Semistate run still Creek standard 37 years later

<p><strong>N</strong>early four decades later, the almost indescribable feel of Hinkle Fieldhouse in March remains fresh to Jeff Brownfield.</p><p>Brownfield, the starting center on Indian Creek’s 1982-83 boys basketball team, remembers jogging onto the hallowed hardwood for warmups prior to a single-class semistate game against Connersville.</p><p>“I just thought it was kind of overwhelming to see the support from our students and the community,” the 54-year-old Brownfield said. “Even when we go to class reunions, we reminisce about what a great time it was. It was a full house pretty much every time we played. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”</p><p>The squad remains the school’s lone semistate qualifier in boys or girls basketball.</p><p>Coach Dave Fetherolf’s team was part of Indian Creek’s decade of boys hoops excellence (1977-87), which included six sectional championships. The program then went through a 13-year dry spell before winning a Class 2A sectional title in 2000, and it hasn’t cut the nets in the postseason since.</p><p>Led by the 6-foot-7 Brownfield and 6-2 senior forward Chris Johnston, the Braves dominated the Franklin Sectional, blasting Center Grove by 26 points in a semifinal and Greenwood by 31 in the title contest. Indian Creek’s lone regional championship then came with a 65-51 defeat of Bloomington North and a 63-61 escape against host Columbus North.</p><p>Senior forward Carl Klotzsche completed the frontcourt; the starting guards were 5-10 juniors Mark DeHart and Tad Page. Senior guard Mike Adams was usually one of the first off the bench, while other backups included Scott Gossage, Dan Nickell, Bert Burch, Keith “Yogi” Barrett, Randy Wise and freshman Kip Brownfield.</p><p>“The biggest compliment I can pay them is that they were a team,” said Rex Wilson, 63, an Indian Creek assistant during that season who later served two three-year stints as the head coach. “They were better as a team than the sum of their parts.”</p><p>Johnston and Jeff Brownfield tallied 18 points apiece in the regional finale over the Bull Dogs, with Klotzsche adding 17. Brownfield also contributed 16 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and six steals in what remains the biggest triumph in school history.</p><p>Earlier In the day, Johnston (30 points, 12 boards) and Brownfield (20 and 14) posted dual double-doubles in the Braves’ win over Bloomington North.</p><p>“We had pretty good chemistry. We had size, some shooters, some speed and we had depth,” Jeff Brownfield said. “We all grew up playing with or against each other.”</p><p>The postseason draw dictated that Indian Creek play Connersville, winner of its own sectional and regional, in the morning opener at the Hinkle Semistate. Led by twins Mike and Chris Heineman and sturdy frontliner Wayne Crabtree, the Spartans started fast en route to a 67-45 victory.</p><p>“I think it was expected that we would be extremely nervous, but that was a killer semistate,” Wilson said. “It was an unbelievable environment.”</p><p>The second semifinal has become legend as New Castle guard Steve Alford poured in 57 points — pre-3-point stripe, no less — as the Trojans defeated Broad Ripple, 79-64.</p><p>Perhaps better rested by the time the night game arrived, Connersville downed New Castle, 70-57. A week later, the Spartans won their second state championship.</p><p>“I would have liked for us to play better as a team at semistate,” Brownfield said. “They got us in the first half. We struggled out of the gate and never really recovered.”</p><p>Johnston, 55, credits the 1977-78 Indian Creek team, winners of the first boys sectional in school history, for motivating a bunch of then-seventh-graders to follow in their footsteps. Johnston and pals were on the court at Greenwood High School that night exchanging hugs and high-fives with their heroes after the Braves’ overtime victory over Franklin.</p><p>Johnston and his classmates had seen Indian Creek make it to regional in 1979-80 and again two years later, both times eliminated by Bloomington North.</p><p>“My junior year we probably had a more talented team, but my senior year we just did whatever we had to do and didn’t bicker about our role,” Johnston said. “That was the key to our success, and the coaches worked so hard to prepare us.</p><p>“We were one of 16 teams left with about 540 kids in the school. That’s a heck of an accomplishment.”</p>