Providence boys basketball wins first state championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Providence High School boys basketball won its first state championship in team history.

The Pioneers defeated Central Noble 62-49 in the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 2-A state final hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Casey Kaelin scored a game-high 21 points while Grant Williams added 13 points and seven rebounds for Providence. Connor Essegian scored a team-high 18 points for Central Noble.

The team from Clarksville started strong, shooting 71.4% from the field in the first quarter to build an early lead.

Providence scored 15 of the game's first 19 points, capped by layup from Kaelin. A 3-pointer by Quentin Hesse extended the Pioneers lead to 16 points at the end of the first quarter.

Providence (21-6) protected a double-digit lead until late in the second quarter, when Central Noble pulled within nine points, but Grant Seebold scored the final basket of the first half to return the advantage to 11.

Central Noble (28-3) could only cut its deficit to single digits once in the second half as Providence maintained control. The Pioneers went on an 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to extend their lead to more than 20 points.