North Daviess: 32 Minutes To Immortality

2 Halves, 4 quarters, 32 Minutes, or 1,920 seconds of solid, fundamental basketball.

That’s it. That is all it is going to take for the North Daviess Cougars to become etched in the annals of Indiana high school basketball history as a state champion. The Cougars look to accomplish this feat Saturday under the bright lights of the home of the Indiana Pacers, Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

This has certainly been a magical season for the North Daviess Cougars, currently sitting at 26-3 on the year. I have had the privilege to cover these Cougars for the entirety of their extraordinary post-season run, and the recurrent theme I get from talking to many of the Cougars players and coaches is Family. Take it from North Daviess center Brendan Stickles in the audio clip below the picture.

Every single member of Cougar Nation, no matter how big or how small a role, is Family. This belief is what has propelled this team this postseason. The Cougars semi-state game was played in historic Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium whose capacity, listed at 8,228, is second to only New Castle Fieldhouse in the state, and the country for a high school gym. I guarantee that gym was over half North Daviess fans and coming from a small 1a school in a county that many probably haven’t even heard of, that’s quite a feat. Their student section, the Cougar Crazies, are just as their name implies, crazy for their school and are the loudest and most devoted fan student fan base I have come across in my time covering Indiana high school basketball. See for yourself. Just look and listen to this sea of humanity who could barely wait to storm the floor and celebrate with their classmates.

This Family is what is hopefully gonna propel the North Daviess Cougars to their first state championship. I for one can’t wait! See yall in Indy, Cougar Nation, or should i say Cougar Family.