INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team has accomplished something it hasn’t done before – win a state championship.

The Marauders beat Crown Point 52-50 on Saturday night in the IHSAA 4A State Championship Game inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It’s the program’s first-ever state title.

Mt. Vernon senior guard Luke Ertel, the favorite to win Indiana Mr. Basketball, finished with a game-high 26 points. He also finished with 10 rebounds.

• Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson received a warm welcome and a tribute video in their first return to Indiana.
• Mathurin engaged in friendly trash talk with his former teammates, particularly Andrew Nembhard.
• The Pacers traded the players due to roster needs and future contract and luxury tax considerations.

INDIANAPOLIS — Before they were traded together to the Clippers in February along with draft picks for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson had both spent their entire NBA careers in Indiana.

The Pacers took Jackson in the first round of the 2021 draft and Mathurin in 2022. Jackson, who spent just one year at Kentucky before entering the draft, made his NBA debut at 19. Mathurin, who spent two years at Arizona was 20. Both of them viewed Indianapolis as the place where they became men and professionals.

So it meant a lot to them that they were warmly received in their first game back after the trade. The Pacers put together a tribute video combining their highlights and played it during the first timeout of Friday’s game, which the Clippers eventually won 114-113. Mathurin and Jackson got a big ovation then each got one again when they checked in the game off the bench.

“It meant the world,” Mathurin said. “It meant the world. Indy is my first home. I was able to get drafted over here and just being loved by the fans and most of the organization was great. I love the fans.”

There was clearly love from his teammates too, though it looked a lot different than the appreciation he got from the fanbase.

Mathurin was famous during his time at Indiana for his competitive nature and trash talk. He’s supremely confident in his game and driven by a desire to beat everyone at every competitive endeavor all the time. He talked trash with teammates who were guarding him in practice, telling anyone who tried that they couldn’t guard him, so naturally he did the same when they were taking him on in an actual game. It wasn’t clear exactly what words were being exchanged between Mathurin and his former teammates, but it was clear there were a lot of them.

A three-run first inning propelled the St. Paul Saints to a 4-2 opening night victory in Indianapolis Friday night.

An Alan Roden single drove home Gabriel Gonzalez and Kaelen Culpepper before Eric Wagaman’s base knock plated Emmanuel Rodriguez to stake the visitors to a quick 3-0 edge three outs into the game.

The Indians scored a lone run in the bottom of the first, and St. Paul’s 3-1 advantage held until the fifth, when a Culpepper single scored Walker Jenkins with the Saints’ final tally of the night.

Indianapolis logged one more run in the bottom of the sixth. However, starting pitcher Connor Prielipp and five relievers held the hosts to four total hits. Raul Brito claimed the win with 2 2/3 innings of relief of Prielipp, who tossed four innings of one-hit, one-run ball with five strikeouts and two walks. Brito struck out four, while allowing three hits, one run and one walk. Matt Bowman tossed a clean ninth with one strikeout to earn the save.

The Saints and Indians face one another twice more this weekend: at 3:05 p.m. Saturday and 12:35 p.m. Sunday.