The Andover High School boys basketball team earned its first state championship in March.

The Trojans defeated Kapaun Mount Carmel 54-46 at the 5A state tournament in Emporia to claim the championship. The victory came a day after AHS eked out a 55-54 semifinal win over previously unbeaten Highland Park. The Trojans ended the season 23-2.

BJ Redic led the Trojans in scoring with 16. Chris Harris scored 14, and Blake Rucker had 13.

In some ways, the victory rectified the 2020 season, when this year’s seniors were freshmen. The Trojans were favored by many to win the state championship, but the tournament was cut short in the emerging days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This feels unbelievable,” coach Martin Shetlar told the Butler County Times-Gazette after the win. “This feels unreal. This group of seniors I’ve watched grow up since they were in the fourth grade. I couldn’t have planned or written it any better way.”