2026 Purdue Commit Luke Ertel Hits Clutch Shots, Drops 36 in Sectional Title Win
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Purdue commit Luke Ertel put on quite a show on Saturday night, leading Mt. Vernon to a thrilling sectional championship win over Greenfield-Central in the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament. The future Boilermaker dropped 36 points, which included some clutch shots, to lead the Marauders to an 83-76 victory.
It was a classic Indiana high school basketball battle, which featured two premier players in the state. Not only did the game feature a strong showing from Ertel, but Greenfield-Central's Braylon Mullins — a UConn commit — scored 38 points in the game.
Ertel showed off some range in Saturday night's victory, knocking down a couple of triples throughout the game. Kyle Neddenriep of The Indianapolis Star captured this bomb from the Purdue pledge in the third quarter.
Ertel deep pic.twitter.com/kwkPgmIw6w
— Kyle Neddenriep (@KyleNeddenriep) March 9, 2025
One of the biggest moments of the game came as time was expiring in regulation. With Mt. Vernon trailing Greenfield-Central 66-63, Ertel knocked down a clutch three-pointer to send the game to overtime.
No way. Luke Ertel 3
— Kyle Neddenriep (@KyleNeddenriep) March 9, 2025
Overtime: Greenfield-Central 66, Mt. Vernon 66 pic.twitter.com/Hbbbz5ksNc
The extra session wasn't enough, though, as the two teams were still tied after the first overtime period at 70-70. Mt. Vernon was able to pull away in the second overtime and ultimately claimed a sectional championship.
Purdue commit @ErtelLuke puts the finishing touches on Mt. Vernon’s sectional title. He was a monster tonight with 36 points and some CLUTCH shots!
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) March 9, 2025
Greenfield-Central’s Braylon Mullins had 38, but it wasn’t enough.
Final: Mt. Vernon 83, Greenfield-Central 76 2OT | @JohnRHarrell pic.twitter.com/4NS2iUBKVW
Mt. Vernon improved to 20-5 on the season with the win and is one step closer to a state championship. The Marauders will play Brownsburg in a 4A Regional matchup on Saturday, March 15.
This season, Ertel is averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game at Mt. Vernon. He was the first player in the 2026 class to commit to Purdue.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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