Skip to main content
Purdue
Join Now

Ertel’s Heroics leads to Regional title 

by: Dub Jellison03/16/26dubjellison

SOUTHPORT, Ind. — The first time Mt. Vernon and Pike squared off this season, it was an instant classic. The sequel in the Class 4A regional championship game of the IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament was just as entertaining, except it was Purdue signee Luke Ertel and Mt. Vernon who walked out of Southport Fieldhouse with the hardware and pieces of the net in hand.

Mt. Vernon is now on to semistate next weekend, where its season ended a year ago at the hands of eventual Class 4A state champion Jeffersonville.

The future Boilermaker point guard dropped 34 points on the Red Devils, and the most impactful buckets came down the stretch.

After Pike held a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, Ertel knocked down a step back jumper to kickstart a late charge by the Marauders. With 12.6 seconds remaining in regulation, he connected on a pair of free throws that tied the game at 48-48 and sent the game into overtime after a stop on the defensive end. Ertel was limited to 1-3 shooting in the fourth quarter, but came up big in overtime.

Facing a one-point deficit, Ertel knocked down a triple with 2:15 remaining in the extra frame.

Pike wing Kenneth Lampley then connected on a three of his own to retake the lead for the Red Devils.

Ertel responded with another three, this a catch-and-shoot triple from the top of the key, that would ultimately put Mt. Vernon ahead for good, holding a 54-52 lead with 1:25 to play. The senior guard added two free throws in the final minute and fellow Mt. Vernon senior Jack Guerre extended the lead to three with less than 10 seconds to play.

Kenneth Lampley’s would-be game-tying three fell short in the final seconds of the game.

Ertel crashed the glass, as he has all season, tallying 11 rebounds in the win. He recorded two assists, by our count, but was finding open teammates when Pike decided to double-team him.

Junior forward Max Vise missed the first matchup against Pike in February, but made a big impact when it mattered most on Saturday. The 6-8 Vise scored 17 points and added five assists, four rebounds and five blocks while matching up with 2027 four-star big man Isaiah Hill.

Hill, one of Purdue’s top 2027 targets, had a quiet night offensively, finishing with six points on 3-5 shooting from the field, but had nine rebounds and a pair of emphatic blocks on the defensive end.

Hill’s points came on a smooth spin move in the post, finishing through contact, as well as a put back layup after an offensive rebound and a ferocious dunk through traffic, off of another offensive board. He was energetic on the boards and altered several other shots leading to misses, even though he finished with two blocks on the night.

Pike’s army of talented guards and wings, namely Jahari Miller, Kenneth Lampley, Landon Lampley and TJ Davis were the focal points of the offense, leaving minimal touches for Hill on Saturday.

After Pike came out victorious in the first overtime clash between state title contenders, Mt. Vernon got the last laugh on Saturday night and will await their semistate draw next weekend, which will be announced on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on IHSAAtv.org.

You may also like