Crothersville High School joined the Indiana High School Athletic Association in 1914.

Over the years, the Tigers struggled to compete with the bigger schools — not unlike most small schools — when it came to tournament time.

Many bemoaned the end of one-class basketball at the end of the 1996-97 season, and many still do. For one thing, it was always exciting watching the little guy take on the big guy. Unfortunately in most cases, the little guy always ran out of gas before the big guy.

That’s why Seymour has 44 sectional championships in boys basketball, while Medora and two long-closed Jackson County schools, Freetown and Vallonia, each have one. 

Unlike those smaller Jackson County schools, Crothersville had never claimed a sectional crown in boys basketball until Saturday night when it knocked off West Washington 57-51 in the title game of the Class A Sectional 62 in Edinburgh.

That sectional title is just the school’s second — the girls picked up the first in 2017 — but it ended 105 years of trying for the boys team. Talk about sticking to it.

Class basketball was designed to level the playing field and make it possible for the smaller schools to sometimes have a chance at earning some glory. It also was designed to put fans in the stands, something most smaller high schools have never had to worry about but larger schools still do.

The Crothersvilles and the Medoras of the world always manage to draw good crowds, and that was most definitely in evidence Saturday night in Edinburgh. You couldn’t ask for more fan support than the Tigers.

Let’s hope the Crothersville boys can bring some more glory to their school by beating top-ranked Barr-Reeve in the first contest of the Loogootee Regional at 10 a.m. Saturday. 

And lest we forget, the Tigers aren’t the only ones playing for a regional title Saturday. The Braves from Brownstown Central meet Brebeuf Jesuit at noon Saturday in the second game of the Greencastle Regional.

Here’s hoping both squads can pull off at least a little more tournament magic.