Local Sports

Success breeding more success within Shelbyville swim program

Coen Weiler has complete control over Shelbyville’s swim program.

With help from assistant coach Sabrina Carver, Weiler is the head coach of both the high school and middle school programs and is the director and coach of the Shelby County Aquatic Club that gets boys and girls into competitive swimming.

Year in and year out, one voice resonates from top to bottom in the program and that consistency is starting to pay off for the Golden Bears.

The high school swim season ended Friday for one senior, two juniors and a sophomore at the IHSAA Boys Swimming and Diving State Championships at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

 

 

Shelbyville’s record-setting 200-yard medley relay team of Will Rife, Tyler Harker, Juan Gonzalez-Gallego and Trey Carrell finished 31st Friday in the state finals preliminary round with a time of 1:42.81. The quartet broke the 24-year-old school record of 1:42.02 while winning the New Palestine Sectional title six days earlier.

Harker, the senior, returned to the pool Friday after the relay race and nearly matched his sectional winning time in the 200 freestyle to improve on his seed by two spots.

Harker’s time of 1:46.23 left him 28th overall in the state championship.

Rife finished 32nd in the 100 butterfly, touching the wall in 55.47 in his first state finals appearance.

“My first year, six years ago we were taking Nolan Davis for the first time that we had a state qualifier in a decade or more,” said Weiler. “It’s been kind of nice to cap that with Tyler as a senior because Tyler was a seventh grader coming in that year.

“Nolan means a lot to him and Nolan set the 200 free record and 500 free record. Tyler has kind of stepped out of Dylan’s shadow (Tyler’s older brother) and followed in Nolan’s footsteps. For him to bookend this run with our first boy in awhile and Tyler getting there, I think it shows where the program is headed.”

Harker’s older brother, Dylan, recently finished his collegiate swim career at Franklin College where Davis is currently a senior swimmer and sophomore Cameron Baker is part of FC’s diving team.

Shelbyville’s swim program had five state qualifiers in 2022 with senior Karissa Hamilton winning sectional titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle (main photo, all five honored at Thursday's boys basketball game).

Hamilton holds three individual records and three relay records within the Shelbyville program.

Rife now holds the 100 butterfly record, one he took from Gonzalez-Gallego, who set it at the Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet in December.

 

 

Rife, Harker, Gonzalez-Gallego and Carrell (photo, at IU Natatorium Friday) will get their names up soon enough after taking down the second-oldest swimming record on the boys side of the record board.

Hamilton, Harker and Gonzalez-Gallego, an exchange student from Spain, will not return to the program next season along with senior Marlee Rice, also a state qualifier during her career.

 

 

Weiler (photo, with Karissa Hamilton at IU Natatorium) and Carver will turn to a growing middle school program that is full of swimmers that have matriculated up through the club program to keep the success rolling.

“Girls wise, we have a big group coming up which is awesome,” he said. “Boys wise, we will be lean in numbers for a couple of years but I think we have a foundation that is building.

“The kids in our program now as sixth graders have never been a part of this swim team without somebody going to state. It’s built into their brains that that is the expectation. It’s built into them that the culture of Shelbyville swimming is going to state. They know that expectation and they know what it takes. They know a lot of these kids and they’ve been around a lot of these kids so it’s tangible to them. It’s not some mystical figure that swam 15 years ago and went to state. It’s so tangible to these kids that I think success will breed success here for quite awhile.”

Gonzalez-Gallego touted the swim facilities as a big reason for his success in his one and only season as a Golden Bear.

Hailing from Malaga, Spain, he arrived in the United States with the caveat that he needed placement at a school with a swim program. A three-time nationals qualifier in Spain, he finished fourth in the 200 butterfly his sophomore season.

“I really liked (being here),” he said. “I like how as little a school as we are, we have the timing (system) and everything as it is. It is so professional.”

Gonzalez-Gallego will finish the school year before returning home in June thankful for the opportunity he had at Shelbyville.

“We are like a big team,” he said. “I really like this team because we are really together. We go out together. I don’t see that on my team in Spain. I like it here because everyone cheers for everyone.”

Gonzalez-Gallego’s skill level upon arrival instantly made the Golden Bears around him better.

“He brought another level of competition,” said Weiler. “It was really nice having him come in. We knew the level to expect and I think for Will and Tyler, it was a boost for them. (Juan) is a legit swimmer and (they saw) they were right there with him. It’s been a fun experience to have him around. I think he was a big factor in us getting that medley relay record.”

Weiler finished up a busy weekend with the four Golden Bears at the Indiana University Natatorium Friday night and the middle school swimmers competing in the HHC Meet Saturday at New Palestine.

The middle school Golden Bears have three meets left over the final two weeks of the season. The program hosts Greenfield-Central Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Shelbyville sophomore gymnast qualifies for IHSAA regional competition

Shelbyville sophomore gymnast Kaliyah Brown advanced out of the Connersville Sectional Saturday with a fifth-place finish in the all-around competition.

Brown (photo with SHS coach Pam Claiborne) was the runner-up in the vault competition with a score of 9.125 and she added a 12th-place finish on the balance beam (8.35), a 9th-place finish on the uneven bars (8.25) and 5th-place finish in the floor exercise (9.1) to qualify for Friday’s Franklin Central Regional.

Brown’s all-around score of 34.825 left her behind Richmond’s Elizabeth Ruger (38.025) and Kinsey Bosell (36.275), Connersville’s Jayci Allen (25.925) and Richmond’s Ella Rader (35.575).

Brown was the only Shelby County gymnast to advance to the regional.

The top six finishers in each of the four events and the all-around competition and the top three teams advanced out of the sectional round of the IHSAA state tournament.

No. 7-ranked Richmond won the sectional title with 110.150 points. New Palestine was runner-up at 102.6 and advanced along with Connersville (99.775).

Completing the sectional field were Rushville (97.7), New Castle (97.575), Shelbyville (86.05), Morristown (76.7) and Franklin County (31.65).

Ruger won the vault with a score of 9.375 with Brown second and Allen third at 9.0.

Morristown junior Oakleigh Goedde finished ninth with an 8.7, missing the top six cut by .150. She also finished 17th on the uneven bars (7.475), 21st on the balance beam (7.3) and 17th in the floor exercise (7.95).

Goedde finished 11th in the all-around standings at 31.425.

Also competing in all four events Saturday were Shelbyville sophomore Renee Aldridge and Morristown junior Kaelee Trittipo. Aldridge finished 15th in the all-around (28.9) and Trittipo was 16th (26.85).


Prep Report: Waldron closes out regular season with win over Anderson Prep

Waldron closed out its first winning season since 2015 with a 61-49 win Friday over Anderson Prep Academy.

Waldron honored its two seniors – Bryant Becker and Caden Sheaffer -- in their final home game.

Bryce Yarling led Waldron with 23 points, leaving him 26 points shy of joining the 1,000-point career scoring club.

Becker finished with 12 points as did Lucas Mitchell.

 

 

The Mohawks (12-10) led 30-20 at halftime then outscored the visiting Jets 26-5 in the third quarter to take control. Anderson Prep scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to close the gap.

Parrish Mangium, Lincoln Fathauer and Ben Scott each had nine points to lead Anderson Prep (1-20).

Waldron received a bye at the Southwestern Sectional and will play Friday in the semifinals against either Rising Sun (9-13) or Class A, No. 12 Jac-Cen-Del (17-5). The Eagles defeated Rising Sun, 82-48 on Feb. 15.

In other boys basketball games Friday:

 

 

Speedway 63, Triton Central 50

At Triton Central, the visiting Sparkplugs outscored the Tigers 19-6 over the final five minutes to secure the Indiana Crossroads Conference victory.

Nate Matelic hit six three-pointers and led all scorers with 30 points. Reis Walker finished with 14 and Jack Smith had 11 to push Speedway’s record to 7-14 (3-4 ICC) this season.

Caleb Miller topped Triton Central (11-11, 4-3 ICC) with 17 points. Josiah Blair and Isaac Morgan each had eight while Alex Crouse and Josh Kemper each finished with seven.

With the loss, Triton Central finished fourth in the ICC standings.

The Tigers received a bye in the South Ripley Sectional and will play Friday in the semifinals against either North Decatur (12-10) or Milan (2-18).

 

 

Tri 55, Morristown 36

At Tri, the host Titans scored 33 points combined in the second and third quarters to pull away from the Yellow Jackets (3-17).

Daniel Davis and Caelin Hoffman each scored 19 points to lead Tri (11-8) to its first season with an above .500 record since 2005.

Nolan Laster scored a game-high 23 points to Morristown. Nick Stidham finished with 10.

Morristown opens the postseason Wednesday at the Southwestern Sectional against Hauser (9-13). The Jets defeated Morristown, 61-36 on Dec. 4.

TC's Faust, Waldron's Larrison selected to Top 60 Senior Workout

Hoosier Basketball Magazine announced the participants for the 41st Annual Top 60 Senior Workout on March 6 at Beech Grove High School.

Triton Central senior Olivia Faust and Waldron senior Bella Larrison were selected to join many of the state’s top senior basketball players.

 

 

Faust averaged 13.3 points and 6 rebounds per game for a Tigers team that won the Indiana Crossroads Conference championship and finished 19-5. Faust, who will play collegiate basketball at Marian University, was selected the ICC Player of the Year.

 

 

Larrison averaged 11 points and 4.7 rebounds for a Waldron team that won the Mid-Hoosier Conference title, and the Waldron Sectional and Southwestern Regional championships. The Mohawks finished the season ranked No. 1 in Class A and set a new program record for wins in a season going 24-2.

Larrison will play collegiate basketball at Anderson University.

The Top 60 Senior Workout includes 10 of the state’s top scorers – Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute North, 24.8 ppg), Lilly Maple (Maconaquah), Madilynn Hudspeth (Oregon-Davis), Teresa Maggio (McCutcheon), Kelly Ratigan (South Bend St. Joe), Darryn Hood (Tindley), Marissa Shelton (South Bend Adams), Mila Reynolds (South Bend Washington), Jessica Carothers (Crown Point) and Trinity Barnes (Gary West).

There are eight players that will participate in the Top 60 Workout who were part of the 2022 IHSAA State Finals – Kuryn Brunson and Ashlyn Traylor from Franklin, Mila Reynolds and Shamarah Allen from South Bend Washington, Kynidi Mason-Striverson and Emme Rooney from Silver Creek, Lauryn Bates from Frankton and Kaybree Oxley from Tecumseh.

Heading to Hoosierland Division I universities include Crown Point’s Jessica Carothers and McCutcheon’s Teresa Maggio (IUPUI), Crown Point’s Lilly Stoddard (Purdue), Silver Creek’s Kynidi Mason-Striverson and Franklin Central’s Rayah Kincer (Evansville).

Also highlighting the Top 60 Workout are three players headed to Big Ten teams – South Bend Washington’s Mila Reynolds (Maryland), and Carmel’s Kate Clarke and Westfield’s Alyssa Crockett (Michigan).

Half of the Top 60 girls, primarily from northern and southern Indiana, will participate in the first of two sessions Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. The remaining players, primarily from central Indiana, will compete during the second session (3:30 to 5:30 p.m.).

State championship coach DeeAnn Ramey (North Central-Marion) will direct both sessions. Also part of the Top 60 staff are Columbus East’s Danny Brown, Mooresville’s Mark Hurt, Sullivan’s Julie Meeks and South Bend Washington’s Steve Reynolds.

Both sessions are open to the public with an $8 admission fee ($5 for students).


Two Spartans, two Mohawks selected to All-MHC boys basketball squad

Two players that surpassed 1,000 career points this season and South Decatur’s career scoring leader highlight the 2022 Mid-Hoosier Conference All-Conference boys basketball team.

Conference champion Edinburgh, currently ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press Class A poll, had three players selected All-MHC.

Caleb Dewey, who eclipsed 1,000 career points earlier this season, Travis Jones and Jarrett Turner lead the 12-member squad.

North Decatur, South Decatur, Southwestern and Waldron each had two selections.

Jordan Jones and Aiden Hartsell (photo), who reached the 1,000-point club in his team’s last game, represent Southwestern.

Waldron’s Lucas Mitchell and Bryce Yarling also represent Shelby County.

South Decatur’s Hunter Johnson and Jacob Scruggs received the honor. Johnson is South Decatur’s career scoring leader and he set the Decatur County record for points in a game earlier this season.

The remainder of the All-MHC team includes North Decatur’s Kaden Muckerheide and Lance Nobbe, and Hauser’s Bryce Bates.

Morristown’s Quinton Batton was an honorary selection to the all-conference team. The senior has missed the entire season while battling leukemia.

Six more players, including a pair of Yellow Jackets, were named Honorable Mention.

Morristown’s Nick Stidham and Nolan Laster were selected along with Hauser’s Koby Johnson and Eli Miller, North Decatur’s Blake Spears and Waldron’s Bryant Becker.

Edinburgh’s Keith Witty was named Coach of the Year.

Edinburgh (19-3) won the MHC title with a 6-0 mark.

North Decatur (11-10) was runner-up at 5-1 with South Decatur (12-10, 4-2), Waldron (11-10, 3-3), Southwestern (9-12, 2-4), Hauser (9-13, 1-5) and Morristown (3-16, 0-6) completing the standings.

Golden Bear swimmers chasing more records at IHSAA state championship meet

Prior to the New Palestine Sectional, Shelbyville head coach Coen Weiler had his sights set on erasing a pre-2000s relay record.

Juan Gonzalez-Gallego, Will Rife, Tyler Harker and Trey Carrell (photo, left to right) were the pre-race favorite in the 400-yard freestyle relay – the sectional’s final race.

The Golden Bear quartet couldn’t wait that long, though. They erased the 24-year-old 200 medley relay record, in the sectional’s first event, in a time of one minute, 41.06 seconds to earn a trip to the state finals.

Harker followed that performance mere minutes later in winning the 200 freestyle while Rife punched his ticket to the Indiana University Natatorium with a win in the 100 butterfly.

The last Golden Bear to compete in the state finals was Nolan Davis in 2018. Davis, currently swimming at Franklin College, was at the sectional championship on Feb. 19.

“I feel pretty good coming out of the sectional especially considering since its been a few years since anyone from Shelbyville has made it out,” said Harker. “There were a lot of expectations we had to live up to in recent years … we’ve had a lot of fast swimmers.

“Weiler is confident and we’re confident that we met a lot of those expectations, coming out with a lot of second-place finishes and a lot of top times.”

 

 

The Shelbyville program will be represented in three events Friday in the preliminary round of the IHSAA state championship meet in downtown Indianapolis. The top eight qualifiers in each event and the next eight fastest return Saturday for state championship and consolation races.

Qualifying for Saturday races in unlikely based on the seeding times. The Golden Bears’ relay is seeded 32nd in the 32-team field and Harker and Rife are both seeded 30th in their respective events.

The goal is two-fold then, according to Weiler. Break more records and perform once again to prove that the sectional wins were not a fluke.

“For the younger guys like Trey and Will and Andy Duffy (the relay team’s alternate), just to be there and be in that environment and get that experience so if we get there again next year we get rid of that ‘Ooh and Ahh’ factor,” said Weiler. “We need to get some experience being around that level of competition.”

Harker, the senior, is still focused on breaking Davis’s 200 freestyle record of 1:45.29. Harker won the sectional in 1:46.2.

“The goal is to get that record,” said Harker. “I was less than a second away (at the sectional).”

Gonzalez-Gallego also will compete as a Golden Bear for a final time. The junior is an exchange student from Malaga, Spain. He won the Hoosier Heritage Conference title in the 100 butterfly in December and finished second in the sectional to Rife, who went from the seventh seed pre-sectional to sectional champion.

“I didn’t expect Will to swim that fast,” said Gonzalez-Gallego. “I expected to swim faster than that but I am really happy for Will.”

Just a sophomore, Rife surprised himself with Saturday’s performances.

“It’s huge. Being a sophomore, there is a lot to look forward to … more records … getting faster, bigger and stronger,” he said.

Carrell, a junior, had no idea what happened after he touched the wall swimming the anchor leg for the relay.

“At first I didn’t realize we broke the record,” he said. “I didn’t know how much of a lead I had in front of everybody else. Tyler told me we broke the record and I was at a loss for words.”

Set in 1998 at 1:42.02, the new record holders shaved nearly a full second off that mark.

“The excitement after that was huge,” said Harker. “We had a lot of confidence that we had a chance to win it.”

All four had the opportunity to practice at the IU Natatorium Wednesday in preparation for Friday’s races.

The relay team will be in the first heat of the night, in lane 8 next to Floyd Central, who qualified at 1:40.08.

“We are going to go all out and hope for the best,” said Carrell. “Our goal is to try and get that record again.”

Harker also will swim in heat one of four in the 200 freestyle. He will be in lane 7 in between Concord’s Trevor Wiley (1:45.37) and Delta’s Eli Arnold (1:50.81).

“He is looking to hunt that record down,” said Weiler. “He will be in an outside lane with people to race and people to chase which will be good motivation for him.”

Rife also was assigned to heat one in the 100 butterfly. He is in lane 7 between Boonville’s Luke Pryor (53.01) and Tippecanoe Valley’s Marcus Smith (54.18).

“Having a huge drop like he did coming into the sectional, we will see what he has left for Friday,” said Weiler.

Racing starts Friday at 6 p.m.


Collegiate Update: Damon Lux powers Duke baseball to first win of season

Damon Lux had two hits including a home run to lead Duke to a 9-1 win Saturday over Virginia Military Institute at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.

The Shelbyville graduate drove in five runs to get Duke its first win of the season.

Starting in centerfield, Lux went 1-4 with a double in a season-opening loss Friday to VMI.

Lux went 0-for-5 Sunday in an 8-7 win in the series finale.

On Tuesday, Lux went 0-for-4 with a walk in an 8-5 win over Appalachian State in Durham.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

 

 

Hannah File

The Shelbyville graduate went 2-for-4 and produced the game-winning, walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday to carry Louisville to a 3-2 victory over Villanova in the T-Mobile Tournament in Gainesville, Florida.

Trailing 2-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Cardinals tied the game ahead of File plating Korbe Otis with the game-ending run.

On Friday, Louisville defeated Villanova, 10-7 in nine innings, and Florida A&M, 10-0. File went hitless against Villanova and 1-for-2 with a triple, run scored, RBI and a walk in the nightcap.

The Cardinals lost twice Saturday to top-20 ranked programs.

No. 4 Florida defeated Louisville, 9-1. File went 0-for-2 with a walk.

No. 14 Duke topped the Cardinals, 6-3. File went 1-for-3 in the loss.

With its 3-2 weekend, Louisville improved to 7-3.

 

 

Cory Taylor

The Shelbyville graduate collected his first collegiate home run Sunday in Eastern Michigan’s 6-0 win at Winthrop in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Taylor, starting at second base, went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the fifth inning and added a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Taylor went 1-for-4 Saturday with a RBI in Eastern Michigan’s 8-6 loss at Winthrop.

 

Katie Mathies

The Shelbyville graduate made her collegiate debut for DePauw’s No. 1-ranked softball team Saturday in Hoover, Alabama.

Mathies was a defensive replacement at first base in DePauw’s 9-4 win over LeTourneau. She did not have a plate appearance.

DePauw finished its opening weekend going 2-2. The Tigers lost to Huntingdon, 4-3, and Mount St. Joseph, 2-1, before rallying to defeat Birmingham Southern, 4-3.

 

 

Addisenn Weaver

The Shelbyville graduate went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBIs Saturday for Valparaiso in a 10-4 victory over Holy Cross at the Charleston Invitational in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

The Beacons finished the event with a 4-1 record – best amongst all the teams competing.

Valparaiso opened the invitational Friday with 1-0 and 4-3 wins over Charleston.

The Beacons collected a 7-6 win over Lipscomb Saturday.

Valparaiso’s only loss came Sunday to Binghamton, 3-0. That loss dropped the Beacons to 5-4 this season.

 

 

TeAnn Bringle

The Shelbyville graduate delivered a run-scoring pinch-hit single Friday to help Indiana State defeat Purdue Fort Wayne, 12-2, at the Chattanooga Challenge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Sycamores finished the event with a perfect 5-0 mark after defeating Radford (2-0), Southern Illinois Edwardsville (7-5), Tennessee Tech (3-2) and Northwestern State (2-1).

Indiana State improved to 7-2 and is on a 7-game win streak – its longest since 2018.

 

Madisen Hinderliter

The Shelbyville graduate placed 12th in the women’s weight throw event for St. Francis (Ind.) at the Crossroads League Championships Friday and Saturday at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Hinderliter’s best throw went 12.59 meters.

 

 

Dalen Williams

The Waldron graduate finished 11th for Franklin College in the men’s shot put competition Saturday at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Defiance College.

Williams’ best throw went 41 feet, eight inches.

 

 

Taylor Tatlock

The Southwestern graduate placed 17th in the women’s shot put (26-8.5) and 14th in the weight throw (36-5.5) for Franklin College at the HCAC Indoor Championships.

 

 

Jill Anspaugh

The Shelbyville graduate finished eighth in the 5,000 meters for Franklin College at the HCAC Indoor Championships.

Anspaugh crossed the finish line in 20 minutes, 40.03 seconds.

 

 

Zaleeya Martin

The Shelbyville graduate set a Hanover College 60-meter dash record of 7.90 seconds Saturday in the preliminary round of the HCAC Indoor Championships.

In the championship race, Martin clocked 7.93 to finish runner-up.

Martin was part of Hanover’s 4x200 relay team that won the race in 1:49.42. She also took fourth in the long jump (16-0.5) and fifth in the 200 (27.55).

 

 

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate scored seven points and collected one rebound Tuesday in York College’s 79-64 loss at McPherson College in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament opener for both teams.

On Saturday, York defeated Saint Mary, 88-72. Moore had nine points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal to secure the No. 10 seed in the postseason tournament.

York finished the season 11-20.

 

 

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate finished with 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists for Hanover in an 88-80 first round loss to Anderson in the HCAC postseason tournament.

Hanover closed out the regular season schedule Friday with  a 78-42 win over Mount St. Joseph. Heath had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Hanover finished the season 13-10.

 

 

Brooklyn Langkabel

The Morristown graduate had one rebound and one steal for Marian in a 111-57 win Tuesday over Bethel in the Crossroads League postseason tournament.

The Knights improved to 26-3 this season and host Taylor Friday in the tournament semifinal round.

 

 

Hayden Langkabel

The Morristown graduate finished with 24 points, four rebounds and one assist for Marian Wednesday in a 95-64 win over Bethel in the Crossroads League postseason tournament.

The Knights improved to 24-4 and host Huntington Saturday.

Marian defeated Spring Arbor, 79-57, Saturday to close out the regular-season schedule with nine straight wins. Langkabel had 14 points and four rebounds.

 

 

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for Loyola Sunday in a 60-56 win at Evansville.

On Friday, Loyola defeated Indiana State, 61-59. Chandler had six points and two rebounds.

The Ramblers are 16-10 this season and 8-7 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents.

Triton Central's Faust, Graham and Brown named All-Conference

Three members of Triton Central’s Indiana Crossroads Conference championship team were named All-Conference in girls basketball.

Olivia Faust, Lizzie Graham and Maddy Brown were honored for their performances this season.

 

 

Faust, a senior who will play basketball at Marian University next season, was named ICC Player of the Year after averaging 13.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 3.4 apg and 2.6 spg for a Triton Central squad that finished 19-5.

 

 

Graham, a junior, averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 2 apg.

 

 

Brown, also a junior, averaged 9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 3.7 apg.

Also selected All-ICC were Ritter senior Kelsey Waggoner (19.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Cascade junior Abby Parsons (13.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg), junior Sydney Warran (11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.7 apg) and senior Christian Lamb (11 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Speedway senior Camiell Perry (11.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.3 apg, 4.7 spg) and sophomore Alex DeLisle (11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Lutheran sophomore Grace King (11.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Monrovia junior Ashley Lewis (10.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Scecina sophomore Ty Jointer (10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

Triton Central swept its ICC opposition this season, finishing 7-0.

Cascade (18-5, 6-1) was second in the ICC standings ahead of Speedway (17-7, 5-2), Ritter (7-16, 4-3), Monrovia (8-16, 3-4), Scecina (8-14, 1-6), Lutheran (7-17, 1-6) and Beech Grove (4-18, 1-6).


North Daviess, Monroe Central, John Glenn and Chesterton top AP boys basketball polls

With a 55-47 win at top 10 Edinburgh Saturday, North Daviess rose to the No. 1 ranking in this week’s Associated Press boys basketball poll.

North Daviess improved to 19-3 and returned to the No. 1 spot in Class A for the third time this season.

Gary 21st Century (17-4), last week’s No. 1, dropped one spot to No. 2 ahead of Bloomfield (17-5), Loogootee (17-5), Barr-Reeve (15-7), North White (18-3), Tindley (15-7), Edinburgh (18-3), Covington (16-5) and Lutheran (15-5).

Still unbeaten Monroe Central (20-0) returns to the top spot in Class 2A ahead of Eastside (21-1), Central Noble (21-2), Linton-Stockton (20-3), Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (17-4), Carroll (Flora) (19-1), Wapahani (17-4), South Spencer (17-3), Northeastern (16-5) and Eastern Hancock (16-5).

With a pair of wins, John Glenn (21-1) rose to the top ranking in Class 3A.

Mishawaka Marian (18-3) is No. 2 followed by Sullivan (21-1), Leo (16-4), NorthWood (21-2), Norwell (19-3), Peru (16-2), Brownstown Central (19-3), New Castle (16-4) and Connersville (18-6).

Undefeated Chesterton (22-0) held off a contingent of Indianapolis schools to stay on top of the Class 4A poll.

Fishers (21-2) is No. 2 ahead of Homestead (18-5), Carmel (16-5), Ben Davis (17-6), Penn (19-2), Mt. Vernon (18-2), Cathedral (19-6), Valparaiso (18-4) and Anderson (19-4).

Prep Report: Seymour takes advantage of Shelbyville's limited offensive firepower

Without its leading scorer, Shelbyville did not have the firepower to keep up with Seymour Tuesday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

Ollie Sandman injured his right foot Saturday night in a loss at East Central. The junior averaging 21 ppg will miss this week’s games and his status for next week’s sectional is still to be determined.

The visiting Owls took full advantage Tuesday building a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, opening it up to 34-10 at halftime and cruising to a 54-18 victory.

Marcus Brooke led Seymour (14-6) with 12 points. Landon Fritsch finished with 10 and six more Owls got into the scoring column.

 

(Steve Bush photos) Shelbyville senior guard Jakob Heaton (top photo) drives past Seymour's Charlie Longmeier (12) during Tuesday's game at William L. Garrett Gymnasium. (Above) Shelbyville freshman Damon Badgley looks for a scoring opportunity against a Seymour defender.

 

Jakob Heaton led Shelbyville (5-16) with 10 points. Nolyn Smothers had four and Damon Badgley and Kohen Myers each had two.

The Golden Bears close out their regular-season schedule Thursday  with Senior Night against Batesville (9-12) then begin the postseason Tuesday at Greenwood High School against Franklin (7-14).

In other prep events Tuesday:

Boys basketball

North Decatur 51, Waldron 45

At North Decatur, Bryce Yarling scored 21 points but no other Mohawk reached double digits in the Mid-Hoosier Conference finale for both squads.

Waldron dropped to 11-10 this season and finished fourth in the MHC standings with a 3-3 record.

 

 

The host Chargers improved to 11-10 and secured a second-place finish in the conference with a 5-1 record.

On Tuesday, North Decatur took a 15-11 lead after one quarter and held the advantage at halftime, 24-19.

The Mohawks closed to 35-31 after three quarters but could not complete the comeback.

Bryant Becker finished with seven points for Waldron and Caden Sheaffer had six.

Waldron ends its regular season schedule Friday for Senior Night when Anderson Prep Academy (1-19) visits.

 

 

Christel House 76, Southwestern 60

At Southwestern, the visiting Eagles scored 49 second-half points to offset a pair of milestone performances from Southwestern’s Jordan Jones and Aiden Hartsell.

Hartsell (photo, left) scored a game-high 33 points to surpass 1,000 career points, moving into seventh place in program history with 1,021 points. The senior is 57 points away from passing Rick Parmer for sixth on the career scoring list.

With five made three-pointers against the Eagles, Jones (photo, right)  rose to the top of the list for 3s made in a season with 71. Andrew Messer was the previous record holder with 68 in 2013.

Jones had 19 points in the loss.

The Spartans (9-12) led 20-17 after one quarter and 33-27 at halftime.

Christel House outscored Southwestern 20-13 in the third quarter then put together a 29-point fourth quarter to seal the win.

Javon Tyler and JaShawn Edwards each scored 17 to lead the Eagles (11-9). Ashton Sharkey finished with 14 and Will Kinslow had 10.

Southwestern is the host site for Sectional 60. The Spartans take the floor on March 2 at approximately 7:30 p.m. against Oldenburg Academy (5-14).

Gymnastics

New Palestine 11.475, Shelbyville 77

At New Palestine, the host Dragons posted their top team score of the season just days ahead of the sectional.

Shelbyville gymnasts Renee Aldridge and Faye-Lynn Voss placed third and sixth, respectively, in the all-around competition. Aldridge’s score of 30.725 left her behind Lutheran’s Penelope Morrow (33.35) and New Palestine’s Alyse Rickey (32.675).

 

 

Ruby Garner scored an 8.45 for Shelbyville on the vault and finished tied for second. Aldridge and Voss finished in a three-way tie for fourth at 8.35.

Aldridge also placed fifth on the uneven bars (7.425).

Shelbyville and New Palestine will next compete Saturday at the Connersville Sectional.


Shelbyville gymnast wins two events at New Castle Invitational

Shelbyville sophomore Kaliyah Brown won two individual events and finished runner-up in the All-Around competition Saturday at the New Castle Gymnastics Invitational.

Brown (photo, far left) won the vault and floor exercise events and finished third on the balance beam and sixth on the uneven bars.

The Golden Bears finished third in the team standings.

Shelbyville travels to New Palestine tonight for its regular-season finale.

The team will compete Saturday in the Connersville Sectional.

High-scoring Shelbyville guard named to All-HHC squad

Shelbyville guard Kylee Edwards was named to the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference Girls Basketball Team.

The junior led the Golden Bears in scoring (17.2 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg), assists (2.2 apg) and steals (2.3 spg) during an 11-12 season. Edwards (photo) surpassed 1,000 career points this year and now sits third on the program’s career scoring list with 1,134 points.

The 13-member All-HHC squad features a representative from all eight schools and includes a pair of high-scoring freshmen.

The All-HHC team is comprised of Delta junior Abby Rouse (10.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Greenfield-Central freshman Chaney Brown (15.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Mt. Vernon sophomore Ellery Minch, senior Maddie Swingle and senior Shay Shipley, New Castle sophomore Emma Hart (11 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and senior Maddy Meek (16.5 ppg, 6 rpg), New Palestine junior Isabella Gizzi (20.5 ppg, 3.1 spg) and senior Alaina Miller (14.6 ppg, 3.4rpg), Pendleton Heights senior Abi Rosenkrans (8.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 apg) and freshman Kaycie Warfel (15.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg), Yorktown junior Amari Wright (9.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and Shelbyville junior Kylee Edwards.

Pendleton Heights head coach Chad Cook was named HHC Coach of the Year after leading the Arabians to the conference title with a perfect 7-0 record and 19-6 overall mark.

Mt. Vernon (17-9, 6-1) finished second ahead of New Castle (14-10, 4-3), Shelbyville (11-12, 4-3), New Palestine (13-11, 3-4), Greenfield-Central (9-13, 3-4), Yorktown (5-18, 1-6) and Delta (3-19, 0-7).

Morristown gymnastics closes out regular season schedule at Rushville

Morristown High School’s gymnastics team closed out its regular season schedule Monday with a runner-up finish in a three-team meet at Rushville.

The host Lions finished first with 99.6 points. Morristown followed at 87.675 with Scecina third at 55.2.

Morristown’s Oakleigh Goedde scored a personal best 9.05 to win the vaulting competition. She also placed fifth on the uneven bars and third on the balance beam and in floor exercise to net a third-place finish in the all-around competition.

Allison Batten finished fifth in vault and fifth in the all-around scoring.

Morristown will travel to Connersville Saturday to compete in the Connersville Sectional.

Tecumseh ends Waldron's historic run at Jeffersonville Semistate

Waldron’s historic season came to an end Saturday afternoon in Jeffersonville.

Class A, No. 7 Tecumseh sank 12 of 15 free throws over the final three minutes to secure the program’s first state finals appearance with a 54-42 win over Class A, No. 1 Waldron at the Jeffersonville Semistate.

The Mohawks finished 24-2, setting program records for wins to start a season (13), consecutive wins (13) and wins in a season (24).

The final seconds turned emotional for seven seniors who huddled together on the sideline after coming out of the game for the final time. After the game, head coach Anthony Thomas fought back his own emotions now that his coaching career was over.

“I am just very proud of them,” said Thomas, who had already announced his intention to hang up his coaching whistle after this season. “We’ve had a heck of a run this season and only one team in Class A ends their season with a win. We weren’t ready to be done but it wasn’t our day today.”

Tecumseh (19-8) will face No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (24-4), a 52-46 winner over No. 8 North White (20-7) at the Logansport Semistate.

LCC has won three state championships in girls basketball (2006, 2015, 2016) and is a 12-point favorite over the Braves, who finally established its low-post presence in the second half against Waldron and stayed diligent on defense to hold the Mohawks to 32.7% shooting from the field.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Tecumseh coach Adam Lubbehusen after the game. “Hopefully we’re not done yet and can take care of business next weekend.”

Waldron’s game plan was to stifle the Braves’ ability to work in the low post and dare a team shooting 27% from the 3-point line to take chances. For 16 minutes, the plan worked to perfection.

Tecumseh hit just 1-of-13 shots from beyond the arc in the first half but Waldron was uncharacteristically unprotective of the ball and committed 12 first-half turnovers.

“We had seven in the first quarter and 11 or 12 at halftime and you go in up three … that’s a testament to these kids and what kind of defense they play,” said Thomas.

Both teams played a back-and-forth first quarter but Waldron was comfortable from the arc, hitting half of its first four attempts.

The Mohawks trailed for the first time, 16-14, when Tecumseh All-Star candidate Kaybree Oxley scored in the low post with 4:31 to go in the second quarter.

Nichole Garner quickly erased that lead with a 15-foot jumper and Bella Larrison drained an open 3 to put Waldron back in front, 19-16.

The lead grew to five but Oxley hit a pair of free throws inside the final minute to set the halftime score at 25-22.

“If you go into the half maybe up seven or nine, that allows my kids to take a deep breath,” said Thomas. “We were just kind of out of kilter and didn’t hit (some shots). Then you are trading possessions and the first one to blink is in trouble.”

Despite shooting 26% in the first half, Lubbehusen felt his team was in a good position.

“I thought we played great defense in the first half,” he said. “We went 1-for-13 with the 3s and they were all good shots. I told the kids to stick with it, we will be fine.”

Tecumseh took just a pair of 3s in the second half, instead working through Oxley and Jenna Donohoo.

Oxley scored six of her game-high 23 points in the third quarter and had five rebounds. Donohoo also had six points and three rebounds in the quarter to help Tecumseh take a 34-31 lead at the quarter break.

Pennelope Lemen, Katelyn MacDonald and Oxley opened the fourth quarter with three straight scores from close range to build a 40-31 lead.

All the pressure was now squarely on Waldron.

Mackenzie Shaw splashed a corner 3 with 5:33 to go to cut the lead to 40-34.

The Braves answered back with six straight points and the lead reached double digits for the first time at 46-34.

 

Waldron's Shelby Fewell gets a shot up and over the outstretched arm of Kaybree Oxley during Saturday's Class A semistate championship game at Jeffersonville High School (Tyson Conrady photos)

 

Bogemann made a pair of long-range 3s as Waldron put together an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 48-42 but the Braves were too strong down the stretch.

Over the final 49 seconds, Morgan Wilson, Lemen and Karsyn Flowers each sank two free throws to keep the Mohawks at bay.

“I feel awful for them. I hate saying goodbye to them but I am very proud of them,” said Thomas, who closed out his five-year varsity coaching career at 82-37.

Donohoo was the only other Tecumseh player to reach double digits, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Braves shot 1 of 15 from the 3-point line (7%) but were 19-of-25 from the free-throw line (76%).

Bella Larrison led Waldron in her final game with 15 points and six rebounds. She closed out her career with 842 career points to finish sixth on the program’s career scoring list.

Bogemann had nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

Bogemann hit 74 3s this season and also finished in the top 10 on the program’s career scoring list.

Garner had nine points and collected four rebounds and four assists.

Also closing out their Waldron careers were Hadlie Ross (4 points, five rebounds, two assists), Shaw (3 points, 1 rebound), Shelby Fewell (2 points, 2 rebounds) and Hallie Ross.

Waldron entered the season with great expectations following an 18-win season and all but one starter returning to the roster.

The seven seniors and junior Josee Larrison opened the season with 13 straight wins before Tri-West dealt them their first loss, 46-42, in the championship game of Waldron’s holiday tournament.

The program’s first Shelby County Tournament title since 2010 followed 10 days later. A second-straight Mid-Hoosier Conference title was added in the final weeks of the regular season ahead of winning sectional and regional titles.

And with every single win, more fans showed up at the games. Waldron blue and white dominated the gymnasium at the Southwestern Regional and overwhelmed its assigned seating sections at Jeffersonville High School.

“They have always had expectations, good, bad or indifferent and they’ve always played that way,” said Thomas of his roster. “We got that sectional win and it took some of the pressure off of them and maybe allowed them to enjoy a win for the first time in their careers.

“Everybody always wants to know what’s next. There is no more next other than they are set up well to go into life. They are great kids and I am very proud of them. And I am going to miss them.”

 

Tecumseh 54, Waldron 42

TE: Lemen 1-1 4-4 6, Donohoo 5-11 3-6 13, Flowers 1-7 3-4 5, Oxley 8-13 7-9 23, Wilson 0-5 2-2 2, Heichelbach 1-2 0-0 3, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Macdonald 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 17-42 19-25 54.

WA: Had. Ross 1-4 2-4 4, Shaw 1-6 0-0 3, Bogemann 3-10 0-0 9, Garner 3-8 1-4 9, B. Larrison 7-12 0-0 15, J. Larrison 0-3 0-0 0, Fewell 1-5 0-0 2, Hal. Ross 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 16-49 3-8 42.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

TE (19-8)    9  13  12  20  --  54

WA (24-2)  9  16    6  11  --  42

Three-point field goals: TE 1-15 (Donohoo 0-1, Flowers 0-4, Oxley 0-2, Wilson 0-5, Heichelbach 1-2, Green 0-1), WA 7-19 (Shaw 1-2, Bogemann 3-10, Garner 2-4, B. Larrison 1-2, Fewell 0-1, Hal. Ross 0-1). Rebounds: TE 24 (Lemen 2, Donohoo 8, Flowers 5, Oxley 9), WA 29 (Had. Ross 5, Shaw 1, Bogemann 5, Garner 4, B. Larrison 6, J. Larrison 6, Fewell 2). Assists: TE 7 (Donohoo 1, Flowers 2, Oxley 2, Wilson 2), WA 10 (Had. Ross 2, Bogemann 3, Garner 4, Fewell 1). Steals: TE 3 (Oxley 2, Wilson 1), WA 4 (Had. Ross 1, Bogemann 1, B. Larrison 1, Fewell 1). Blocks: TE 1 (Oxley 1), WA 1 (J. Larrison 1). Total fouls: TE 12, WA 20. Fouled out: Shaw, B. Larrison (WA). Turnovers: TE 8, WA 17.

Slow starts, missed opportunities doom Golden Bears in pair of road losses

With little margin for error to create winning performances, the slightest lapses in focus continue to plague the Golden Bears.

When Shelbyville does not match up well with the opposing team’s personnel, there are long nights. And when the matchup is favorable, wasted opportunities have allowed victories to slip away.

On Friday at Delta, Shelbyville allowed the Eagles to get out to a 9-2 lead that grew to double digits by halftime. An 8-0 run to start the third quarter extended the lead past 20 points.

The result was a 57-44 loss that closed out Shelbyville’s Hoosier Heritage Conference record at 0-7.

A stronger start and a Jackson Parker banked-in three pointer from the top of the key put the Golden Bears up 23-20 at halftime Saturday at East Central.

The offense then floundered in the third quarter allowing the Trojans to take a 35-26 lead that left the Golden Bears again in scramble mode.

Shelbyville twice cut the lead to two at the mid-point of the fourth quarter before East Central went on a 11-0 run to seal the 60-45 victory on Senior Night in St. Leon.

The Golden Bears are now 5-15 this season.

“It was almost like there was a lid on the goal tonight,” said Hartnett Jr. after Friday’s loss. “(Delta) didn’t run away from us early but we keep talking about these slow starts. We couldn’t put one in the hoop and they ended up hitting a couple of big shots to start the game.”

Delta (11-11, 2-5 HHC) used an 8-0 run to start the third quarter and built a 34-10 lead.

Jakob Heaton’s three-point play at the 5:40 mark of the quarter started a 13-6 run that brought the Golden Bears’ offense to life after scoring just eight points over a 12-minute span.

Shelbyville cut the lead to 40-23 as Delta tried to spread the floor and keep the clock ticking. Turnovers became an issue for the Eagles, who had six over the final eight minutes which helped Shelbyville get within seven at 49-42.

“Obviously, after you see what happens at the end when you force some turnovers you wish you would have done it a little earlier,” said Hartnett Jr. “I didn’t want to get our guys in foul trouble but I was proud of our guys for fighting hard and getting those turnovers in the end. Cutting it to seven doesn’t happen if we aren’t playing hard defense.”

Neil Marshall and Jackson Wors connected on six straight free throws in the game’s final minute to avoid the eighth-place finish in the HHC standings.

“I was really proud of our guys for fighting back all the way to the end,” said Hartnett Jr. “If we eliminate that start we’re close to a tie ball game but we have to come out ready to go more often. We can’t keep getting down when we want to win these ball games.”

Wors had a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds. Marshall had 19 points and seven rebounds.

Ollie Sandman led Shelbyville with 13 points. Nolyn Smothers had 11 and Heaton finished with 10 on a night when the Golden Bears were 6-of-28 from the 3-point line.

Luke Brinkman sank an early 3-pointer Saturday night to loosen Shelbyville up at East Central. Sandman then scored seven straight to get the Golden Bears a 12-7 lead at the first break.

A Heaton 3 opened the second-quarter scoring for Shelbyville and Parker’s last-second trifecta made it 23-20 at halftime.

Smothers hit a 3 with 5:48 to go in the third quarter to extend the lead to 26-22 before the Trojans scored 13 straight points and take a 35-26 lead.

That forced Shelbyville to go to scramble mode again and it nearly worked. East Central had seven fourth-quarter turnovers, but when it had opportunities to score … it did.

East Central (14-6) hit seven of nine shots in the final quarter and converted 10 of 12 free throws to hold off the Golden Bears.

Ryan Sehlhorst led the Trojans with 16 points. Caleb Mergenthal finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Jadyn Dennis added 12 points and five assists and Cooper Hoog had 10 points.

Heaton and Smothers each had 10 points to lead the Golden Bears, who played much of the second half without Sandman, who injured his right ankle on a shot block attempt in the third quarter and never returned.

Sandman finished with nine points before leaving the game and Parker had nine points and three rebounds.

Sandman was in a walking boot Monday and will be out of the lineup Tuesday when Shelbyville hosts Seymour (13-6). The injury also will likely keep him out of the lineup Thursday for the regular-season finale when Batesville (9-12) visits Garrett Gymnasium.

That would allow Sandman, who averages 21 ppg, a week-plus to rest ahead of the Golden Bears’ sectional opener March 1 against Franklin.

 

Delta 57, Shelbyville 44

SH: Sandman 3-10 5-8 13, Brinkman 1-6 0-0 2, Parker 1-3 0-0 2, Heaton 4-16 1-1 10, Smothers 4-10 0-0 11, Macaluso 0-0 0-0 0, Asher 1-3 1-4 3, Lambert 0-1 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 3-4 3, Badgley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-49 10-17 44.

DE: Marshall 6-12 5-5 19, Manor 0-0 0-0 0, Furney 1-6 1-2 4, Hood 2-5 1-3 6, Wors 9-14 8-8 26, Bragg 0-1 0-0 0, Faletic 0-0 0-0 0, B. Jones 1-2 0-0 2, C. Jones 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 19-41 15-18 57.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH (5-14, 0-7)      5    5  13  21  --  44

DE (11-11, 2-5)  12  14  14  17  --  57

Three-point field goals: SH 6-28 (Sandman 2-8, Brinkman 0-4, Parker 0-1, Heaton 1-6, Smothers 3-7, Asher 0-2), DE 4-17 (Marshall 2-7, Furney 1-6, Hood 1-2, B. Jones 0-1, Bragg 0-1). Rebounds: SH 20 (Sandman 6, Brinkman 3, Heaton 5, Smothers 1, Asher 3, Lambert 2), DE 30 (Marshall 7, Manor 1, Furney 4, Hood 8, Wors 8, Bragg 1, C. Jones 1). Assists: SH 6 (Heaton 3, Smothers 1, Lambert 2), SE 9 (Manor 2, Furney 2, Hood 2, Wors 1, Bragg 1, C. Jones 1). Steals: SH 3 (Brinkman 1, Heaton 1, Lambert 1), DE 5 (Manor 2, Furney 1, Hood 1, B. Jones 1). Blocks: SH 2 (Sandman 2), DE 2 (Marshall 1, Furney 1). Total fouls: SH 16, DE 16. Fouled out: Asher (SH). Turnovers: SH 10, DE 13.

 

East Central 60, Shelbyville 45

SH: Sandman 4-11 0-0 9, Brinkman 2-6 1-2 7, Parker 1-5 6-6 9, Heaton 3-9 3-3 10, Smothers 4-11 2-7 10, Asher 0-1 0-0 0, Lambert 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-44 10-11 45.

EC: Dennis 4-9 4-5 12, Mergenthal 4-12 2-2 13, Hoog 4-5 2-3 10, Sehlhurst 6-9 2-2 16, McQueen 2-4 2-3 6, Pieczonka 0-0 0-0 0, Maxwell 0-0 0-0 0. Brotherton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-40 12-15 60.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH (5-15)  12  11   3  19  -- 45

EC (14-6)    7  13  15  25  --  60

Three-point field goals: SH 7-24 (Sandman 1-5, Brinkman 2-5, Parker 1-3, Heaton 1-3, Smothers 2-7, Asher 0-1), EC 6-14 (Dennis 0-4, Mergenthal 3-6, Sehlhorst 2-3, Sizemore 1-1). Rebounds: SH 12 (Sandman 1, Brinkman 4, Parker 3, Heaton 3, Asher 1), EC 27 (Dennis 4, Mergenthal 7, Hoog 6, Sehlhorst 1, McQueen 7, Maxwell 2). Assists: SH 4 (Brinkman 2, Heaton 1, Smothers 1), EC 15 (Dennis 5, Mergenthal 3, Sehlhorst 2, McQueen 2, Pieczonka 2, Maxwell 1). Steals: SH 4 (Sandman 2, Brinkman 1, Heaton 1), EC 4 (Hoog 2, Sehlhorst 1, McQueen 1). Blocks: SH 1 (Sandman 1), EC 4 (Dennis 2, Hoog 1, Sehlhorst 1). Total fouls: SH 15, EC 12. Turnovers: SH 12, EC 15.

IHSAA releases sectional pairings for 112th Annual Boys Basketball State Tournament

Josh Kemper banked in the game-winning shot in the final seconds of the 2021 Class 2A, Sectional 44 championship game to give Triton Central its first boys basketball sectional title since 2012.

Triton Central head coach Kyle Ballard would not be surprised if there is another buzzer beater on tap for Sectional 44 in 2022.

Five points was the combined difference in the final three games of the 2021 sectional. Four of the five teams in this year’s sectional have between 10 and 12 victories.

“I really see this sectional playing out similar to last year,” he said Monday morning.

On Sunday, the Indiana High School Athletic Association revealed the sectional pairings for the 112th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament.

 

 

Triton Central (11-10) received a first-round bye at the Class 2A South Ripley Sectional and will face either North Decatur (10-10) or Milan (1-17) on March 4. Those two teams open the sectional on March 1.

The other semifinal on March 4 features South Decatur (11-10) and South Ripley (12-9).

The sectional championship game is March 5.

Triton Central defeated Milan, 49-33 on Jan. 15 and lost to North Decatur, 54-50 in overtime on Dec. 18.

The Tigers had a chance to seal the game against North Decatur but missed a late free throw and the Chargers hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime.

“That was only the second game we had our whole team after Aiden Lindsey went out (with a season-ending knee injury) and we had some players out because of COVID-19,” said Ballard. “We were still trying to find our groove then.”

Triton Central is 1-2 against potential sectional opponents this season. The Tigers lost to South Decatur, 72-64 on Jan. 29.

The winner of the South Ripley Sectional advances to the Greenfield-Central Regional to meet the winner of the Park Tudor Sectional, which features No. 13 Park Tudor (14-5) and No. 14 University (13-8).

Greenwood Sectional

Shelbyville (5-15) will open the Class 4A, Sectional 13 on March 1 against Franklin (6-14). The Golden Bears defeated the Grizzly Cubs, 58-49 on Dec. 29.

The winner advances to the semifinal round to face Whiteland (14-8).

Also on March 1, Greenwood (8-12) battles Franklin Central (8-12) with the winner to face Center Grove (10-10) in the semifinal round.

 

 

Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett Jr. does not yet know if his Golden Bears will enter the sectional with leading scorer Ollie Sandman. The junior guard, who averages 21 ppg, injured his right ankle Saturday night in a 60-45 loss at East Central.

Sandman is in a walking boot today and Hartnett Jr. already ruled him out for Tuesday’s game with visiting Seymour and, potentially, Thursday’s regular-season finale against Batesville.

The winner of the Greenwood Regional advances to the Seymour Regional to face the Seymour Sectional champion. Five of the six teams at the Seymour Sectional are .500 or better including No. 6 Floyd Central (16-4).

Southwestern Sectional

Jac-Cen-Del (15-5) is 4-0 against potential sectional opponents. Waldron is 7-1, its only loss to JCD. The two teams are on track for a semifinal meeting on March 4.

 

 

Jac-Cen-Del opens the sectional on March 1 against Rising Sun (7-12). The Eagles defeated the Shiners, 82-48 on Feb. 15. The winner gets Waldron (11-9) in the first semifinal game at Southwestern.

 

 

On March 2, Morristown (3-16) looks to avenge a 61-36 regular-season loss to Hauser (8-13) while Southwestern (9-11) battles Oldenburg Academy (5-13) for the first time this season.

The two winners return for the semifinal game on March 4.

 

 

Southwestern is the defending sectional champion.

The Southwestern Sectional winner moves on to the Martinsville Regional to face the winner of the White River Valley Sectional that features No. 2 Bloomfield (17-4).

The semistate round of the state tournament is March 19.

The four state finals games will be played March 26 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

Shelbyville swimmers win three sectional titles Saturday at New Palestine

Shelbyville High School swim coach Coen Weiler believed Will Rife was poised for a breakout sectional.

The sophomore showed off in a big way Saturday winning two sectional titles and helping the Golden Bears to a fourth-place finish at the New Palestine Sectional.

Rife was expected to be part of a sectional-winning relay team with Tyler Harker, Juan Gonzalez-Gallego and Trey Carrell. The quartet was the top seed in the sectional-ending 400-yard freestyle relay.

Instead, those four Golden Bears won the opening 200 medley relay in 1:41.06 (photo, top of podium), taking nearly a full second off the school record set in 1998. They were seeded third entering the sectional and held that seed at Thursday’s preliminary race with a time of 1:46.01.

Harker put the Golden Bears back on the top podium in the next race – the 200 freestyle. The top seed in the event torched the field by more than five seconds in winning in 1:46.2.

 

 

Rife put his name on the Shelbyville record board a second time in winning the 100 butterfly over the former record holder, Gonzalez-Gallego. Rife touched the wall in 53.56 seconds to edge Gonzalez-Gallego by .27 seconds (53.83).

Gonzalez-Gallego broke the SHS record at the Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet in December with a time of 53.79. Rife was seeded seventh (58.84) coming into the sectional.

Shelbyville’s top-ranked 400 relay team finished runner-up to Mt. Vernon in the final event. The Marauders stopped the clock in 3:20.69 ahead of the Golden Bears’ 3:23.25.

Mt. Vernon won the sectional title with 348 points. New Palestine was second (294) with Richmond (255), Shelbyville (235) and Eastern Hancock (221) rounding out the top five.

Gonzalez-Gallego also finished second in the 200 individual medley (2:04.79).

Carrell placed seventh in the 50 freestyle (23.39).

Harker was second in the 500 freestyle (4:55.15).

Lance File, Andrew Duffy, Michael Fox and Tristin Maloney placed eighth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Rife also finished second in the 100 backstroke (57.79), dropping nearly five seconds from his seed time of 1:02.73.

All sectional champions qualify for the IHSAA State Championship Meet later this week at the Indiana University Natatorium. Qualifying heats are Friday for Saturday’s championship and consolation races.

Prep Report: North Decatur slips by Spartans in MHC battle

North Decatur maintained second place in the Mid-Hoosier Conference standings Friday night with a 57-55 win at home over Southwestern.

Five different Chargers scored over the final eight minutes to hold off the Spartans in a tight contest.

 

 

Kaden Muckerheide scored half of his 12 points in the fourth quarter to push North Decatur’s record to 10-10 this season and 4-1 against MHC foes.

Lance Nobbe finished with a team-high 17 points and Carson Parmer had 13.

Nobbe scored eight in the first quarter to help the Chargers take a 12-8 lead at the break. Parmer had seven in the second quarter for a 27-26 halftime advantage.

North Decatur extended the lead to 41-38 after three quarters.

Aiden Hartsell had a game-high 19 points for Southwestern (9-11, 2-4 MHC). Jonny Joy hit three three-pointers in the second quarter and finished with 13 points off the bench.

Jordan Jones had 12 points.

Southwestern closes out its regular-season schedule Tuesday against Christel House Manual (10-9).

In other prep events:

 

 

Boys basketball

Liberty Christian 98, Waldron 60

At Waldron Friday, the visiting Lions had six players score in double digits to improve to 13-9 this season.

Zack Jeffers led the way with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Kobe Watson finished with 15, Ethan Thompson had 14, Xavier White tallied 12 and Eric Troutman and Cedric Anderson each scored 11.

Liberty Christian led 17-14 after one quarter then outscored the Mohawks 30-15 in the second quarter to take a 47-29 lead into halftime.

Bryce Yarling led Waldron (11-9) with 26 points. Bryant Becker had 14 and Lucas Mitchell finished with 10.

Waldron is at North Decatur Tuesday and hosts Anderson Prep (1-19) Friday in its regular-season finale.

 

 

Beech Grove 72, Triton Central 51

At Triton Central Friday, a 22-point second quarter got the host Tigers back into the game but an off third quarter was too much to overcome.

Beech Grove took an 18-5 lead after the first quarter but six different Tigers scored in the second to cut the halftime deficit to 31-27.

The Hornets (13-6, 6-0 Indiana Crossroads Conference) outscored Triton Central 17-6 in the third quarter and added 24 points in the fourth to secure the conference championship.

Jeremiah Alexander scored 19 points to lead Beech Grove. Anthony Ball and Jeremiah Tate each had 16.

Josh Kemper topped Triton Central (11-10, 4-2 ICC) with 12 points. Josiah Blair had 11.

Triton Central closes out the regular season Friday against Speedway (6-13, 2-4 ICC). With a win, the Tigers would finish in a three-way tie for second place with Lutheran and Ritter in the conference standings.

 

 

 Batesville 65, Morristown 26

At Batesville Saturday, nine different Batesville players contributed to the Bulldogs’ ninth win of the season.

Tom Raver led the scoring effort with 14 points. Cole Pride had 11 as Batesville improved to 9-12 this season.

The Bulldogs scored 27 first-quarter points to take a 27-13 lead at the first break. The lead grew to 42-19 by halftime.

Nolan Laster and Noah Garthwaite each scored nine points to lead Morristown (3-16).

The Yellow Jackets’ third win of the season came Thursday in a 56-43 win over Providence Cristo Rey (0-18).

Laster had a game-high 21 points. Nick Stidham finished with 16 and Cade Mahin had 10.

Morristown led 20-19 at halftime then scored 20 third-quarter points for a 40-31 lead going into the final eight minutes.

B.J. Johnson led the Wolves with 18 points. Jordan Stratton had 10.

Morristown closes out its regular season schedule Friday at Tri (8-8).

 

 

Gymnastics

Southmont Invitational

At Crawfordsville, Morristown finished fifth in the nine-team field with a season-best 89.045 points.

Oakleigh Goedde placed fourth in vault, eighth on uneven bars and balance beam and ninth in floor exercise to earn a seventh-place finish in the all-around competition.

Allison Batten placed 10th in vault and ninth on uneven bars.

Morristown is at Rushville tonight.

Faust excited to join nationally-ranked Marian women's basketball program

Olivia Faust arrived at Triton Central with her college commitment already in place.

Faust found what she was looking for at Marian University which allowed her to play her senior season without the pressure of a life-changing decision hanging over her head.

The six-foot, one-inch Faust helped Triton Central to a 19-5 record, the Indiana Crossroads Conference championship and a top-10 state ranking.

On Thursday, Faust celebrated with teammates and family her commitment to Marian with a signing ceremony at the Fairland school.

“I officially signed over the summer and that was a big relief for me,” said Faust. “Today was really special because I got my whole team here, my coaches and family. It was really special to get that.”

Faust played her first three seasons at Franklin Central High School before transferring along with her two younger brothers, Luke and Jackson, to Triton Central.

 “Coach (Bryan) Graham and the girls made it so easy for me,” said Faust. “It was the best decision I think I’ve ever made.”

 

 

Faust is the epitome of a modern basketball player. At 6-1, she can play both guard and forward and loves to run the floor. She averaged a team-leading 13.3 points for Triton Central and grabbed six rebounds, dished out 3.4 assists and collected 2.6 steals per game while being named the ICC Player of the Year.

“She is the kind of player that I’ve always focused on having in my program because I think she can play inside and outside,” said Marian coach Steve Brooks, who was in Fairland Thursday for the ceremony. “She has the ability to shoot the 3 but go inside and play as well. She has the ability to handle the ball at her size which is very appealing. And she loves ‘team.’ She wants to be a part of something that is bigger than she is. I think that is a really critical thing, especially in this day and age.”

Brooks is in his first season at Marian. The veteran coach replaced Katie Gearlds, who is now the head coach at Purdue. The Knights are currently 24-3 and regular season champion of the Crossroads League, which earns them an automatic berth in the national championship tournament.

“We’re in and that’s the goal and we’re excited about having that behind us now,” said Brooks.

Faust took looks at several Crossroads League schools but Marian’s proximity to home and quality women’s basketball program made the decision easier to make.

“It’s close to home and that was a big thing for me,” she said. “I would like for my family to come watch my games. And I love the coaches and the team. Marian is so nice and fits me.”

Faust is undecided on her educational track.

With her senior season complete, she can fully focus on skill development and training so she has a shot at playing time as a freshman with a nationally-ranked program.

“I definitely have to work hard for it because they have a lot of experienced players that work well together,” said Faust. “I need to work hard with all of them and, hopefully, I will get some minutes next year.”

Franklin College graduate named new head coach of Shelbyville girls soccer program

Shelbyville High School found a soccer coach skilled in player development.

Garrett Belden was introduced Wednesday night at the Shelbyville Central Schools board meeting as the new head coach of the Golden Bears’ girls soccer program.

A 2018 Franklin College graduate, Belden is co-owner of Footworx, a soccer skills development facility in Greenwood.

Belden graduated from Perry Meridian High School and played soccer at Franklin College. He has worked as an assistant varsity coach the last four seasons at Martinsville and Center Grove.

“I was looking for a challenge and decided to finally take the reins and be a head coach and see what I can do,” he said after the meeting.

Belden continued playing soccer professionally after his graduation from Franklin College, where he was a four-year goalkeeper for the Grizzlies. Now he is in business with Brynnan Montfort as co-owner of Footworx.

“It’s an athletic training facility that specializes in sport-specific training, but specializes more specifically in soccer,” said Belden. “We train roughly 75-100 kids a week in general athletics and we do more sport-specific training.”

Shelbyville finished 9-5-2 in 2021 in head coach Chelsea Dourson’s final season. In seven years with the program, Dourson was 46-69-4. The former Golden Bear and Franklin College soccer player announced prior to the season that it would be her last due to her family moving to Fort Wayne, where her husband was taking over ministry work at a church.

After a decade of sub-.500 teams, Dourson led the Golden Bears to a 10-8 mark in 2018 and rebuilt the squad with 4-12-1 and 8-10 seasons prior to 2021.

“I know they’ve gotten better over the last couple of years,” said Belden. “It’s been progressively getting better and I look forward to keeping that momentum moving forward.”

With Belden’s hiring approved Wednesday, he planned to hit the ground running immediately to meet the team and start setting up practice times.

“I think the best thing is to focus on what I have available to me now and try to get the best out of the girls at practice,” he said. “Now that it’s official, I get to meet them and start practicing.”

Shelbyville swimmers in good position to claim multiple sectional titles

Four Golden Bear swimmers are set up to claim sectional titles Saturday in New Palestine.

Tyler Harker and Juan Gonzalez-Gallego held top seeds in their best events and teamed up with Will Rife and Trey Carrell to produce the fastest time in the 400-yard freestyle relay Thursday night during the preliminary round of the New Palestine Sectional.

Harker cruised to a 2.05-second win over Eastern Hancock’s Matthew McDaniel in the 200 freestyle. The Shelbyville senior’s time of 1:51.58 was almost three seconds slower than his seed time but still fast enough to remain the top seed.

Gonzalez-Gallego won the 100 butterfly in 55.44, 1.65 seconds slower than his school record time of 53.79. He is the top seed going into Saturday’s championship race with New Castle’s Cameron Poe (55.66) and Rife (56.38) in pursuit.

Shelbyville’s 400 freestyle relay (photo) posted a 3.04-second victory over New Palestine to remain the top seed. The Golden Bears’ time of 3:32.53 was faster than their seed time of 3:33.68.

The top eight finishers in each event Thursday return Saturday for sectional championship races. The next eight finishers Thursday return for consolation races.

Shelbyville will open the sectional championship Saturday with a hotly-contested race in the 200 medley relay.

Richmond is the top seed after Thursday’s qualifying with a time of 1:45.42. New Castle is the second seed at 1:45.67 with Shelbyville third at 1:46.26.

Shelbyville will use the same foursome in the 400 relay to chase the squad’s first sectional title Saturday.

Harker follows in the 200 freestyle championship race that will run after the consolation race that features Shelbyville’s Michael Fox, who finished 15th overall Thursday in 2:05.76 – 4.28 seconds faster than his seed time.

Gonzalez-Gallego will seek his first sectional title in the 200 individual medley where he is the second seed behind Mt. Vernon’s Matthew Garey. Shelbyville’s Tristin Maloney finished 11th and will swim in the consolation race.

Carrell qualified for the 50 freestyle final with a sixth-place finish in 23.54. Mt. Vernon’s Brady Gray was the top qualifier at 22.3.

Three Golden Bears will compete Saturday in the 100 butterfly. Maloney finished 15th to get into the consolation race. Gonzalez-Gallego and Rife will battle in the championship.

Lance File qualified for the consolation race in the 100 freestyle in 56.05 – 1.7 seconds faster than his seed time.

Harker is the No. 2 seed in the 500 freestyle behind Garey of Mt. Vernon. Harker touched the wall in 5:09.16, nearly eight seconds slower than his seed time while Garey was .46 seconds off his seed time.

Fox will return to the pool for the consolation race of the 500 freestyle.

Shelbyville qualified for the championship race in the 200 freestyle relay. File, Fox, Maloney and Andrew Duffy finished eighth to advance.

Rife improved his seed time and placed sixth in the 100 backstroke. File will compete in the consolation race.

Shelbyville closes out the event with the potential for another sectional title in the 400 freestyle relay. New Palestine finished runner-up with a 4.16-second drop from its seed time. Richmond is lurking in third after posting a time slower than its seed time.

Waldron one win away from state championship game appearance

There will be a first-time challenger representing southern Indiana in the Class A girls basketball state championship game.

Class A, No. 1 Waldron (24-1), making its second semistate appearance in program history, battles No. 7 Tecumseh (18-8), making its first semistate appearance, at 1 p.m. Saturday at Jeffersonville High School for the right to play in the state finals Feb. 26 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

“As a competitor, I want to win,” said Waldron head coach Anthony Thomas. “As a fan, I am happy for both teams.”

After an overtime win over No. 5 Jac-Cen-Del in the sectional championship game, Waldron knocked off two unranked teams in Bloomfield and Bethesda Christian to win the Southwestern Regional. The Mohawks’ only other regional championship came in 2010.

Tecumseh also needed overtime to defeat No. 9 Northeast Dubois in the sectional championship then overcame No. 11 Trinity Lutheran and No. 2 Lanesville to win the program’s first ever regional title. It was the Braves fourth-straight regional championship game appearance.

 

 

Waldron brings balance and experience, five seniors make up the starting lineup, to the semistate led by Bella Larrison (10.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Megan Bogemann (10.6 ppg, 71 three-pointers made) and Nichole Garner (10 ppg, 3.8 apg).

How the Mohawks handle the long road trip and the Jeffersonville atmosphere will be key to their success. Of their 25 games this season, only nine have not been played on Waldron’s home floor – the program hosted the Shelby County Tournament and Sectional 60 this season. And five of those road trips were to schools within Shelby County.

Thomas and the Mohawks practiced at Jeffersonville Wednesday and had a specific game plan in place.

“We will get a lot of shooting in. We want to take a lot of free throws,” said Thomas, who is 82-36 in five seasons at Waldron. He has announced this will be his final season at the helm. “We will work on a lot of stuff specifically for the game. I hope they enjoy the experience, it’s not every day this happens.”

 

 

What Waldron will prepare for is a team unlike what it has faced this season. Tecumseh (photo), located in southwestern Indiana, is battled tested – only eight of its 26 games have come against Class A programs – and determined to win the game in the low post.

Senior Kaybree Oxley, a five-foot, 10-inch forward, has been labeled the greatest female athlete in school history. She has excelled at softball, volleyball and basketball, where she has scored more than 1,800 career points.

“She is one of the best players to come through our area,” said Tecumseh head coach Adam Lubbehusen, 112-75 in his eighth season with the program. “She can shoot the ball. She is strong and she understands the game. She is probably a little unselfish which is hard for people to believe since she has scored 1,800 points but she wants her teammates to be just as successful as she is.”

Oxley leads the Braves in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounds (9.3 rpg) and is backed by 5-9 sophomore Jenna Donohoo (12.4 ppg, 7 rpg).

The offense is directed by Karsyn Flowers (9.4 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3 spg).

“She is a spitfire. We kind of go as she goes,” said Lubbehusen. “When she is under control, we are pretty good.”

 

 

Also expected to start against Waldron are Pennelope Lemon (2.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg), a strong defender, and six-footer Morgan Wilson (5.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg), who will play basketball at Olney Central College next season.

The roster includes a bevy of players that have had tremendous athletic success at Tecumseh across three sports. Brianna Marx is committed to Indiana State University to play softball; Kinsly Heichelbach and Ashtyn Green are committed to Wabash Valley College for softball.

Waldron will focus on Oxley who makes Tecumseh difficult to handle.

“She hunts the boards,” said Thomas. “It’s a very, very strong team that looks for her. We will try to keep her off the blocks. She has my respect and our attention.”

Donohoo is a credible second scoring option in the low post.

“They feed off each other pretty well,” said Thomas.

The Mohawks would prefer to clog up the paint and force Tecumseh to hit from distance. The Braves shoot 51% inside the 3-point arc and 27.4% outside the arc.

Wilson leads Tecumseh with 34 made 3s. Green has 28 and Flowers is at 25.

Both teams will attempt to create defensive pressure throughout the court and force turnovers. The Mohawks are allowing 32 ppg this season and have allowed more than 50 points just once – to Jac-Cen-Del in the sectional championship game.

“They might be one of the best 3-2 matchup zone teams I’ve seen,” said Lubbehusen. “They switch tremendously well … they put a lot of pressure on you.”

It will be a 90-plus minute drive for both squads to reach Jeffersonville. Thomas believes the Waldron fan base, which filled three-quarters of Southwestern’s gymnasium Saturday night, will make the road trip south.

“I expect them to travel as they did in the regional … that type of crowd or better,” he said. “The community has surrounded these kids and taken them in. They will show up down there.”

The Class A northern semistate features No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (23-4) against No. 8 North White (20-6) at 4 p.m. at the Logansport Semistate.

Lafayette Central Catholic has captured three semistate titles – in 2006, 2015 and 2016, winning state titles all three years.

North White is seeking its first semistate title.

Horseshoe Indianapolis to offer more than $4.6 million in Thoroughbred stakes

A total of 38 Thoroughbred stakes races offering more than $4.6 million in purses will be featured during the 2022 racing season at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The 20th year of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse action gets underway April 19 highlighted by the 28th running of the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 9.

The $300,000-guaranteed Indiana Derby, Indiana’s richest race, will be joined by seven other stakes on the July 9 racing program, including the Grade 3 $200,000-guaranteed Indiana Oaks. A total of $1.1 million in stakes purses will be showcased on the late afternoon card.

“The past two years, we have held the Indiana Derby on Wednesdays which has appealed to our national audience and as a result, we set two consecutive track records for handle,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “By moving the event back to a Saturday, we hope it will provide a balance with our national followers along with our on-track customers who have historically packed our venue for the event. The Indiana Derby has a great appeal to spectators and has been tagged as one of the biggest summer sporting events in Central Indiana.”

Horseshoe Indianapolis will also feature the third Indiana Champions Day on Oct. 29. The event will showcase 10 stakes combined by Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. Included on the program will be the $250,000 Unreachable Star Stakes and the $250,000 Lady Fog Horn Stakes for Indiana-sired horses.

Indiana sired and bred horses will also get a boost with elevated purses in the $250,000 Governor’s Stakes and the $200,000 Indiana First Lady Stakes. The races are slated for Aug. 3.

“The Indiana Thoroughbred program has boosted several of their races this season with more purse money,” said Chris Polzin, director of racing. “We have switched a few of the stakes around to spread them out during our 127-day racing season. This should better accommodate our horsemen and our retail simulcasting signal, and I believe we have a good balance of stakes from start to finish for our 2022 racing season.”

Indiana’s richest turf races, the $150,000 Caesars Stakes (Listed) and the $150,000 Horseshoe Indianapolis Stakes, will kick off the stakes season May 18. They join two other stakes with purses in excess of $500,000 during the afternoon card.

The 20th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is set to resume April 19 and run through Nov. 23. Racing will be held Monday through Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. with Thursday racing beginning at 3:30 p.m.

A total of 12 Saturday programs will be held in 2022.

For more information on events and racing, go to www.indianagrand.com.

High expectations carrying Golden Bears into New Palestine Sectional

Shelbyville’s boys swimming team has three top seeds and a relay team seeded No. 1 entering tonight’s preliminary round of the New Palestine Sectional.

Senior Tyler Harker is the top seed in the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle, junior Juan Gonzalez-Gallego is No. 1 in the 100 butterfly and the two are joined by junior Trey Carrell and sophomore Will Rife as the top seed in the 400 freestyle relay.

“I have high expectations for these boys,” said Shelbyville head coach Coen Weiler. “All year long they have stepped up. The girls had a phenomenal taper and a phenomenal sectional and it’s really given us hope and increased our expectations for what we expect from the boys.”

The top eight finishers in each event tonight return Saturday for championship races. The next eight finishers also advance to consolation races Saturday.

Sectional champions automatically qualify for the IHSAA state meet on Feb. 25-26 at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

The last Golden Bear to reach the state meet was Nolan Davis in 2018 in the 200 freestyle. Davis recently won the 200 freestyle for Franklin College at the Heartland College Athletic Conference Championships.

Shelbyville will open the championship race qualifying round tonight with a fast relay team in the 200 medley relay. The same quartet competing in the 400 freestyle relay will kick off the sectional.

Rife, Carrell, Harker and Gonzalez-Gallego are seeded third (1:47.07) behind Richmond (1:44.49) and Mount Vernon (1:45.26).

“I do believe those top three teams will have a very tight race,” said Weiler. “I think it will be a great race to get us going. I think that will be a heck of a way to start Saturday.”

 

 

Harker (photo) will then take center stage with a huge advantage in the 200 freestyle. His seed time of 1:48.9, which he set winning the Hoosier Heritage Conference title in December, is 5.11 seconds faster than the No. 2 seed, Richmond’s Landon Smith.

“Tyler is looking to step into an event that he has been after for a couple of years,” said Weiler. “I am really looking forward to seeing what he can drop.”

Davis holds the school record at 1:45.29.

Michael Fox is seeded 16th and has finished the season with several strong practices.

“I am hoping to see if he can get to that 10 or 11 spot and gain some points for us,” said Weiler of Fox, who recently announced his commitment to run cross country and track and field at Manchester University.

Gonzalez-Gallego, an exchange student from Malaga, Spain, gets his first individual swim following Harker in the 200 individual medley. He is the second seed at 2:05.51 behind Mt. Vernon’s Matthew Garey (2:02.14), who won the HHC title this year.

“It is going to be fun watching those two,” said Weiler.

Tristin Maloney, a junior, is seeded 11th.

“He has a big goal of top eight but that would take an 11-second drop,” said Weiler. “It would be huge if he could get that. I’m looking forward to him getting a good swim Thursday and returning Saturday and winning the consolation race.”

Carrell is Shelbyville’s top sprinter in the 50 freestyle. He is seeded third at 23.19 seconds behind Mt. Vernon’s Brady Gray (21.49) and Hagerstown’s Bryce Lamar (22.84).

Also in the event are sophomore Andrew Duffy, seeded 26th and freshman Blake Hughes, seeded 28th.

“Both of them have had really good seasons with good growth in the 50 freestyle specifically,” said Weiler. “I am looking for good, confident swims from them to set the tone for their careers going forward.”

 

 

Gonzalez-Gallego (photo) arrived at Shelbyville as a butterfly specialist. He broke the school record earlier this season and now has a clear shot at winning a sectional title to match his HHC title.

Gonzalez-Gallego is the top seed in the 100 butterfly at 53.79. Mt. Vernon’s Jack Champion is the No. 2 seed at 57.72.

Weiler believes Rife, seeded 7th (58.84), can push his way up and challenge the leaders for a potential 1-2 finish. Rife finished fourth in the HHC championship race.

“This should be our highest scoring event of the day individually,” said Weiler. “I think that will be the event where Juan gets going. Will is coming off a really strong freshman sectional. It is not out of the question for him and Juan to go 1-2, which would be awesome.”

Maloney is seeded 15th in the event.

Carrell also is Shelbyville’s top seed in the 100 freestyle. He is fifth at 51.48.

“There are 1.4 seconds between him and second place,” said Weiler. “I think Trey will go out there and crush it. I think that will be a big spot where we move up placing and getting significant points.”

Senior Lance File is 17th but less than a second from being seeded 13th.

Freshman Gaige Harker is 30th.

Tyler Harker is the top seed in the 500 freestyle at 5:01.41 and will be challenged by Garey (5:03.92) of Mt. Vernon for the sectional title.

Fox is seeded 14th.

The quartet of File, Duffy, Fox and Maloney are seeded seventh (1:47.40) in the 200 freestyle relay.

“The big goal there is to get sub 1:40 but that will take some big swims,” said Weiler.

Rife is sixth (1:02.73) in the 100 backstroke – a relatively new event for the sophomore.

“I expect him to be sub 1:00 if not faster come Saturday,” said Weiler. “He needs to get a confident swim Thursday and let loose Saturday.”

File is 15th and needs a good performance to secure the consolation race.

Duffy and Hughes are seeded 17th and 23rd, respectively, in the 100 breaststroke.

“Andy (Duffy) is looking to step up and get that swim Saturday,” said Weiler.

Harker and the 400 freestyle relay team will chase two records in the sectional’s final event. Harker will swim the lead leg with the goal of breaking Davis’ 100 freestyle record of 48.78.

“A big goal this year is to get that record,” said Weiler. “He wants to get that Thursday.”

Harker, Rife, Gonzalez-Gallego and Carrell will chase the program record of 3:22 and a sectional title this weekend.

The quartet is the top seed at 3:33.68 with Richmond (3:44.72) close behind.

There will be 11 teams at the New Palestine Sectional – Centerville, Connersville, Eastern Hancock, Greenfield-Central, Hagerstown, Mt. Vernon, New Castle, New Palestine, Richmond, Seton Catholic and Shelbyville.

All-MHC girls basketball team led by four Mohawks

Four Waldron Mohawks headline the 2022 Mid-Hoosier Conference All-Conference Girls Basketball Team.

Waldron is currently ranked No. 1 in Class A and one of 16 teams left vying for state championships. The Mohawks face Tecumseh Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Jeffersonville Semistate.

The 12-member All-Conference squad was released this week.

Leading the way are Waldron seniors Bella Larrison (10.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Megan Bogemann (10.6 ppg, 2.1 spg), Nichole Garner (10 ppg, 3.8 apg) and Hadlie Ross (5.8 ppg, 6 rpg).

Also representing Shelby County on the All-MHC team are Southwestern senior Lily Kerber (11.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and junior Lilly Rooks (10.7 ppg, 3.1 spg) and Morristown junior Raegan Kleine (11.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and freshman Nevaeh Sanders (10.1 ppg, 2.6 spg).

The final four players honored were Hauser’s Madelyn Poe (16.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and North Decatur’s Madelyn Bohman, Madi Allen and Ella Kunz. North Decatur’s season-ending statistics were not available.

Eight more players were selected Honorable Mention.

They were Edinburgh’s Alyssa Funkhouser (6.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Gracie Crawhorn (9.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Hauser’s Kyleigh Parrott (9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Gabby Johns (6.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg), Morristown’s Danika Rutledge (5.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg), North Decatur’s Kelsey Haley, South Decatur’s Loryn Pate (10.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Waldron’s Mackenzie Shaw (5.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

Waldron head coach Anthony Thomas (photo) was named Coach of the Year. It is his second postseason honor after being named the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association District 3 Coach of the Year earlier in the week.

Waldron, 24-1 overall, finished 5-0 in MHC games to win the conference championship.

North Decatur (16-7, 5-1) was runner-up ahead of Morristown (14-10, 4-2), Southwestern (12-11, 3-3), Edinburgh (8-11, 1-4), Hauser (10-13, 1-5) and South Decatur (4-17, 1-5).

Collegiate Update: Shelbyville grad Nolan Davis wins HCAC swim title

Franklin College senior Nolan Davis was crowned 200-yard freestyle champion Friday at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Shelbyville graduate finished fourth in the preliminary swims with a time of 1:42.52. In the championship race, Davis finished nearly three-quarters-of-a-second faster to win the event in 1:41.78 -- .04 faster than Rose-Hulman’s Caleb Munger (1:41.82.).

 

 

Davis (photo) had a total of six top-three finishes in the three-day event for Franklin College to help the Grizzlies finish second overall to Rose-Hulman, 867-810. Transylvania (477) was a distant third.

Davis placed third in the 500 freestyle in 4:41.19. Rose-Hulman’s Evan Sellers won the event in an HCAC record 4:35.43.

He also finished third in the 1,650 freestyle in 16:54.06. Sellers won that race as well in 16:07.32.

Franklin’s John Hasquin, Clay Key, Vincent Fletcher and Davis placed runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay (1:25.44). Rose-Hulman won in 1:23.39.

Davis teamed with Jack Burke, Paul Klaeren and Campbell Coyle to finish second in the 800 freestyle relay in 6:53.53. Rose-Hulman won in 6:50.19.

Coyle, Klaeren, Fletcher and Davis also finished second in the 400 freestyle relay (3:05.37) to Rose-Hulman (3:02.74 – a meet record).

 

 

Shelbyville graduate Cameron Baker (photo) also produced a pair of top-five finishes for Franklin College in the diving events.

Baker placed fifth in the 3-meter event with 304.05 points.

In the 1-meter event, Baker finished fourth (346.35).

Franklin won the women’s HCAC championship with 1,011 points. Transylvania was second at 516.5.

Franklin had the highest combined team score of 1,821. Rose-Hulman was second at 1,307.

Franklin head coach Andrew Hendricks was named the HCAC Coach of the Year.

Collegiate Update: File smashes grand slam in win over Indiana

Hannah File’s return to Division I college softball started slow Thursday in a pair of wins at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

The Shelbyville graduate caught fire Friday in Louisville’s wins over Bethune-Cookman and Indiana in the FAU Fastpitch Classic.

File had a run-scoring double and a grand slam home run to lead the Cardinals to a 9-5 victory over Indiana to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 2012.

Starting in centerfield, File was 0-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored earlier Friday in Louisville’s 14-0 win over Bethune-Cookman.

Against the Hoosiers later in the day, she drove in a run in the first inning with a double and broke the game open in the fifth inning with her first home run as a Cardinal.

Louisville closed out the season-opening invitational Saturday with an 8-5 loss to Ohio State. File went 0-for-3 with a walk.

File last played a college softball game on March 8, 2020, for James Madison University in a 10-3 win over the University of California. The COVID-19 pandemic ended the season.

File went on to graduate from James Madison and is now a graduate student at Louisville with two years of eligibility left in her playing career.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

 

 

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate had 19 points, two rebounds and one assist Tuesday for Loyola in a 64-40 win at Indiana State. The win improved the Ramblers to 14-10 this season and 6-7 in Missouri Valley Conference games.

On Saturday, Loyola defeated Bradley, 56-41. Chandler had nine points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Illinois State defeated the Ramblers, 57-53, Thursday. Chandler finished with seven points, two rebounds and one assist.

 

 

Brooklyn Langkabel

The Morristown graduate had one steal Saturday for Marian in an 80-36 win at Huntington.

With the win, the Knights secured their seventh-straight Crossroads League regular season championship and improved to 23-3 overall and 15-1 in conference games.

 

 

Hayden Langkabel

The Morristown graduate scored 12 points and had one rebound, one assist and one steal Tuesday in No. 17 Marian’s 72-64 win at Mt. Vernon Nazarene.

The win was the eighth straight for the Knights, who improved to 22-4 overall and 13-4 in Crossroads League games.

On Saturday, Langkabel had eight points, one rebound and one assist in Marian’s 96-85 win at Huntington.

Langkabel had 20 points, four rebounds and three assists Thursday in an 89-54 win at Brescia University.

 

 

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate finished with eight points, two rebounds and two assists Tuesday for Hanover in a 77-54 loss to No. 4 Transylvania (20-0, 12-0 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference) in Lexington, Kentucky.

The loss dropped the Panthers to 12-9 (9-7 HCAC).

On Saturday at Manchester, Heath scored 15 points, grabbed three rebounds and had one assist and one steal in Hanover’s 84-68 victory.

 

 

Kenzie Ryle

The Triton Central graduate had one rebound Tuesday for Earlham College in an 83-74 loss at Defiance.

Earlham is 1-19 this season and 1-12 against HCAC opponents.

 

DePauw Indoor Invitational

Five graduates of Shelby County schools participated in Saturday’s DePauw Invitational in Greencastle, Indiana.

 

 

Shelbyville graduate Jill Anspaugh finished 14th for Franklin College in the one-mile run (5:55.65).

 

 

Southwestern graduate Taylor Tatlock placed 19th in the shot put (25-8.75) and 21st in the weight throw (33-10) for Franklin College.

 

 

Waldron graduate Dalen Williams finished 17th in the shot put (37-8.75) for Franklin College.

 

 

Representing Rose-Hulman, Triton Central graduate Kenneth Gipson finished 17th in the weight throw (40-11.75).

 

 

Hanover’s Zaleeya Martin won the 60-meter dash (7.93) and was part of the first place 4x200 relay team (1:56.35).

With that effort, the Shelbyville graduate was named the HCAC Track Athlete of the Week for the third time this season.

Next up for the HCAC athletes is the HCAC Indoor Championships in Defiance, Ohio on Feb. 19.

 

Madisen Hinderliter

The Shelbyville graduate placed 27th in the weight throw (41-7.25) for St. Francis (Ind.) Saturday at the Reggie Thomas Collegiate Classic at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.

 

 

Chandler Martin

The Shelbyville graduate finished seventh in the high jump (1.89 meters) Saturday for the University of Indianapolis in the Jerry England Invitational, hosted by the Greyhounds.

Martin also finished first in his long jump flight with a best distance of 5.93 meters.

 

 

TeAnn Bringle

The Shelbyville graduate was the starting left fielder for Indiana State University Friday in the season-opening Stetson Lead-Off Classic in Deland, Florida.

The Sycamores lost to Delaware, 4-3, and Georgia State, 12-3, on Friday. Bringle was 1-for-3 against Delaware and 0-for-2 with a walk against Georgia State.

On Saturday, Indiana State rebounded for a 2-0 win over Georgia State and a 6-4 win over Stetson. Bringle was a combined 0-for-3 in the two games.

 

Erica Henry

The Shelbyville graduate pitched one inning of relief for Olney Central College in Friday’s 14-6 loss to Arkansas State. She allowed one hit and walked one while allowing two earned runs.

 

 

Addisenn Weaver

The Shelbyville graduate secured her first career hit for Valparaiso Thursday in a 7-5 loss to Butler in the DePaul Dome Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois.

Valparaiso opened the invitational with an 8-0 loss Thursday to DePaul. Weaver was 0-for-2 as Valpo’s starting catcher.

Against Butler, Weaver went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Eastern Illinois defeated the Beacons, 11-2, on Friday. Weaver was 1-for-3 while playing third base.

On Saturday, Valparaiso closed out the season-opening invitational with a 9-5 win over Western Michigan. Weaver was 0-for-3 with a walk.

 

Benny Thompson

The Shelbyville graduate made his collegiate debut with Anderson’s baseball program Saturday.

The pitcher entered a tied game in the ninth inning and allowed one hit in a 2-1 loss at Sewanee.

Anderson started the season 0-3 after a three-game sweep at Sewanee, losing 4-0 Saturday and 8-1 Sunday.

Gymnastics: New Palestine tops Morristown on Senior Night at Bee Hive

Morristown senior Allison Batten performed one last time at the Bee Hive Tuesday night in a gymnastics meet with New Palestine.

Morristown’s lone senior (photo) finished second in the vault, fifth on the balance beam and sixth on the uneven bars and in the floor exercise to place sixth overall in the all-around competition.

New Palestine defeated Morristown, 93.05-82.875.

 

 

Morristown’s Oakleigh Goedde won the vault competition and was runner-up in floor exercise. The junior also placed third on the uneven bars and balance beam to finish runner-up in the all-around competition to New Palestine’s Addy Kendall.

Also for Morristown, Kaelee Trittipo, another junior, finished sixth in the vault and sixth in the all-around.

For New Palestine, Kendall won the floor exercise and balance beam events and Alyse Rickey won the uneven bars competition.

Morristown next competes Saturday in the Southmont Invitational.

In another gymnastics meet:

 

 

Connersville 100.65, Shelbyville 92.5

At Connersville Monday, Shelbyville’s Kaliyah Brown took first place in the vault, second on the balance beam and in the floor exercise and third on the uneven bars to secure a runner-up finish in the all-around competition to Connersville’s Jayci Allen.

Also for Shelbyville, Faye-Lynn Voss tied for third in the vault and finished sixth on the balance beam and in the floor exercise.

Ruby Garner and Renee Aldridge tied for sixth in the vault, Ella Griggs was fifth on the balance beam and Aldridge was sixth in floor exercise.

Shelbyville travels to New Castle Saturday for its next meet.

Prep Report: Slow start leads to road loss for Shelbyville at Columbus East

A slow start put Shelbyville into a pit it never climbed out of Tuesday night at Columbus East.

Playing in the Orange Pit, the Golden Bears fell behind 20-10 after one quarter and never fully recovered.

 

 

A 17-point second quarter got Shelbyville within 29-27 at halftime but the Olympians opened the lead to 43-38 after three quarters and five different Columbus East players scored over the final eight minutes to secure the 55-45 victory.

Willy Riecker led the Olympians (5-13), winners of three straight, with 19 points. Ben Sylva had 17.

Ollie Sandman topped the Golden Bears (5-13) with 17 points. He scored all seven of Shelbyville’s fourth-quarter points.

Jakob Heaton finished with 10 and Jackson Parker had eight.

Shelbyville closes out its Hoosier Heritage Conference schedule Friday at Delta (10-11, 1-5 HHC). The Golden Bears are 0-6 in the HHC standings.

On Saturday, Shelbyville travels to East Central (13-5).

In other boys basketball games Tuesday:

 

 

Southwestern 50, Knightstown 32

At Southwestern, Jordan Jones (19 points) and Aiden Hartsell (18) combined for 37 points to get the host Spartans their fifth-straight win.

Jones scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for Southwestern (9-10). Hartsell hit three 3-pointers in the first half to help the Spartans build a 20-16 halftime lead.

Seven different Panthers scored but none reached double digits.

Karson Stiner led Knightstown (5-13) with nine points. Dylan Murphy had seven.

Southwestern (2-3 Mid-Hoosier Conference) is at North Decatur (9-10, 3-1 MHC) Friday.

 

 

North Decatur 60, Morristown 21

At North Decatur, the visiting Yellow Jackets’ offense never got on track.

Carson Parmer scored 10 points in the first quarter to help the Chargers (9-10, 3-1 MHC) take a 20-3 lead. The advantage grew to 34-12 by halftime.

Parmer finished with 14 points to match Lance Nobbe’s total. Kaden Muckerheide had 11.

Nolan Laster led Morristown (2-15, 0-6 MHC) with seven points.

The Yellow Jackets host Providence Cristo Rey (0-16) Thursday then travel to Batesville (8-12) Friday.

New No. 1 in this week's Associated Press Class A boys basketball poll

For the second time this season, Gary 21st Century has moved into the top spot in the Associated Press boys basketball poll.

Gary 21st Century (15-4) went 2-1 last week, including an 80-56 loss at Class 4A, No. 9 Ben Davis, to step up to the top of the Class A poll.

Bloomfield (16-4) rose three spots to No. 2 followed by last week’s No. 1 North Daviess (17-3). Edinburgh (17-2) is fourth ahead of No. 5 Loogootee (16-5).

The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 North White (15-3), No. 7 Barr-Reeve (13-7), No. 8 Tindley (13-7), No. 9 Lutheran (13-5) and No. 10 Triton (14-5).

The top two teams in Class 2A remained the same. Central Noble (20-2) is again No. 1 with unbeaten Monroe Central (18-0) at No. 2.

Eastside (19-1) and Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (16-3) are tied for No. 3 with Linton-Stockton (18-3), Carroll (Flora) (17-1), Lake Station (16-2), South Spencer (15-2), Wapahani (15-4) and Clinton Prairie (17-3) completing the top 10.

Eastern Hancock (14-5) is No. 12.

NorthWood (20-1) is again No. 1 in Class 3A followed by Mishawaka Marian (17-3), John Glenn (19-1), Sullivan (19-1), Leo (13-3), Peru (15-1), Norwell (17-3), New Castle (14-3), Brebeuf (13-6) and Brownstown Central (17-3).

Connersville (15-6), at No. 11, and No. 13 Greensburg (18-4) are just outside the top 10.

Undefeated Chesterton (20-0) sits atop the Class 4A poll ahead of Carmel (16-4), Fishers (19-2), Cathedral (17-5), Homestead (17-5), Floyd Central (16-3), Valparaiso (18-3), Penn (17-2), Ben Davis (16-6) and Mount Vernon (17-2).

Waldron holds off Bethesda Christian for first regional title since 2010

Class A, No. 1 Waldron is Final Four bound.

The Mohawks scored 13 points in 90 seconds Saturday night to open up a double-digit lead on Bethesda Christian, who never fully recovered despite an outstanding shooting performance from Paige Vawter, to win the Southwestern Regional championship, 50-45.

The Mohawks, now 24-1, will travel to Jeffersonville for a 1 p.m. semistate game Saturday against No. 7 Tecumseh (18-8), a 47-46 winner over No. 2 Lanesville in the West Washington Regional.

“Just like I said in the sectional, there is no better feeling as a coach than seeing the joy on your kids’ faces,” said Waldron coach Anthony Thomas, who was named the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association District 3 Coach of the Year Monday. “Two games today, put a little bit more mileage on the legs than we wanted, maybe it wasn’t the prettiest all the time but we made enough plays to move on.”

Waldron opened the second quarter Saturday trailing Bethesda Christian 10-8. Josee Larrison sank a pair of free throws at the 6:42 mark and followed that 21 seconds later with a layin off a Hadlie Ross steal to give the Mohawks the lead for good.

Megan Bogemann hit back-to-back three-pointers, Bella Larrison completed a three-point play off a steal and score, then scored again off an offensive rebound to take a 23-10 lead with 5:12 left in the quarter.

If not for Vawter’s long-range prowess, Waldron could have run away with the game before halftime.

Vawter splashed three 3s in less than two minutes and Lindsey Dodson hit another 3 that kept the Patriots within reach at halftime, trailing 29-24.

Bella Larrison took over in the third quarter. The senior scored eight of her game-high 19 points and had three steals.

“I haven’t seen Bella play two off games in her whole career,” said Thomas of the senior who was scoreless in the semifinal win over Bloomfield. “That’s what I told her. Big players step up in big moments and she did that.”

Waldron led 38-29 after three quarters and Bethesda Christian’s high-scoring point guard Kenzie Fulks already had four fouls.

Nichole Garner opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a 3 to make it 41-29 but Vawter matched that with her fifth trifecta of the game.

Bella Larrison scored in the low post but Holly Daugherty countered with another 3 for the Patriots.

Garner scored from the wing to push the lead back to 11 before the Patriots produced one more serious run.

JayLa Ferguson scored in the low post to spark a 7-0 spurt that included Fulks driving and scoring and converting the free throw then stealing an inbounds pass and scoring to cut Waldron’s lead to 46-42 with 1:44 to go.

Waldron used its experience to spread the floor from there and forced the Patriots to foul. Garner and Bella Larrison hit just enough free throws to keep Vawter, who hit her sixth 3 of the game with 22 seconds left, and Bethesda Christian at bay.

Larrison had six rebounds, four assists and four steals in the championship.

“I definitely told myself before the second game that I had to turn it on because I didn’t want to end the regional with the way I played the first game,” said Larrison.

Bogemann hit five 3s to help offset Vawter’s shooting performance and Ross (photo below, right) and Mackenzie Shaw combined for 17 rebounds.

“Going into this, one thing they told me was shoot if you’re open,” said Bogemann, who has made 71 3s this season. “This deep in the tournament every point counts and you have to believe in yourself and have that confidence.”

 

 

Vawter hit 6 of 7 3s in the game to finish with 18 points. The junior was 8 of 12 from behind the arc in the regional.

“They went on a nice run early in the second quarter and we withstood it when Kenzie got in foul trouble. I had to trust her and put her back in and that helped make that run with Paige,” said Bethesda Christian head coach Roger Hanna.

Fulks (photo, left), who came into the game averaging 23 ppg, was limited to 12 in the championship.

The regional championship game appearance was a first for Bethesda Christian, located in Brownsburg. Only one senior, Holly Daugherty, played against Waldron.

“We all know a year away, anything can happen,” said Hanna of making a potential fourth straight regional appearance. “We are young. Our sophomore group is our strong group. Paige (Vawter) will be our only senior with five or six juniors. We will have a lot of experience coming back.”

Waldron is all-in this year with a varsity roster of seven seniors and one junior. The program will make its second semistate appearance. The only other regional championship came in 2010.

“I am just beside myself. There are four of us left,” said Thomas. “I can’t quit thinking about that. You are one win from Indy. Why not us?”

The Class A northern semistate championship game will be played at 4 p.m. Saturday at Logansport.

No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (23-4) will face No. 8 North White (20-6) for the right to play in the Class A state championship game on Feb. 26 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

 

Waldron 50, Bethesda Christian 45

BC: Fulks 4-9 4-5 12, Daugherty 2-6 0-0 6, Dodson 1-2 0-0 3, Vawter 6-9 0-0 18, Ferguson 2-4 0-2 4, Goodin 1-3 0-0 2, Heim 0-0 0-0 0, Collins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-33 4-7 45.

WA: Had. Ross 1-4 1-2 3, Shaw 0-5 1-2 1, Bogemann 5-14 0-0 15, Garner 1-7 3-6 6, B. Larrison 7-10 3-6 19, J. Larrison 1-1 4-4 6, Fewell 0-0 0-0 0, Hal. Ross 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-41 13-21 50.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

BC (15-8)  10  14  5  16  --  45

WA (24-1)   8  21  9  12  --  50

Three-point field goals: BC 9-15 (Fulks 0-2, Daugherty 2-4, Dodson 1-1, Vawter 6-7, Goodin 0-1), WA 7-17 (Shaw 0-1, Bogemann 5-13, Garner 1-1, B. Larrison 1-2). Rebounds: BC 19 (Fulks 1, Daugherty 1, Dodson 1, Vawter 4, Ferguson 4, Goodin 6, Heim 1, Collins 1), WA 27 (Had. Ross 9, Shaw 8, Bogemann 2, B. Larrison 6, J. Larrison 3). Assists: BC 10 (Fulks 4, Vawter 2, Ferguson 2, Goodin 2), WA 9 (Had. Ross 2, Garner 1, B. Larrison 4, J. Larrison 2). Steals: BC 2 (Fulks 2), WA 8 (Had. Ross 3, Bogemann 1, B. Larrison 4). Blocks: BC 1 (Goodin 1). Total fouls: BC 18, WA 12. Fouled out: Fulks (BC). Turnovers: BC 13, WA 7.

(Tyson Conrady photos)

Golden Bears best effort of the season falls short at New Palestine

Shelbyville had its only winning streak of the boys basketball season snapped at three games by New Palestine Friday.  But even in a loss it felt like a step forward for the improving Golden Bears with two weeks left in the regular season.

 

New Palestine staved off a Shelbyville last second shot attempt to defeat the visiting Golden Bears Friday, 63-60.  It was Shelbyville’s most complete effort of the season as the Bears dropped the Hoosier Heritage Conference road game to a 15-win Dragons’ ballclub.

 

Head coach John Hartnett appeared on the GIANT fm Sports Cagney’s Pizza King postgame report.

 

 

Shelbyville withstood an early barrage by the Dragons.  New Palestine connected on four first quarter three-point field goals – two each by 6’5” forward Ian Stephens and point guard Blaine Nunnaly – to lead after the first eight minutes, 18-11.

 

The Golden Bears were able to hang around thanks to 14 first half points by Jakob Heaton.  Heaton was the game’s top scorer with 27.  He and Ollie Sandman combined for 14 second quarter points to keep the Dragons within reach.  New Palestine led by 11 at the half, 38-27.

 

That double-digit New Palestine lead was quickly erased in the third quarter.  Sandman and Heaton connected on a combined five three-pointers in the period as Shelbyville outscored the Dragons 21-10 and forced a tie at the end of three quarters, 48-all.  More specifically, Shelbyville outscored Dragons 6’5” senior shooting guard Steele Brasfield.  He scored all of the New Pal points in the third and finished with a team-high 24 points.

 

After the game, Brasfield signed his letter of intent to attend and play basketball at Indiana Tech next season.

 

A nip-and-tuck fourth quarter came down to the final 11 seconds with New Palestine holding onto a three-point lead.  Shelbyville brought the ball to the midcourt line when the Dragons used one of their remaining fouls to give.  After Shelbyville inbounded again, near midcourt, New Palestine fouled again, stopping clock with just over two seconds left.  On the ensuing inbounds play, Shelbyville got the ball into the hands of Ollie Sandman who tried to get a off a three-pointer to tie as time expired.  But a New Palestine double team prevented a clean look and Sandman’s attempt was off the mark as time expired.

 

Sandman scored 17 points for the Golden Bears who dropped to 5-13 on the season and 0-6 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference.  Nolyn Smothers was also in double figures with 14.

 

Shelbyville will travel to Columbus East on Tuesday and wrap-up HHC play with a road trip to Delta on Friday.

 

New Palestine (15-4, 5-1) stays in the hunt for a share of the HHC title.  Mt. Vernon is the lone undefeated team in conference play.  New Palestine goes to Fortville on February 18.

 

Blaine Nunnaly scored 20 for the Dragons.  Ian Stephens added 12.

 

It was the sixth time in the last 11 meetings that the final score was decided by three points or less.

 

 

 

Waldron, Bethesda Christian advance into Southwestern Regional championship

Class A, No. 1 Waldron flexed its defensive muscle Saturday afternoon to overpower Bloomfield, 46-26, in the second game of the Southwestern Regional.

Bloomfield scored the first four points of the semifinal then scored four points the rest of the first half to fall behind the Mohawks 25-8.

Waldron’s 12-0 run erased the solid start for the Cardinals (12-12) and a 13-0 run in the second quarter put the Mohawks (23-1) in complete control.

Prior to the game, Bloomfield head coach Ron Knepp, who was making his fifth regional appearance in seven seasons, was concerned about his team’s penchant for turnovers and not getting enough quality shots.

Waldron made that fear come to reality, forcing eight turnovers in each of the first two quarters. Bloomfield finished the game with 27 turnovers and shot just 30% from the field on 33 shots.

Brianna Bucher and Delaney Richardson led Bloomfield with six points each. Kinley Moody and Gracie Lowry each had five. Lowry had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Nichole Garner led Waldron with 14 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Megan Bogemann was 3-of-6 from the 3-point line on the way to 13 points.

Once Waldron got the lead to double digits, it was not challenged again. The Mohawks shot 40% from the field and hit 5-of-6 free-throws while committing just 10 turnovers.

With the win, Waldron advanced to the regional championship game and set a program record for wins in a season with 23.

 

 

In the first Southwestern Regional semifinal game Saturday morning, Bethesda Christian avenged a regular-season loss to Greenwood Christian.

Kenzie Fulks scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists to lead the Patriots to a 54-42 victory and the program’s first regional championship game appearance.

Greenwood Christian struggled to hit shots from the 3-point arc and the free-throw line. The Cougars shot 31% from the field, 25% from the arc and 50% from the free-throw line to see their season come to an end.

Ellie Bigelow led Greenwood Christian (14-12) with 20 points in her final game.

With the game tied 8-all midway through the first quarter, Bethesda Christian scored the final seven points to take a 15-8 lead it would never relinquish.

Fulks scored 10 points in the second quarter and the Patriots took a 29-16 lead into halftime.

Bigelow scored seven points in the third quarter but the Cougars still trailed 40-28 at the break.

Fulks was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line over the final eight minutes to seal the win.

Paige Vawter scored 14 points for Bethesda Christian and Sydney Goodin finished with eight.

 

Bethesda Christian 54, Greenwood Christian 42

BC: Fulks 6-17 12-14 25, Daugherty 1-5 0-0 3, Goodin 4-4 0-0 8, Vawter 6-12 0-0 14, Ferguson 2-6 0-2 4, Dodson 0-2 0-1 0, Heim 0-0 0-0 0, Peach 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-46 12-17 54.

GC: Bigelow 6-12 7-12 20, Simon 3-9 1-2 8, O’Dell 0-7 0-0 0, Waldron 2-10 0-4 4, Chapman 2-4 0-0 5, Grider 1-2 2-2 5, Carlson 0-1 0-0 0, Jolley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-45 10-20 42.
SCORE BY QUARTERS

BC (15-7)  15  14  11  14  --  54

GC (14-12)  8    8  12  14  --  42

Three-point field goals: BC 4-14 (Fulks 1-2, Daugherty 1-4, Vawter 2-5, Ferguson 0-1, Dodson 0-2), GC 4-16 (Bigelow 1-3, Simon 1-5, Waldron 0-3, Chapman 1-3, Grider 1-2). Rebounds: BC 30 (Fulks 8, Daugherty 5, Goodin 3, Vawter 4, Ferguson 8, Dodson 1, Peach 1), GC 22 (Bigelow 5, Simon 4, O’Dell 5, Waldron 4, Chapman 1, Grider 2, Jolley 1). Assists: BC 7 (Fulks 6, Ferguson 1), GC 4 (Bigelow 1, Simon 2, Waldron 1). Steals: BC 3 (Fulks 3), GC 9 (Bigelow 3, Simon 1, Waldron 3, Chapman 1, Jolley 1). Blocks: BC 1 (Ferguson 1), GC 1 (Bigelow 1). Total fouls: BC 14, GC 18. Fouled out: Simon (GC). Turnovers: BC 17, GC 14.

 

Waldron 46, Bloomfield 26

WA: Had. Ross 2-9 1-2 5, Shaw 1-2 2-2 4, Garner 5-10 2-2 14, Bogemann 5-10 0-0 13, B. Larrison 0-2 0-0 0, J. Larrison 2-4 0-0 4, Fewell 1-2 0-0 2, Hal. Ross 0-2 0-0 0, Sheaffer 0-1 0-0 0, Benson 2-3 0-0 4, Hensley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-45 5-6 46.

BF: Moody 2-4 1-2 5, Bucher 2-8 1-2 6, Lowry 2-6 1-2 5, Godoy 0-5 0-0 0, Richardson 2-6 2-5 6, Mietus 1-1 0-0 2, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 10-33 5-10 26.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

WA (23-1)  10  15  12   9  --  46

BF (12-12)    4    4  10   8  --  26

Three-point field goals: WA 5-12 (Shaw 0-1, Garner 2-3, Bogemann 3-6, Hal. Ross 0-1, Sheaffer 0-1), BF 1-7 (Bucher 1-3, Godoy 0-4). Rebounds: WA 17 (Had. Ross 4, Shaw 3, Garner 2, Bogemann 1, B. Larrison 3, J. Larrison 1, Hal. Ross 2, Hensley 1), BF 26 (Moody 4, Lowry 10, Godoy 5, Richardson 7, Mietus 1). Assists: WA 8 (Had. Ross 1, Garner 4, B. Larrison 1, Fewell 1, J. Larrison 1), BF 6 (Moody 1, Bucher 1, Lowry 1, Godoy 2, Myers 1). Steals: WA 8 (Had. Ross 1, Garner 2, Bogemann 1, B. Larrison 2, J. Larrison 1, Hal. Ross 1), BF 2 (Godoy 2). Blocks: WA 2 (Shaw 1, Hal. Ross 1), BF 2 (Bucher 1, Richardson 1). Total fouls: WA 11, BF 8. Turnovers: WA 10, BF 27.

(Tyson Conrady photo: Waldron senior Bella Larrison (32) advances the ball with Bloomfield's Kinley Moody (11) in pursuit during Saturday afternoon's regional semifinal game at Southwestern High School.)

Prep Report: Waldron bounces back from Friday night loss with win over Centerville

Following a tough loss Friday night to South Decatur, Waldron’s boys basketball team bounced back Saturday afternoon to defeat Centerville, 56-48.

Bryce Yarling scored 23 points to lead Waldron (11-8). Lucas Mitchell finished with 21 to keep Centerville (0-17) winless this season.

On Friday, Hunter Johnson had 26 points, 12 rebounds and two assists to lead South Decatur to a 75-65 Mid-Hoosier Conference win at Waldron.

Jacob Scruggs finished with 23 points, four rebounds and two steals to push the Cougars’ record to 10-9 (3-1 MHC).

 

 

Yarling scored 17 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Mohawks (3-2 MHC).

Mitchell and Bryant Becker each had 17 and Caden Sheaffer finished with eight points.

Waldron returns to the court Friday to host Liberty Christian (12-8).

In other prep events:

Boys basketball

Indianapolis Ritter 56, Triton Central 44

At Ritter Friday, visiting Triton Central led after three quarters but was outscored 23-7 over the final eight minutes to suffer its first Indiana Crossroads Conference loss of the season.

 

 

Josiah Blair led Triton Central (10-9, 3-1 ICC) with 18 points. Caleb Miller finished with 14.

Jordan Turner had a game-high 22 points for Ritter (7-9, 4-2 ICC). Savion Brown added 11.

Triton Central travels to Monrovia (6-12, 0-5 ICC) Tuesday. That game can be heard on GIANT fm (96.5) with pre-game live at approximately 7 p.m.

The Tigers then host Beech Grove (11-6, 5-0 ICC) Friday.

Eastern Hancock 73, Morristown 29

At Morristown Friday, Class 2A, No. 11 Eastern Hancock had six players score in double digits to defeat the Yellow Jackets.

The Royals (13-5) built a 23-7 lead after one quarter and extended it to 46-15 at halftime.

 

 

Landon O’Neal led Eastern Hancock with 14 points. Edric Miller finished with 13 and Cyrus Burton and Cole Rainbolt each had 12. Silas Spaulding and Jacob Spaulding each had 10.

Burton had a team-high nine rebounds. O’Neal finished with five rebounds and four assists.

Morristown dropped to 2-14 (0-5 MHC). The Yellow Jackets are at North Decatur (8-10, 2-1 MHC) Tuesday then host Providence Cristo Rey (0-16) Thursday before traveling to Batesville (8-11) Friday.

Gymnastics

Connersville Invitational

Morristown finished in 10th place at the highly-competitive Connersville Invitational.

Richmond, ranked No. 8 in the most recent state coaches poll, captured the team title with 108.175 points.

 

 

No. 10 Columbus North was second at 105.95. Franklin Central finished third (103.15) with Roncalli (102.375) taking fourth in the 13-team event.

Morristown did not have a top-10 finisher in the four disciplines.

The Yellow Jackets will host New Palestine and Scecina Tuesday for Senior Night.

Hamilton ends career with pair of top-30 swims at IHSAA state championship meet

 Shelbyville senior Karissa Hamilton closed out her swim career as a Golden Bear with a top-25 finish in the 50-yard freestyle and top-30 finish in the 100 freestyle Friday night at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Competing in her third IHSAA state championship meet, Hamilton was chasing a top-16 finish in her best event – the 50 free. She is the school record holder in the event with a time of 24.27 seconds, which she set in the sectional championship race at New Palestine.

Hamilton was seeded 19th Friday in the 32-swimmer field for the 50 free.

Swimming in the fourth and final heat, Hamilton touched the wall in 24.46 seconds. She missed the cut to Saturday’s consolation race by .33 seconds.

Hamilton swam in the same heat with Penn sophomore Lilian Christianson, the defending state champion. Christianson finished in 22.51 seconds and returned Saturday and set a new state record of 22.14 to repeat as state champion.

Without advancing in the 50 free, Hamilton returned to the starting blocks to close out her career in the 100 freestyle. Also the school record holder in that event, Hamilton clocked 54.26 seconds to finish 26th overall in the field.

On Saturday, Carmel captured its 36th consecutive state championship, a national record for any sport or gender. Fishers was runner-up with Hamilton Southeastern placing third.

Nine state records were set during the 2022 state finals.

 

 

Former Shelbyville swimmer Grace Lux (photo), now competing for Fishers, finished seventh in the 100 breaststroke and was part of the fourth-place finishing 200 medley relay team.

Lux will attend Purdue University in the fall and compete for the Boilermakers swim program.

Southwestern Regional features top-ranked Waldron, three returning teams

Three of the four teams in the Class A Southwestern Regional are repeat qualifiers. The only new team is the No. 1 ranked Waldron Mohawks.

The regional starts at 10 a.m. Saturday with Bethesda Christian (14-7) facing Greenwood Christian (14-11). At noon, Waldron (22-1) takes on Bloomfield (12-11).

The regional championship game is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Mohawks are the prohibitive favorite but the “next loss is your last loss” scenario of the state tournament makes for an exciting environment.

Most everything Waldron has accomplished this season has been compared to the 2010 season when the program finished 22-4 under head coach Brad Gossett and won sectional and regional titles.

That year, Waldron defeated Jac-Cen-Del in overtime of the regional championship game. To get to the regional in 2022, Waldron had to beat Jac-Cen-Del in overtime of the sectional championship game.

 

 

With the win, head coach Anthony Thomas believes the pressure is off his team.

“I think for us, honestly, I think it will probably be the most loose we’ve been all season,” he said. “There are no preconceived notions from the kids. It’s a team we haven’t played before. I know our mindset. It will be like summer ball when we were playing Bloomington North, Bloomington South, all those teams we played all summer to get ready. I actually think they will be as loose as can be, honestly.”

Waldron’s historic season would have ended Tuesday night if Mackenzie Shaw did not make a 3-pointer at the buzzer against No. 5-ranked Jac-Cen-Del to send the game to overtime.

For seven seniors, including Shaw, the storybook script of a final season just keeps getting better.

“They know. They are not dumb,” said Thomas of his team. “It’s not fair to kids, but they needed to win that sectional to validate their season. They did that and I think they will play as loose as can be.”

 

 

The Mohawks match up against a defensive-minded Bloomfield squad that is allowing 37.8 ppg. Head coach Ron Knepp has had the Cardinals in the regional in five of his seven seasons, but they have yet to win a semifinal game.

The veteran coach with 144 career wins knows Saturday’s task is very difficult.

“They are the real deal,” said Knepp of Waldron. “They can pressure you. They can defend you and they can flat out score the basketball.”

Waldron enters the regional averaging 55.2 ppg with three players averaging double digits – Bella Larrison (11 ppg), Megan Bogemann (10.3) and Nichole Garner (10.1 ppg).

The trio combined for 49 of Waldron’s 65 points in the sectional championship game.

Knepp knows his Cardinals cannot get in a shootout with the Mohawks. His roster does not have the firepower. Productive possessions are desired and turnovers must be limited.

“The biggest thing for us is we need to get our shots,” said Knepp of his team averaging 36 ppg. “We need to be able to handle their pressure. We cannot turn the basketball over. We have to value the basketball and get shots.”

Bloomfield has not scored 50 points in a game this season.

Knepp will start two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Kinley Moody and senior forward Gracie Lowry are varsity veterans.

“They have played significant minutes throughout their entire high school career,” said Knepp.

Moody typically draws the opponent’s top scorer although that is difficult to identify with Waldron. Lowry, at 5-11, is a key rebounder, along with junior Delaney Richardson at 5-10.

Junior Brianna Bucher is Bloomfield’s leading scorer and vocal leader on the floor.

Sophomore Jacenyia Godoy took over the point guard duties this season, leads the Cardinals in steals and has been a 50% 3-point shooter over the second half of the season.

“Defensively, I think we can play with them but on the offensive end we cannot turn it over and we have to get our shots,” said Knepp. “That’s been an issue for us.”

 

 

The first regional semifinal is a rematch from earlier this season. Greenwood Christian defeated Bethesda Christian, 55-45, on Jan. 14.

The Cougars and head coach Alan Weems swept through their sectional with convincing wins over Indianapolis Tindley and Indianapolis Lutheran.

After starting 3-5, including a 70-40 loss at Waldron on Nov. 27, Greenwood Christian settled in to finish the season 11-6.

“I think we are playing better basketball right now,” said Weems, who has announced his retirement at the end of this season. “When we played (Waldron) back in November, we were still trying to find out who we were. And we struggled in the beginning of the year.

“We are playing good basketball right now. We’ve managed to figure out each other and that has helped.”

The Cougars are led by 5-7 senior guard Ellie Bigelow, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the sectional. She is averaging 11.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.1 steals.

Senior Dani Simon leads the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg and pulls down nearly five rebounds per contest. Sophomore Sydney Waldron gets eight points and 5.5 rebounds per game while senior Dory O’Dell leads the team in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and adds 6.8 ppg.

Bethesda Christian has a 1,000-point scorer in sophomore guard Kenzie Fulks (22.9 ppg). She had 30 points in her first meeting with Greenwood Christian last month.

“If you hold her to her average and stop everybody else, you obviously put yourself in an advantage … but it’s hard to hold her to her average,” said Weems. “We are just going to try and play basketball, and with her, we’re just going to make her work as hard as she can for her shots. “She is going to get them. You are not going to hold her scoreless or hold her to 15. She is going to get her 20 to 25 because she is that good. What you don’t want to do is have her go off for 40 against you.”

 

 

Bethesda Christian is making its third straight regional appearance. The Patriots lost to North Central (Farmersburg) in 2020 and Southwestern in 2021.

Fulks, at 5-6, is a force, also filling the stat sheet with 5.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game.

Complimenting her this year is 5-8 junior Paige Vawter (10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.3 apg) and three more players averaging 5-6 ppg – 5-6 senior Hannah Daugherty (5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg), 6-2 sophomore JayLa Ferguson (5.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and 5-8 sophomore Sydney Goodin (4.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg).

“Ferguson has really helped us on the inside, we have a little more inside presence,” said Bethesda Christian coach Roger Hanna. “That has helped out the whole team.”

The Patriots opened the season 6-1 and were 10-2 after an overtime win at Park Tudor on Jan. 11 before losing three straight to Brebeuf, Greenwood Christian and Guerin Catholic.

“We beefed up our schedule a little bit playing a couple more (Class) 3A schools and 2A schools to make us a little tougher,” said Hanna.

Bethesda Christian enters the postseason on a three-game winning streak.

“We are excited. It’s a special time of year for them,” said Hanna. “Our mindset is a little different. Last year we were a bunch of freshmen. “They are sophomores now and you can tell that experience from last year to this year is starting to show.”

Bloomfield has won four regional titles with the last coming in 2005. Waldron’s only regional championship was in 2010. Greenwood Christian is the two-time defending regional champion.

The winner of the Southwestern Regional advances to either the Jasper or Jeffersonville Semistate to face the winner of the West Washington Regional on Feb. 19.

There are four state-ranked teams at West Washington Saturday. In the opener, No. 7 Tecumseh (16-8) faces No. 11 Trinity Lutheran (16-8). In the second semifinal, No. 6 Vincennes Rivet (20-6) battles No. 2 Lanesville (25-1).

Phares finds right fit in Wilmington College women's basketball program

Madison Phares never considered herself a college-bound basketball player.

Then Becca Hoefler took over the Shelbyville girls basketball program. She made Phares believe if she wanted to play college basketball, it was within her reach.

On Wednesday in the Golden Bear Room at Shelbyville High School, Phares was joined by friends and family to celebrate her official signing to play college basketball at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio.

“Coach was a big impact on the reason I wanted to play college basketball,” said Phares. “I always loved basketball and played since a young age but she pushed me, saw potential in me, she was the one that told me I could play college basketball.”

 

 

Phares is not yet settled on a specific educational track. She is considering being an athletic trainer or pursuing a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

With her high school career complete and her signing day over, Phares can now breathe a sigh of relief and start preparing to join the Quakers program.

“It was exciting but a little bit stressful to decide where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do,” she said.

Phares felt a sense of family around the Quakers program which made her decision easier to make.

“The team chemistry is there,” she said. “It felt like family when I was there. I felt like it was home.”

Wilmington gets a versatile 5-foot, 11-inch forward that can work in the low post and feel comfortable shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. She averaged 8.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for a Shelbyville squad that finished 11-12 this season.

“They liked that I was strong. They liked that I could do multiple things … I can face up to the basket and I can shoot from the outside,” said Phares. “They told me to work on some things and I am going to get there.”

Wilmington College is northeast of Cincinnati, nearly two hours from Shelbyville. The Quakers are currently 7-14 this season for head coach Janel Blankenspoor, in her second season.

Phares can focus in on finishing her senior season and preparing for graduation. Then, the four-year process starts all over in the fall.

“Yeah, that’s tough,” laughed Phares when asked if she was ready to be a freshman again, “bottom of the food chain. It’s not bad, you have to start somewhere.”

 

 

 

Southwestern defeats Hauser for third win this week

Behind four first-quarter three-pointers from Aiden Hartsell, Southwestern raced out to a double-digit lead and Hauser never recovered.

Playing their third game in as many nights, the Spartans built an 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and used a 21-point third quarter to seal the Mid-Hoosier Conference victory, 54-44.

Southwestern improved to 8-10 with three wins this week and sit 2-3 in the MHC standings. The Spartans have won four straight.

Hartsell finished with a game-high 26 points and Jordan Jones backed him with 22.

Bryce Bates led Hauser (7-10, 1-4 MHC) with 17 points. Eli Miller had 12.

Southwestern puts its four-game win streak on the line Tuesday against Knightstown (5-11).

Fox chooses Manchester to continue cross country, track and field career

Michael Fox split time between running and swimming at Shelbyville High School.

When he enrolls at Manchester University this fall, the Shelbyville senior will focus exclusively on running.

On Wednesday in the Golden Bear Room at Shelbyville High School, Fox, the son of Richard and Lynn Fox, signed his letter of intent in front of friends and family to attend Manchester and compete in cross country and track and field.

“I want to focus on one sport,” said Fox. “I think in high school I might have gotten a little better if I focused on one sport. So in college, I want to be the best that I can at one sport.”

Manchester’s Pharmacy program was too good to pass up for Fox.

“I looked into their Pharmacy program and it looked really appealing and I met their (cross country coach) and I think it’s a good fit for what I want to do in college,” he said.

Fox also cited the athletic environment at Manchester as a drawing point.

“I think because it’s a smaller team and that is what I’m used to … their coaches care about each individual a lot where other programs focus on certain people, the best varsity guys,” said Fox. “I feel like I will be focused on individually. I think that will work out for me.”

Fox was a four-time regional qualifier in cross country and has set a goal to reach the regional round in the track and field state tournament later this year.

“I want to drop a lot of time in the two-mile (3,200 meters) in track and make it to the regional,” he said.

The distance events will be what he specializes in at Manchester, running the 8,000-meter distance in cross country and 5,000 meters in track and field events.

Fox is nearing the end of his Golden Bears swimming career. The postseason starts next week. Then he can focus on one last year running as a Golden Bear followed by a summer of training to prepare for the jump to college.

“I think I’m ready,” he said.

Shelbyville's speed demon prepping for fastest race of her life

Karissa Hamilton has a “need for speed.”

The Shelbyville senior believes one-tenth of one second faster will be enough to get her past the preliminary heats of the Indiana High School Athletic Association State Swimming and Diving Championships.

Hamilton will swim twice Friday night at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis courtesy of her sectional championship performances Monday at New Palestine.

She is the 19th seed in her best event – the 50-yard freestyle – and the 26th seed in the 100 freestyle. Hamilton won the 50 freestyle Monday in a school record time of 24.27 seconds. Her winning 100 freestyle time also broke her own school record.

The goal Friday is to get into the top 16. To do so means Hamilton will have to go faster than she ever has before.

“It is very hard to drop time in the sprints, especially in the 50,” said Hamilton Wednesday afternoon before training. “One little mistake and everything can go wrong. You can’t take a lot of breaths because breaths slow you down. You have to have that grit and the fastest flip turn ever.”

The 50 freestyle is a pure sprint – one trip down the pool and back.

“It will be interesting to see. In the 50, anything can happen. It’s a crazy race,” said Shelbyville swim coach Coen Weiler. “It will be really interesting to see what everybody else in that heat has left, along with her.”

The 50 free is the fourth event Friday and Hamilton is in the fourth and final heat of the event in lane one.

“I am just going to have to have that mindset that I can do this,” said Hamilton, who holds three individual program records at SHS and is part of all three relay school records. “I can’t worry about who is swimming around me and be in the moment.”

The fourth heat Friday is fast. Six of Hamilton’s seven competitors posted faster sectional times, including the defending state champion and top qualifier – Penn sophomore Lillian Christianson (22.85).

“She only lost this race one time this year and, for the most part, she hasn’t really had a race,” said Weiler. “You win by .8 seconds at the sectional in the 50, that’s not really much of a race. It may look that way, but it’s not.

“This will be her first time going in as an underdog in the race and having to chase people down. And goodness knows she loves to chase.”

Catching Christianson is not realistic, but finishing somewhere in the middle of a heat that includes five swimmers that have been under 23 seconds this season is key.

“She set the (school) record as a sophomore on a random Tuesday (in 2020) and then didn’t touch it again until the sectional this year,” said Weiler. “I do think there is more in her. I think she got really close to breaking 24 (seconds) in her relay split the other day (in the 200 freestyle relay sectional race), so that made it a little bit more feasible for her in her mind.”

Shelbyville’s 200 freestyle relay team finished second Monday with Hamilton swimming the anchor leg in 24.07 seconds.

 

 

Weiler expects to know within minutes whether Hamilton gets to return Saturday for the consolation swim ahead of the state championship heat.

If she does not make the cut, the 100 freestyle, event six, will be her last swim as a Golden Bear and her last competitive race.

“I don’t really want to think about it being my last one because that will make me emotional,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton’s future is in softball. She is already committed to play at the University of Kentucky.

Seven years ago, she took a shot at swimming in middle school under the program’s new head coach, Coen Weiler.

“I wanted to try something different,” said Hamilton, who played basketball in elementary school. “The swim team had a new coach … Weiler came rolling in my sixth grade year. So I stuck with it. It’s a really good conditioning sport, it keeps me in shape for softball. And it’s really fun.”

Now a senior, she will make her third state finals trip Friday.

As a freshman in 2019, she was part of Shelbyville’s 200 medley relay team that swam at the natatorium. That quartet included her older sister, Elliana, current senior Marlee Rice, and Fishers senior Grace Lux, who moved away after her sophomore year.

Lux, now committed to swim at Purdue University, will swim Friday for Fishers in the 200 medley relay and 100 breaststroke – her best event.

Hamilton returned to the state finals in 2021, competing in the 50 freestyle and 200 freestyle relay with Rice, Addisenn Weaver and Miriam Garringer.

Despite the fact that she is a nationally-ranked softball player, Weiler never saw Hamilton miss a swim commitment. He believes she could just as easily swim at the University of Kentucky rather than play softball.

“(My swim career) means the world to me,” she said. “I am just very thankful for all these seven years and all the experiences. I went to state my freshman year with my sister, so I got to experience that. That was a butt-kicking year. My sophomore year, I got to experience Marlee going to state and Grace going to state. My junior year, I got to go to state in the 50 and the 200 freestyle relay.

“Along the way, my team, every year feels like family. I love all of them. And you meet so many people at other schools too. I am thankful for the whole experience.”

Collegiate Update: Loyola falls in MVC standings after road trip through Iowa

The Loyola University women’s basketball team lost a pair of Missouri Valley Conference games in Iowa.

On Friday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, at the University of Northern Iowa, Triton Central graduate Maya Chandler scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds, handed out four assists and had one steal in Loyola’s 69-56 loss to UNI.

On Sunday at Drake (Des Moines, Iowa), the Ramblers were defeated 84-76. Chandler finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Loyola is 12-9 overall and 4-6 in MVC games.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

 

 

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate poured in 25 points and had five rebounds, five assists and six steals Wednesday night to lead Hanover to a 66-60 win at Franklin College.

The win improved the Panthers to 11-8 overall and 8-6 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

On Saturday, Heath had 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals in Hanover’s 76-61 win over Earlham (0-18, 0-11 HCAC).

 

 

Rylie Stephens

The Triton Central graduate had one rebound and one blocked shot for Evansville Tuesday in a 78-58 loss at the University of Northern Iowa.

The Purple Aces are 7-15 (1-10 MVC).

 

 

Hayden Langkabel

The Morristown graduate finished with 10 points, three rebounds and one steal Tuesday in No. 24 Marian’s 101-70 win over No. 16 St. Francis (Ind.).

The Knights improved to 19-4 overall and 11-4 in the Crossroads League.

 

 

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate had two points Wednesday in York College’s 98-54 loss at Southwestern.

The Panthers are 8-19 this season.

 

 

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate had one assist and one rebound Wednesday for Hanover College in a 92-67 win at Franklin College.

Hanover improved to 17-3 (12-2 HCAC).

Madisen Hinderliter

The Shelbyville graduate placed 14th in the women’s weight throw competition for St. Francis (Ind.) Saturday at the Indiana Wesleyan University Midwest Classic.

Tim Hreha Memorial Indoor Invitational

The DePauw University event featured four local athletes.

 

 

Jill Anspaugh ran a personal-best time of 6:05.8 to finish 13th for Franklin College in the one-mile race. The Shelbyville graduate also finished 18th in the 800 meters (2:55.12).

 

 

Dalen Williams, a Waldron graduate, finished 14th for Franklin College in the shot put (11.55 meters).

 

 

Representing Rose-Hulman, Triton Central graduate Kenneth Gipson placed 15th in the weight throw (12.1 meters).

 

 

And Shelbyville graduate Zaleeya Martin won the 60 meters (7.99 seconds), placed second in the 200 (27.76), sixth in the long jump (4.68 meters) and was part of the winning 4x200 relay team (1:51.89).

Hartsell, Jones lead Southwestern to win over Indianapolis Riverside

Southwestern collected its second win in as many days Wednesday night against Indianapolis Riverside.

Jordan Jones and Aiden Hartsell each scored 25 points to lead the Spartans to a 69-54 victory.

Southwestern scored 24 points in the first quarter and took a 35-23 lead into the second half.

Zion Williams led Riverside (3-7) with 14 points. Damarian Miller, Darian Head and Daniel Deng each had seven.

Southwestern (7-10, 1-3 Mid-Hoosier Conference) will go for its third win in as many nights when it hosts Hauser (7-10, 1-3 MHC) tonight.

Three new No. 1 teams in Associated Press boys basketball poll

North Daviess stepped over Edinburgh to become the new No. 1 team in this week’s Associated Press Class A boys basketball poll.

North Daviess (16-2), Edinburgh (15-2), and Gary 21st Century (13-3) have all held the top spot this season and sit 1-2-3 this week, respectively.

Barr Reeve (11-6) is No. 4 followed by Loogootee (13-5), Bloomfield (14-3), Tindley (12-6), North White (12-3), Bethesda Christian (12-2) and Lutheran (12-4).

Central Noble (19-1) also moved up one spot in the Class 2A poll to become the new No. 1. Monroe Central (15-0) dropped to No. 2 following a week when it was idle.

Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (15-3) is No. 3 ahead of Eastside (17-1), Linton-Stockton (16-3), Lake Station (15-0), Carroll (Flora) (14-1), Clinton Prairie (17-2), South Spencer (13-2) and Wapahani (14-3).

NorthWood (18-1) followed the same path as North Daviess and Central Noble to get to the top spot in the Class 3A poll.

Leo (13-2) moved up one spot to No. 2 with previous No. 1 John Glenn (17-1) dropping to No. 3 following its first loss of the season.

Mishawaka Marian (15-3) is No. 4 followed by Brebeuf (11-5), Sullivan (16-1), Peru (13-1), Norwell (16-3), New Castle (11-3) and Chatard (13-3).

Still unbeaten Chesterton (18-0) remains No. 1 in Class 4A.

Fishers (16-2) is No. 2 followed by Carmel (14-4), Ben Davis (15-5), Tech (16-3), Cathedral (15-5), Valparaiso (16-3), North Central (14-4), Homestead (15-5) and Penn (15-2).

Class A, No. 1 Waldron captures first sectional title since 2010 in stunning fashion

Class A, No. 1 Waldron trailed by four points with 11.7 seconds on the clock. A historic season for a senior-laded squad was teetering on the edge of great disappointment.

Nichole Garner raced up the court unchecked and scored with 6.1 seconds to go. Class A, No. 5 Jac-Cen-Del still led 50-48 in the Sectional 60 championship game Tuesday night.

A quick foul sent Jac-Cen-Del senior Aundrea Cullen, her team’s best free-throw shooter, to the other end of the floor with a chance to secure the win.

Cullen missed the first leaving the Mohawks with a glimmer of hope. She converted the second to make it 51-48.

Garner would again race up the floor to push the defense back with the goal of finding sharpshooter Megan Bogemann trailing the play. But the clock was working against Garner, who slipped a pass to Mackenzie Shaw for a last-gasp three-pointer from the wing.

SWISH.

Shaw’s shot release came nearly simultaneously as the backboard light flashed and the horn sounded. Jac-Cen-Del was left stunned.

Garner took over from there and dominated the overtime session, scoring nine of her game-high 25 points to lead Waldron to a 65-57 victory and the program’s first sectional championship since 2010.

“Now that we’ve won it, I felt back in June when were playing all the bigger schools and trying to adjust to losing our four-year point guard, I felt like this group could be something special,” said Waldron head coach Anthony Thomas. “We get back in October and we’re a little bit late because of volleyball (winning a sectional title) and we hit the ground running and it kept building. I’m really not surprised. These kids just refuse to lose and they are so smart. I don’t want it to end. I’m just very happy for them.”

The end is near for Thomas and his seven seniors that will all leave the program once the season concludes. Thomas has already announced his intention to step down as the program’s head coach.

With the win, though, there are as many as four more games left to play if the Mohawks (22-1) keep advancing. Up next is Bloomfield (12-11) at the Southwestern Regional Saturday at noon.

 

 

Shaw (photo, arm raised) was not the first option for the game-tying shot but the situation dictated she take it from right in front of her bench. She admitted afterward that Thomas would have killed her if she didn’t.

“We drew up a trail play and (Shaw) was smart enough to realize the ball was on this side (of the court) and our trailer was on that side and she did what she needed to do,” said Thomas. “That’s a senior … court awareness and knowing what’s left on the clock. She let it go and I was right behind her and I’m like oh my goodness it’s good.

“Then I had to get them settled back down and play.”

The Waldron team that has spent nearly two months ranked No. 1 this season showed up in overtime.

Following an Annabelle Williams free throw to start the scoring in overtime for Jac-Cen-Del, the Mohawks scored the next five points and never trailed again.

Garner hit 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game again then Shaw scored off an offensive rebound and Bella Larrison connected from close range to take a 56-52 lead.

The Eagles had no offensive flow in overtime, hitting just 1-of-6 shot attempts and missing all five 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Garner was getting to the free-throw line, which was a source of agony for her throughout the game.

An 83% free throw shooter this season, the senior missed her first six attempts before making two with 13.2 seconds left in regulation. She hit 9 of 12 in overtime.

“Just hit ‘em when it counts Nic,” said Thomas with a smile about encouraging Garner to keep battling when she was obviously frustrated. “It would have been nice to hit them earlier but she calmed down too and she gets that mentality, and all the kids know to get her the ball. I felt bad for her when she missed a layup near the end of regulation and you could see the look on her face, but what does she do? She comes back and puts the game away in overtime.”

 

 

Both teams had opportunities to seal the game from the free-throw line. The Eagles hit 20-of-30 (67%) while the Mohawks were 18 of 32 (56%).

Larrison finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. Shaw had 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Williams, playing her final game for Jac-Cen-Del (19-7), had 21 points and five rebounds. A member of her school’s 1,000 point club, she is committed to play basketball at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati next season.

Jalee Rider and Reese Obendorf each had seven points.

“Hats off to Jac-Cen-Del. I have a ton of respect for them,” said Thomas. “If you beat them in Sectional 60, you’ve done something. I am super proud of my kids.”

 

Waldron 68, Jac-Cen-Del 57, OT

JCD: Williams 7-9 5-7 21, Rider 3-5 1-2 7, Obendorf 1-3 4-4 7, Hughes 2-4 0-0 6, Sparks 1-4 2-4 4, Cullen 0-9 5-7 5, Meyer 0-0 0-0 0, Neal 1-2 0-0 2, Newhart 1-2 3-6 5, Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-38 20-30 57.

WA: Had. Ross 1-2 0-0 2, Shaw 4-11 2-3 12, Bogemann 3-5 1-5 9, Garner 7-13 11-20 25, B. Larrison 5-15 4-4 15, J. Larrison 1-2 0-0 2, Fewell 0-0 0-0 0, Hal. Ross 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-48 18-32 68.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

JCD (19-7)  11  13  15  12    6  --  57

WA (22-1)  17  13  10  11  14  --  65

Three-point field goals: JCD 5-18 (Williams 2-3, Obendorf 1-3, Hughes 2-3, Cullen 0-8, Neal 0-1), WA 5-12 (Shaw 2-3, Bogemann 2-4, Garner 0-1, B. Larrison 1-4). Rebounds: JCD 24 (Williams 5, Rider 4, Obendorf 2, Hughes 2, Sparks 4, Cullen 1, Newhart 6), WA 32 (Had. Ross 6, Shaw 10, Bogemann 2, Garner 2, B. Larrison 6, J. Larrison 5, Fewell 1). Assists: JCD 6 (Williams 1, Obendorf 2, Hughes 2, Sparks 1), WA 7 (Had. Ross 1, Garner 4, B. Larrison 2). Steals: JCD 3 (Williams 2, Newhart 1), WA 3 (Bogemann 2, B. Larrison 1). Blocks: WA 3 (Shaw 2, Bogemann 1). Total fouls: JCD 19, WA 20. Fouled out: Rider (JCD). Turnovers: JCD 13, WA 12.

 

Photos by Tyson Conrady

Prep Report: Shelbyville finishes strong to defeat Class A, No. 2 Edinburgh

Shelbyville put together a better closing effort Tuesday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium to defeat Class A, No. 2 Edinburgh, 68-58.

The game was tied at 42-all after three quarters. Five different Golden Bears scored in a 26-point fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Ollie Sandman scored 12 of his game-high 32 points over the final eight minutes to lead Shelbyville (5-11), winners of three straight.

Jakob Heaton finished with 17 and Nolyn Smothers had 11.

Shelbyville trailed the Lancers (15-2), 16-11, after the first quarter but cut the deficit to two by halftime at 30-28. Heaton hit a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter to help get the game tied going into the fourth.

Caleb Dewey scored 24 points to lead Edinburgh, who slipped to No. 2 in this week’s Associated Press state poll.

Travis Jones finished with 13 and Landen Burton had 11.

Edinburgh’s two losses this season are to 4A programs – Greenwood and Shelbyville.

Shelbyville won the junior varsity game, 47-22.

The Golden Bears travel to New Palestine (14-4) Friday for a Hoosier Heritage Conference game.

In another boys basketball game Tuesday:

 

 

Southwestern 60, Indiana Deaf 39

At Southwestern, Jordan Jones hit seven three-pointers on the way to a game-high 31 points to lead the Spartans to their sixth win of the season.

Aiden Hartsell finished with 22 to improve Southwestern to 6-10 this season.

The Spartans built a 19-5 lead after one quarter and were up 33-15 by halftime.

Dylan Puent had a team-high 14 points for Indiana Deaf (5-9).

Zachary Bippus had nine and Tyler Wascher added eight.

The Spartans travel to Indianapolis Riverside (3-6) tonight before hosting Hauser (7-9) on Thursday.

#5 Jac-Cen-Del avoids upset Morristown upset bid; #1 Waldron handles Rising Sun to set up sectional championship

It’s likely a great girls basketball sectional semifinal will be most remembered for a third quarter when very little happened.

 

The final result was an expected by most – Jac-Cen-Del advanced to the sectional championship game by defeating Morristown.  What wasn’t expected by many was how close the game was. 

 

Morristown lost on December 11 to the Eagles, 58-28.  However, the night before that  Morristown had to play at Waldron, a 62-30 loss.  And it wasn’t the healthiest of rosters for a team that has dealt with health issues all season.

 

Monday’s semifinal felt different from the start.  But then came the third quarter.

 

Jac-Cen-Del and Morristown traded a possession each in the beginning of the third quarter of the Sectional 60 semifinal.  The Eagles posted a basket by Jalee Rider and Morristown recorded one of two free throws by freshman Nevaeh Sanders.

 

Then, with Jac-Cen-Del up 32-27, the Eagles held the ball for one shot.  Albeit, the countdown started with just over seven minutes left in the period. While Jac-Cen-Del elected to hold the ball the Morristown Yellow Jackets defense chose to allow it.  The Jackets held back in their 2 – 3 zone and the two sides stood their ground while the fan bases noted the rising tension in the gym by shouting across the gym at each other.

 

Then, with seconds to go in the period, JCD senior Aundrea Cullen buried a dagger from two steps beyond the 3-point arc to give the Eagles an eight-point lead, 35-27.

 

Eagles head coach Scott Smith.

 

 

Cullen’s buzzer beater provided a cushion on the scoreboard and momentum.  Neither lasted long. 

 

Morristown head coach Rachel Kleine said the stall tactic allowed her team to rest at a time when it was most needed.  That was especially true for senior guard Gracie Laster.  Laster actually sat down on the floor waiting out much of the third quarter.

 

 

A rested Morristown defenseattacked with intensity and caused four consecutive turnovers and pulled to within two in the early minutes of the fourth period.  But the Jackets would get no closer as Cullen connected on another three-pointer and Jac-Cen-Del made 6-of-7 free throws to advance to the championship game.

 

Cullen tied teammate Reagan Hughes for team scoring honors with 11.  Senior point guard Annabelle Williams added 10.

 

Sanders topped all scorers with 17 for Morristown.  She scored 12 of those in the first period as the Jackets built a 15-11 lead after one quarter. 

 

Jac-Cen-Del countered with a 19-11 second quarter to take a four-point lead into the half.

 

#5 Jac-Cen-Del (19-6) will play top-ranked Waldron in Tuesday’s sectional championship.  It’s the fifth postseason meeting in six seasons between the programs.  The Eagles have won the previous four during that stretch including a five-overtime classic in the 2019 championship game.

 

Waldron defeated Jac-Cen-Del in a game played on the Mohawks home court on December 7, 51-48.

 

Waldron (21-1) downed Rising Sun in Monday’s other semifinal, 53-11.  The Mohawks had four players score nine points – Hadlie Ross, Hallie Ross, Megan Bogemann and Mackenzie Shaw.

 

The Mohawks held the Shiners to just 15 points in their regular season meeting.

Hamilton sets two school records, wins two sectional titles at New Palestine

One of Shelbyville High School’s greatest athletes cemented her legacy Monday night at New Palestine High School winning two swimming sectional titles to earn her third state finals appearance.

Karissa Hamilton dominated the field to win the 50-yard freestyle in a school record time of 24.27 seconds. She broke her own record set in 2020 of 24.51.

Hamilton entered the sectional as the No. 4 seed in the 100 freestyle but swam the fastest time in Saturday’s preliminary qualifying race and backed that up with another school record to capture a second sectional title.

The winning time of 53.56 was 2.05 seconds faster than Hamilton’s school record time of 55.61.

Hamilton teamed with Madison Monroe, Marlee Rice and Miriam Garringer to finish runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay at 1:45.14. The Golden Bear quartet will wait to see if the time is fast enough to be added to the state finals field.

Rice, competing in her final sectional, finished third in the 100 freestyle in 55.66 (photo, with Hamilton on the podium) and fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:01.34) and proved to be a dynamic duo with Hamilton the last four seasons.

“Marlee and Karissa have set a very high standard of excellence for Golden Bears to follow for years to come,” said Shelbyville coach Coen Weiler. “Combined, they have five sectional wins, six state berths, six HHC wins, and both are on the Golden Bear Top Ten for all but one event.”

Garringer got the Golden Bears started Monday with a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle (2:05.67). She was seeded seventh entering the sectional. She also finished ninth in the 500 freestyle (5:53.10).

Jordan Tobler finished 13th in the 200 freestyle (2:18.94) and 12th in the 100 butterfly (1:20.87).

Tobler teamed with Rice, Garringer and Hamilton to finish fourth in the 400 freestyle relay (3:55.93).

Kylie Stader placed 16th in the 100 butterfly (1:27.45).

Monroe closed out her season with a 16th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:32.96).

Shelbyville finished seventh in the 11-team field with just seven swimmers competing at New Palestine. Greenfield-Central was the sectional champion.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) State Finals begin Friday with preliminary swims in all events at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

The top 16 finishers in each event advance to Saturday’s championship and consolation races.

Based off all sectional results posted at the IHSAA’s website, Hamilton had the 19th fastest time in the 50 free and 28th fastest in the 100 free.

Another school record time in the 50 free Friday could advance Hamilton into the top 16 to get a coveted race Saturday to close out her career.

Hamilton will then put the competitive swimsuit away and focus on her senior season of softball with the Golden Bears. She is already committed to play college softball at the University of Kentucky.

Veteran track announcer joining Horseshoe Indianapolis racing staff

John G. Dooley, veteran racing announcer who has provided the call for hundreds of Graded Stakes races, had been named the new track announcer for Horseshoe Indianapolis Racing & Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Dooley (photo) will step into his new Indiana role when the 20th season of racing gets underway at the formerly-named Indiana Grand Racing & Casino on April 19.

“We are elated to add such an accomplished track announcer to our racing team at Horseshoe Indianapolis,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “John Dooley’s voice is associated with so many top races each year and having him in the announcer’s booth in Indiana will be a big boost to our racing program.”

A native of Staten Island, New York, Dooley moved into horse racing following graduation from St. John’s University in 1987 where he obtained a degree in sports management. After serving in the publicity offices of Monmouth Park in New Jersey and NYRA, he moved into his first announcing position at Thistledown in Ohio for six years before returning to NYRA as the assistant track announcer until 1997.

Dooley then became the announcer for Lone Star Park in Texas during their inaugural season in 1997 and relocated to Arlington International Park in 2000, a position he held until the track closed in 2021. In addition, Dooley joined the staff at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots as the track announcer in 2004 during the winter months, creating a circuit between Fair Grounds and Arlington for the past 18 years.

“I’m excited for this new opportunity to join the broadcast team for the newly branded Horseshoe Indianapolis,” said Dooley. “I think racing in Indiana is moving in a positive direction. Having lived and called races in the Midwest for the past 22 years, and knowing many horsemen and fans in the region, I look forward to being a part of the 20th anniversary season in Indiana.”

Dooley has been associated with some of the top races in North America over the past two decades, including the Arlington Million at Arlington Racecourse and the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. He has been the voice behind tens of thousands of races during his career with two calls holding a special place in his heart.

“I enjoy every race card I get a chance to do, but I’ll never forget my first Grade I race,” said Dooley. “The race was Go for Wand winning the 1990 Beldame at Belmont Park while I worked for the NYRA Press Office. And I always think back to the great moment for Chicago racing fans when The Pizza Man rallied to win the Grade I Arlington Million in 2015. It was a thrilling finish to see the Illinois bred win it for the home team.”

Dooley will make a circuit out of calling races in Indiana as well as Fair Grounds moving forward. He also has a large following of fans on social media and is engaged in all aspects of promoting horse racing.

“In addition to being such a recognizable force in the announcer’s booth, John will assist our race marketing team with several promotions and events throughout the year,” said Halstrom. “He’s definitely very invested in our sport and having him as part of our program is a big boost to our entire production.”

The 20th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing resumes April 19 and run through Nov. 23.

Hamilton top seed in two events at New Palestine Sectional

Shelbyville senior Karissa Hamilton is the top seed in two events after Saturday’s sectional preliminary round at the New Palestine Girls Swimming and Diving Sectional.

Hamilton is the prohibitive favorite in her best event – the 50-yard freestyle. Her time of 24.70 seconds bested runner-up Kaelynn Martin’s time by .80 seconds in the shortest race in the competition slate. Martin is from Connersville.

Hamilton is the defending sectional champion in the 50 and will look to add a second sectional title today in the 100 freestyle. She produced the top time Saturday in the preliminary round at 55.69, taking nearly one second off her seed time.

Hamilton’s teammate, Marlee Rice, finished second in 55.84 and two more swimmers followed less than .33 second behind Hamilton, setting up a showdown in the sectional championship race.

The top eight qualifiers from Saturday’s preliminary races compete at New Palestine today to determine sectional champions and state finals qualifiers. The next eight fastest from the preliminaries also return for consolation events.

Shelbyville’s Miriam Garringer placed fifth in the 200 freestyle, cutting 3.50 seconds off her seed time. Garringer just missed qualifying for the championship race in the 500, finishing ninth in 5.58.70.

Rice also qualified for the 100 backstroke championship race. She finished fifth in qualifying with a time of 1:02.44, dropping nearly four seconds off her seed time.

Rice, Hamilton and Garringer will be joined by Madison Monroe in the 200 freestyle relay, which finished third (1:47.31) behind Greenfield-Central (1:46.09) and Mt. Vernon (1:46.25). Just 2.33 seconds separate first from fourth (New Palestine, 1:48.42) after the preliminary round.

Rice, Hamilton, Garringer and Jordan Tobler qualified fourth in the 400 freestyle relay.

Competing in consolation races will be Tobler (200 freestyle and 100 butterfly), Kylie Stader (100 butterfly), Garringer (500 freestyle) and Monroe (100 breaststroke).

Prep Report: Laster, Stidham lead Morristown to win over Centerville

Nolan Laster and Nick Stidham outscored the entire Centerville roster Saturday to get Morristown its second win of the season.

Laster scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and Stidham finished with 20 points to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 54-40 victory over the winless Bulldogs (0-14).

 

 

Morristown ended a 7-game losing streak to improve to 2-13.

Stidham hit three three-pointers in the opening quarter to stake Morristown to a 17-8 lead at the first break. Laster scored eight in the second quarter to get the Yellow Jackets to halftime with a 31-18 advantage.

Chase Clark scored seven of his team-high 16 points in the third quarter as Centerville cut the Morristown lead to 36-29 at the break.

The Bulldogs went 3-of-8 at the free-throw line over the final eight minutes to stifle any comeback attempt.

Morristown hosts Class 2A, No. 15 Eastern Hancock (12-4) Friday at the Bee Hive.

In other boys basketball games Saturday:

 

 

Triton Central 49, Oldenburg Academy 46

At Oldenburg, the visiting Tigers had a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter but struggled offensively over the final eight minutes and barely held off the Twisters.

Josiah Blair led Triton Central (10-8), winners of four of its last five, with 14 points. Isaac Morgan had 13 points and Caleb Miller finished with 12.

Triton Central led 16-3 at the end of the first quarter and maintained 10-point leads at the end of the next two quarters.

C.J. Grote led Oldenburg Academy (3-11) with 20 points. Abe Streator finished with 10.

Triton Central will continue its quest for an Indiana Crossroads Conference title Friday at Indianapolis Ritter (6-8, 3-1 ICC).

The Tigers (3-0 ICC) and Beech Grove (9-5, 3-0 ICC) are the only unbeatens left in the conference standings.

 

 

Tri 66, Waldron 54

At Waldron, Bryce Yarling scored 19 points to move in to Waldron’s top 10 career scoring list, passing 1979 graduate Paul Meal.

Lucas Mitchell scored 15 points and Bryant Becker had 14 but it was not enough to keep the Titans (6-5) from leaving with a win.

The Mohawks dropped to 10-7 overall (3-1 Mid-Hoosier Conference) and host South Decatur (8-8, 2-1 MHC) Friday before traveling to Centerville (0-14) Saturday.

Triton Central season ends in triple OT sectional semifinal loss to Eastern Hancock

32 minutes wasn’t enough to decide a winner between Eastern Hancock and Triton Central Saturday.

 

Neither was 36.

 

Or even 40

 

It took every bit of 44 minutes in a triple overtime instant classic in the 2A girls basketball sectional semifinal at Heritage Christian.  As Olivia Faust’s half-court heave missed as time expired 12th-ranked Eastern Hancock began to celebrate its marathon win over #7 Triton Central, 66-65.

 

The Royals will play in Tuesday’s sectional championship against the host school, Heritage Christian, a 59-10 winner over Irvington in the other semifinal.

 

Triton Central (19-5) has played much of the season without starting point guard Jenna Cox following an ACL injury.  Then, the Tigers ended the regular season and went into postseason play without starting guard Maddy Brown (illness).  The Tigers utilized an outstanding performance by senior Olivia Faust and pieced together contributions by going deeper into the bench than normal. 

 

Faust scored nine of her game-high 30 points in a high scoring first quarter to stake the Tigers to a five-point lead after the first eight minutes, 20-15.

 

In the second quarter, the Tigers offense was limited to just two made field goals.  Eastern Hancock junior Grace Stapleton paced the Royals comeback with eight of her team-high 23 in the period.  The game was tied at 29 at the half.

 

Triton Central’s offense bounced back coming out of the locker room led by Faust.  The TC senior scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Tigers briefly built a double-digit lead.  Stapleton brought the Royals back to within eight, 48-40, with a three-pointer just inside the volleyball line at the third quarter buzzer.

 

The fourth quarter brought another drought for the Tigers offense.  Propelled by three-pointers by Sammie Bolding and Caroline Stapleton the Royals captured the lead.  Up 56-54, TC’s Hallie Schweitzer grabbed an offensive rebound and threaded a bounce pass to a cutting Faust for what proved to be the tying lay-up at 56-all.  Eastern missed a final three-point shot and the game continued into overtime.

 

After a scoreless first overtime session, Eastern Hancock held a 60-58 lead when the Tigers Maia Harris was fouled with 17 seconds remaining.  Following an Eastern Hancock timeout, Harris knocked down both free throws for two of her seven points and the game went to a third and deciding overtime, tied at 60.

 

Eastern Hancock (17-6) looked to be in solid position to advance with seconds to go in the third overtime.  But, up by four after a made free throw, the Royals missed the second free throw and Faust advanced the ball up the floor setting up the final dramatic moments.

 

 

Triton Central head coach Bryan Graham said he couldn't have asked for more from his team.

 

 

Caroline Stapleton scored 14 points for the Royals with teammate Sammie Bolding adding 12.

 

Triton Central's Hallie Schweitzer scored nine points.  Lizzie Graham added 7.  Kennedy Brown also had seven coming off the bench.

 

The win snapped a seven game losing streak in the series for the Royals that dated back to a win over Triton Central in the 2017 sectional championship at Knightstown, 57-50.

 

Area wrestlers end season at Perry Meridian Regional

All eight Shelbyville and Triton Central wrestlers were defeated in the opening round of the Perry Meridian Regional Saturday bringing an end to the wrestling season in Shelby County.

Six were pinned and two lost by decision.

At 132 pounds, Shelbyville’s Cael Lux finished the season 18-15 after a 5-3 loss to Southport’s Josh Foxworthy.

Triton Central’s Hadyn Ball was defeated 4-3 at 182 pounds by Beech Grove’s Jacob Skinner. Ball defeated Skinner 3-1 earlier in the season. Ball went 18-6 this year.

At 106 pounds, Triton Central’s Ayden Nufio was pinned late in the first period by Roncalli’s Matthew Rossman. Nufio closed out the season with a 17-8 record.

Nufio’s teammate, Dayne Bailey, suffered the same fate early in the second period against Roncalli’s Braden Getz at 113 pounds. Bailey was 13-9 this year for the Tigers.

Triton Central’s Jaden Ferris finished 17-10 this season at 138 pounds after a first-period pinfall loss to Roncalli’s Bryce Lowery.

At 152, TC’s Lucas Kleeman also was pinned in the first period by Southport’s Duvonte Rivers. Kleeman was 10-8 this season.

Tristan Gibbons was pinned in the first period by Roncalli’s Andrew Stuck in the 160-pound bracket. Gibbons was 12-9 this year.

And Shelbyville’s Jacob Harker was pinned in the opening period by Perry Meridian’s Aaron Butts. Harker finished 12-22.

Shelbyville gymnastics finishes third, Morristown fourth at Rushville Invitational

Shelby County’s two high school gymnastics program competed Saturday at the Rushville Invitational.

The host Lions won the five-team event with 98.175 points.

New Palestine finished second at 97.785 with Shelbyville (85.925), Morristown (80.25) and Scecina (24.6) rounding out the field.

Shelbyville’s Faye-Lynn Voss produced the best individual performance with a third-place finish in the vault. She also placed seventh on the balance beam and 10th in the all-around competition.

Shelbyville’s Renee Aldridge finished sixth on the uneven bars, ninth on the balance beam, 10th in the vault and seventh in the all-around.

Also for Shelbyville, Ruby Garner scored a fifth-place finish in the vault.

 

 

Oakleigh Goedde produced Morristown’s best finish when she tied for fourth in the vault competition. She also finished eighth on the uneven bars and balance beam and fifth in the floor exercise. That led to a sixth-place finish in the all-around.

Also for the Yellow Jackets, Allison Batten tied for 10th place in the vault and floor exercise.

Morristown’s next meet is Saturday in the Connersville Invitational.

Shelbyville travels to Connersville on Feb. 14 for a 6:30 p.m. meet.

Morristown advances to Sectional 60 semifinal round with win over Southwestern

Morristown was nowhere near full strength due to injuries and illness when it met Class A, No. 5 Jac-Cen-Del on Dec. 11. The Eagles took full advantage to knock off the Yellow Jackets, 58-28.

Morristown will get another chance to battle Jac-Cen-Del tonight in the semifinal round of the Class A, Sectional 60 tournament at Waldron High School.

Raegan Kleine, Nevaeh Sanders and Gracie Laster each scored in double digits Saturday in the twice-delayed quarterfinal round of the tournament to eliminate Southwestern, 51-42.

Kleine had 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals to get the Yellow Jackets (14-9) into tonight’s semifinal round.

Sanders also scored 13 points and had two assists and four steals.

Laster finished with 11 points and three rebounds.

Danika Rutledge had four points, eight rebounds and five steals and Maggie Lutes had three points and eight rebounds.

Morristown took a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter against Southwestern and extended the lead to 32-21 at halftime.

The Spartans finished their first season under head coach Jason West at 12-11.

In the other Sectional 60 quarterfinal game, Jac-Cen-Del routed Hauser, 75-40. Annabelle Williams led the Eagles with nine points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Jalee Rider finished with a team-high 15 points. Reese Obendorf had 13 and Aundrea Cullen finished with 10.

 

 

In the other semifinal game Monday night at Waldron, the Class A, No. 1 Mohawks make their postseason debut against Rising Sun.

The Shiners defeated Oldenburg Academy, 44-39, Tuesday, to advance to face Waldron. The Mohawks (20-1) won the regular-season meeting over Rising Sun (10-13), 57-15, on Nov. 20.

The sectional championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday. The winner advances to the Southwestern Regional Saturday.

Collegiate Update: Martin scorches field to win 60-meter dash for Hanover

Five graduates of Shelby County high schools were in action on Jan. 28 at the Friday Night Engineer Invite hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.

Shelbyville graduate Zaleeya Martin (photo) won the 60-meter dash for Hanover in 7.97 seconds. She also placed second in the 200 (27.5), third in the 4x200 relay (1:53.15) and fourth in the long jump (15 feet, 8.75 inches).

 

 

Rose-Hulman’s Kenneth Gipson, a Triton Central graduate, placed 10th in the weight throw (41-8.5) and 12th in the shot put (35-9.25).

Franklin College had three local athletes competing.

 

 

Shelbyville graduate Jill Anspaugh set a new personal best in finishing seventh in the 3,000 meters (11:59.37).

 

 

Southwestern graduate Taylor Tatlock set a new personal best in the shot put, finishing 11th at 27-8. She also placed seventh in the weight throw (39-92.5).

 

 

And Waldron graduate Dalen Williams was seventh in the shot put (38-1.25).

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

 

 

Nolan Davis

The Shelbyville graduate won two individual events and was part of two winning relay teams for Franklin College at Saturday’s dual swim meet at Illinois Wesleyan.

Davis won the 200 freestyle (1:47.11) and 100 butterfly (53.11) and helped win the 200 medley relay (1:37.28) and 200 freestyle relay (1:28.13).

Franklin won the meet, 213-82, to finish the swim season with a perfect 8-0 mark in dual meets.

 

 

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate finished second for Franklin College in the one-meter diving event (248.45) and third in the three-meter event (218.05) in a dual meet Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan.

 

 

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate scored 13 points and pulled down three rebounds for Loyola on Jan. 28 in a 62-48 win over Valparaiso.

The Ramblers improved to 12-7 this season (4-4 Missouri Valley Conference) and are 8-1 at home – the program’s best start since the 1985-86 season.

 

 

Rylie Stephens

The Triton Central graduate had one point and one steal for Evansville on Jan. 27 in an 82-35 loss at home to Missouri State. The Purple Aces dropped to 7-12 (1-7 MVC) this season.

 

 

Hayden Langkabel

The Morristown graduate finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists Saturday in Marian’s 67-54 win over Taylor.

The Knights are 17-4 overall and 9-4 in Crossroads League games.

 

 

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate had one rebound Wednesday for Hanover’s men’s basketball team in a 91-71 loss at Anderson. The Panthers are 15-3 overall and 11-2 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Hanover defeated Defiance Saturday, 70-34. Crim had three assists.

 

 

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate had a team-high 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals Wednesday for Hanover in a 77-57 win over Anderson.

Hanover improved to 9-8 (6-6 HCAC).

On Saturday, Defiance defeated Hanover, 69-63. Heath recorded a game-high 22 points and had four rebounds and one assist.

 

 

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate had one rebound Saturday for York College in a 77-66 loss to McPherson. York is 8-16 this season.

 

 

Kenzie Ryle

The Triton Central graduate had one assist and one rebound Tuesday in Earlham College’s 81-43 loss at Rose-Hulman.

Earlham is 0-16 this season (0-8 HCAC).

On Saturday, Ryle had eight points and two assists in Earlham’s 80-47 loss to Anderson.

Madisen Hinderliter

The Shelbyville graduate finished fourth in the weight throw for St. Francis Friday in the Cedarville Collegiate Indoor Invitational in Cedarville, Ohio.

She also placed 12th in the shot put (27-7.25).

 

 

Chandler Martin

The Shelbyville graduate finished second in the high jump (1.91 meters) for the University of Indianapolis in the Tom Hathaway Classic hosted by the UIndy Greyhounds.

Eight area wrestlers one win away from semistate appearance

Eight Shelby County wrestlers travel to Perry Meridian High School Saturday morning needing just one win to go from regional qualifier to semistate qualifier.

The top four weight class finishers from sectional events at Shelbyville and Southport converge on Perry Meridian, weather permitting. An opening match win guarantees a top-four finish and a reservation for the New Castle Semistate on Feb. 12.

Triton Central's Ayden Nufio and Shelbyville's Cael Lux are the two highest seeds from Shelby County at the regional based on their runner-up finishes at the Shelbyville Sectional.

At 106 pounds, Nufio (17-6) will take the mat against Roncalli's Matthew Rossman (19-11), who finished third at the Southport Sectional. The two have not met this season, according to Triton Central coach Trey Miller.

Shelbyville's Lux (18-14) gets Southport's Josh Foxworthy (24-14) in the quarterfinal round. They have not wrestled against each other this season confirmed Shelbyville coach Adam Miller.

Triton Central's Hadyn Ball (18-5) does have a familiar foe in his first match at 182 pounds. The junior will battle Beech Grove's Jacob Skinner (33-7). Ball won a dual match against Skinner, 3-1 in overtime, earlier this season.

Shelbyville's only other regional qualifier is Jacob Harker (12-21) at 220 pounds. The sophomore draws Southport Sectional champion Aaron Butts (23-10) of Perry Meridian.

Following Nufio on the mat will be TC teammate Dayne Bailey (13-7). The freshman will face 18th-ranked Braden Getz (13-0) of Roncalli in the 113-pound bracket.

At 138 pounds, Triton Central's Jaden Ferris (17-9) takes on No. 3-ranked Bryce Lowery (30-0) of Roncalli.

There are two top-10 ranked competitors in the 152-pound bracket but TC's Lucas Kleeman (10-7) is paired with Southport's Duvonte Rivers (28-8) in the opening round.

And at 160 pounds, TC's Tristan Gibbons (12-8) takes on Roncalli's Andrew Stuck (24-7).

 

Waldron Sectional 60 girls basketball quarterfinals again postponed by weather

The two remaining girls basketball quarterfinals to be played at Sectional 60 at Waldron will have to wait yet another day.

 

The games, featuring Hauser - Jac-Cen-Del and Morristown  - Southwestern, were scheduled to be played on Wednesday.  The games were postponed Wednesday with the winter storm looming and have now been postponed again today with several inches of snow in the Thursday forecast.

 

The games have been re-scheduled for Friday.  Hauser - Jac-Cen-Del is scheduled for a 6:00 pm tip-off with Morristown - Southwestern to follow.  A decision on Friday's games will be made by early in the afternoon.

 

If the quarterfinals are played on Friday, sectional semifinals will be Saturday with the championship moved to Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

Shelbyville prepped to defend pair of girls swimming sectional titles

Shelbyville senior Karissa Hamilton has been a dominant force in the 50-yard freestyle this season.

So much so, she is the top seed in the event at Thursday’s preliminary round of the New Palestine Sectional. Hamilton’s time of 24.55 seconds is .89 seconds faster than the No. 2 seed, Greenfield-Central’s Rachel Stutz.

Hamilton, who won the Hoosier Heritage Conference title with a time of 24.71, is the defending sectional champion.

“She has had some really strong swims all year. She has only lost that event one time this season,” said Shelbyville coach Coen Weiler.

Hamilton also will bolster two relay teams seeking a sectional title or a time fast enough to earn a berth in the state championship meet on Feb. 11-12 at the Indiana University Natatorium in downtown Indianapolis.

Shelbyville is the No. 2 seed in the 200 freestyle relay – seeded 1.31 seconds behind Greenfield-Central, who posted its seed time in a runner-up finish at the HHC Meet in December. Hamilton will be joined by Marlee Rice, Miriam Garringer and either Jordan Tobler or Madison Monroe.

“I am looking for a good swim Thursday to keep us in it and come Saturday, I think we will give Greenfield-Central a race for that title,” said Weiler.

Shelbyville is the defending sectional champion in that event.

Shelbyville also is the No. 2 seed in the 400 freestyle relay but is more than 13 seconds behind top seed Greenfield-Central, the HHC champion.

“That will be a tough race to get to Greenfield-Central,” said Weiler, who will go with Rice, Hamilton, Garringer and either Tobler or Monroe – whichever does not compete in the 200 freestyle relay. “We are going to go after the (program) record that was set a couple of years ago.”

 

 

Weiler has just eight Golden Bears in competition Thursday with top eight finishers advancing to Saturday’s championship events and the next eight qualifying for consolation races.

With a major winter storm rolling through Indiana today, competing Thursday night is potentially in jeopardy.

“It seems like every other year we get weather right at this week,” said Weiler. “We have yet to have it affect our schedule but the plan would probably be go Friday for prelims and Saturday finals. And if Friday gets blocked too, we will have to see what happens.

“One thing we’ve done a really good job of all season is to make sure (the swimmers) are controlling what they can control. Right now, we’re in a situation where we can’t control the weather, we can’t control what that looks like Thursday, Friday or Saturday. We will be ready to swim whatever days or times we can swim.”

Shelbyville is seeded 10th in the sectional’s first event, the 200 medley relay. Monroe, Tobler, Kylie Stader and Alexis Dwiggins will compete to improve the seed time.

Garringer has closed out her sophomore season with several strong performances in the distance races. She is seeded seventh in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle.

“She has had a really strong couple of weeks here and I am anxious to see her swim,” said Weiler. “I think she can move up a lot (in the 200 freestyle).”

Tobler is just outside the top 16 in the 200 freestyle and is seeded 12th in the 100 butterfly.

“Getting into that top eight (in the 100 butterfly) will take a big 10-second drop almost,” said Weiler. “But she is a fighter and she wants every single bit of it, so I am anxious to see what she can do. That’s a spot where five seconds separate 12th and ninth.”

Hamilton and Rice are both seeded in the top eight in the 100 freestyle. Hamilton is fourth and Rice is seventh.

Hamilton’s time of 56.62 is just over one second behind top seed Norah Johnson (55.48) of Greenfield-Central. Just over three seconds separate the top eight.

“I think that’s going to be a tight race and both of our girls in the top eight will have a very strong showing,” said Weiler.

Rice is seeded sixth in the 100 backstroke.

“She knows she has no pressure on her and no expectations going into it,” said Weiler. “She just wants a really good swim and I think she will have it.”

Sophomore Isabella Matney is seeded 24th in the backstroke and 23rd in the 50 freestyle.

Monroe is seeded 16th in the 100 breaststroke.

“I would love to see her move up a couple spots and really challenge in that consolation finals Saturday,” said Weiler.

The New Palestine Sectional features 11 teams – Centerville, Connersville, Eastern Hancock, Greenfield-Central, Hagerstown, Mt. Vernon, New Castle, New Palestine, Richmond, Seton Catholic and Shelbyville.

Edinburgh moves up to No. 1 in AP boys basketball poll

Three unbeaten teams and Edinburgh sit on top of this week’s Associated Press boys basketball poll.

Edinburgh, currently 14-1, rose from No. 2 to No. 1 in this week’s Class A poll.

North Daviess (16-2) also rose one spot over the previous week’s No. 1 Gary 21st Century (12-3).

Barr-Reeve (11-6) is No. 4 ahead of Loogootee (12-4), Bloomfield (14-3), Tindley (12-5), Lutheran (11-4), Triton (11-4) and Bethesda Christian (11-2).

Jac-Cen-Del (10-4) is No. 13.

Unbeaten Monroe Central (15-0) moves up to No. 1 in Class 2A.

Central Noble (17-1) is No. 2 followed by previous No. 1 Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (14-2), Eastside (17-1), Linton-Stockton (16-2), Lake Station (14-0), Clinton Prairie (16-2), Carroll (Flora) (13-1), South Spencer (12-2) and Wapahani (13-3).

John Glenn (17-0) is the new No. 1 in Class 3A.

NorthWood (16-1) is No. 2 ahead of Leo (11-2), Mishawaka Marian (14-3), Sullivan (16-1), Brebeuf (11-4), Peru (12-1), Norwell (14-3), Chatard (13-3) and New Castle (11-3).

Chesterton (16-0) remains No. 1 in Class 4A with Fishers (15-2), Carmel (13-4), Cathedral (14-4), Tech (16-3), Valparaiso (16-3), Ben Davis (13-5), North Central (13-4), Homestead (14-5) and Penn (13-2) rounding out the top 10.

Class 4A, No. 2 Franklin knocks out Shelbyville at Sectional 13

Shelbyville knew it would need to play a near-perfect game to have any chance at upsetting the No. 2 ranked team in the state.

For eight minutes, the Golden Bears stayed on pace with Franklin and trailed 15-12 at the first break.

The Grizzly Cubs poured in 26 second-quarter points to take control, though, and cruised to a 73-36 win Tuesday in the opening game of Class 4A, Sectional 13 at Franklin Central High School.

With the win, Franklin (23-1) advanced to the semifinal round to face Center Grove (13-9).

 

 

In the other quarterfinal game Tuesday, Greenwood defeated Whiteland, 39-33. The Woodmen (13-10) will face Franklin Central (5-16) in the other semifinal.

Scarlett Kimbrell hit six three-pointers to lead Franklin with 20 points.

Kuryn Brunson finished with 17 and Ashlyn Traylor (photo) had 13.

The Grizzly Cubs built a 41-19 halftime lead and extended it to 59-25 after three quarters.

Ava Wilson scored 12 points to lead Shelbyville (11-12). Kylee Edwards finished with 11.

Shelbyville’s two seniors – Madison Phares (seven points) and Madison Bassett (three points) – combined for 10 points in their final games as Golden Bears.

Wednesday's girls basketball sectional quarterfinals at Waldron postponed; SES closed on Thursday

Superintendent of Shelby Eastern Schools Dr. Todd Hitchcock has announced  the closing of schools at Morristown and Waldron for Thursday, February 3. 

 

Also, tonight's girls basketball sectional quarterfinals at Waldron have been postponed.

 

Per IHSAA guidance the sectional schedule gets moved back one day with each postponement.  If the games cannot be played Thursday evening, they will be postponed an additional day until they can be played.

 

On Tuesday, Rising Sun defeated Oldenburg to advance to Friday's scheduled semifinal where the Shiners will play #1 Waldron.  The other semifinal is still to be determined with Hauser vs Jac-Cen-Del and Morristown vs Southwestern in the other quarterfinals.

 

As for SES canceling school on Thursday, the lost instructional day will be made up on the built-in snow day of February 21 (Presidents' Day).

 

All practices and club activities at Shelby Eastern schools are to be wrapped up and away from campus by 5:00 pm Wednesday.

Prep Report: Connersville secures win over Morristown gymnastics

Despite strong performances from three gymnasts who placed in individual events, Morristown fell just short of defeating Connersville Monday.

The Spartans prevailed 90-79.

Morristown’s Oakleigh Goedde scored runner-up finishes in the vault and on the uneven bars which led to a second-place finish in the all-around scoring. Goedde also finished third on the balance beam and in the floor exercise.

Allison Batten finished fourth in the all-around with fifth-place finishes on the uneven bars, balance beam and in floor exercise. She was sixth in the vaulting competition.

Kaelee Trittipo also secured a sixth-place finish in floor exercise.

Morristown returns to competition Saturday at noon at the Rushville Invitational.

In another gymnastics meet Monday:

 

 

Rushville 95.725, Fishers 94.1, Shelbyville 74.25

At Girls Inc. in Shelbyville, Renee Aldridge secured Shelbyville’s best individual finish with a fourth-place performance on the uneven bars.

Also for Shelbyville, Ruby Garner placed fifth in the vault.

Shelbyville is scheduled to compete Thursday at Franklin Central.

Tickets digital for tonight's Shelbyville - Franklin girls sectional quarterfinal at Franklin Central

Shelbyville opens girls sectional play tonight at Franklin Central.

 

Tickets will be 100% digital for this event. Tickets can be purchased at the gate via QR code or credit card. Cash will not be accepted.

 

Single session tickets will be sold for $6.00.

 

Session passes for games 1-4 will be available for $10.00 (championship game not included). 

 

Tickets are available for purchase at: 

https://sites.eventlink.com/s/franklin-central-high-school/purchasetickets .

 

Shelbyville (11-11) meets #2 Franklin (22-1) in tonight's quarterfinal.  The winner will face Center Grove (13-9) in a Friday semifinal.

 

You can hear tonight's game on GIANT fm Sports 96.5, 106.3, giant.fm, and the GIANT fm app.  Coverage begins at 5:30 pm.

 

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