When Ryan Shoemaker hit the game-winning shot for Brownstown Central in overtime of the Class 2A Providence Sectional final game, the Braves celebrated.
When the Braves knocked off Bloomfield by three in the first game of the regional, they celebrated again.
When the Braves overcame No. 9 Forest Park in the regional final game, another celebration was on tap.
And who knew they could do it one more time against No. 4 Winchester in Saturday’s Southport Semistate?
Well, they did just that, by a score of 54-43, and they once again celebrated and gathered on the court for a group photo.

There were so many photo opportunities along the Braves’ postseason journey, and it’s a been a great one to follow. Yeah, those group photos, with the players, cheerleaders, coaches and managers, may get repetitive with the trophy or trophy plate designating them the winners.
But the best thing for me to see is the joy and excitement in everyone. It’s really what high school basketball is all about, and that’s always been a big thing in Indiana, of course.

I feel like I’ve covered the Braves quite a bit over the past year or two. I started out covering games a few times a week in February 2007 for The Tribune, and my first one was at Brownstown. Then, the next winter, I did a few games while I was a full-time reporter. Finally, this past winter, in 2008, I became sports editor and covered the Braves some more, as well as the other four high schools in Jackson County.

I have truly savored every game I’ve had the chance to cover since December. I like going to all of the games and following the teams throughout their seasons. But once you cover a team so many times, and see their ups and downs along the way, you really feel like you understand them better.

Brownstown has had some great games this season. Their first win, a Mid Southern Conference game at Salem, was a good way to open the season. Three days later, they played host to county rival Seymour in a game that took two overtimes for the Braves to conquer the Owls, 68-63.

Their third game of the season, an MSC matchup at Scottsburg, was their first bump in the road. The Braves lost by four points. I remember, as a student at Austin High School, seeing the Eagles and the Scottsburg Warriors duke it out every year. Austin always seemed to falter against the Warriors, no matter where they played. But Scottsburg’s Meyer Gym, which is where the Braves played this season, always seemed to be a tough place to play. I don’t know why, but it was, and it still is.

BC then won two straight, but another slump came at the Graber Post Buildings Classic over the holiday break. They went 1-2 there, and they had a season-low by only scoring 38 points in one of the games. They could have faltered from that point on, but they knew they had to pick up the pieces.

In the new year, the Braves seemed to pick it back up as they won all five games in January, and they were 6-3 to close out the regular season. One of the toughest losses came Feb. 7 at Paoli, when the Braves had the game in their hands until the Rams hit a desperation 3-pointer to win 61-58. Also, their makeup game at Austin was rough, as the Braves also had a good lead through the game but the Eagles made a comeback and won 60-55.

But the one game that has stood out to Braves players, coaches and fans is the final home game of the season Feb. 27 against Orleans. It was their only home loss of the season, and they only had 10 points at halftime and lost 51-39. Turnovers also were a factor in that game, and it was just one that the team wanted to forget, but at times it was hard to.
That game was the week before the sectional, which could have played against them.

The good news at sectional was the Braves received the bye, but the bad news was they would have to play the winner of Paoli and Austin, the two teams they lost to in February. It ended up being Paoli, and the teams battled it out on March 6. The Rams’ Logan Laswell produced 33 points, but he was really the only one doing anything for the Rams this time around. The Braves held on and won 58-49.

Then, in the final game the next night, the Braves met up with the host team, Providence, who barely scraped by West Washington on March 6. Providence was the only team in the sectional that the Braves didn’t play in the regular season, so they had to expect the unexpected.

Going into the game, coach Dave Benter knew the Pioneers liked to slow down the ball, and he was right. It was a pretty tight game, except for the first few minutes when the Pioneers scored the first eight points. The game ended up going into overtime, and it was Ryan Shoemaker who took the final shot and made it for the Braves’ first sectional title since 2004.

The next stop was the Southridge Regional at the Huntingburg Memorial Gym, and what a place that was to play. It’s the 19th largest gym in the nation, and there is so much history around the walls of the gym.

The Braves knew going into their first game with Bloomfield that the Cardinals also liked to slow the ball down. It was a pretty tight game until the end, too, but BC won 38-35 to advance to that night’s finals against past regional nemesis Forest Park.
The Rangers defeated the Braves in 2003, but the Braves got redemption the next year, and that was also the year BC advanced to the state finals.
The Braves surprised the Rangers by winning 55-47 to move on.

This past weekend, on March 21, was another neat environment at the Southport Fieldhouse. The Braves were facing another ranked team, this time No. 4 Winchester, who claimed the semistate victory the past two seasons. The Braves got a great start from Spencer Allman, who sank 3-pointers to give BC an early advantage. Then, Winchester’s top scorer Tyler Koch went down with an injury in the first quarter. The Braves took control, but Koch returned in the second quarter.

The Braves led by 10 at halftime, and Koch and the Golden Falcons came alive in the third quarter by going on a 10-0 run and tying the game twice, one of which was the end of third quarter when it was 37-37.
BC scored the first six points in the fourth on their way to the 54-43 win. Two unforced turnovers late in the game for Winchester doomed their bid to the state finals.

So it was then time, once again, for the Braves to take the floor for another group photo, cut down the nets and join the fans in celebration. It was nice for me this time just kind of standing around watching the celebration unfold, and just seeing the excitement on these players’ faces as well as the fans, coaches, managers and everyone involved.

There was a lot of red and black (BC’s school colors) backing the Braves, and I thought it was a nice opportunity for the Band of Braves to get to perform at the game, including doing the national anthem. That’s something they’ll remember, too.

I wonder if it really helped the Braves by having all the fans there and having the band there, because it may have felt more like playing a home game than playing a game that was one away from the state finals.
I didn’t see too many nerves set in throughout the game, and I would think that could easily happen at that stage.

But the Braves have done just the opposite in postseason play so far. Turnovers have been limited at sectional and regional, and that was good to see after the Orleans loss. Yeah, they had more turnovers in the semistate game than they had the previous four games, but they got the win and that’s all that mattered.

This Saturday, when the Braves take the court for the final time this season, I wish all of them the best. They will be facing Class 2A No. 2 Fort Wayne Luers, but so far, the unranked Braves have done well against ranked teams, so who knows what will happen? Maybe third time’s a charm.

Getting the chance to play at that level and getting to play at Conseco Fieldhouse is such an honor and it has been well-deserved. That’s not something that just happens…it takes work and dedication and consistency along the way, and I have really seen that of late.

And it all couldn’t come at a better time. This weekend, Braves, it’s your time to shine once again.

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