Two-and-a-half years ago, Dylan Wasson suffered a traumatic leg injury on the football field. The dream of playing college football was fading fast.

“I didn’t expect that. I looked down (at my leg) and I was in shock,” recalled the Triton Central senior.

Wasson suffered three broken bones which required two surgeries to repair the damage. Then he trained with a vengeance to get back on the field.

On Thursday, with many of his Triton Central teammates surrounding him, Wasson signed his letter of intent to play college football at Olivet Nazarene University.

Triton Central football coach Tim Able believes because of the injury, Wasson has not yet reached his peak as a football player.

“He may still be growing,” said Able of the six-foot-four, 225-pound linebacker. “His strength in the weight room is just exploding. And he is a very smart kid.”

Wasson intends to major in Pre-Pharmacy at Olivet Nazarene, located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, just south of Chicago.

Jeff Brown photos

Triton Central senior Dylan Wasson (seated, center) was joined by his parents, Tiffiny and Shawn Wasson, and his two brothers, Aidan (standing left) and Eli, to celebrate signing his college letter of intent Thursday to play football at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbannais, Illinois.

Wasson initiated contact with the football program by sending out recruiting film. The coaching staff responded and a visitation was scheduled.

“They invited me on a visit and I really connected with their coaches and I knew it was the fit for me,” he said.

Wasson returned to the playing field late in the 2019 season and helped the Tigers capture sectional and regional championships.

In 2020, Wasson was fourth on the team in tackles (67) and led the team in tackles for loss (17) and quarterback sacks (7).

At Olivet Nazarene, Wasson believes he will move to defensive end.

“He is definitely on the rise,” said Able. “When you have the height and you have the shoulders, coaches know they can develop the other things.”

Triton Central’s success on the football field, three straight 10-win seasons and back-to-back sectional titles, is definitely helping with the recruiting process, according to Able.

 “I hope to bring that success to the next level,” said Wasson. “It would be nice to win at that next level too.”

Olivet Nazarene will look to start its season 3-0 Saturday when Missouri Baptist visits Bourbonnais.

This weekend, Indianapolis plays host to many of the top male and female gymnasts in the country. The Winter Cup and the Nastia Liukin Cup bring the best of the best to compete, and many of the faces that we will see at the Olympics this summer will begin their fight for one of these coveted roster spots, right here in our city.

The Nastia Liukin Cup is one of the premier events for Level 10 females around the country. They attempt to earn the right to compete through twelve different qualifying meets throughout their season, called The Nastia Liukin Series. Only thirty-six athletes total will have the privilege, eighteen senior and eighteen junior. Past competitors include Gabby Douglas, the all-around Olympic gold medalist from 2012, Morgan Hurd, who is a World Champion and current Olympic hopeful, MyKayla Skinner from the 2016 Olympic Team, World and NCAA Champion, Maggie Nichols, and many more. This year, Central Indiana has the privilege of watching two of our own compete at this prestigious event. Lauren Harkins, age 14 of Fishers, and Bailey Stroud, age 13 of New Palestine, are both gymnasts at Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center and will be a part of the junior division, a separation only by age, not skill level. These two incredible athletes qualified for this honor at the Buckeye Classic in Columbus, Ohio, Lauren finishing in first place with an impressive 38.225 and Bailey close behind with a 38.050. These talented gymnasts train around the clock and deserve this honor. Great things can be expected from both of them. Both Lauren and Bailey have the goal of becoming Elite International Gymnasts, a feat only achieved by roughly 70 girls in the entire country at any given moment. Comparatively, there are over 1000 level 10 gymnasts, proving that the giant step to elite status is a difficult one.

Last year, JPAC was represented at the Nastia Liukin Cup by senior Jacey Vore. Jacey finished the 2020 season as the number one level 10 gymnast in the country. As a junior in high school, she came in second place at this event, missing first by the slimmest of margins. Vore was having another record-setting season and was poised to make her second appearance at the Nastia Liukin Cu, quite possibly be named all-around champion. Unfortunately, a heartbreaking ACL injury ended her season at the qualifying event. Jacey has received a full-ride athletic scholarship to the University of Michigan, where she will begin her NCAA career in the 2021-2022 school year.

The Winter Cup is for elite-level gymnasts. Competing this year will be World Champions Morgan Hurd, Sunisa Lee, Riley McCusker, and many other current National Team Members. Jade Carey, the only American Gymnast to have secured a spot at the 2021 Olympics, will be in attendance, and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, Laurie Hernandez, will make her official return to competition.

  Laurie Hernandez

The men's side will also be well represented by National Team Members, NCAA champions, and Olympic hopefuls. This event qualifies gymnasts for the US Championship, taking place in St. Louis this June. The Championship is an invitational in which gymnasts can be named to the National Team. In an Olympic year, there is no more significant achievement.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions and the athletes' health, no spectators will be allowed; however, all of the events will be aired live on TV or online.

            • Nastia Liukin Cup - February 26 at 2:30 pm on NBCSN

            • Men’s Competition Day 1 - February 26 at 7:30 pm on NBCSN

            • Senior Women’s Competition (Main Session) - February 27 at 12:30 pm on NBC

            • Junior Women’s Competition - February 28 at Noon on FloGymnastics

            • Men’s Day 2 Competition - February 28 at 5:30 pm on FloGymnastics

TeAnn Bringle went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored in Indiana State’s 15-9 loss to Western Kentucky Saturday at the Chattanooga Challenge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Sycamores finished the tournament 1-4 with their lone win coming over Chattanooga, 7-5, Friday.

Indiana State opened its 2021 softball season with a 9-7 loss to Kennesaw State before defeating the host school. After its loss to Western Kentucky, Indiana State lost in a rematch with Chattanooga, 16-11, and closed out the tournament with a 15-6 loss to Western Kentucky.

Bringle, the Sycamores’ starting third baseman and a Shelbyville graduate, was 3-for-13 with three walks.

Here is a look at other collegiate athletes with Shelby County ties.

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate finished with nine points, two rebounds and two steals in Loyola’s 78-51 loss Friday at the University of Northern Iowa.

On Saturday, the Ramblers avenged the loss with a 66-64 overtime win. Chandler had three points and one rebound for Loyola (10-7, 8-5 Missouri Valley Conference).

Riley Stephens

The Triton Central graduate had four points and seven rebounds for Evansville in a 57-43 win Friday at Valparaiso.

The Crusaders won Saturday’s game against Valparaiso, 71-56.

Stephens finished with 11 points and two rebounds in the loss for the Purple Aces (6-12, 2-11 MVC).

Kyler Schalk

The Triton Central graduate placed eighth in the long jump (5.56 meters), 15^th in the 200 meters (24.98 seconds) and ninth in the 60 (7.71) for Wabash College in a dual meet at Denison in Granville, Ohio.

Wabash defeated Denison, 82-68, in the program’s first indoor dual track and field meet since 1995.

Chandler Martin and Steffen Shackelford

Competing for the University of Indianapolis track and field team in the Indianapolis Track and Field Classic, Martin, a Shelbyville graduate, won the high jump with a best clearance of 1.90 meters.

Shackelford, a Southwestern graduate also at the University of Indianapolis, finished runner-up at 1.85 meters.

Dylan Harker, Nolan Davis and Cameron Baker

The trio of Shelbyville graduates helped Franklin College secure wins Saturday over Manchester (200-10), Ancilla (199-13) and Transylvania (173-63).

Dylan Harker

Harker won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:00.85 and was part of the winning 400 medley relay team (3:37.19). He also placed fifth in the 100 butterfly (56.75).

Davis helped Franklin College win the 400 freestyle relay in 3:17.05 and he placed third in the 200 freestyle (1:49.84) and 100 freestyle (50.19).

Baker finished third in the diving competition with 195.85 points.

Taylor Tatlock and Grace Laker

Franklin College’s volleyball team split a pair of matches with Earlham College Saturday then pinned the first loss of the season on Transylvania Tuesday.

The Grizzlies defeated Earlham, 25-21, 15-25, 21-25, 25-20, 16-14 before losing 25-16, 24-26, 25-13, 25-16.

In the loss, Laker, a Shelbyville graduate, had five kills and 4 digs.

Tatlock, a Southwestern graduate, had four kills and three digs.

Tatlock finished with eight kills and three digs in FC’s 25-14, 25-23, 26-24 win over Transylvania (13-1, 8-1 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

Franklin College (9-5, 6-2 HCAC) earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming HCAC Tournament.

Bailey Chandler

Bailey Chandler

The Triton Central graduate recorded 33 assists, 10 digs and two kills for Eastern Illinois in a 25-23, 25-21, 25-24 loss Monday to the University of Tennessee Martin.

The loss dropped the Panthers to 0-6 this season.

Bryan Graham has replaced many different kinds of athletes during his highly-successful 13-year run as girls basketball coach at Triton Central High School.

Finding the best way to replace a true point guard like Taylor Heath will prove challenging this offseason.

Heath averaged 14.7 points, 9.5 assists and 3.3 steals this past season while shooting 50% from the field, 81% from the free-throw line and 35% from beyond the 3-point line.

While the colors of Heath’s jersey will change, Graham expects her to continue being a dominant point guard at Hanover College.

“I expect her to go into Hanover and take control and play the point guard position for the next four years,” said Graham. “Hanover got a steal and they know it.”

Photo provided

Triton Central senior Taylor Heath (seated, center) recently signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Hanover College. She was joined by her Triton Central teammates for the signing ceremony.

Heath made her commitment to the southern Indiana college official last week with a signing ceremony at Triton Central.

“It’s a family atmosphere,” said Heath as to why she chose Hanover. “The coach made me feel like a part of the team. Then I met the girls and that solidified it.”

Heath intends to major in Kinesiology and Integrated Physiology to pursue a career as a physical therapist.

The Panthers are currently 6-3 with six games canceled and one postponed this season. The roster features just one senior and four juniors which means Heath will face stiff competition when she arrives on campus.

“I hope to go in and start,” she said. “I hate sitting on the bench.”

Now that she has officially signed with Hanover, her personalized basketball workout will arrive soon. Heath intends to play softball this spring for TC which means she will have to balance commitments to two sports.

 “I am excited for softball,” said Heath, “but I will have to find time for basketball too.”

Heath averaged 8 assists per game as a junior for a team featuring four future college basketball players – Maya Chandler (University of Loyola), Riley Stephens (Evansville), Tenleigh Phelps (Youngstown State) and Bailey Stamper (IU South Bend). She didn’t have to look to score.

Chandler and Stephens graduated and Phelps suffered a knee injury which forced Heath to get comfortable looking to score.

“I knew I was going to have to score more,” said Heath. “With Tenleigh out I started feeling quite a lot of pressure in the beginning but my teammates stepped up.”

Triton Central finished 20-4 with Heath at the controls. Their only losses came to Greenwood Christian (semistate qualifier), Rushville (regional championship game qualifier), New Palestine (sectional championship game qualifier) and University (semistate qualifier).

Heath nearly doubled her scoring average to 14.7 ppg. And her assist average went up to 9.5 per game.

“She could always do it,” said Graham of her scoring prowess. “She just didn’t have to do it (until this season).”

While not the ideal way to progress as a player, graduation and an injury forced Heath to improve her game.

“I’ve never really been a score-first kind of player,” she said. “That made me look to create a little more which made me overall a better player.”

Heath leaves TC with program records for assists in a game (17) and a single season (227). She came up 32 assists short of Samantha Dewey’s career record for assists (629).

“You can’t replace that. Next year will be more point guard by committee. You are not going to replace Taylor. She is a true point guard and there are not a lot out there to begin with. If you have one, you are very lucky,” he said.

In a matter of months Heath will graduate and then focus on being a freshman in college. That does not mean she will lose touch with Lady Tigers Basketball (LTB).

“LTB is family,” she said. “It’s such a great atmosphere to be around whether you are junior varsity, varsity or a manager. The coaches are great. There is the tradition. Just because I’m a senior I still feel like I will be a part of it, still talking to the underclassmen.”

The COVID-19 pandemic dampened Triton Central’s annual “Pink Out” fundraising event. In no way did it diminish the “spirit” of the cause.

Triton Central High School athletic director and girls basketball coach Bryan Graham delivered good news Tuesday that the 2021 event raised nearly $10,000 that will be donated to the IWIN Foundation to help women and their families battle breast cancer.

Over the 13 years Triton Central has hosted the event, the basketball program and its throng of supporters have raised over $180,000 to fight breast cancer.

The annual fundraiser and activities organized in conjunction with a high school girls basketball game have become a “must-see” event.

The school turns its gymnasium and the hallway adjacent to it pink with streamers and balloons. A silent auction runs in conjunction with the junior varsity and varsity games. TC’s basketball teams don pink uniforms. And breast cancer survivors from around Shelby County and beyond are invited to attend and are celebrated with a raucous parade around the hardwood floor before the varsity game tips off.

COVID-19 took the fans away from this year’s game – all 2,000-plus in what becomes a standing-room only event. So the event went virtual and still nearly raised $10,000.

In an email response to Graham, Debbie Laswell, program director for IWIN Foundation raved about “Tiger Nation.”

“You support and care about each other in the best of times and the worst. And stripped down to its bare bones, the purpose of the Pink Out Game was always to celebrate, honor, remember, and help your neighbors with breast cancer, and that is just what you did despite a pandemic,” Laswell wrote. “We are completely blown away by the total funds you raised! Even without fans, the silent auction, the festivities and the Survivor Parade and the traditional ‘sea of pink’ … coach Graham, Connie Larkey, the Lady Tigers, the steadfast supporters, and YOU came together and accomplished something truly incredible.”

Kylee Edwards was one of two sophomores selected to the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s All-Conference Girls Basketball Team.

Edwards also was Shelbyville’s only representative on the 12-player squad.

Edwards averaged 17.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.9 steals for a Golden Bears squad that finished 2-5 in the conference and 8-15 overall.

Also named All-HHC were Delta junior Addie Chesser (17.4 ppg, 4.6 spg), Greenfield-Central senior Addie Hill (12.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Mount Vernon seniors Lexi Shelton (15 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Abby Worley (7.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) and Olivia Yeely (8.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg), New Palestine sophomore Isabella Gizzi (13.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and senior Addi Jones (8 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Pendleton Heights senior Kylie Davis (17.1 ppg, 3 rpg) and junior Abi Rosenkrans (10 ppg,5.9 rpg), and Yorktown seniors Carley Culberson (19 ppg, 4.7 spg) and Elizabeth Reece (14.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg).

Mount Vernon won the HHC title with a perfect 7-0 mark. The Marauders finished the season 19-6 and with a sectional title.

New Palestine (6-1 HHC) was second ahead of Pendleton Heights (5-2), Yorktown (4-3), Greenfield-Central (3-4), Shelbyville (2-5), New Castle (1-6) and Delta (0-7).

Mount Vernon’s Julie Shelton was named HHC Coach of the Year.

Hanover College sophomore Zaleeya Martin broke her own school record while winning the 60-meter dash Saturday at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Women’s Track and Field Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Shelbyville High School graduate became the first female sprinter in Hanover history to break eight seconds in the 60-meter dash. She qualified first in 8.01 then dominated the field in the championship heat, breaking the finish line in 7.92 -- .41 seconds faster than runner-up Madalynn Schifer (8.33) of Bluffton.

Martin also finished third in the 200 meters (28.61) behind Rose-Hulman’s Tina Rogers (27.44) and Transylvania’s Kali Nolan (27.88).

She placed third in the long jump with a best distance of 16 feet, one inch. Rose-Hulman’s Rofiat Adeyemi won the event (16-3.75).

Martin teamed with Alijah Craig, Makenzie Carroll and Alexis Gerke to finish runner-up in the 800-meter relay. Their time of 1:53.27 was just over a second slower than Rose-Hulman’s winning time of 1:52.15.

Hanover College athletics photo

Hanover College sophomore Zaleeya Martin (60) takes the baton to run the anchor leg of the 800-meter relay Saturday at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana. 

Rose-Hulman won the team title with 189 points. Manchester (137), Hanover (100), Bluffton (47.5), Earlham (47), Franklin (46.5), Anderson (34), Transylvania (31), Defiance (12) and Mount St. Joseph (3) rounded out the field.

Two more athletes with Shelby County ties competed in the event.

Jill Anspaugh, a Shelbyville graduate, finished 13^th in the 3,000 meters for Franklin College. She crossed the finish line in 12:49.14.

Waldron graduate Dalen Williams threw a personal best 41-10.75 for Franklin College to finish sixth in the men’s shot put.

Rose-Hulman won the men’s team title with 194 points. Franklin College finished sixth.

Shelbyville hasn’t won a boys basketball sectional title since going back-to-back with 3A titles in 2000 and 2001.  Even receiving the bye in the upcoming 4A field at Whiteland won’t make it easy on the Golden Bears in their search for an elusive postseason championship.

Shelbyville (6-12) will wait until Friday of next week to open the postseason.  The Golden Bears will play in the late semifinal against the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal between Franklin Central (8-12) and Center Grove (11-6).

#13 (4A) Center Grove downed Franklin Central in the season opener, 73-64.  The Trojans have won 8 of their past 11. The losses are a Who’s Who of the MIC:  #3 (4A) Lawrence North, #7 (4A) Warren Central and North Central. 

The other half of the Whiteland Sectional bracket pits defending champ Greenwood (14-5) against Johnson County rival – Franklin (7-13).  Greenwood defeated Franklin, 57-45, on December 11.

The Greenwood-Franklin winner would play Whiteland (12-7) in the other Friday semifinal.

Shelbyville is 0-3 against the rest of the sectional field and 1-8 against 4A competition.  The Golden Bears didn’t play Center Grove this season and a game with Franklin Central was not rescheduled after being lost to a Covid-situation.

At Milan, Triton Central also will wait to begin postseason play.  The Tigers (9-8) received a bye and will play Milan on the Indians’ home court in a Friday 2A semifinal.

Milan defeated Triton Central at Fairland on January 2, 66-49.

The Tigers avoid the juggernaut on the other side of the bracket.  South Ripley (19-1) is ranked 6^th in the 2A poll and is coming off a win over #5 (3A) Greensburg last week.  The Raiders will play Tuesday in the lone quarterfinal against North Decatur (4-18).  The winner will play South Decatur (12-7) in Friday’s other semifinal. 

On December 19, South Ripley outscored South Decatur, 85-79

At Southwestern, the favorite is #7 (1A) Morristown.  But even the regular season game that allows the Yellow Jackets that status comes marred by strange circumstances.  On February 4, Morristown was scheduled to travel to Jac-Cen-Del (14-6).  A leak in the gym roof at Jac-Cen-Del forced a move of the game to Morristown.  But it was a decision that wasn’t made until 1:00 pm.  Morristown (17-4) dominated the game in a 65-48 victory.

Morristown will play Oldenburg (6-9) in the only Tuesday night quarterfinal.  The winner will meet Jac-Cen-Del in the Friday semifinal.

On Wednesday, Waldron (3-17) matches up with Rising Sun (5-9).  The Shiners got by Waldron on January 30, 59-51.

In the final quarterfinal matchup, Hauser (8-11) plays Southwestern (7-9).  The conference rivals play this Wednesday at Hauser in a rescheduled game.  It’s one of four games the Spartans will play in consecutive days to finish the regular season.

Tyler Harker dropped over five seconds off his preliminary swim in the 200-yard freestyle Saturday at the New Palestine Sectional and finished runner-up.

Harker, a Shelbyville High School junior, clocked one minute, 47.92 seconds in the sectional championship event after qualifying Friday in 1:53.27.

Greenfield-Central senior Samuel Logan won the race in 1:44.78. Richmond’s Ben Quinn (1:48.48) and New Castle’s Benjamin Hall (1:49.1), both seniors, finished third and fourth, respectively.

Eastern Hancock junior Matthew McDaniel finished fifth in 1:51.67, setting up Harker as the 2022 sectional favorite in the event.

Harker also placed fourth in the 100 freestyle in 49.75. Greenfield-Central’s Travis Black won the sectional title in 46.0.

The only other Golden Bear to compete in a sectional final was freshman William Rife, who finished sixth in the 100 butterfly (57.59) – over seven seconds behind sectional champ Aiden Tierney of Mount Vernon.

Rife also placed 12^th in the 50 freestyle (24.79).

Shelbyville junior Lance File placed 16^th in the 100 backstroke (1:11.05).

The Shelbyville 200 freestyle relay team finished fourth. Harker, Rife, Elijah Von Werder and Tristin Maloney stopped the clock in 1:37.57.

The 200 medley relay team of File, Harker, Rife and Michael Fox placed fifth (1:52.14).

The 400 freestyle relay team of Manuel Sesma Perez, Fox, File and Maloney finished ninth (3:55.18).

New Palestine Sectional

Mt. Vernon 432.5, Greenfield-Central 402, New Castle 246.5, Richmond 209.5, New Palestine 181, Eastern Hancock 175, Connersville 130.5, Shelbyville 125, Centerville 116, Hagerstown 107, Seton Catholic 44

200 medley relay: 1. MV 1:36.94; 2. GC 1:37.68; 3. NC 1:42.86; 4. RI 1:44.98; 5. SH 1:52.14 (File, Harker, Rife, Fox); 6. EH 1:54.08; 7. HT 1:54.73; 8. CV 1:54.95; 9. SC 2:15.85.

200 freestyle: 1. Logan (GC) 1:44.78; 2. Harker (SH) 1:47.92; 3. Quinn (RI) 1:48.48; 4. Hall (NC) 1:49.1; 5. McDaniel (EH) 1:51.67; 6. Flick (MV) 1:51.82; 7. Criswell (NC) 1:54.45; 8. Edwards (EH) 1:55.28.

200 individual medley: 1. Nagel (GC) 1:57.29; 2. Lindahl (RI) 2:02.27; 3. Griffin (GC) 2:02.82; 4. Garey (MV) 2:03.65; 5. Sipes (NC) 2:10.74; 6. Murphy (MV) 2:11.83; 7. Turner (HT) 2:16.93; 8. Cave (MV) 2:17.43.

50 freestyle: 1. Black (GC) 20.92; 2. Gray (MV) 21.56; 3. Hensley 21.81; 4. Schwartz (NP) 22.65; 5. Demircioglu (MV) 23.14; 6. Joven 23.19; 7. Lamar (HT) 23.55; 8. Surburg (EH) 23.83; 12. Rife (SH) 24.79.

Diving: 1. Jones (CO) 429.85; 2. Jahrsdoerfer (GC) 427.55; 3. Mays (GC) 323.75; 4. Bohn (RI) 302.7; 5. Williams (RI) 290.15; 6. Miller (CV) 283.85; 7. Drake (NP) 278.6; 8. Thomas (MV) 212.25; 9. Hoeppner (MV) 195.65.

100 butterfly: 1. Tierney (MV) 50.42; 2. Logan (GC) 52.75; 3. Hall (NC) 54.58; 4. Griffin (GC) 55.17; 5. McDaniel (EH) 55.71; 6. Rife (SH) 57.59; 7. Smith (RI) 57.72; 8. Champion (MV) 57.72.

100 freestyle: 1. Black (GC) 46.0; 2. Gray (MV) 48.4; 3. Hensley (CO) 49.36; 4. Harker (SH) 49.75; 5. Schwartz (NP) 50.15; 6. Murphy (MV) 50.67; 7. Schomaker (MV) 51.13; 8. Joven (GC) 51.61.

500 freestyle: 1. Quinn (RI) 4:53.99; 2. Peters (GC) 5:04.52; 3. Noah (GC) 5:10.94; 4. Flick (MV) 5:11.27; 5. Osborn (GC) 5:20.22; 6. Lacey (NC) 5:24.86; 7. Strege (MV) 5:24.89; 8. Kenny (CV) 5:30.98.

200 freestyle relay: 1. MV 1:31.29; 2. NP 1:33.74; 3. EH 1:34.02; 4. GC 1:34.4; 5. SH (Harker, Von Werder, Maloney, Rife) 1:37.57; 6. HT 1:38.54; 7. NC 1:40.05; 8. CV 1:41.04.

100 backstroke: 1. Murphy (MV) 55.29; 2. Schomaker (MV) 57.57; 3. Murphy (MV) 58.36; 4. Osborn (GC) 58.54; 5. Smith (RI) 58.61; 6. Griffey (NC) 59.15; 7. Surburg (EH) 1:01.3; 8. Shirk (NP) 1:01.67; 16. File (SH) 1:11.05.

100 breaststroke: 1. Tierney (MV) 56.77; 2. Nagel (GC) 59.31; 3. Lindahl (RI) 1:00.75; 4. Sipes (NC) 1:02.54; 5. Garey (MV) 1:03.73; 6. Demircioglu (MV) 1:05.83; 7. Dagley (EH) 1:07.28; 8. Kingery (NP) 1:07.36.

400 freestyle relay: 1. GC 3:14.01; 2. MV 3:22.85; 3. RI 3:26.53; 4. NC 3:29.04; 5. CO 3:32.79; 6. EH 3:36.3; 7. NP 3:36.47; 8. CV 3:44.83; 9. SH (Sesma Perez, Fox, File, Maloney) 3:55.15.

Shelbyville High School’s boys swimming program opens postseason competition today at the New Palestine Sectional.

Preliminary swims are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. The top eight performers in each individual and relay event qualify for Saturday’s championship races. The next eight performers return Saturday for consolation events.

Shelbyville will not have an entrant in the diving competition.

Sectional event champions and those that meet the state standard time in each event qualify for the state finals.

Tyler Harker, a junior, is the highest seeded Golden Bear for an individual event. His time of 51.16 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle is third best behind Greenfield-Central’s Travis Black (47.96) and Mount Vernon’s Brady Gray (49.74).

Harker also is seeded in the top eight in the 200 freestyle (1:53.8).

Mitchell Compton, a senior, has the Golden Bears’ top time in the 200 individual medley (2:22.7). He will be joined in that event by Tristin Maloney (2:36.98), a sophomore, and Michael Fox (2:39.44), a junior.

In the fastest event, the 50 freestyle, Shelbyville has freshman William Rife (24.09), sophomore Elijah Von Werder (26.77) and junior Lance File (26.78).

In the 100 butterfly, sophomore Manuel Sesma Perez (1:16.41), Rife (1:01.58) and Maloney (1:08.21) are entered.

Perez (1:02.76) will join Harker in the 100 freestyle.

File and Von Werder are the Golden Bears competing in the 100 backstroke. File is seeded at 1:13.34 while Von Werder’s seed time is 1:17.12.

Mitchell Compton, a senior, will swim in heat two of the 100 breaststroke. His seed time is 1:07.46. Fox also will compete in the breaststroke with a seed time of 1:20.4.

Rife, File, Harker and Trey Carrell are the fourth seed (1:47.25) in the 200 medley relay.

Rife, Maloney, Von Werder and Harker are entered in the 200 freestyle relay as the third seed (1:35.58).

Fox, Maloney, File and Perez will likely need to improve on their seed time of 3:56 to advance in the 400 freestyle relay.

Brian Glesing does not fear the challenge that is Shelbyville football.

The Golden Bears have won one game over the last three seasons and currently ride a 25-game losing streak.

Head coach Michael Clevenger stepped aside in the fall and Glesing, who has a track record of rebuilding football programs, was named the new head coach.

For the program to compete once again in the Hoosier Heritage Conference and the Class 4A postseason, more athletes need to be committed to the sport.

“We need to be real simple and get the kids enjoying the game,” said Glesing via phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “Numbers are down. I know it’s not the cool thing in school to be a football player right now.”

Friday nights are supposed to be fun. Instead, the Golden Bears scored just 51 points last season while allowing 527.

In 2019, it was worse. The offense managed just 21 points in 10 games while allowing 589. The program surrendered a record 85 points in a shutout loss to Delta on Sept. 6, 2019.

The last win under the lights came Sept. 14, 2018, when the Golden Bears defeated Greenfield-Central, 28-27.

New Shelbyville High School football coach Brian Glesing.

“I think the community will like what I bring to the program but success will not happen overnight,” said Glesing. “It’s a long process. It will take baby steps. I have seen things to correct and get fixed. And we need to get the kids confident about themselves.”

Glesing’s track record fits Shelbyville’s need very well.

The 1989 Franklin Central High School graduate who played college football and baseball at Hanover College got his first head coaching job at LaVille High School in 2001. The program was 2-9 the year before he arrived and 0-10 in his first season.

The Lancers improved from there with records of 8-5, 9-4 and 5-6 before Glesing moved on to Clarksville, where he was 17-6 in two seasons.

Glesing settled in at Floyd Central in 2007 and won 70 games over 11 seasons. He had one-year stops at Jeffersonville and Paoli before his hiring at Shelbyville.

“I’ve already met with a lot of people,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of people’s opinions on what is good and what is bad. I’ve got in my head what needs to be fixed. I am certainly familiar with where we are at.”

Glesing has already assumed his teaching position at the high school but has not yet moved to central Indiana. He is still living in southern Indiana and staying with family in the area during the week.

There was a scheduled Zoom meeting Wednesday night with his coaching staff to start planning winter and spring workouts.

“I know this situation has some positives,” he said. “We’ve got a good group of young kids, especially coming from the middle school.”

Fundamentals will be key. Glesing plans to install a power running game to improve the offense’s lack of productivity the last two seasons.

“I’ve hung my hat in years past on being a good, power running football team,” he said. “I want to control the clock, get first downs and shorten games. For us to be successful, we have to run the football and then be good with play-action passing.”

An anemic offense the last two seasons has kept the defense on the field far too long. Glesing expects changes there too.

“It will be basic – keys and responsibilities,” he said. “We need to teach the kids to play fast but be a good tackling team – emphasize the fundamentals.”

Glesing understands there were young and undersized kids on the field in recent seasons. That experience will pay off if the athletes can improve off the field.

“We will focus on strength and conditioning,” he said. “We have to get stronger, faster, quicker and tougher – that will be the focus.”

The off-the-field workouts may be more important than the on-field workouts.

Glesing will take over the offseason workouts starting Monday. A recent callout produced approximately 60 sophomores, juniors and seniors. Glesing expects to add another 20-25 eighth graders that will be freshmen in the fall.

“The process needs to start for me learning names,” said Glesing with a laugh.

Glesing's success at other stops is a positive sign for Shelbyville. He points to other HHC programs like New Palestine and Mount Vernon, who have surged to the top of the conference after being in the middle of the pack for many years.

“There are no shortcuts,” he said. “I believe you keep the transition simple – get back to fundamentals and basics.”

Glesing’s debut as Golden Bears coach is scheduled for Aug. 20 at Greensburg.

A pair of Triton Central graduates squared off at the University of Evansville this past weekend.

The Loyola Ramblers raced out to an 18-2 lead Saturday and never looked back in defeating the Evansville Aces for the second straight day. Loyola improved to 9-6 this season after a 67-49 victory Friday and a 61-31 win Saturday at Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville, Indiana.

Maya Chandler, a 2020 Triton Central graduate, had 10 points and six rebounds for Loyola Saturday. She scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds and added three steals in Friday’s win.

Riley Stephens, also a 2020 Triton Central graduate, had two points, one rebound and one steal Friday against Loyola and one point and two rebounds Saturday for the Purple Aces (5-11).

For the season, Chandler is averaging 9.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg.

Stephens is averaging 6.5 ppg and 3.2 rpg.

The Ramblers return to action with games Friday and Saturday against the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Purple Aces travel north to Valparaiso for games Friday and Saturday.

athletics.hanover.edu photo

Zaleeya Martin was named the HCAC Athlete of the Week after her record-setting performance Friday night for Hanover College.

Zaleeya Martin

The Shelbyville graduate solidified herself as her conference’s top sprinter with a record-setting performance Friday at the Friday Night Spikes indoor track and field meet hosted by Rose-Hulman University.

The Hanover College sophomore won the 60-meter dash in 8.0 seconds to break the school record. She also teamed with Alijah Craig, Makenzie Carroll and Alexis Gerke to win the 800-meter relay in 1:57.74.

That success helped Martin earn her third Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Athlete of the Week award.

She will compete Saturday in the HCAC Indoor Championships.

If you're a race fan, you've probably seen or heard Bob Jenkins. He's been working in motorsports since 1979, calling NASCAR and IndyCar races on radio and TV. For the past few years, he's been the public address announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

However, you probably won't see or hear Jenkins as much this year. 

On Tuesday, in a video released by IMS, the 73-year-old revealed he has brain cancer. 

"It happened on Christmas night, I awoke with a severe headache," Jenkins said. 

He went to the hospital. 

"The first diagnosis was a stroke," he said. "The second diagnosis was 'we have found two malignant tumors in your right temple. You have brain cancer.'"

Jenkins says he's going through chemo and radiation, and will have to step back from his role at the track a little bit.

"I'm not going to completely retire. I'm going to say I'm cautiously optimistic about working some of the public address this year."

Jenkins went on to everyone who has already reached out to him. 

"I can't pray as much as all my race fans out there can do, and I sincerely believe that is a major, major contribution on how this thing is going to turn out."

For the full video where Jenkins reveals the news of his diagnosis, go to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4naVJO8hHZU&feature=youtu.be.

Southwestern’s first regional appearance in eight years came because of great patience working with a new coach and overcoming the complications of a worldwide pandemic.

Garrett Krieg was hired to take over the girls basketball program in 2020 at Southwestern at a time when COVID-19 was in full bloom. Students were working from home and typical offseason workouts in the building or on campus were nearly non-existent.

“Not having a summer really hurt,” said Krieg, who went 18-8 in his first season as the head coach. “And then when we did have a summer, my wife had a baby. I took two weeks off where we didn’t practice in the summer to be home with my child.

“But when we came back, we worked really hard and did a lot of good things.”

Krieg looked at a 2020 roster and saw four rising seniors and three juniors that would be thrust into the rotation. But what they looked like on the court was a mystery for awhile.

“The first time I talked to them was through Zoom,” laughed Krieg. “It was tough to get a read on the girls.”

Seniors Maggie Correll, Abby Muck, Trinity Tatlock and Lexi Wilkins were the stalwarts in the starting lineup. Junior Lily Kerber settled in around the quartet while juniors Alison Muck and Kennedy Pile and sophomore McKinley Correll contributed whenever and wherever needed.

Not surprisingly, the season got off to a slow start as Krieg settled in and the players learned what they were trying to accomplish.

“It was win a game, lose a game, then win a game and lose a game,” said Krieg.

Tyson Conrady photos

Southwestern junior Lily Kerber (top photo) will be her team's leading returning scorer next season. The Spartans' postseason run ended Saturday night with a loss to Greenwood Christian in the regional championship game at Southwestern High School.

The Spartans started the season 3-3 before winning back-to-back games against Eastern Hancock and Knightstown.

“I think they got used to my coaching style and got used to what we were trying to accomplish offensively and defensively,” he said. “Then COVID hit and we had to start all over again.”

After the Knightstown win on Dec. 8, the Spartans did not play again until tournament games Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 against Carroll (Flora) and Clinton Central. They added wins over Lutheran and Morristown to bring momentum into the Shelby County Tournament but an old nemesis was waiting.

Waldron pinned a second loss of the season on Southwestern, 36-33, in the semifinal round of the county tourney. Despite the disappointment, the program bounced back to get a 66-64 overtime win at Whiteland.

“By the time January started, I thought we were right where we needed to be, and we got better and better,” said Krieg. “That Whiteland win was huge.”

The players were believing in Krieg and gaining motivation to win their first sectional title since 2013 and play in the regional on their own floor.

“We’ve always known we had potential and I think having a new coach helped us a lot with becoming the team we are,” said Tatlock. “I think it was a good adjustment. We all took him very seriously when he came in and we all respected him. He set boundaries and I think that helped a lot with this season. He set expectations and goals for us which helped push us to where we are at.”

Southwestern closed out the regular season winning five of its last six games and the sectional draw put Waldron right back in the Spartans’ way.

The third time was the charm as the Spartans defeated the Mohawks, 52-50, and added wins over Rising Sun (68-35) and Jac-Cen-Del (52-48) to capture the sectional title and earn a return trip home.

Southwestern kept rolling with a 38-31 victory over Bethesda Christian Saturday morning to reach the championship game against defending regional champion Greenwood Christian.

Win or lose, it would be the last game for the four seniors on their home floor. The Cougars proved too tough to tame, though, with a veteran trio of seniors that led their team to a 49-42 victory.

Krieg knows the offseason will be crucial to developing the next wave of Spartans. Kerber scored a team-high 13 points in the regional title tilt and will be counted on for more production, both in the lane and from behind the 3-point arc, next season.

“She is still a little inconsistent, confidence is an issue,” said Krieg. “but I thought her tournament run was awesome. She had a great season all year. I think she is a player that will really take that next step up.”

Abby Muck and Tatlock led Southwestern in scoring this season at 12 points per game. Wilkins averaged 11 ppg and Maggie Correll contributed 8 ppg. Together, the foursome accounted for 78% of the Spartans’ offense.

Kerber produced 5.5 points and rebounds per game and will be her team’s leading returning scorer for the 2021-2022 season.

The Indiana Pacers have announced they will play tonight’s game without fans, in consideration of the travel advisory issued by the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works restricting road travel beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 15.

Fans who purchased tickets through www.pacers.com/tickets or www.ticketmaster.com will receive automatic refunds and will be contacted directly by email. Others may seek refunds at the original point of purchase. 

For more on the Mayor’s travel advisory, click here.

Greenwood Christian entered the season with one mindset – reach the state finals.

Saturday night, Southwestern stood as the final obstacle to returning to the semistate round, and the Spartans just didn’t have enough firepower to slow down the Class A, No. 8-ranked Cougars.

Izzy Reed and Brooklyn Stubblefield combined to score 25 points and lead Greenwood Christian to a 49-42 victory over the Spartans in the regional championship game played at Southwestern.

Reed, who became the state’s career rebounding leader in her team’s semifinal win over Bloomfield Saturday afternoon and is already Johnson County’s girls basketball career scoring leader with over 2,000 points, spent the first half against Southwestern acting as a facilitator for her teammates.

That worked well as the Cougars built a 27-18 lead but head coach Alan Weems had to remind her she is too talented to not look for her own scoring options.

“We had to get on her a little bit because she wasn’t even facing (the basket),” said Weems, who improved to 131-92 in nine seasons at Greenwood Christian. “Now, she had some good passes to open teammates and you have to understand she is second in assists (on our team). “

Reed, who averages 24 points per game, had just two points at halftime Saturday night but had six rebounds and six assists.

“You have to pick your poison against them,” explained Southwestern head coach Garrett Krieg. “Reed is the best player we’ve seen all year and when she catches that ball at the high post, we had to swarm. And if she kicks, we had to get our backside there with a high hand – and they hit shots.”

The Cougars’ first three baskets were 3s off Reed assists. And with a baseline drive and score by Elizabeth Bigelow, the lead was quickly 13-5.

“(Reed) took what we gave her,” said Krieg. “She knew we were going to collapse on her. She is an unselfish player. She just found the open girl and she did every single time.”

Southwestern countered with back-to-back scores from Abby Muck and a Lily Kerber 3-pointer at the buzzer set Greenwood Christian’s lead at 15-12 at the first break.

Tyson Conrady photo

Southwestern senior guad Abby Muck (14) reverses direction in the first half while being defended by Greenwood Christian's Isabella Reed (12) at the Class A regional championship game at Southwestern High School.

The Spartans struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities in the second quarter and the Cougars extended their advantage to 27-18 by halftime.

Greenwood Christian’s lead grew to double digits in the second half and the Spartans failed to string defensive stops together to get any closer than seven points.

“That’s a good team,” said Krieg. “They can hurt you in so many different ways. We dug ourselves a hole and against a good team like that, it’s hard to climb out of it. We would make a little run and pressure a little bit but they take such good care of the basketball. I can’t fault the girls for not trying. They stepped up and got some deflections and some steals but the better team won today.”

Reed had five points in the third quarter and Savvanah Frye added her third trifecta of the game to extend the lead to 38-25 with two minutes left.

The Spartans battled back with a Muck score in the lane and a Lexi Wilkins 3-pointer from the top of the key that cut the lead to eight after three quarters.

Southwestern cut the lead to 42-35 on another Kerber 3-pointer and had it to 45-39 with 1:16 left but the Cougars spread the floor, ran time off the clock and made 9-of-13 free throws in the quarter to seal the win and a second straight semistate appearance.

Reed finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Stubblefield had 12 points, four rebounds and three steals. Frye added nine points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Southwestern’s four seniors combined for 26 points in their final game on their home floor. Kerber, a junior led the way with 13 points. Trinity Tatlock and Abby Muck each had eight points. Wilkins and Maggie Correll both had five points.

“Coming in, I knew the seniors were going to make us go,” said Krieg. “Everyone single one of them has an impact, not just on the court but in my life in general. All four of those girls are going to be missed a lot.”

After the regional, Reed has now scored 2,056 career points and grabbed a state record 1,337 rebounds. She is four points away from becoming Johnson County’s greatest scorer, eclipsing the 2,059 points tallied by Kyle Stidom, who also played at Greenwood Christian.

For Greenwood Christian to get to the state championship game, it will have to knock off Loogootee, the defending state champion, who dispatched of the Cougars, 57-40, in the 2020 semistate.

Greenwood Christian 49, Southwestern 42

GC: Reed 3-6 7-8 13, Stubblefield 3-11 4-6 12, Bigelow 3-4 1-1 8, O’Dell 2-3 0-0 4, Frye 3-7 0-1 9, Simon 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 15-32 12-17 49.

SW: Ab. Muck 4-4 0-0 8, Kerber 5-8 0-0 13, Wilkins 2-9 0-0 5, Ma. Correll 2-5 0-0 5, Tatlock 2-10 4-6 8, Pile 0-0 0-0 0. Mc. Correll 0-1 0-0 0, Al. Muck 0-0 0-0 0. Stockdale 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 16-38 4-6 42.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

GC (16-6)  15  12  11 11 –  49

SW (18-8)  12   6  12  12 – 42

Three-point field goals: GC 7-19 (Reed 0-2, Stubblefield 2-8, Bigelow 1-1, Frye 3-7, Simon 1-1), SW 6-18 (Kerber 3-5, Wilkins 1-5, Ma. Correll 1-3, Tatlock 0-4, Stockdale 1-1). Rebounds: GC 22 (Reed 10, Stubblefield 4, Bigelow 2, O’Dell 2, Frye 4), SW 14 (Ab. Muck 2, Kerber 5, Wilkins 5, Ma. Correll 1, Tatlock 1). Assists: GC 8 (Reed 7, Frye 1), SW 7 (Ab. Muck 2, Ma. Correll 1, Tatlock 3, Pile 1). Steals: GC 6 (Reed 1, Stubblefield 3, Bigelow 1, Frye 1), SW 2 (Ab. Muck 1, Tatlock 1). Blocks: GC 2 (Frye 2), SW 1 (Kerber 1). Total fouls: GC 6, SW 16. Fouled out: Ma. Correll (SW). Turnovers: GC 14, SW 11.

Southwestern kept high-scoring Bethesda Christian freshman Kenzie Fulks in check and hit just enough shots to advance in its first regional appearance in eight years.

Trinity Tatlock scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead Southwestern to a 38-31 win Saturday morning in the first semifinal game of the Class A girls basketball regional.

 A 6-0 run by the Patriots (16-7) to close out the third quarter cut Southwestern’s lead to 31-28 and a 3-pointer by Paige Vawter diminished the lead to two early in the fourth quarter. That was as close as the Patriots got, though, with a roster featuring six freshmen.

Fulks finished with 18 points (eight below her season average), two rebounds and two steals in her first sectional appearance.

“She was the whole key to today’s game,” said Southwestern coach Garrett Krieg. “She is an extremely good player. We did a good job building a wall around the paint (to keep her out).”

Tyson Conrady photo

Southwestern coach Garrett Krieg led the Spartans to their first sectional title and regional appearance since 2013.

Fulks, the younger sister of Maddi Fulks, who is the school’s career scoring leader (1,947 points), was 5-for-19 from the field and was held scoreless over the final eight minutes.

Southwestern should have had the advantage playing on its home floor but the Spartans struggled to hit shots (32% from the field in the first half; 21% from the 3-point line).

Krieg’s adjustment was to attack the rim in the second half.

“Our patience was really good,” he said, “but we couldn’t keep shooting (3s). We were open for a reason. And every time we drove (the lane) we were getting good looks. We knew we could get good looks (from outside) but I wanted great looks.”

Leading 20-19 at halftime, Southwestern scored the first seven points of the third quarter with baskets in the low post and at the free-throw line.

The lead grew to 31-22 before Fulks produced back-to-back 3-point plays to close the quarter.

Tatlock hit a pair of free throws to open the fourth quarter ahead of Vawter’s trifecta. Lily Kerber scored to extend the Spartans’ lead to 35-31 and Tatlock iced the win with a score in the lane and a late free throw.

The Spartans (18-7) shot just 32% from the field for the game and were 3-of-19 from the 3-point line. Still, it was enough to secure a regional championship game appearance for four seniors on their home floor.

“That motivated us even before the sectional,” said Tatlock, a senior forward. “That’s what we wanted in the sectional … we wanted to play on this floor again.”

Greenwood Christian 54, Bloomfield 43

Izzy Reed scored 9 of her team-high 21 points in the second quarter to help the Cougars take one step closer to repeating as regional champions.

Reed, Johnson County’s career scoring leader in girls basketball and the state of Indiana’s career rebounding leader, was backed by 10 points each from Savvanah Frye and Brooklyn Stubblefield and eight points from Elizabeth Bigelow.

Kylee Shelton topped Bloomfield with 23 points.

Southwestern 38, Bethesda Christian 31

BC: Fulks 5-19 7-7 18, Dodson 1-2 0-0 3, Gross 0-0 0-0 0, Goodin 1-6 0-0 2, Vawter 3-10 0-0 8, Heim 0-0 0-0 0, Lovins 0-0 0-0 0, Tabler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 10-37 7-7 31.

SW: Ab. Muck 3-7 1-1 7, Kerber 2-6 1-5 5, Wilkins 2-10 0-0 6, Ma. Correll 1-8 2-2 4, Tatlock 6-12 3-6 16, Pile 0-0 0-0 0, Mc. Correll 0-0 0-0 0, Al. Muck 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 14-44 7-14 38.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

BC (16-7)    8  11   9   3  --  31

SW (18-7)  13   7  11   7  --  38

Three-point field goals: BC 4-15 (Fulks 1-4, Dodson 1-2, Goodin 0-2, Vawter 2-7), SW 3-19 (Kerber 0-1, Wilkins 2-10, Ma. Correll 0-4, Tatlock 1-4). Rebounds: BC 22 (Fulks 2, Dodson 4, Gross 6, Goodin 5, Vawter 3, Heim 1, Lovins 1), SW 32 (Ab. Muck 7, Kerber 3, Wilkins 4, Ma. Correll 6, Tatlock 8, Pile 1, Mc. Correll 3). Assists: BC 2 (Fulks 1, Vawter 1), SW 6 (Ab. Muck 2, Kerber 1, Wilkins 3. Steals: BC 2 (Fulks 2), SW 5 (Ab. Muck 3, Tatlock 2). Blocks: BC 2 (Goodin 2), SW 2 (Kerber 1, Wilkins 1). Totals fouls: BC 16, SW 7. Fouled out: Goodin (BC). Turnovers: BC 15, SW 11.

Greenwood Christian 54, Bloomfield 43

GC: Bigelow 4 0-0 8, Reed 6 10-12 21, Stubblefield 2 4-4 10, O’Dell 2 0-0 4, Frye 3 3-5 10, Simon 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17 18-23 54.

BL: Moody 2 0-0 4, Bucher 3 1-2 8, Lowry 3 0-0 6, Shelton 8 2-4 23, Godoy 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 3-6 43.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

GC (13-6)  12  17  12  13 -- 54

BL (12-9)    9  12  11  11 --  43

3-point field goals: GC 3 (Stubblefield 2, Frye 1), BL 6 (Shelton 5, Bucher 1).

After a massive crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500, Michael McDowell emerged victorious in NASCAR's biggest race early Monday morning for his first career Cup Series win.

McDowell was in third position on the backstretch of the last lap when Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski wrecked, which started a multi-car pileup. The 36-year-old McDowell drove past the crash to lead his only lap and earn his first career win in 14 seasons.

The top five was rounded out by Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin was looking to become the first driver to win The Great American Race three years in a row.

The girls basketball season didn’t end the way Triton Central head coach Bryan Graham wanted.  The fifth-ranked Tigers were eliminated Saturday in the Southmont Regional semifinal by University, 54-50.

Back to the beginning, the season didn’t start the way Coach Graham would have wanted, either.  Knowing that leading returning scorer and rebounder Tenleigh Phelps’ serious knee injury would sideline her for the season was a tough one to take.

In-between, it was the TC girls basketball season that fans have come to expect.  The Lady Tigers scored their fifth consecutive 20-win season and a fourth straight regional appearance.

Triton Central (20-5) battled with University in a first half rarely separated by more than a two-possession lead.  The game was tied at 15 at the end of one quarter.  In the second, senior center Bailey Stamper scored eight of her game-high 21 points to send the Tigers to the locker room with a 29-26 advantage.

Graham was proud of how Stamper performed against University center Kelsay DuBois.

Stamper finished her TC career with a near triple-double  adding 10 rebounds and 7 blocked shots.

Triton Central had trouble throughout the game defending the dribble drive to the basket.  Much of the damage provided by University’s Payton Seay.  Seay scored a team-high 20 points by putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the hole.

Turnovers hampered the TC offense.  While the Tigers only totaled 13, nine came in the second half.

Senior point guard Taylor Heath scored 13 points to go with five assists and three rebounds.

With the graduation of Maya Chandler, Rylie Stephens and Grace Cryst from last year’s semistate team and the loss of Phelps to injury this was a much different TC team than a year ago.  But a bigger re-set is on the way now for the varsity team with the graduation of Heath and Stamper.

University (12-3) defeated South Putnam, 51-43, in the regional championship.  South Putnam reached the title game with an overtime victory over Shenandoah.

TC        15         14         13         8          50

Univ      15         11         16         12        54

TC                   

Stamper 21, Heath 13, Ryle 6, Cox 3, Brown 3, Schweitzer 2, Harris 0

FG   20-48 (42%); 3-pt FG  4-10  (40%);  FT  6-9  (67%);  Rebounds  24  (Stamper 10);

Assists  9  (Heath 5);  Turnovers  13

University

Seay  20, DuBois 12, Hinds  9, Washington  8, Patterson 5, Sherpherd  5

FG  40%;  Rebounds  26;  Assists  9;  Turnover  9

The Big Ten Conference has confirmed plans to relocate its 2021 Men’s Basketball Tournament from Chicago to Indianapolis.

The men’s tournament, which will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, joins the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, which was already scheduled to take place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse from March 9-13. The men’s tournament is scheduled for March 10-14. 

The conference says the decision to relocate the tournament was based on multiple factors, the first of which is the health and safety of everyone involved.

“Hosting both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in the same city allows for cohesive testing and medical protocols for both events, as well as centralized accommodations surrounding the competition venues,” the conference said in a statement Tuesday.

Both tournaments precede the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament, which will be held at several sites in central Indiana.

The Big Ten says the men’s basketball tournament will return to Chicago in 2023.