(La Porte, IN) - Two former La Porte High School basketball standouts coached against each other last night.  Steve Drabyn and his team from Bethel University defeated Indiana Wesleyan University coached by Greg Tonagel.  Down by 15 points early, Bethel came back to win 97-89.

 

Drabyn and Tonagel were on the 1997 Slicers team that made it to the final four of the state high school basketball championship.

 

La Porte resident Mike Kellems, who attended last night’s game in Mishawaka, was a police officer escorting the team to their post season games that year.  He said that experience “made the 10 top highlight reel of my law enforcement career.”

 

That year, the Slicers lost out on a chance to play for the state title by just one point.

 

Before last night’s game, Drabyn and Tonagel came together and posed for pictures with Joe Otis, who was the head coach during that deep state title run along with one of his assistant coaches, Steve Drabyn, Sr.