COMPLETE 2026 IHSAA State Basketball Championshp Preview
NEW HAVEN BULLDOGS (22-7)
(3-24-26) This weekend in Indianapolis the New Haven Bulldogs will make history when they play in the 3A Title game…it is the first time they will ever play in an IHSAA state boys basketball championship game…they have been members of the IHSAA for over 100 years since 1922.
New Haven was never ranked this season, they lost four of their last seven regular season games and pulled out a last second win over Columbia City in the last second in last weekend’s Semi-State Final.
Some would say it has been a dream season or that the Bulldogs are the Cinderella team of this year’s tournament…but no matter what everyone else thought they are playing in one of ‘Hoosier Hysteria‘s’ BIG games.
They will be tested for sure when they take on Indianapolis Cathedral (24-5)…who comes into the game playing one of the oughest schedules in the state.
Of their five loses this season they lost Ohio’s D I state Champion Princeton, they lost to Crown Point who will be playing Saturday in the Class 4A title game and they lost to Carmel who beat #1 undefeated Fishers in the Sectionals.
Preseason Coaches: N/R | Final Coaches: N/R | USA Today: N/R
Overall Streak: W6
Tournament Streak: W6
Last 10: 8-2
Last 2 Seasons: 36-18 (.667) | Last 3: 43-35 (.551) | Last 4: 54-48 (.529)
New Haven’s Jadrien Ezell, Tarvar Baskerville at IHSAA State Finals media day 3/23/2026 (courtesy: WXIN)
Team Leaders
Points: Tarvar Baskerville | Jr | G | 16.3 ppg
Rebounds: Lavell Ledbetter | Jr | F | 4.7 rpg
Assists: Lavell Ledbetter | Jr | F | 3.5 apg
Unranked New Haven making school’s first state championship game appearance. One of three schools doing so this weekend (Crown Point, Mt. Vernon).
This is the first New Haven team to play in a state championship contest. Girls wrestling team, including three- time champion Julianna Ocampo, won the 2024 state title while the sport was still under state coaches association sponsorship. And the boys cross country team finished state runner-up in 1961.
New Haven dropped four of its last seven regular season games but have rebounded nicely with wins over two ranked opponents this tournament – beat #9 West Lafayette for its first regional championship and rallied past #6 Columbia City in the final seconds for its first semi-state crown.
On Saturday night, Tarvar Baskerville, the team’s leading scorer dropped in the go-ahead bucket on a winding layup with 1.9
seconds left against conference rival Columbia City and added two free throws to put the game out of reach.
New Haven boys basketball advances to first-ever State Championship game
Six of the team’s seven defeats were to 4A teams.
Northeast 8 Conference champions with a 6-1 record.
Boys Basketball State Tournament History
IHSAA Membership: 1920-present
First Boys Basketball State Tournament: 1922
State Tournament Record: 88-103 (.466)
State Champion (0)
Runner-Up (0)
State Finals Appearances (1) 2026 (3A)
Semi-State Champion (1) 2026 (3A)
Regional Champion (1) 2026 (3A)
Sectional Champion (8) 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2013 (4A), 2017
(3A), 2020 (4A), 2026 (3A)
School’s IHSAA State Championship History (0)
This would be the first New Haven team to win a state
championship in any spor
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