State champions are remembered forever.
Sometimes, those who fell short are, too.
As part of our ongoing America 250 project highlighting Hoosier Hysteria, here are some of the top boys and girls high school girls basketball teams to not win a state championship in the Class Era (1998-present).
Anderson boys 1998
Anderson was the top-ranked team in the first year of Class basketball, highlighted by a January victory over national power DeMatha. Led by senior Eric Bush, the Indians won three sectional games by a combined seven points before losing by three to No. 2 Pike in the regional. It was only Anderson’s second loss that season.
Lawrence North boys 1999
The No. 2 Wildcats were legitimate title contenders. But during a regional semifinal against No. 1 Bloomington South in Columbus, Lawrence North lost in overtime. It was a day remembered for more than just the game sadly, as Wildcat senior and Kentucky recruit John Stewart collapsed on the court and later died in the hospital.
Cathedral girls 1999
The Fighting Irish were a perfect 29-0 going into the 3A championship at Market Square Arena behind a lineup featuring All-Star Jennifer Callier, future All-Star Sharika Webb and future All-Star Jill Corbett. Cathedral’s run hit a wall against NorthWood in a 72-71 loss. Cathedral won back-to-back titles the next two years.
Bloomington North boys 2000
The Cougars were ranked No. 1 and undefeated going into the 4A final with a pair of future NBA Draft picks and All-Americans in Jared Jeffries and Sean May. But Marion had its own future pro star in Michigan State recruit Zach Randolph, who scored 28 points in a 62-56 victory in front of a sold-out Conseco Fieldhouse.
Wawasee girls 2001
The Warriors had one of the best scorers in state history with eventual Miss Basketball Shanna Zolman, yet she never advanced beyond the regional. Wawasee was undefeated her junior season and averaged 75.1 points, but lost to Fort Wayne Concordia by six. Zolman graduated with a then-state record 3,085 career points.
Arlington boys 2005
Many might forget the Golden Knights were the No. 1 undefeated team going into the tournament. Arlington, led by senior Deonta Vaughn, Anthony Munford and David Squires, beat Lawrence North in the regular season meeting by 10 in December. The Wildcats then won the rematch in the sectional by 15 on the way to its second of three straight state titles.
Muncie Central boys 2005/2006
The Bearcats reached Conseco Fieldhouse back-to-back years, with the ’05 group losing only twice behind four double-digit scorers, including Indiana All-Star Jordan Armstrong. The issue? Muncie lost both times to Lawrence North during its three-peat behind Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. It may not have mattered who was in front of the Wildcats during that era.
North Central boys 2007
The Panthers were 13-4 in mid-February before ripping through the state tournament behind Mr. Basketball Eric Gordon, who averaged 29 points per game. North Central ran out of gas in the 4A final with an 87-83 loss to East Chicago Central and E’Twaun Moore, who scored 28 in the championship. Gordon had 25 on 3-of-10 shooting from deep.
Winchester boys 2007/2008
The Golden Eagles reached the Class 2A title game in back-to-back years. They lost both times. Northwestern took the ’07 game by four in double overtime and Fort Wayne Luers won the ’08 final by two. Tyler Koch scored 37 points against the latter in the losing effort.
South Bend Washington girls 2006-09
This is more of an era pick than a specific team. The Panthers reached the 4A final four straight years with eventual Miss Basketball Skylar Diggins. They only won her sophomore season, losing by 11 to Castle in ’06, Carmel by 12 in ’08 and to unbeaten Ben Davis by two in ’09. South Bend Washington went 92-7 during this four-year run with nearly half of those defeats coming in Indianapolis. Truly incredible.
Oak Hill girls 2008/2009
The Golden Eagles reached the 2A final in back-to-back years. The latter was arguably the strongest group with eventual Miss Basketball winner Courtney Moses. The problem was running into Heritage Christian both times, which included a 60-58 overtime result at Lucas Oil Stadium in ’09. Oak Hill lost in the regional the following season to Fort Wayne Luers.
Bloomington South boys 2010
Bloomington South had a legitimate shot at a three-peat. The only stumble came in the 2010 regional against Jeffersonville. The Red Devils stunned the undefeated Panthers by two to reverse a 31-point loss from the regular season. Bloomington South was led by Dee Davis, Spencer Turner, Butler recruit Erik Fromm and then-Indiana recruit Matt Carlino. It won the 4A titles in 2009 and 2011.
North Central boys 2011
The Panthers had the look of a repeat state champion behind juniors D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Ronnie Johnson and Patrick Ingram. The issue came in the semi-state against Bloomington South. Dee Davis scored 31 points in a 76-66 victory to end an impressive three-year run by North Central (69-8 record from 08-11).
Hamilton Southeastern boys 2012
It takes a lot for a team who didn’t win a sectional to crack this list. The top-ranked Royals had two eventual Mr. Basketball winners in Gary Harris (Michigan State) and Zak Irvin (Michigan). The former banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat No. 3 North Central in a memorable sectional victory. HSE was stunned three nights later against eventual state champion Carmel by 18.
Evansville Reitz boys 2015
This one still stings for those in Southwestern Indiana. The Panthers averaged an absurd 92.2 points per game (cracked triple digits 10 times) with a lineup that featured Dru Smith (UE/Missouri, NBA), Jaelan Sanford (Toledo) and Alex Stein (Southern Indiana). Reitz led by eight with under two minutes remaining in the state championship before losing to Homestead in overtime.
Bedford North Lawrence girls 2015
The Stars had a chance to become the first three-peat winner in 4A girls history. The final leg included a lineup with a trio of All-Stars in Jenna Allen, Alexa Bailey and Dominique McBryde. BNL was undefeated going into the regional final but lost by eight to Columbus North and Miss Basketball winner Ali Patberg. The Stars went 104-5 with that senior class.
Princeton girls 2016
Jackie Young won a state title as a junior on her way to breaking the state’s all-time scoring record. It was the only time she advanced from the sectional. The Tigers only lost to Evansville Memorial in 2014 and were upset by Southridge 34-33 in 2016 – also their only loss that winter. The 2016 group also featured a pair of eventual 1,000-point scorers in junior Brooke James and sophomore Kiare Young.
New Albany boys 2018
The Bulldogs won the title two years prior with then-sophomore Romeo Langford. Their next best chance during that run was his senior year. New Albany was 25-1 going into the semi-state against No. 1 Warren Central at Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium in Seymour. The Bulldogs let a 10-point lead slip away in the fourth and lost on David Bell’s running bank shot at the buzzer. Langford, who is fourth on the state’s career scoring list, was crowned Mr. Basketball and teammate Sean East made the All-Star team.
Bloomington South/Lawrence North boys 2020
This is a true “what if” since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the tournament prior to the regional round. Bloomington South, led by Mr. Basketball Anthony Leal and junior Connor Hickman, is the only undefeated team to finish the tournament without a state championship. Lawrence North, led by Mr. Basketball runner-up Tony Perkins, only lost twice and emerged from a brutal sectional. A potential showdown was looming in the semi-state.
Northwestern girls 2020
The Tigers won back-to-back championships in 3A before getting bumped up due to the success factor. Northwestern was still undefeated the following season with a pair of All-Stars in Kendall Bostic and Madison Layden heading into the 4A final. The three-peat was shot down with Lawrence North upsetting Northwestern 59-56 at Gainbridge.
South Bend Washington girls 2023
Following a Class 3A title in 2022, the Panthers were nationally ranked and undefeated behind multiple Division I players, including All-Stars Rashunda Jones and Amiyah Reynolds. South Bend Washington won four straight postseason games by 33.8 points per game before running into Lake Central in the 4A semi-state. The Indians won 62-57 in the morning to thwart a potential repeat run.
Fishers boys 2025
Fishers won the 2024 title and carried a 43-game win streak into a return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The lineup only had one Indiana All-Star (Justin Kirby) but won its previous three tournament games by an average of 37 points per game. Jeffersonville came out on top in an all-time final, 67-66 in overtime, behind 26 points from Northwestern recruit Tre Singleton.
Lawrence Central girls 2025
The Bears were coming off a title run the previous February with another stacked lineup (a trio of eventual All-Stars in Jaylah Lampley, Laila Abdurraqib and Lola Lampley). Lawrence Central breezed through most of the season with only a loss to Hamilton Southeastern in the Hall of Fame Classic. The season was cut short with a surprising loss to rival Lawrence North, who eventually won the 4A title, in the sectional.
Greensburg girls 2025
Nobody has gone undefeated in Class 3A since the introduction of Class basketball. The Pirates were one game away. Behind a deep lineup led by Belmont recruit Leah West, Greensburg won its first six postseason outings by 16 points per game. It couldn’t solve Norwell’s 1-3-1 zone in the final, shooting 31% with 19 turnovers during a 53-44 loss.
NOTE: This story is part of a special “America 250” project on the history of Indiana high school basketball by journalists within USA Today Co. at the South Bend Tribune, Journal & Courier (Lafayette), The Star Press (Muncie), The Herald-Times (Bloomington) and The Courier & Press (Evansville). All stories will run on those respective sites between July 6-17, with select stories in printed copies of the paper as well.
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Who makes our list of the best IHSAA basketball teams to not win a state title?
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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By Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
