For decades, Cheyenne Central made a claim to a prestigious national record: the most state championships ever won by a boys basketball team.

Between 1926 and 1998, the Indians won 24 state basketball championships, and it was indeed a national record.

Was. Until this month.

On March 8, St. Anthony of Jersey City, N.J., won its 25th New Jersey state championship, beating Trenton Catholic 74-44 in the title game.

For coach Bob Hurley -- father of former Duke great Bobby Hurley, who played for him at St. Anthony -- it was his 23rd state championship in his 36-year stint with the Friars.

But there is one big difference between St. Anthony's championships and Central's: St. Anthony's championships came in the non-public league, meaning that the Friars only played against other private schools at the state tournament.

(Never mind the fact that the New Jersey private-school state tournament that St. Anthony's won has more schools in it than Wyoming's Class 4A public-school division has total).

So, if anything else, Central can still claim it has more state championships than any other public high school in the nation. And for now, those 24 championships are safe -- the closest team to the Indians' record is Hillhouse High School of New Haven, Conn., which has won 22 state titles, including the 2007 Class LL championship.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com