For the first time since 1982, the Clinton Prairie Gophers boys’ basketball team is Sectional Champions after defeating Frontier 65-37 Saturday night.
“They came in this whole week with the mindset of being here,” Clinton Prairie head coach Chad Peckinpaugh said. “Each step of the way, we weren’t content until we got this done so there wasn’t really much celebration after the first two nights because we knew what our ultimate goal was. I’m super proud of them and their effort all week long.”
The Gophers once again relied on their defense. They held Frontier to just 12 points in the first half and forced numerous turnovers, leading to easy baskets on the other end.
Defense has been the calling card for Clinton Prairie all year. The Gophers utilize a 3-2 zone, and with their size and athleticism, it’s tough to beat.
“It’s kind of been the focus all year,” Peckinpaugh said. “You got to give credit to the kids because they bought in and said this is where we’re going to win basketball games.”
On the offensive end, it was an all-around effort that led Clinton Prairie to the win. Senior Ryan Harshbarger paced the team with 20 points.
“I just got open,” Harshbarger said. “My teammates found me and I was able to hit shots.”
The win ends one of the longer Sectional Championship droughts for teams in Indiana, with the last Sectional Championship coming back in 1982.
The stands at Clinton Central, the host for Sectional 54, were packed with a sea of red and black as Gopher fans celebrated the win.
“There’s such a big amount of support for who we are and what we do,” Peckinpaugh said. “And you know, when you get that small town community, that small town feel, everybody relishes in a team and follows them. We’re pretty fortunate to have such great support from so many people.”
Seniors Jake McGraw and Alex Farley are big reasons for the success of the Gophers so far this season. McGraw, the all-time leader in points scored in Clinton County history, said he was happy to see the hard work of the team pay off with a Sectional Championship.
“We worked so hard, I mean everyone worked hard,” McGraw said. “We’ve got a lot more than just sectionals, we’re going far this year. We’re happy for this and we’re gonna enjoy this, but come Monday, it’s back to work.”
Clinton Prairie got out to a lead early and never looked back, taking a 33-12 lead to the halftime break. Alex Farley finished with 17 points for the Gophers and his aggressiveness early on helped Clinton Prairie settle into the game.
“I remember last time we played them, they gave me a lot of drives,” Farley said. “They couldn’t really guard the downhill penetration, so I knew early on they were probably going to face guard me and Jake and they weren’t going to shade off of me because they knew I could shoot. I just decided to go downhill and get the basket.”
The Gophers survived a third quarter run from the Falcons and a late basket from Evan Smock put Clinton Prairie up 46-24 heading into the fourth.
As the time ticked down in the fourth quarter, the Gophers held on to their big lead. With less than two minutes to go, Chad Peckingpaugh subbed out his starters one by one to a standing ovation from the Clinton Prairie crowd.
Clinton Prairie moves to 23-2 on the season and has a Sectional Championship under their belt. The Gophers will head to the Regional Championship next Saturday to face Lafayette Central Catholic. This will be the third year in a row the teams will play in the State Tournament, with the previous two matchups coming in Sectional play. Clinton Prairie knocked LCC out in the first round in 2023, and the Knights repaid the favor in 2024. The time and location of the game are to be determined. The game will be aired on WILO.
The broadcast of the Clinton Prairie versus Frontier game was brought to you by:
Treece’s Restaurant
MRK
TC Trailers
Davis Comfort Solutions
Sam I Am Carper Cleaning
Wampler’s Services, Inc.
Esserman’s Best One Tire and Auto
Rossville Consolidated School District