1983 IHSAA State Championship: Connersville 63, Anderson 62

Connersville's Spartans, coached by Basil Mawbey, captured their second boys basketball championship with a one point win over Anderson. The 73rd annual tournament was held at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on March 26, 1983.
Connersville, bolstered by the balanced scoring of its team members, pulled out a hard fought 63-62 decision on Mike Heineman's loose ball rebound basket with just under a minute left. Anderson's Troy Lewis, who had scored 12 of his 34 points in the fourth quarters, missed a last second shot, and the Indians finished as runner-up for the third time in the last five years.
Norm Held's Anderson team had held the game's biggest lead at 14-6 toward the end of the first quarter. Connersville stepped out in front at 23-22, and the Indians and the Spartans were tied 28-28 at halftime. Anderson gained a 40-34 lead in the third quarter, but the Spartans jumped to a 47-46 advantage going into the final stanza.
Wayne Crabtree led Connersville with 14 points, while Mike Heineman had 11, including the game-winning bucket. Twin brother Chris Heineman added 8 points as did Jay Morken, with Brian Flanigan and Jim Cruse contributing 10 points each for the winners. Troy Lewis' 34 points, coupled with 42 in the afternoon game, established a new two game scoring record.
Princeton fell to Connersville in the first game by a 62-57 score. Brad Fichter's 31 point individual effort was not enough for the Tigers to counteract the Spartan's balanced attack. Mike and Chris Heineman tallied 20 and 18 points respectively, with Crabtree grabbing 10 and Flanigan 8. Jim Jones' Tigers finished the season with a 22-6 record which included a regional win over top-ranked Evansville Bosse.
Terms such as shootout and barn burner might be applied to the Anderson-Marion contest, but it was typical of what one expects of a classic Indiana high school basketball game. Highlighted by the 52 points scored by James Blackmon of Marion and Troy Lewis' 42, the game went two overtimes before a winner was decided. A missed free throw at the end of regulation time sent the game into the first extra period. David Jackson's rebound basket as time
was running out in the second overtime boosted the Indians into the final game and deprived Marion coach Bill Green of a bid for a fourth state title. Marion's Giants ended their season with a 22-6 record, including a season overtime win against Anderson. Both Blackmon and Lewis broke the single game scoring record for the state tournament in the contest which ended up 89-87.
Anderson's John Harter, who had scored 14 points for the day, was the winner of the coveted Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award. The 1983 tournament will be noted not only for the team effort of the champions but also for the outstanding individual performances of the other participants.