

4

1

2

5

David Haskins

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

David Vance

1

0-1

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Terrance Sevion

1

0-1

0-1

0-0

0

0

1

0

0

0

Todd Barnes

16

1-3

0-0

0-1

3

0

0

0

2

2

Vernon Phelps

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Larry Hart

11

1-3

0-0

0-0

1

0

1

0

1

2

Melvin Fagin

5

2-2

0-0

1-2

4

0

2

0

1

5

Team Total

160

25-77

2-21

12-23

50

9

25

5

18

64

Percentages

 

.325

.095

.522

           

Team Rebounds: 17

 

Plainfield (26-1)

Name

Min.

FG

3FG

FT

R

A

F

S

TO

TP

Aden Cheik

24

1-5

0-1

2-3

2

3

4

4

3

4

Jake Wiltrout

29

7-16

0-2

5-7

5

6

2

2

3

19

Gavin Groninger

25

5-15

3-9

4-8

4

1

3

0

1

17

Jeff Wiltrout

24

7-10

0-0

1-5

8

1

5

2

2

15

Adam Musters

29

5-7

0-0

1-2

6

1

2

1

1

11

Travis Campbell

1

0-0

0-0

2-2

1

0

0

0

0

2

Kevin Berkopes

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Brett Hardin

2

0-1

0-1

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Josh Moster

22

3-5

0-0

3-4

4

2

2

4

0

9

Dustin Fish

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bryan Western

2

0-2

0-0

0-0

1

0

0

0

0

0

Team Totals

160

28-61

3-13

18-31

31

14

18

13

10

77

Percentages

 

.459

.231

.581

           

Team Rebounds: 11

 

Score by Quarters:

Muncie Southside

16

15

14

19

-

64

Plainfield

16

18

20

23

-

77

 

Attendance (Two-game session):

Officials: Larry Jones, Bruce Klonowski

 

 

POST-GAME QUOTES

 

Plainfield Coach Dana Green

"In the second half I think we showed what we can do and how we can play. I didn't think we played well in the first half but we've got great seniors and they showed what they could do in the second.

About what he most concerned about: "Their offensive rebounding. We talked about that all week. Our kids knew it. They're just a great offensive rebounding team. Its just really hard to stop them, but we were able to slow up some things.

"We actually tried to speed up the game because they had some players that if they had time could shoot the three.

"I thought a big key was when we had the three guys playing with two fouls (Gavin Groninger, Jake Wiltrout, Adam Cheik).

"My kids are experienced enough to know how to play with fouls and I felt that was the key before the half."

 

Plainfield's Gavin Groninger

"They got out to a great start and I think it was more a matter of us getting into foul trouble and not getting into a rhythm."

 

Plainfield's Jake Wiltrout

"Josh (Moster) and I talked on the bus ride over about how we used to watch 'Hoosiers' (the movie). We've probably seen it thirty or forty times together. So this is what you dream about as a little kid and our dreams finally came true."

 

Muncie Southside Coach Rick Baumgartner

"They are a tough team to guard. They have more players than Groninger.

"We needed to keep down our turnovers and at times we didn't.

"With only one senior, we'll have a lot of people back. A lot of people didn't expect us to be here. We figure to be back next year, but that’s easier said than done.

"Plainfield has a lot of weapons and I can't think of anybody tougher that we've played against. They are number one and are deserving of it.

"This is a tough place to play. A lot of our shots didn't fall and some of theirs didn't either. The rims were tight, and believe it or not, there's a breeze in here.

(Commenting on Gerry Hall's 26 rebound, 26 point performance:) "There is not another guy in the state pound for pound who plays as hard as Gerry (Hall). He attacks the bucket and rebounds well. He's very quick to the ball.