The resurgence of the Shelbyville girls basketball program has plenty to do with the development of junior guard Ava Wilson.

Sixteen games into the 2022-2023 season, Wilson is averaging 18.9 points per game – a big jump from 7.7 as a sophomore and 5.8 as a freshman.

In fact, her 303 total points this season nearly matches her output from her first two seasons (309).

“She is a quiet kid,” said Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler. “She won’t talk about herself. She won’t brag. I don’t think she talked for the first two years she was here. It took this year for her to blossom.”

Wilson credits success to her maturity as a player in a program that needs her to flourish.

“I feel like we’ve been working more as a team and the team has been surrounding me and Kylee (Edwards), and I’ve been able to get to the basket more than I have in the other years. I feel more confident in doing it,” she said. “Before, I felt like I’m just a sophomore or a freshman and I can’t put myself out there and make mistakes, then it would be my fault because I was younger.”

Edwards and Wilson are the tip of the Shelbyville sword – 11-5 with six regular-season games left. Edwards just recently became Shelbyville’s career scoring leader while averaging nearly 22 ppg this season while Wilson follows closely behind giving the Golden Bears a dynamic 1-2 offensive punch.

Defensively, the senior and junior rotate stints at the top of a 1-3-1 trap that has been so effective this season. The duo combined are averaging eight steals per game – with many leading to easy fast-break points.

“I think Ava has taken ownership of the team. She feels like it’s her team now,” said Hoefler. “In years previous, I think she felt it was a senior’s or a junior’s or Kylee’s team. Now that her and Kylee have played together for the last couple of years, I feel like it’s co-ownership of their team together. She has taken ownership over our wins and our losses. She is making sure she is one of the best on the court.”

Wilson (photo) gets the bulk of her points in the lane. She is determined to attack the rim and finish, she has made over 100 field goals this season inside the 3-point line, and work her way to the free-throw line where she hits nearly 9 of every 10 taken.

“During AAU (season) I worked a lot on driving,” said Wilson of her increased production. “And I did a lot of shooting outside. Usually in AAU, they would hold me to the drive so I would be shooting a lot more. So I’ve been working on finishing a lot because I’ve been struggling hitting layups.”

Recently, Hoefler has been able to preview what the Golden Bears will look like in 2023-2024 when Edwards and her more than 1,400 career points will be gone. The senior took a hard fall in Shelbyville’s semifinal win over South Central (Union Mills) on Dec. 22 in the Valparaiso Tournament and missed the championship game.

Wilson never flinched even as Class 4A, No. 10 Valparaiso was next up. She scored a career-high 28 points in the championship game loss.

“Everyone knows that it’s me and Kylee, so without Kylee I felt like I had to step it up and everyone was helping me, setting screens because they know if I can get a lane to the basket I will finish,” said Wilson. “And I kept hitting shots. We were working well as a team even without Kylee.”

Edwards was back in the lineup Tuesday with a large brace on her knee which may accompany her the rest of the season. Wilson again was dynamic at Franklin Central, scoring 25 points to lead the Golden Bears to their 11^th win of the season.

“(Valparaiso) was impressive especially with the personnel we had on the court because she was our main player,” said Hoefler. “Even to continue to score on Valpo, who is very strong defensively, was impressive.

“She has been laser focused in recently. You can tell she is feeling confident in her shot and her driving ability. We do a lot of plays through her now.”

Hoefler knows Wilson will be a focal point of defensive scouting reports in the coming weeks as the Golden Bears continue to build toward a season ending with a winning record.

“We have a big stretch coming up with Yorktown, Rushville, Mt. Vernon and Whiteland,” said Hoefler. “I know (Ava) will be heavily guarded over the next couple of games, especially at Rushville, because Rushville has a pretty intense defense. I know she will be a main focus.

“Hopefully, Kylee will be able to rest and get back to it and we will have both our leading scorers back strong.”

Off the court, Wilson, one of the best academically in her graduating class, has focused in on playing college basketball. Her success this season should help draw interest as she starts taking campus visits in the spring.

“I want to play if I can find a place,” said Wilson. “I don’t know how I could keep going without playing basketball.”

“She is so academically strong. For her, it’s what college is going to be a good fit with the academics,” said Hoefler. “Her career (choice) will be a big part of it. We’re hoping this offseason, the offers will start coming in.”

Until then, Wilson is focused on leading the Golden Bears to a strong finish which would result in the program’s first winning season since 2016.

“We have to stay consistent like we were in the beginning of the year,” she said. “We were really working as a team. Midseason, we started getting away from that and taking the first shot we would get.

“If we play as a team, we are really good.”

Steve Bush photos

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Two strong performances from Raegan Kleine and Danika Rutledge carried Morristown to a third-place finish in the Cambridge City Lincoln Tournament Thursday.

In the semifinal round, Milan outscored the Yellow Jackets, 22-9, over the final eight minutes to steal a 48-43 victory.

Kleine finished with a team-high 17 points and added five rebounds, four assists and seven steals.

Rutledge totaled 15 points and had nine rebounds and four steals.

In the third-place game, Kleine and Rutledge combined for 36 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (5-8) to a 67-16 win over Phalen Academy.

Rutledge had 26 points, two rebounds and five steals while Kleine collected 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Morristown is the host for the 2023 Shelby County Tournament. The Yellow Jackets will face Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central (11-3) in the first semifinal game Jan. 5 at the Bee Hive.

In other prep events Thursday:

Boys basketball

Heritage Christian 54, Triton Central 50

At Heritage Christian, 17 Triton Central turnovers hampered a comeback attempt against the Eagles (3-5).

Heritage Christian led 25-21 at halftime then matched the Tigers in scoring throughout the second half.

Tyler Allemeier finished with a team-high 14 points for Heritage Christian. Cole Louden had 12, including a 6-for-6 performance at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

Eli Sego scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half for Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central (8-3). Luke Faust finished with 16 and Isaac Morgan had 12.

Triton Central will travel to Morristown on Jan. 6 for a Shelby County Tournament semifinal round game against the host Yellow Jackets (1-10).

Morristown Holiday Tournament

New Washington 65, Morristown 50

In the seventh-place game, Mason Arthur hit seven three-pointers to lead the Mustangs past the Yellow Jackets.

Arthur finished with a game-high 36 points, including nine in the final quarter when New Washington (4-7) outscored Morristown, 24-10.

Jameson Palmer scored 23 of his team-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Yellow Jackets (1-10), who outscored the Mustangs, 28-10, in the third quarter to all but erase a 31-12 halftime deficit.

Morristown is the host site for the 2023 Shelby County Tournament. The Yellow Jackets take on Triton Central (8-3) on Jan. 6 in the second semifinal game.

Batesville Tournament

Batesville 58, Waldron 49

In the semifinal round, the Mohawks led 31-23 at halftime but could not hold off the Bulldogs (6-3).

Lucas Mitchell led Waldron with 10 points. Jacob Bennett finished with nine.

North Harrison 69, Waldron 57

In the third-place game, Bryce Yarling and Mitchell combined for 42 points to lead the Mohawks (5-5) but it was not enough to dispatch North Harrison (2-5).

Yarling finished with a team-high 22 points which pushed him into fourth place on the Waldron career-scoring list with 1,119 points, surpassing Darwin Shurig (1,110 points). The senior enters the Shelby County Tournament needing 20 points to pass Jordan Barnard for third place.

Waldron’s junior varsity lost to Batesville in double overtime, 65-55, then finished 0-2 with a 57-43 loss to North Harrison.

Parker Douglas had 17 points, including a 3-point buzzer beater at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime, against Batesville.

Will Larrison had 14 points for Waldron against North Harrison.

Girls basketball

Oldenburg Academy 46, Waldron 24

At Oldenburg Academy, eight different Twisters scored in the 22-point victory.

Rachel Lamping and Ellie Ryan each scored 11 points to lead Oldenburg Academy (7-5).

Audrey Hogg topped Waldron (3-12) with 11 points. Alyssa Benson finished with eight points.

Waldron will face Southwestern (3-11) in the second semifinal game of the Shelby County Tournament on Jan. 5 at Morristown High School.

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Deer Archery Season: Ends Jan. 1

Deer Reduction Zone: Ends Jan. 31

Turkey Fall Archery: Ends Jan. 1

Raccoon & Opossum (hunting, trapping): Ends Jan. 31

Gray & Fox Squirrel: Ends Jan. 31

Quail (South of I-74): Ends Jan. 10

Mink, Muskrat, & Long-tailed Weasel (hunting, trapping): Ends Jan. 31

Red & Gray Fox (trapping): Ends Jan. 31

Dove: Ends Jan. 2

North Zone Duck: Ends Jan. 3

Central Zone Duck: Ends Jan. 8

South Zone Duck: Ends Jan. 22

With the Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet just over one week away, Shelbyville swimming and diving closed out the 2022 schedule with a double-dual meet Thursday morning with Chatard and Batesville.

Hampered by illness in both programs, Shelbyville’s girls program still managed to defeat Batesville (48-47) while losing to Chatard (71-27).

The Trojans swept both dual meet wins in the boys event, topping Shelbyville (54-38) and Batesville (56-42).

Batesville edged Shelbyville, 49-44.

The Golden Bears’ only event win came in the 200 freestyle relay. Trey Carrell, Andrew Duffy, Will Rife and Beau Kenkel touched the wall in one minute, 40.68 seconds to defeat three other teams.

Also scoring runner-up finishes for Shelbyville were Duffy (2:18.38 in 200 freestyle), Carrell (2:16.33 in 200 individual medley; 53.41 in 100 freestyle) and Rife (58.68 in 100 butterfly; 1:04.9 in 100 backstroke).

Shelbyville did not have an event win in the girls event but collected runner-up points from Miriam Garringer (2:20.09 in 200 freestyle), Maiah Helfer-Vazquez (185.35 points in diving), Riley Everette (1:17.91 in 100 butterfly (main photo)), Naomi Garringer (1:01.62 in 100 freestyle; 1:13.0 in 100 backstroke) and Meeghen Bushfield (1:28.54 in 100 breaststroke).

The quartet of Naomi Garringer, Lilly Conners, Riley Everette and Kylie Stader finished second (2:04.32) in the 200 freestyle relay.

Shelbyville will compete in the three-day HHC Meet at New Palestine from Jan. 5-7.

Boys swimming

Chatard 54, Shelbyville 38

Batesville 49, Shelbyville 44

Chatard 56, Batesville 42

200 medley relay: 1. CH 1:47.08; 2. BV 1:49.61; 3. SH (Rife, Duffy, Maloney, Carrell) 1:54.28; 4. BV 2:42.18.

200 free: 1. Lopez (BV) 2:17.73; 2. Duffy (SH) 2:18.38; 3. Harker (SH) 2:42.75; 4. Martin (BV) 2:46.66; 5. Gates (CH) 2:52.72; 6. O’Gara (CH) 2:54.58.

200 individual medley: 1. Bourgeois (CH) 2:13.75; 2. Carrell (SH) 2:16.33; 3. Ford (CH) 2:21.71; 4. Tyler (BC) 2:22.24; 5. Maloney (SH) 2:36.28.

50 free: 1. Johnson (BV) 21.95; 2. Paz (CH) 24.47; 3. Kenkel (SH) 27.47; 4. Kolbus (CH) 28.07; 5. Harker (SH) 31.41; 6. Kuntz (BV) 31.79.

Diving: 1. McMahon (CH) 233.30.

100 butterfly: 1. Loiselle (CH) 57.96; 2. Rife (SH) 58.68; 3. Maloney (SH) 1:05.06 (photo above); 4. Tekulve (BC) 1:12.14; 5. Paz (CH) 1:13.49; 6. Shroder (BV) 1:33.92.

100 free: 1. Steadham (CH) 50.67; 2. Carrell (SH) 53.41; 3. Tyrer (BV) 57.45; 4. Ford (CH) 59.78; 5. Richardson (BV) 1:08.12.

500 free: 1. Loiselle (CH) 5:26.96; 2. Martin (BV) 8:03.6; 3. Kuntz (BV) 8:58.87.

200 free relay: 1. SH (Carrell, Duffy, Rife, Kenkel) 1:40.68; 2. BV 1:51.2; 3. CH 1:57.56; 4. BV 2:22.03.

100 backstroke: 1. Steadham (CH) 1:00.09; 2. Rife (SH) 1:04.9; 3. Lopez (BV) 1:09.81; 4. Kolbus (CH) 1:16.92; 5. Kenkel (SH) 1:28.69; 6. Stutz (BV) 1:44.68.

100 breaststroke: 1. Bourgeois (CH) 1:05.39; 2. Johnson (BV) 1:07.04; 3. Duffy (SH) 1:19.21; 4. O’Gara (CH) 1:26.7; 5. Richardson (BV) 1:27.04; 6. Hughes (SH) 1:27.17.

400 free relay: 1. CH 3:33.91; 2. BV 3:59.38; 3. SH (Maloney, Hughes, Kenkel, Harker) 4:30.1; 4. CH 4:46.33; 5. BV 5:00.68.

Girls swimming

Chatard 71, Shelbyville 27

Shelbyville 48, Batesville 47

Chatard 77, Batesville 20

200 medley relay: 1. CH 2:03.36; 2. BV 2:16.71; 3. SH (Conners, Bushfield, M. Garringer, Stader) 2:26.75; 4. BV 2:57.92.

200 free: 1. Countryman (CH) 2:04.29; 2. M. Garringer (SH) 2:20.09; 3. McMahon (CH) 2:39.79; 4. Bedel (BV) 2:51.58; 5. Siefert (BV) 3:02.76.

200 individual medley: 1. Bourgeois (CH) 2:40.35; 2. Loiselle (CH) 2:40.52; 3. Raab (BV) 2:57.84; 4. Bushfield (SH) 2:59.57; 5. Rasnick (BV) 3:48.67.

50 free: 1. Herner (CH) 27.12; 2. Dilts (CH) 30.49; 3. Blanton (BV) 31.72; 4. Conners (SH) 32.85; 5. Stader (SH) 33.25; 6. Adams (BV) 34.47.

Diving: 1. Hurley (CH) 252.95; 2. Helfer-Vazquez (SH) 185.35.

100 butterfly: 1. Countryman (CH) 1:05.14; 2. Everette (SH) 1:17.91; 3. Loiselle (CH) 1:24.03; 4. Bedel (BV) 1:25.32; 5. Miller (BV) 1:46.25.

100 free: 1. Ross (CH) 58.45; 2. N. Garringer (SH) 1:01.62; 3. Zyromski (CH) 1:07.64; 4. Blanton (BV) 1:10.60; 5. Stader (SH) 1:19.47; 6. Rasnick (BV) 1:25.09.

500 free: 1. Herner (CH) 6:05.51; 2. McMahon (CH) 7:01.83; 3. Conners (SH) 7:18.26; 4. Zimmerman (BV) 7:42.63.

200 free relay: 1. CH 2:02.8; 2. SH (N. Garringer, Conners, Everette, Stader) 2:04.32; 3. BV 2:21.79.

100 backstroke: 1. Ross (CH) 1:05.73; 2. N. Garringer (SH) 1:13.0; 3. Zyromski (CH) 1:18.36; 4. Everette (SH) 1:19.61; 5. Siefert (BV) 1:33.04; 6. Adams (BV) 1:35.11.

100 breaststroke: 1. Bourgeois (CH) 1:22.66; 2. Bushfield (SH) 1:28.54; 3. Raab (BV) 1:29.01; 4. Massengale (CH) 1:30.91; 5. Miller (BV) 1:44.53.

400 free relay: 1. CH 4:18.78; 2. BV 4:50.76; 3. CH 5:02.86; 4. BV 5:43.21.

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FRANKLIN – Shelbyville’s modest two-game win streak came to an end Wednesday courtesy of a reality check from Franklin.

The Grizzly Cubs shot 57% from the field, pulled down 31 rebounds and committed just three turnovers in a 76-36 win over Shelbyville (4-7).

Micah Davis scored a game-high 23 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists for a Franklin squad still trying to get all its pieces together on the floor at the same time.

The Grizzly Cubs, now 4-5, started last season 6-14 before reeling off six straight wins to capture a sectional title and make an appearance in a regional championship game.

The Golden Bears pinned one of those 14 losses on Franklin in a regular-season 58-49 victory. Going with a more guard-oriented lineup late in the season, Franklin rolled to a 63-39 win over Shelbyville in the sectional.

For the Golden Bears to have any chance in a potential sectional rematch in March, the offense has to become more versatile. Shelbyville shot 9 of 38 from the field but seven of the made field goals came from beyond the 3-point arc.

Shelbyville scored just four points from inside the 3-point line and hit just 11 of 18 free throws while Franklin steadily pulled away.

Dylan Beverly finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots as an enforcer around the rim.

Wyatt Nickleson, who hit seven 3s against the Golden Bears in the sectional rematch, finished with 13 points Wednesday.

Ollie Sandman (photo) led Shelbyville with 16 points. Damon Badgley finished with nine as the Golden Bears were held to 44 points or less for the sixth time this season.

Franklin spotted Shelbyville’s junior varsity team the first nine points of the game before rolling to a 59-51 win.

Jack West led Shelbyville with 13 points. Brody Runnebohm had 11 and Gavin Reed finished with 10.

Shelbyville is off until Jan. 7 when it travels to Greensburg (6-3).

Steve Bush photos

Franklin 76, Shelbyville 36

SH – Sandman 4-13 4-5 16, Brinkman 0-3 1-3 1, Parker 0-1 2-2 2, Claxton 1-6 0-0 3, Lambert 1-4 0-0 2, Badgley 3-9 1-2 9, Asher 0-1 2-2 2, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Fortune 0-0 0-0 0, West 0-0 0-0 0, Reed 0-0 0-0 0, Runnebohm 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 9-38 11-18 36.

FR – Nickleson 5-10 0-0 13, Hunter 2-4 0-0 6, Beverly 8-12 0-0 17, Davis 10-18 2-2 23, Razor 4-6 1-3 9, Corley 2-3 0-0 4, Nelson 2-3 0-0 4, Street 0-0 0-0 0, Griggs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 33-58 3-5 76.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH (4-7)    5  10    9  12  --  36

FR (4-5)  16  17  17  26  -- 76

Three-point field goals: SH 7-24 (Sandman 4-9, Brinkman 0-3, Claxton 1-6, Badgley 2-5, Asher 0-1), FR 7-22 (Nickleson 3-8, Hunter 2-4, Beverly 1-3, Davis 1-5, Razor 0-1, Corley 0-1). Rebounds: SH 19 (Sandman 1, Brinkman 5, Parker 2, Claxton 4, Lambert 3, Badgley 3, Asher 1), FR 31 (Nickleson 1, Hunter 5, Beverly 7, Davis 8, Razor 2, Nelson 2, Nielson 5, Street 1). Assists: SH 3 (Brinkman 1, Parker 1, Lambert 1), FR 13 (Nickleson 1, Beverly 1, Davis 7, Razor 1, Corley 2, Nielsen 1). Steals: FR 5 (Nickleson 2, Beverly 1, Davis 2). Blocks: FR 4 (Beverly 3, Nelson 1). Total fouls: SH 8, FR 14. Turnovers: SH 13, FR 3.

JV

Franklin 59, Shelbyville 51

SH – West 13, Runnebohm 11, Reed 10, Myers 8, Owens 5, Schene 4.

FR – Bravard 16, Zahm 15, Griggs 11, Street 8, Crisp 5, Jones 3, Nielsen 1.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH  11    9  15  16  --  51

FR  15  15  16  13  --  59

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Indiana Derby handle tops seven million

For the seventh straight year, the Indiana Derby program raised the bar in handle. Actuator and James Graham were winners in the featured 28^th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby Saturday, July 9. The $2,200 yearling purchase is now a Graded Stakes winner for his connections during a new record handle day of $7,201.564 for Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Moved back to Saturday since the 2019 running of the event, the program included numerous ancillary activities, including three - $1,000 Indiana Derby Megabet Win Wager drawings, a cigar rolling station, and a special $2,500 Indiana Derby Legends online handicapping contest with a record 317 players

A total of eight stakes races were held on the card, including the 27^th running of the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks won by Interstatedaydream and Florent Geroux.

Bradshaw wins Road to Louisville including yearling from ITOBA Sale

Anthony Bradshaw, longtime horseplayer and factory worker of Louisville, Ky. topped a field of more than 450 players in the Road to Louisville to earn the grand prize of $1,000 and the option to purchase an Indiana yearling at the ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale in October. A total of $30,000 was granted to Bradshaw toward the purchase courtesy of Horseshoe Indianapolis and Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (ITOBA).

Bradshaw selected Trainer Tony Granitz and through consultation, purchased Hip No. 36, Jailhouse Justice, for $8,000 leaving $22,000 in his account for expenses incurred while the colt prepares for racing in 2023. Bradshaw immediately nicknamed the colt “JJ,” who was Bradshaw’s top pick for the sale.

“JJ” was transported to Elliott Farms following the sale to begin the process of breaking and training and the Harry’s Holiday colt will join the Granitz Stable in early 2023.

    AQHA Challenge Championships attract some of the best in the nation

    Five Graded Stakes races were held as part of the prestigious Bank of America       Challenge Championships, the first time the event has been held East of the Mississippi in it’s 29-year running. The event attracted some of the nation’s top Quarter Horses, including World Champion Danjer, who was a winner in the Grade 1 $269,627 Bank of America Challenge Championship.

Other winners on the night included Dance the Dust Off in the Cox Distance Challenge, Meet Me Out Back in the John Deere Juvenile Challenge, Nothin Like You in the Adequan Derby Challenge, and Valiant Miss Priss in the Q Racing Video Challenge. The evening included giveaways and contests with a packed house on hand to witness the historic event. 

Indiana Champions Day tops $1 million in purses

A total of seven stakes were featured for the third annual Indiana Champions Day placing the spotlight on the state’s top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse athletes. More than $1 million was offered on the card, including the richest Indiana Quarter Horse stakes ever in the $201,500 Miss Roxie Little Futurity won by Winner Spirit and James Flores.

The highlight of the day was a special appearance by Forrie J. Smith, who portrays “Lloyd” on the hit television show “Yellowstone.” Smith presented the trophy for two stakes on the day, including the $250,000 Lady Fog Horn winner No More Fake News for jockey DeShawn Parker and Trainer Gary Patrick. Smith also met with numerous fans for autographs and photos.

Handle for the afternoon’s 12-race card topped $2 million.

     Historic heat causes cancellations, changes in racing

Central Indiana was plagued with extreme heat on two separate occasions that canceled racing and caused adjustment for post times on others. Three days were canceled in mid-June with racing moved to an evening start for three days June 21 through 23. 

Additionally, adjustments and cancellations were made in late July due to the heat indexes that reached triple digits. Racing was held in late morning July 20 to escape the hottest part of the day with safe racing conditions at top of mind for the human and equine participants.

Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central opened the season with three losses in its first five games. The Tigers have not lost again.

Triton Central closed out its 8-team holiday tournament Wednesday with a 47-37 victory over Bloomington North in the championship game.

Freshman Maryrose Felling scored a game-high 15 points for Triton Central (11-3) while Hallie Schweitzer and Brooklyn Bailey each scored nine points.

Bloomington North (10-5) got off to a strong start, leading 11-6 in the final seconds of the first quarter when Hailey Harris banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer to get TC within two points.

The Tigers’ defense stepped up and limited the Cougars to three second-quarter points which helped the hosts build an 18-14 halftime lead.

Triton Central went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in the third quarter, a precursor of things to come, to hang on to a 27-25 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers made just four field goals over the final eight minutes but connected on 12-of-15 free-throw attempts to seal the win.

Triton Central finished the game 21 of 27 from the free-throw line.

Kenli Sullivan led Bloomington North with 11 points. Mia Robbennolt finished with 10.

Triton Central has won nine straight games. The last team to defeat the Tigers – Morristown on Nov. 23 – is their next opponent on Jan. 5 in the semifinal round of the Shelby County Tournament, hosted by Morristown.

In prep events Wednesday:

Boys basketball

Morristown Holiday Tournament

Cascade 56, Morristown 30

In the tournament opener at the Bee Hive, Jameson Palmer finished with 11 points and four rebounds but the host Yellow Jackets fell behind 28-8 at halftime and never recovered.

Colin Kieninger finished with six points and four rebounds for Morristown.

Milan 71, Morristown 50

Palmer scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Mathew Carlton finished with 17 points but it was not enough to keep the Yellow Jackets (1-9) from falling to 0-2 in the tournament.

Milan (3-4) led 31-18 at halftime before both teams combined to score 75 points in the second half.

Morristown takes on New Washington (3-7) in the tournament’s seventh-place game today at 1 p.m.

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The Mohawks trailed 20-7 at halftime and 29-20 after three quarters before rallying in the fourth and limiting the Twisters (3-4) to just four points for a 38-33 victory.

Jacob Bennett led Waldron (5-3) with 11 points. Lucas Mitchell finished with 10 and Lucas Shaw had nine.

Connor Miles led Oldenburg Academy with 15 points.

Waldron won the junior varsity game, 54-17. Matthew Thomas led the Mohawks with 12 points. Jack Fischer finished with 11.

Waldron is part of the four-team Batesville Invitational Thursday. The Mohawks open the event against the host Bulldogs (5-2) at 10 a.m.

The other semifinal pits Jennings County (8-0) against North Harrison (1-4).

In other basketball games Tuesday:

Boys basketball

Alexandria Tournament

Alexandria 55, Southwestern 35

Owen Harpe had a game-high 18 points and Gabe McGuire finished with 10 points to lead the host Tigers (5-4) to a 20-point win over the Spartans (0-9).

Ben Kahler hit three 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 15 points for Southwestern.

Sheridan 60, Southwestern 36

In the third-place game, nine different Blackhawks scored to secure the win. Caleb Wright led all scorers with 15 points. Tyler Garner had 11 as Sheridan improved to 5-5.

Matt Clements led Southwestern (0-10) with 14 points. Jacob DeArmitt finished with 12.

Southwestern is off until Jan. 6 when it will travel to Morristown High School to face Waldron (5-3) in one semifinal game of the Shelby County Tournament.

Girls basketball

Triton Central Holiday Tournament

Triton Central 50, Northeastern 40

Lizzie Graham had 15 points and Hallie Schweitzer and Maryrose Felling each scored 11 to push the Class 2A, No. 16 Tigers into tonight’s championship game.

Triton Central started slow, trailing the Knights 17-5 after one quarter. The Tigers limited Northeastern to four second-quarter points and cut the lead to 21-20 by halftime.

Triton Central led 33-31 after three quarters and hit 9 of 10 free throws over the final eight minutes to seal the win.

Addisen Mastriano led Northeastern (10-5) with 12 points. Adyssen Kircher had 11 points.

Triton Central will face Bloomington North (10-4) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. The Cougars reached the championship game with wins over Lawrenceburg (66-59) and Heritage Christian (58-48).

Waldron Holiday Tournament

Batesville 48, Waldron 21

The host Mohawks never got their offense on track in a semifinal loss to the Bulldogs (7-8).

Sophie Gesell led Batesville into the championship game with 13 points.

Alivia Fischer topped Waldron with eight points.

Switzerland County 58, Waldron 45

In the third-place game, Halle Archer scored a team-high 16 points to lead the Pacers (9-5) over the Mohawks (3-11).

Alyssa Benson tallied a game-high 17 points for Waldron. Jackie Corlett and Emerson Lindsey each scored eight.

Waldron travels to Oldenburg Academy (6-5) Thursday.

Shelbyville 44, Franklin Central 41

At Franklin Central, Ava Wilson led the visiting Golden Bears (11-5) with 25 points.

Franklin Central dropped to 3-12.

Shelbyville is back in action Jan. 7 at Yorktown (5-8).

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Salem nearly pulled off an upset in the opening game Tuesday of the Triton Central Holiday Tournament.

The Lions pushed Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central into overtime before falling, 42-41.

Sidney Brown scored a game-high 17 points, including seven in overtime, for Salem (1-13).

Sidney Burton added 15 points for Salem, who will face the loser of the Jac-Cen-Del (6-6) and Northeastern (9-4) game at 3 p.m.

Hallie Schweitzer scored 15 points to lead Triton Central (9-3). Lizzie Graham hit three 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 11 points.

The game was tied 10-all at halftime and Triton Central led 25-22 after three quarters.

The Tigers will face the winner of Jac-Cen-Del and Northeastern at 4:30 p.m. today in Fairland.

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Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central collected some hardware as an early Christmas present for the Fairland school.

The Tigers defeated Hamilton Heights, 53-48, and Franklin County, 73-40, Thursday to win the Franklin County Tournament.

Isaac Morgan (photo) finished with 20 points and six rebounds for Triton Central in the semifinal win over the Huskies (3-7). Luke Faust added 10 points and eight rebounds. Eli Sego also had 10 points.

Sam Dawson led Hamilton Heights with 12 points.

In the championship game against the host Wildcats (6-2), Silas Blair scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Sego had 13 points and Morgan finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Triton Central shot 59% in the win, including 8 of 15 from the 3-point arc.

Morgan was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Faust was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Triton Central travels to Heritage Christian (2-5) Thursday.

Here is a look at other basketball games Thursday:

Girls basketball

Valparaiso Tournament

Valparaiso 66, Shelbyville 40

The Class 4A, No. 10 Vikings had four players score in double figures while Shelbyville played without the program’s career scoring leader.

Kylee Edwards suffered a knee injury late in the semifinal win over South Central (Union Mills) and did not play in the championship game.

In her absence, Ava Wilson scored a career-high 28 points but only three other Golden Bears scored in the loss.

Kristin Bukata scored a game-high 17 points for Valparaiso (14-0). Cadynce Clark (14 points), Norah Flynn (13) and Lilli Barnes (12) also reached double digits against the Golden Bears (10-5).

Edwards scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the first half of Shelbyville’s 50-40 win over South Central. She outscored the Satellites 10-2 in the first quarter to quickly give the Golden Bears a double-digit lead.

Wilson finished with 16 points.

Olivia Marks led South Central (12-3) with 14 points. Hope Welsh scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter.

Shelbyville travels to Franklin Central (3-12) Tuesday.

Edinburgh Holiday Tournament

Southwestern 50, Hagerstown 29

In the fifth-place game, nine different Spartans scored to get Southwestern (3-11) its third win in its last four games.

Tanna Tatlock topped Southwestern with 15 points. Riley Engel followed with 10 and Cy Stockdale had eight.

Kenzie Harris led Hagerstown (4-12) with nine points. Sydney Martindale finished with eight points.

Southwestern now turns its attention to the Shelby County Tournament. The Spartans face Waldron (3-9) on Jan. 5 at Morristown.

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Shelbyville needed a shot of adrenaline after surrendering an early 8-point lead.

Ollie Sandman provided just that, hitting three straight 3s over East Central’s 2-3 zone that put the Golden Bears ahead for good.

Sandman finished with a game-high 19 points (5-of-11 3s) and Caden Claxton nearly recorded his first double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds to lead Shelbyville to a 47-38 victory Thursday afternoon at Garrett Gymnasium over winless East Central.

“We did some of the things we needed to do coming out in the second half but they extended their zone a little bit and we were hesitant to move the ball around and attack gaps,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “We went over zone offense at halftime because, quite honestly, we weren’t ready for them to zone us because they didn’t do too much of that the last few games.

“We need guys to continue to move around and not chuck 3s all night. Granted, we hit a few of them but we can’t chuck 3s without driving and attacking.”

Shelbyville shot 38% from the field and hit 9 of 27 from beyond the arc.

The Trojans fell to 0-6 for the first time since starting 0-7 in 1996.

Still, East Central wiped out Shelbyville’s 15-7 second-quarter lead with a 9-0 run sparked by six points off the bench from Peyton Hofer.

A Hofer layin gave the Trojans a 16-15 lead before Sandman hit his first 3.

Hofer slashed through the lane and scored and was fouled on East Central’s next possession. He hit the free throw for a 19-18 lead – his team’s last of the game.

Sandman (photo) hit two more 3s that set the halftime score at 24-21.

The Trojans scored just three points in the third quarter but Shelbyville could not pull away.

“We have to get better at closing games out and finishing them out,” said Hartnett. “There is no reason we shouldn’t have run away with it as the game went on.”

A 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter cut Shelbyville’s lead to 35-34 before Damon Badgley (photo) found room in the lane and scored to push the lead back to three points.

Rhys Hofer connected on a pair of free throws with 2:38 left to again cut the lead to one but Sandman hit a long 3-pointer from the wing and the senior and Claxton hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 78 seconds to seal the victory.

Shelbyville came into the week on a five-game losing streak but set up a much more pleasant holiday break going 2-0 on the week and improving to 4-6 with a favorable schedule ahead. The next five teams the Golden Bears face have a combined nine wins.

Brody Runnebohm scored 20 points and Kohen Myers added 14 points in Shelbyville’s 50-33 win in the junior varsity game.

The Golden Bears are back in action Wednesday at potential sectional foe and the defending sectional champion Franklin (3-5).

Steve Bush photos

Shelbyville 47, East Central 38

EC – Richter 1-5 0-0 3, Pieczonka 2-13 3-4 7, Maxwell 1-5 0-0 2, Wheat 5-8 3-3 13, Kuhn 0-1 1-2 1, P. Hofer 3-7 1-1 8, R. Hofer 0-2 2-2 2, Mersmann 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 13-42 10-13 38.

SH – Sandman 5-12 4-4 19, Brinkman 0-3 0-0 0, Parker 2-5 0-1 4, Claxton 2-8 4-6 10, Lambert 3-4 0-2 6, Badgley 3-7 0-0 8, Asher 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-39 8-13 47.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

EC (0-6)    7  14    3  14  --  38

SH (4-6)  14  10    8  15  --  47

Three-point field goals: EC 2-14 (Richter 1-3, Pieczonka 0-4, Maxwell 0-1, Kuhn 0-1, P. Hofer 1-3, R. Hofer 0-2), SH 9-27 (Sandman 5-11, Brinkman 0-2, Parker 0-2, Claxton 2-6, Badgley 2-6). Rebounds: EC 18 (Pieczonka 3, Maxwell 5, Wheat 5, Kuhn 2, P. Hofer 3), SH 25 (Sandman 3, Brinkman 2, Parker 6, Claxton 9, Lambert 4, Badgley 1). Assists: EC 8 (Richter 1, Pieczonka 1, Maxwell 4, Kuhn 1, P. Hofer 1), SH 10 (Sandman 3, Brinkman 2, Parker 2, Lambert 2, Badgley 1). Steals: EC 3 (Richter 1, Wheat 1, P. Hofer 1), SH 2 (Claxton 1, Lambert 1). Blocks: EC 1 (Wheat 1), SH 6 (Sandman 1, Brinkman 1, Parker 2, Claxton 1, Lambert 1). Total fouls: EC 13, SH 13. Fouled out: Maxwell (EC). Turnovers: EC 7, SH 7.

JV

Shelbyville 50, East Central 33

EC – Sehlhorst 10, Schnell 9, Moses 6, Maple 4, Midlam 2, Sebastian 2.

SH – Runnebohm 20, Myers 14, Schene 8, West 4, Isaacs 2, Dunagan 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

EC  12    9    4    8  --  33

SH    6  14  13  17  --  50

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The kid can play.

Shelbyville freshman Caden Claxton poured in a career-high 25 points and had four assists and three rebounds Wednesday to help Shelbyville end a five-game losing streak.

Claxton hit 8-of-10 free throws in the final quarter to finish off South Ripley, 57-52, at Garrett Gymnasium.

“Caden played really well for us tonight,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “He hit some shots, he hit some free throws, facilitated really well and got to the basket and made some good kicks. We got a lot out of him tonight.”

Damon Badgley, a sophomore, finished with 12 points off the bench -- all in the third quarter, and Shelbyville (3-6) played more efficiently than in recent games to get back in the win column.

“Damon was in the gym this morning (Wednesday) getting some shots up. He is a winner. He wants to play,” said Hartnett. “He is a tremendous offensive player for us and is just getting better as a sophomore. Caden and Damon, the good news is I still get those guys for a few more years.”

The first half was a possession-to-possession type of game. Claxton scored five straight points late in the second quarter to help Shelbyville hold an 18-16 lead at halftime.

Business picked up in the third quarter just as it did in Shelbyville’s loss to Yorktown Saturday when the Tigers outscored the Golden Bears, 20-13 in that eight-minute stretch.

South Ripley, coached by Seve Beach, son of former Shelbyville head coach Tom Beach, scored 12 points in the opening four minutes of the second quarter to take a 28-25 lead.

Badgley tied the game again with a 3-pointer from the wing.

Jackson Parker followed with a steal at the free-throw line that allowed him to race to the other end of the floor for a roof-raising dunk. The senior was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim too long but it energized an otherwise lackluster gym during a mid-week game and the Golden Bears kept rolling.

Badgley followed with seven more points before the quarter ended and Shelbyville led 41-36.

Claxton scored 12 points in the final quarter and was the one Hartnett trusted to hit free throws late in the game to seal the win.

“He is comfortable at the (free-throw) line. He wants to win. He knows how to win from his middle school days,” said Hartnett. “He wanted the ball in his hands. He was asking for it. The freshman stepped up in a big moment and finished it off for us.”

Badgley also had five rebounds. Ethan Lambert scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds.

Blaine Ward led South Ripley (2-5) with 22 points, five rebounds and two assists. Cole Henry finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.

Shelbyville dominated the junior varsity game, winning 72-28.

Brody Runnebohm finished with a game-high 22 points. Jack West had 13 and Kohen Myers and Kenny Owens each had 11.

With inclement weather forecast for later today, Shelbyville will take on East Central (0-5) this afternoon. The JV game will tip at 1 p.m. with the varsity game to follow.

Shelbyville 57, South Ripley 52

SR – Binion 2-4 0-0 5, Henry 5-16 6-17 17, Volz 0-5 1-2 1, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Bradley 2-3 0-0 4, Ward 6-14 8-10 22, Tunny 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 16-44 15-19 52.

SH – Sandman 2-6 3-6 8, Brinkman 0-3 0-0 0, Parker 1-6 2-2 4, Claxton 7-11 8-10 25, Lambert 4-9 0-0 8, Badgley 5-7 0-0 12, Asher 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 19-44 13-18 57.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SR (2-5)  7   9  20  16  -- 52

SH (3-6)  9   9  23  16  --  57

Three-point field goals: SR 5-16 (Binion 1-3, Henry 1-3, Volz 0-1, Ward 2-8, Tunny 1-1), SH 6-15 (Sandman 1-2, Brinkman 0-2, Parker 0-2, Claxton 3-5, Badgley 2-4). Rebounds: SR 27 (Binion 1, Henry 7, Volz 5, Johnson 2, Bradley 7, Ward 5), SH 22 (Brinkman 3, Parker 7, Claxton 3, Lambert 4, Badgley 5). Assists: SR 8 (Henry 2, Volz 2, Johnson 2, Ward 2), SH 10 (Sandman 2, Brinkman 1, Parker 2, Claxton 4, Badgley 1). Steals: SR 2 (Binion 1, Volz 1), SH 2 (Parker 1, Lambert 1). Total fouls: SR 17, SH 15. Turnovers: SR 11, SH 7.

JV

Shelbyville 72, South Ripley 28

SR -- McNew 14, Adams 9, Hodge 5.

SH --  Runnebohm 22, West 13, Myers 11, Owens 11, Reinhart 6, Clark 3, Isaacs 2, Schene 2, Reed 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SR    6    7    9     6  --  28

SH  18  21  19  14  --  72

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Drake Moore finished with 13 points, five rebounds and one assist Saturday for Oakland City in a 75-61 loss to the University of St. Francis (Ind.) in the Dunn Hospitality Group Classic in Oakland City.

On Friday, Moore, a Morristown graduate, collected two points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal in Oakland City’s 74-67 victory over Campbellsville University – Harrodsburg.

Oakland City is 7-6 this season.

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

Tenleigh Phelps

The Triton Central graduate had two points, one assist and one steal Wednesday for Youngstown State in a 79-42 win over Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Youngstown State has won seven straight games to improve to 8-3.

On Friday, Phelps had eight points, five rebounds and two assists in an 81-41 win over Saint Francis (Pa.). Phelps scored all eight of her points in the third quarter when Youngstown State opened up a 66-27 lead.

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate had four assists Wednesday in Hanover College’s 66-65 loss to No. 9 Babson College in the Cruzin Classic in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

On Monday, Heath finished with four points, one rebound and one steal in a 73-31 loss to Loras College in the tournament hosted by St. Thomas University.

Hanover is 6-4 this season.

Rylie Stephens

The Triton Central graduate had one rebound Wednesday for Samford in a 69-66 win over Northern Colorado.

On Sunday, Phelps had two rebounds and one steal in Samford’s 91-37 loss at Auburn University.

Samford is 5-9.

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate finished with three points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals for Loyola Wednesday in a 56-44 win over Idaho State in the UCF Christmas Classic in Orlando, Florida.

On Tuesday, Chandler had four points, one rebound, two assists and four steals in Loyola’s 72-46 win over Elon in Florida.

The Ramblers are 5-8.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate collected nine points and eight rebounds Saturday in Anderson’s 75-69 overtime win at Bluffton.

The Ravens are 5-5.

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate had four points and one rebound for Hanover College Saturday in a 73-64 loss at Anderson.

Hanover is 6-3 this season.

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With three players scoring in double figures, Southwestern collected a 49-22 win over Knightstown in its second game Wednesday of the holiday tournament in Edinburgh.

Tanna Tatlock led the Spartans (2-11) with 13 points. Cy Stockdale and McKinley Correll each finished with 12 points.

Southwestern closes out the 8-team holiday tournament with an 11:45 a.m. game today against Hagerstown (4-11).

The Spartans trailed the Panthers (3-12) 12-8 after one quarter but put together a 16-point second quarter to take a 24-15 lead they never relinquished.

Five different players scored in the third quarter to help Southwestern extend its lead to 35-22 and the Panthers were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Anna Roberson led Knightstown with eight points.

In Southwestern’s tournament opener Wednesday, Austin rolled out to a 30-19 lead at halftime then held the Spartans to just six second-half points in a 52-25 victory.

With the win, Austin improved to 7-6.

Correll led Southwestern with seven points. Haley Casey finished with six.

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FAIRLAND -- After the rarest of rare losses to Morristown on Nov. 23, the Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central sat 2-3 for the first time in Bryan Graham’s 15 seasons as head coach.

Roster changes and illness had the Tigers struggling.

A win over Monrovia six days later jumpstarted what is now a six-game win streak after Tuesday’s 64-25 dismantling of Indianapolis Scecina that clinched the program no worse than a share of the Indiana Crossroads Conference championship – its fifth straight.

“As an old coach, 24 years now through multiple sports, sometimes things don’t always go the way you think they are going to go,” said Graham, who secured career win No. 289 Tuesday. “This team, the camaraderie and the way they have morphed together both on and off the court is amazing.

“People like Kennedy Brown and Hailey Harris are a huge part of that, with how hard they work, how much they study the game, how they do the little details and they stay within themselves. You can really see as the year has gone on, we’ve gotten better and better.”

Brown, a five-foot, six-inch junior moved into the starting lineup after senior guard Jenna Cox left the program. Brown was part of a defensive effort Tuesday that limited Scecina leading scorer Abby Moore (17 ppg) to just two free throws.

Harris, a 5-8 junior, is now a key part of the rotation off the bench. She had five points, one rebound and one steal against the Crusaders (6-5, 1-3 ICC).

Neither have to be stars on a roster that has scorers in Lizzie Graham, Brooklyn Bailey and Maryrose Felling. That trio combined for 49 points Tuesday as the Tigers made quick work of Scecina.

Graham, an IU South Bend commit, hit her first three 3-point attempts in the first quarter and Bailey dominated in the low post with eight points and three rebounds in the opening eight minutes.

Triton Central (8-3, 6-0 ICC) led 20-8 after one quarter and 37-16 at halftime.

Felling made eight of 16 shots to finish with a team-high 18 points. Graham and Bailey – both 6 of 12 from the field – finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Bailey had a team-high eight rebounds.

Hallie Schweitzer had five points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Triton Central shot 45% from the field and 42% from the arc.

Abbey McCoy led Scecina with 11 points and eight rebounds. The Crusaders shot 25% from the field and missed all 12 3-point attempts.

Morristown ended a 30-game losing streak to Triton Central earlier this season but may have provided a wake-up call to the perennial top-10 program in Class 2A.

“The biggest thing that came out of the Morristown game was our urgency. We had to get a little bit more urgency because teams know we can score the ball when we’re on,” said Graham, who went on to say there were defensive adjustments made to strengthen a defense that allowed on average 57 ppg in the opening three games.

“At one point in the season, which we have never given up so many points, we were giving up an average of 55 points. I told the girls if we get that under 40 (ppg) we will be really good again. Right now, we’re at 39 ppg.”

Now 8-3, the Tigers are allowing 38.1 ppg.

Triton Central now needs to be challenged. The six-game win streak has come over six opponents with a combined 21 wins. There are tougher games ahead of a rematch with Morristown in the Shelby County Tournament on Jan. 5.

The Tigers are scheduled to play Thursday at Hauser (8-4), but an inclement weather forecast and a water pipe burst at the Hope school leave the game in doubt.

Triton Central will again host its two-day holiday tournament on Dec. 27-28. The Tigers open the event on Dec. 27 at 9 a.m. against Salem (1-11).

The other first-round games include Northeastern (9-4) vs. Jac-Cen-Del (6-6); Southport (6-5) vs. Heritage Christian (8-3); and Lawrenceburg (7-3) vs. Bloomington North (8-4).

“It was nice to get that rolling aspect back but I think having a difficult quarter and difficult possessions never hurts a team when you are only halfway through the year,” said Graham of facing tougher opponents ahead.

Triton Central 64, Indianapolis Scecina 25

SC – Moore 0-8 2-2 2, M. Welborn 0-2 0-0 0, Smith 1-3 0-0 2, A. Welborn 1-9 0-2 2, McCoy 5-8 1-1 11, Gascon 0-2 0-0 0, Navarra 1-4 0-0 2, Wright 0-1 2-2 2, Potts 2-3 0-0 4, Lockhart 0-0 0-0 0, I. Comley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 10-40 5-7 25.

TC – Schweitzer 2-6 0-0 5, Graham 6-12 0-0 16, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Felling 8-16 0-0 18, Bailey 6-12 3-5 15, Harris 1-4 2-2 5, Ross 1-3 1-2 3, Trimmer 1-2 0-0 2, Spall 0-0 0-0 0, Allen 0-0 0-0 0, Firebaugh 0-0 0-0 0, Collins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 25-56 6-9 64.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SC (6-5)    8    8    2    7  --  25

TC (8-3)  20  17  13  14  --  64

Three-point field goals: SC 0-12 (Moore 0-5, Smith 0-1, McCoy 0-1, Gascon 0-2, Navarra 0-2, Potts 0-1), TC 8-18 (Schweitzer 1-2, Graham 4-6, Felling 2-8, Harris 1-2, Collins 0-1). Rebounds: SC 21 (Moore 2, M. Welborn 2, A. Welborn 3, McCoy 8, Gascon 1, Navarra 2, Wright 1, Potts 1, Lockhart 1), TC 33 (Schweitzer 7, Graham 3, Brown 4, Felling 4, Bailey 8, Harris 1, Ross 4, Trimmer 2). Assists: SC 7 (Moore 2, M. Welborn 1, Smith 2, Gascon 2), SC 11 (Schweitzer 3, Brown 2, Felling 1, Bailey 3, Ross 1, Spall 1). Steals: SC 2 (Moore 2), TC 6 (Schweitzer 1, Brown 1, Felling 2, Bailey 1, Harris 1). Blocks: SC 5 (Moore 2, M. Welborn 1, McCoy 2), TC 1 (Bailey 1). Total fouls: SC 8, TC 5. Turnovers: SC 14, TC 7.

JV

Triton Central 44, Scecina 20

SC – H. Comley 8, Lathrop 4, Thomas 3, Potts 3, Erdosy 2.

TC – Firebaugh 10, Trimmer 8, Allen 8, Collins 8, Ball 4, Coen 4, Davis 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SC    6    3    7    4  --  20

TC    7    9  12  16  --  44

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Southwestern built a 20-16 halftime lead but had just three field goals in the second half and lost Tuesday at Oldenburg Academy, 40-29.

Connor Miles scored half of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter when the Twisters took a 28-25 lead.

Four different Twisters scored in the fourth quarter to hold off any Spartans comeback attempt.

Jacob Stenger finished with 10 points for Oldenburg Academy (3-3), who next play at Waldron on Dec. 27.

Matthew Clements led Southwestern (0-8) with 12 points. Ben Kahler and Michael Clements each had six points.

Southwestern returns to action Dec. 27 at the Alexandria Tournament.

In the first semifinal game, Sheridan (4-4) takes on Indianapolis Ritter (2-4). The Spartans take on the host Tigers (3-3) in the second semifinal game at approximately noon.

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Al Hernandez embodies the kind of player a college soccer coach would want on his roster.

“He is a kid that wherever we tried to play him, he gave maximum effort,” said Shelbyville High School boys soccer head coach Ben Purvis.

Early in his Golden Bear career, Hernandez was a forward with the ability to score goals. During his junior year, Purvis saw the opportunity to pair Hernandez with Drew Hassebroek to form a creative midfield duo.

“We were lacking guys to feed him the ball (as a forward) and he came to us and wanted to be on the ball more,” said Purvis. “He and Drew became a dynamic pairing in the midfield.”

As a club soccer player, though, Hernandez gained experience as a defenseman where he anticipates starting his collegiate soccer career.

Earlier this month, Hernandez made his commitment official to be part of the first-ever men’s soccer roster at Indiana University Purdue University Columbus.

Tyler Joy-Brandon, a former First Team All-American at Transylvania University and 2021 assistant coach at Hanover College, is the program’s inaugural coach.

Two years ago, Hernandez did not seriously consider a soccer career after high school graduation.

“I liked playing the sport and I started thinking I only had two years left,” said Hernandez, who had five goals and three assists this past season for Shelbyville. “I wanted to keep playing.”

Indiana University East was on his radar but the unique opportunity to be part of a first-year program that was close to home was too hard to pass up.

“It’s something new and different and I wanted to be part of something brand new and build something good,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez started playing Blue River Soccer Association leagues when he was seven years old and his love for the sport convinced him to give up wrestling. As he gained experience, he joined a club soccer team that put him against tougher competition.

“It was harder because I was put on a higher (level) team,” he said.

Quiet off the field, Hernandez earned great respect on the pitch. He was named a Shelbyville captain both his junior and senior years. He finished his career with 15 goals and six assists in 51 matches.

“You never have to worry with Al and his work rate,” said Purvis. “He has a motor that a lot of players don’t have.”

Hernandez credits Purvis with much of his development.

“Since seventh grade when I first met him and I went to the practices where he would be sometimes, I always liked how he was and how he did everything,” explained Hernandez. “Throughout the years, he taught me to be a better person. He showed me what I can do to get better and progress.”

Purvis has no doubt Joy-Brandon will experience a similar type player.

“Al is extremely coachable,” said Purvis. “He has that hard-nosed mentality to play college defense.”

Many freshmen joining established programs have difficulties finding playing time early in their career. The fact that Hernandez is joining a start-up program could help him get playing time quicker.

“I am excited for him to take on that challenge,” said Purvis. “He can jump in right away and challenge for a spot. Everyone has a clean slate (with the coach).”

Hernandez already has two connections within the program as two players on his club team are also committed to IUPUC.

Hernandez intends to major in Business Management and Accounting.

IUPUC will join the River States Conference in the fall of 2023, pending full membership in the NAIA being granted to IUPUC and its Crimson Pride athletics programs.

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Three minutes and 29 seconds into Shelbyville’s 13^th game of the season, Kylee Edwards became the Golden Bears’ career scoring leader at 1,419 points.

With her team trailing Franklin 9-3 near the mid-point of the first quarter, Edwards dribbled up court, faked going left around a Hailey Pogue screen and headed to her right.

Once she got the Franklin defender’s momentum committed that way, the Shelbyville senior spun back into the lane, split two Franklin players to push a shot up more with her left hand than her right to score her first two points of the game Saturday afternoon at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

Submitted photo

After a tense couple of weeks closing in on the Gretchen Haehl’s record, Edwards (photo with Gretchen Haehl) was relieved the chase was over.

“It was really hard. It was such a mental thing. It is in your head the whole entire time,” said Edwards after the 63-39 loss to Franklin. “People are telling you, ‘Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.’

“I wasn’t really thinking about it in today’s game because I knew I only needed two points and it was just a matter of time before it happened.”

Shelbyville hung with Franklin, a Class 4A state finalist last season, for one quarter Saturday but could not secure enough defensive rebounds and be efficient enough offensively to stay close.

Franklin’s ball movement around the court was constantly in search of an open 3-point shot. The Grizzly Cubs attempted a staggering 43 3-pointers, which amounted to 63% of their overall shot attempts in the win.

If Shelbyville could have limited the second-chance shots for Franklin and shot better than 25% itself in the contest, the outcome could have been much closer.

Franklin hit just 10 of 43 3s and was just 1 of 14 in the second quarter but still extended its lead from 19-8 to 35-17 at halftime.

“(It is tough) when everyone on their team has a green light to shoot, and what affected us today was the offensive rebounding – they had way too many offensive rebounds on us,” said Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler. “If you get that first shot a miss and you get the offensive rebound, you will be in the game with them. That was our issue today – our turnovers and our offensive rebounds.”

Four different Franklin players scored in double digits, led by Kyndell Jochim’s 18 points. The lone senior in the entire Franklin program also had four rebounds, two steals and four blocked shots.

Lauren Klem finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Emma Sappenfield (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Brooklyn York (10 points, four assists) also reached double figures.

Ava Wilson (photo) led Shelbyville with 20 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.

Edwards finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. She now has 1,431 points, which sits her second all-time for a Shelbyville basketball player behind Zach Kuhn (1,887 points).

After starting the season 7-0, Shelbyville has lost four of six. After playing four of its last five games at home, the Golden Bears are on the road until Jan. 14.

On Thursday, Shelbyville heads north to play in the Valparaiso Tournament. In the first semifinal, the Class 4A, No. 10 Vikings (12-0) take on Knox (2-10). Shelbyville follows against South Central (Union Mills) (11-2).

The Golden Bears close out the 2022 portion of the schedule on Dec. 27 at Franklin Central (3-10). The 2023 schedule opens with road games at Yorktown (5-6) on Jan. 7 and Rushville (5-6) on Jan. 10.

Steve Bush photos

Franklin 63, Shelbyville 39

FR – Klem 5-11 0-0 14, Kimbrell 1-6 0-1 3, Sappenfield 4-9 0-0 10, Jochim 6-20 5-8 18, York 4-8 1-1 10, Fu      qua 1-4 1-2 3, Doty 0-1 0-0 0, Morris 1-5 0-1 3, Rinehold 1-3 0-0 2, Runyon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 23-68 7-13 63.

SH – Edwards 5-15 3-6 14, Brenner 0-7 0-1 0, Simpson 0-3 0-0 0, Wilson 6-20 7-9 20, Pogue 1-1 0-0 2, Keller 0-2 1-4 1, E. Johnson 0-0 2-2 2, L. Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. S. Baker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-48 13-22 39.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

FR (9-3)  19  16  24    4  --  63

SH (9-4)    8    9    8  14  --  39

Three-point field goals: FR 10-43 (Klem 4-10, Kimbrell 1-6, Sappenfield 2-6, Jochim 1-10, York 1-2, Fuqua 0-2, Morris 1-5, Rinehold 0-1, Doty 0-1), SH 2-13 (Edwards 1-8, Brenner 0-1, Simpson 0-1, Wilson 1-2, Keller 0-1). Rebounds: FR 40 (Klem 8, Kimbrell 11, Sappenfield 10, Jochim 4, York 1, Fuqua 1, Morris 2, Rinehold 2, Doty 1, Runyon 1), SH 32 (Edwards 7, Brenner 7, Simpson 2, Wilson 5, Pogue 6, Keller 2, E. Johnson 2, S. Baker 1). Assists: FR 16 (Klem 7, Kimbrell 4, Jochim 1, York 4), SH 5 (Edwards 2, Brenner 1, Simpson 1, Wilson 1). Steals: FR 10 (Klem 4, Jochim 2, York 2, Rinehold 1, Doty 1), SH 3 (Edwards 1, Wilson 1, Pogue 1). Blocks: FR 6 (Sappenfield 1, Jochim 4, York 1), SH 4 (Edwards 2, Wilson 2). Total fouls: FR 14, SH 13. Turnovers: FR 11, SH 21.

JV

Franklin 49, Shelbyville 30

FR – Doty 10, Runyon 8, Luegers 7, Trueblood 5, Stewart 4, Lautenbach 3, McGuinness 3, Rees 3, B. Owens 3, M. Owens 2, Frazier 1.

SH – Asher 13, Keller 5, Morrell 3, Stieneker 3, H. Baker 2, Collins 2, Stewart 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

FR  12    8  16  13  --  49

SH    9    0  10  11  --  30

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An 8-0 run in less than 60 seconds of the third quarter created enough separation for Yorktown to secure a Hoosier Heritage Conference victory Saturday at Shelbyville, 58-44.

Tied 29-all in the third quarter, three different Tigers scored from within the lane and A.J. Dunn hit a pair of free throws to propel the visitors to a 37-29 lead that it would not relinquish.

Ollie Sandman scored six straight points midway through the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 46-41 but Yorktown made 8 of 10 free throws in the game’s final three minutes to pin a fifth-straight loss on Shelbyville (2-6, 0-3 HHC).

Since its win over Connersville on Dec. 3, Shelbyville has lost five straight while shooting 32% from the field and 22% from the three-point line.

“The last couple of games we haven’t shot it very well,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “We know we have guys that can hit that 3-point shot. We have to continue to take them when we are open and we have to look to drive and kick (the ball out to shooters).

“I thought tonight we had a lot better movement with our offense and we got some good shots, we got some wide open shots … we got (Ethan) Lambert and (Jackson) Parker involved a lot tonight. Those two really stepped up. The movement was much better but we have to knock some 3s down if we want to put some points on the board.”

In its last six games, including the 44-42 win over Connersville, the Golden Bears are averaging 44 points per game.

Shelbyville had a strong first-half performance with Lambert and Parker combining for 14 points. And with Yorktown content to play a half-court game, the Golden Bears took a 20-19 lead into halftime.

Enough was enough for the Tigers in the third quarter. Yorktown (5-1, 2-1 HHC) turned up the defensive pressure and did not settle for long half-court set plays.

Shelbyville extended the lead to 22-19 and 24-21 before the Tigers put together runs of 8-2 and 8-0 to get control of the game.

“We tried to slow the game down a little bit. Our goal was to keep them in the 40s no matter how many points we scored,” said Hartnett. “In the second half, we let wide open drives through the lane happen and we helped off a couple of shooters. We have to get tougher. We have to get stops. We have to take care of the defensive end if we want to win some of the games coming up.”

Dunn finished with a game-high 16 points – nine points coming in the critical third quarter. Kieran Tewari ended the game with 14 points and seven rebounds. Jacob Grim had 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Yorktown shot 56% from the field (20 of 36) and hit 14 of 16 free throws in the win.

Sandman topped Shelbyville with 13 points. Parker and Lambert each scored 10. Luke Brinkman had six points, five rebounds and two steals.

Shelbyville shot 31% in the loss (15 of 48) and connected on just 3 of 22 3-pointers (14%), following on a 2-for-19 performance from beyond the arc Tuesday at Greenwood.

There is no rest for Shelbyville. The Golden Bears are in a stretch of the season where they are playing seven games in 14 days.

Shelbyville hosts South Ripley (2-4) Wednesday and East Central (0-4) Thursday before enjoying the holiday break.

In the junior varsity game, Nate Tyler scored 20 points to lead Yorktown to a 47-45 overtime victory.

Brody Runnebohm finished with 20 points to lead Shelbyville. Kohen Myers finished with 13.

Yorktown 58, Shelbyville 44

YT – Tewari 4-7 4-4 14, Dunn 6-13 4-5 16, Grim 4-6 2-2 10, Moulton 2-2 3-4 8, Douglas 1-4 0-0 2, Furnish 0-0 0-0 0, Thurman 1-2 1-1 3, Fields 2-2 0-0 5. Totals: 20-36 14-16 58.

SH – Sandman 4-15 3-4 13, Brinkman 1-9 4-5 6, Parker 3-9 4-4 10, Claxton 1-4 0-0 3, Lambert 5-6 0-0 10, Badgley 1-3 0-0 2, Asher 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 15-48 11-13 44.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

YT (5-1)  11    8  20  19  --  58

SH (2-6)    9  11  13  11  --  44

Three-point field goals: YT 4-10 (Tewari 2-4, Dunn 0-2, Grim 0-1, Moulton 1-1, Douglas 0-1, Fields 1-1), SH 3-22 (Sandman 2-10, Brinkman 0-4, Parker 0-4, Claxton 1-2, Badgley 0-1, Asher 0-1). Rebounds: YT 27 (Tewari 7, Dunn 3, Grim 5, Moulton 5, Douglas 4, Thurman 3), SH 18 (Sandman 3, Brinkman 5, Parker 2, Claxton 2, Lambert 5, Badgley 1). Assists: YT 10 (Tewari 2, Dunn 1, Grim 7), SH 4 (Brinkman 1, Parker 1, Claxton 2). Steals: YT 1 (Grim 1), SH 2 (Brinkman 2). Blocks: YT 1 (Thurman 1). Total fouls: YT 12, SH 14. Fouled out: Sandman (SH). Turnovers: YT 9, SH 8

JV

Yorktown 47, Shelbyville 45, OT

YT – Tyler 20, Rowray 8, Kates 6, McKay 4, Manor 3, Weaver 3, Buckholder 2, Webster 1.

SH – Runnebohm 20, Myers 13, Reed 9, Schene 3.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

YT    8    8  15  10    6  --  47

SH  11  10    4  16    4  -- 45

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Waldron raced out to a 19-point lead after one quarter then used balanced scoring to defeat Southwestern Saturday, 56-31.

Bryce Yarling and Jacob Lindsey led Waldron (4-3) with 12 points apiece. Lucas Mitchell, Sam Jones and Jacob Bennett each had eight.

Eight different Mohawks scored in the non-conference game at Waldron.

The Mohawks led 23-4 after one quarter and 31-14 at halftime.

Ben Kahler topped Southwestern (0-7) with nine points. Matthew Clements finished with seven.

Southwestern will continue to seek its first win of the season Tuesday at Oldenburg Academy (2-3).

Waldron is off until Dec. 27 when it hosts Oldenburg Academy.

In other prep basketball games:

Boys basketball

Triton Central 68, North Decatur 58

At Triton Central Saturday, Isaac Morgan and Luke Faust combined for 42 points to lead the Tigers past the Chargers in a battle of top 20 ranked programs.

Morgan scored 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter when the Class 2A, No. 13 Tigers (6-2) posted 27 points to secure the victory. Faust finished with 20 points

Lance Nobbe led the 2A No. 18 Chargers (4-1) with 22 points. Blake Spears finished with 20 points.

Triton Central competes in the Franklin County Tournament Thursday.

The Tigers open the 4-team, one-day tournament against Hamilton Heights (2-6) at noon. The first semifinal pits Franklin County against Seton Catholic.

Cascade 41, Triton Central 38

At Cascade Friday, the visiting Tigers never got their offense in gear and lost a low-scoring Indiana Crossroads Conference contest to the Cadets (3-3, 1-1 ICC).

Devon Weigle led Cascade with 13 points. Drake Dodson had nine.

Isaac Morgan finished with 13 points for Triton Central (5-2, 0-1 ICC). Silas Blair had nine.

Indianapolis Lutheran 71, Southwestern 20

At Lutheran, the Class A, No. 9 Saints scored 32 first-quarter points to cruise past the Spartans Friday.

Cayden Loesher had a game-high 19 points for Lutheran (3-2). L.J. Ward added 11. Ten different Saints scored in the win.

Matt Clements led Southwestern with 10 points.

Girls basketball

Hauser 60, Waldron 48

At Hauser Saturday, Adrianna Musillami finished with 16 points and Madelyn Poe scored 15 to lead the host Jets (8-4, 4-0 Mid-Hoosier Conference) to their fourth straight victory.

Audrey Hogg led Waldron (3-9, 1-3 MHC) with a game-high 18 points. Josee Larrison backed her with 14 points.

The Mohawks are off until Dec. 27 when they will host their third annual holiday tournament.

Southwestern 45, Indianapolis Lutheran 36

At Lutheran Friday, Southwestern’s starting five combined for 40 points to produce the first victory of the season for the Spartans (1-10).

McKinley Correll led Southwestern with 12 points. Riley Engel finished with 10 and Cy Stockdale had eight.

Southwestern led 29-27 going into the fourth quarter then outscored the Saints 16-9 to secure the win.

Caitlyn Brooke led the Saints (2-8) with 17 points. Grace King finished with 10.

The Spartans will seek their second win of the season Wednesday in the Edinburgh Tournament. Southwestern opens the 8-team event at noon against Austin (6-6).

North Decatur 40, Waldron 39

At Waldron Friday, the host Mohawks held a 6-point lead going into the fourth quarter but the Chargers rallied for the win.

Ella Kunz had a team-high 15 points for North Decatur (10-4, 1-0 MHC).

Alyssa Benson led all scorers with 16 points. Josee Larrison finished with 10.

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Mt. Vernon brought its heralded freshman class to William L. Garrett Gymnasium Friday and put on a show.

Julien Smith, Luke Ertel and R’Mani Wells, all freshmen, combined for 35 points to help the Marauders dominate the Golden Bears, 74-42.

Mt. Vernon (4-2, 2-0 Hoosier Heritage Conference) raced out to a 25-9 lead after one quarter then hit 7-of-12 three-pointers in the second quarter to build a 55-27 advantage by halftime.

Smith and senior Eli Bridenthal hit 3s to start the third-quarter scoring while Shelbyville was nearly held scoreless.

Mt. Vernon’s 69-32 lead came in part to 13 of 27 shooting from beyond the arc (48%).

The Marauders finished the game shooting 51% from the field and nearly had more offensive rebounds (11) than Shelbyville had total rebounds (14).

Smith led Mt. Vernon with 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the arc. He also had five rebounds and two assists.

Adam Hackett, a senior, had 12 points and five rebounds. Wells finished with 10 points. Ertel had nine points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Ollie Sandman and Luke Brinkman each had 11 points to lead Shelbyville (2-5, 0-2 HHC). Caden Claxton finished with nine points.

Mt. Vernon outscored Shelbyville 20-13 in the fourth quarter to seal  a 52-39 victory in the junior varsity game.

Brody Runnebohm hit five 3s on the way to a team-high 15 points for Shelbyville. Kohen Myers had 13.

Mt. Vernon 74, Shelbyville 42

MV – Smith 5-8 1-2 16, Ertel 2-6 4-4 9, Bridenthal 2-5 1-2 6, Wells 2-6 4-7 10, Hackett 5-6 2-2 12, Fitzgerald 3-3 0-0 9, Teschendorf 2-4 2-2 7, Schank 0-2 0-0 0, King 0-0 0-0 0, Parra 0-3 0-0 0, Wright 1-1 1-2 3, Daugherty 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 23-45 15-21 74.

SH – Sandman 3-15 2-3 11, Brinkman 2-5 5-6 11, Parker 1-2 0-0 2, Claxton 2-5 4-4 9, Lambert 1-2 0-0 2, Badgley 1-4 0-0 2, West 0-0 0-0 0, Fortune 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Reed 1-1 2-2 5. Totals: 11-36 13-15 42.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MV (4-2)  25  30  15    5   – 74

SH (2-5)      9  18    5  10  -- 42

Three-point field goals: MV 13-31 (Smith 5-7, Ertel 1-3, Bridenthal 1-4, Wells 2-6, Hackett 0-1, Fitzgerald 3-3, Teschendorf 1-3, Schank 0-1, Parra 0-3), SH 7-22 (Sandman 3-10, Brinkman 2-5, Parker 0-1, Claxton 1-3, Asher 0-2, Reed 1-1). Rebounds: MV 33 (Smith 5, Ertel 7, Bridenthal 1, Wells 4, Hackett 5, Fitzgerald 2, Teschendorf 3, Schank 2, King 1, Parra 1, Wright 1, Daugherty 1), SH 14 (Brinkman 1, Parker 4, Claxton 4, Lambert 2, Badgley 3). Assists: MV 9 (Smith 2, Ertel 2, Bridenthal 2, Wells 1, Hackett 1, Schank 1), SH 6 (Sandman 2, Brinkman 1, Parker 1, West 1, Myers 1). Steals: MV 5 (Bridenthal 1, Hackett 2, Teschendorf 1, King 1), SH 2 (Parker 1, Claxton 1). Blocks: MV 2 (Smith 1, Bridenthal 1). Total fouls: MV 16, SH 14. Turnovers: MV 8, SH 14.

JV

Mt. Vernon 52, Shelbyville 39

MV – Parra 15, Wright 11, Daugherty 10, Jerabek 6, Davis 6, Cross 2, Johnson 2.

SH – Runnebohm 15, Myers 13, West 5, Reed 4, Isaacs 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MV  12    9  11  20  --  52

SH      5  12    9  13  --  39

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Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central moved one step closer to clinching another Indiana Crossroads Conference championship Thursday with a 35-19 victory at Speedway.

The Tigers (7-3, 5-0 ICC) held the Sparkplugs (4-6, 3-1 ICC) to two first-half points and Hallie Schweitzer scored nine of her team-high 11 points in the second half to help Triton Central secure the win.

Schweitzer’s 11 points was matched by Hailey Harris, who came off the bench to hit a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter when Triton Central opened up a 14-2 lead.

Maryrose Felling and Lizzie Graham each had five points in TC’s win.

Alex Delisle, who had Speedway’s only first-half field goal, finished with nine points.

The 19 points was a season-low for Speedway.

Triton Central can clinch no worse than a share of the ICC title Tuesday when Indianapolis Scecina (5-4, 1-2 ICC) visits Fairland.

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If you have the Christmas giving spirit, Shelbyville High School has a deal for you.

Admission is free Saturday to Shelbyville’s girls basketball game with Franklin and Shelbyville’s boys basketball game with Yorktown with a new unwrapped toy.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, Shelbyville (9-3) hosts potential sectional opponent Franklin (8-3). The varsity game will tip at approximately 2:30 p.m.

At 6 p.m., Shelbyville (2-4) hosts Yorktown (4-0) in a Hoosier Heritage Conference contest at Garrett Gymnasium. The varsity game will tip at approximately 7:30 p.m.

All toys will be donated to the Shelbyville Boys and Girls Club.

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The Indianapolis Colts, the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana Football Coaches Association have announced the 2022 Colts/IFCA Academic All-State Team.

The academic all-state team honors state high school football players who excel in the classroom as well as on the field.

Triton Central senior Hadyn Ball was one of 24 players honored with the designation.

Ball was selected for the defensive unit that includes Northfield’s Malachi Higgins, Clinton Prairie’s Landon Hughes, Perry Central’s Dylan Lynch, Center Grove’s Ryne Roehling, Bedford North Lawrence’s Kaedyn Bennett, Springs Valley’s Jack Dalton, Triton’s Brayden Cunningham, North Decatur’s Reid Messer, Linton-Stockton’s Hunter Gennicks, Connersville’s Gavin Pearson, Whiting’s Luke Zorich and Roncalli’s Andrew Baugh.

The 11-member offensive unit includes Peru’s Braxten Robbins, Indianapolis Scecina’s Mason Beriault, Fort Wayne Snider’s Lincoln Firks, LaPorte’s Nathan Donah, Western Boone’s Trevor Weakley, DeKalb’s Tegan Irk, Eastside’s Garrett Thompson, Boonville’s Clark Monks, Tri’s Sam Mondrush, Evansville Central’s Riley Broshears and Monroe Central’s Elijah Taylor.

Now in its 23^rd year, nominations for the award were collected from coaches across the state. The IFCA then selects the top student-athletes to receive the recognition.

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Gretchen Haehl has a good idea how Kylee Edwards is feeling despite having never met the Shelbyville senior.

The 2004 Shelbyville High School graduate became the Golden Bears’ career scoring leader her senior year. Fresh off a Class 3A sectional title, Haehl led the Golden Bears to a 4A sectional championship in 2004 – the last time Shelbyville won a sectional title.

“It was a lot of nerves going into a scheduled game right before the sectional,” said Haehl (photo), who was at William L. Garrett Gymnasium Tuesday night to watch Edwards attempt to break her scoring mark, of chasing the scoring record. “In the back of my mind I wanted it off my plate before going into the tournament. (Kylee) has plenty of time. She is going to crush it.”

Edwards entered Tuesday’s Hoosier Heritage Conference game with Greenfield-Central needing 22 points to surpass the record of 1,418 points.

Edwards’ first shot of the game was a 27-foot jumper that was off the mark. The senior went on to miss her first seven shots of the game, including four 3s, before sinking a pair of free throws near the midpoint of the second quarter that settled her down.

Edwards next two points came on an over-the-top pass from Ava Wilson that helped her become just the third Golden Bear to score 1,400 points in their career, joining Zach Kuhn (1,887 points) and Haehl.

With 15 points at the end of the third quarter, Edwards found the pace she needed to get the record, which has been discussed ever since she eclipsed 1,000 points in her junior season.

Edwards secured a rebound and was fouled while making a shot with 2:30 go in the fourth quarter. She completed the 3-point play to get to 1,417 points but missed on two more shot attempts late.

After the game, Haehl was able to talk with Edwards and Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler, who admitted the inevitability of the record was starting to wear on Edwards.

“It definitely is a thought process into everything. I wish she could have gotten it tonight so we could have been done with it, especially since Gretchen Haehl was here which was really cool to try and see her break it,” said Hoefler.

Edwards will break the record Saturday afternoon with her first two points against Franklin. The senior will be relieved to get the celebration over and focus her team on capturing a sectional title and continue to follow in Haehl’s footsteps.

During Haehl’s four-year career with the Golden Bears, the program won 77 games and two sectional titles. In 2003, the John Fair-led Golden Bears won 19 games and beat South Dearborn for a Class 3A sectional title. They were defeated by Mt. Vernon in the regional.

One year later, Shelbyville moved up to Class 4A and had a new head coach in Michael Gaines yet still won 18 games and defeated Bloomington North for back-to-back sectional titles. Mooresville ended Haehl’s career in the regional.

Gretchen and her twin sister, Gwen Haehl, were the building blocks for that sustained arc of success. Gretchen Haehl was named an Indiana All-Star after her senior season, which afforded her the opportunity to play the Indiana Junior All-Stars in an exhibition game held at Garrett Gymnasium in her hometown.

The Haehl sisters continued playing basketball together at DePauw University and helped the Tigers win the 2007 Division III national championship – the first national team championship for the university.

Gretchen Haehl majored in Economics and Spanish and was a Management Fellow at DePauw. She started working for Eli Lilly in Indianapolis and the pharmaceutical company helped her pursue her M.B.A. at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Haehl, who married Patrick Highlands earlier this year, is back in Indianapolis now working for Eli Lilly.

Gwen Haehl pursued her M.B.A. at Northwestern and she too works for Eli Lilly in the same building as her sister. Now married, she has a 3-year-old daughter and a newborn son.

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A potential storybook ending was falling into place. Only Greenfield-Central sophomore Chaney Brown had a different ending in mind.

Trailing 40-39, Shelbyville needed one final stop to get a chance at grabbing a Hoosier Heritage Conference victory Tuesday at William L. Garrett Gymnasium. And with senior Kylee Edwards sitting two points away from breaking the program’s career scoring record, an enthralled celebration would have ensued had Edwards gotten an opportunity to hit a game winner.

Instead, Brown calmly knocked down a 15-foot jumper with 9.6 seconds left on the scoreboard clock to give the visiting Cougars a 42-39 lead.

Edwards got a rushed 3-pointer off from the corner in the final seconds but it missed – leaving the record to be broken another day.

Brown finished with a team-high 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in her team’s 42-39 win that improved G-C to 5-6 this season and 2-1 in the HHC standings.

“She has a beautiful jump shot. She is really cool, calm and collected for a sophomore,” said Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler of Chaney Brown. “You usually don’t see that out of a sophomore. She does a nice job of making contested shots around the basket.”

Brown averaged 15.5 points per game as a freshman and is backing that averaging 15 ppg and 6.3 rebounds as one of the leaders for the Greenfield-Central squad.

Edwards was primed for a record-breaking night and the current record holder, 2004 Shelbyville graduate Gretchen Haehl, was in the building.

Edwards started slowly, missing all six of her first-quarter shots, but Abby Brenner picked up the scoring slack, scoring eight points in that span to give the Golden Bears a 10-6 lead.

Edwards scored eight points in the second quarter and Ellie Simpson hit what turned out to be Shelbyville’s only three-pointer of the game to stake the Golden Bears to a 21-18 lead at halftime.

“We were trying to get to the basket a little bit more. We were taking way too many outside shots,” said Hoefler. “We needed to get to the rim. In the second half, we started to get to the rim exactly how we needed to and now we need to finish at the basket. That is an ongoing theme we will be hitting hard these next couple of days.”

Greenfield-Central struggled to a 1-for-8 performance from beyond the arc in the third quarter but Shelbyville failed to capitalize with its own 2-for-9 shooting performance from the field and the Cougars cut the lead to 28-27.

Aryana Hibbard and Brown connected on three straight 3s to start the fourth quarter and the Cougars quickly built a 38-30 advantage.

Shelbyville needed a spark. Shelbyville needed Ava Wilson, who entered the game averaging 19.5 ppg but was still scoreless midway into the fourth quarter.

The junior guard finally found room to operate in the lane, scored and drew a foul with 3:43 left. She hit the free throw to cut the lead to 38-33.

Edwards got an easy layin off a turnover 37 seconds later to make it 38-35 and pull her within five points of the record.

Wilson missed a pair of free throws on the next possession but Edwards collected the rebound, scored and was fouled. She hit the free throw to tie the game with 2:30 to go. And she was sitting at 1,417 career points – one shy of tying Haehl’s mark.

Brown quickly slowed the rally with a 12-foot jumper from the wing to put Greenfield-Central up for good.

Brenner hit one of two free throws with 1:24 left to make it 40-39 and Hoefler trusted her defense to create a turnover.

A pair of Cougars passed up quick shot attempts before the ball rotated to Brown near the top of the key where she never hesitated to take the shot.

Edwards took a high pass deep in the corner after a timeout but didn’t get to square up her shot that would have made history and sent the game to overtime.

She finished with a game-high 20 points and six rebounds. Brenner had 11 points and six rebounds. Wilson finished with three points and three assists.

Shelbyville won the junior varsity game, 34-22. Sophia Asher led the Golden Bears with 12 points.

After starting the season 7-0, Shelbyville (9-3, 1-3 HHC) has lost three of its last five – all HHC contests by a total of 13 points – and now has Franklin (8-3), a potential sectional opponent, coming to Garrett Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.

Edwards will get one last opportunity to break the record on her home floor. Shelbyville travels to Valparaiso for a Dec. 22 tournament and three road games follow that trip.

Greenfield-Central 42, Shelbyville 39

GC – McConnell 3-10 1-2 9, Holmes 2-5 0-0 4, Brown 6-12 3-4 17, Hibbard 4-7 0-0 12, J. Smith 0-3 0-0 0, T. Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 15-39 4-6 42.

SH – Edwards 7-23 6-6 20, Brenner 5-12 1-2 11, Simpson 1-3 0-0 3, Wilson 1-7 1-3 3, Pogue 1-2 0-0 2, Keller 0-4 0-0 0, E. Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 15-52 8-11 39.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

GC (5-6)    4  12  9  15  --  42

SH (9-3)  10  11  7  11  --  39

Three-point field goals: GC 8-23 (McConnell 2-8, Brown 2-6, Hibbard 4-7, J. Smith 0-1, Anderson 0-1), SH 1-14 (Edwards 0-8, Brenner 0-2, Simpson 1-1, Wilson 0-2, Keller 0-1). Rebounds: GC 30 (McConnell 3, Holmes 7, Brown 6, Hibbard 5, J. Smith 4, Anderson 5), SH 20 (Edwards 6, Brenner 6, Simpson 2, Wilson 2, Pogue 2, E. Johnson 2). Assists: GC 11 (McConnell 1, Holmes 2, Brown 4, Hibbard 1, J. Smith 1, Anderson 2), SH 6 (Simpson 3, Wilson 3). Steals: GC 2 (Brown 1, Anderson 1), SH 11 (Edwards 1, Brenner 2, Simpson 4, Wilson 1, Pogue 2, E. Johnson 1). Blocks: GC 2 (Brown 1, Hibbard 1), SH 3 (Edwards 1, Brenner 1, Pogue 1). Total fouls: GC 7, SH 9. Turnovers: GC 21, SH 12.

JV

Shelbyville 34, Greenfield-Central 22

GC – D. Smith 5, Jones 4, Forshey 4, Moss 3, Hasty 3, Nelson 3.

SH – Asher 12, Stieneker 6, Baker 5, Keller 5, Collins 4, Fortune 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

GC    6  5  5  6  --  22

SH  15  9  4  6  --  34

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Shelbyville led after one quarter Tuesday  night at Greenwood but a poor shooting performance limited the Golden Bears the rest of the way in a 47-32 loss.

Shelbyville shot 24% from the field and hit just 2 of 19 three-point shots (11%) in its worst offensive performance of the season.

Ollie Sandman led Shelbyville (2-4), losers of three straight, with 13 points and five rebounds.

Damon Badgley finished with eight points and Caden Claxton (photo) had seven points.

The Woodmen (2-4) outscored Shelbyville 20-8 in the second quarter to take a 26-16 halftime advantage.

Shelbyville was never able to recover from there.

Jake Mosemann had 18 points for Greenwood.

Shelbyville hosts a pair of Hoosier Heritage Conference foes this week. Mt. Vernon (3-2, 1-0 HHC) visits Garrett Gymnasium Friday and Yorktown (4-0, 1-0) follows Saturday night.

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Shelbyville High School’s William L. Garrett Gymnasium marks its 55^th anniversary this month. The venue presents a synthesis of pleasing architectural style and basketball authenticity that has made it one of the state’s most celebrated sites.

Last year, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with the Hoosier Hardwood Photo Project named Garrett Gymnasium as one of the state’s top 10 gymnasiums.

The arena opened on Dec. 15, 1967, as the Golden Bears outlasted a talented Richmond squad to claim a 77-70 victory. Over the next five-and-a-half decades, the gymnasium has been the scene of innumerable remarkable, memorable moments and events.

Yet, the pinnacle of basketball talent to grace the gym’s hardwood floor did so on two occasions in 1968.

The Indiana Pacers basketball franchise was born in 1967 as a member of the newly-created American Basketball Association. The Pacers home was the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis, however team owners understood their ultimate success would entail appealing to the entire state, particularly the central Indiana region. They were intent on being a team for all Hoosiers, hence the name Indiana Pacers instead of Indianapolis Pacers.

During that initial season, the Pacers scheduled games at area high school gymnasiums in cities such as Anderson and New Castle and on Jan. 30, 1968, played the Pittsburgh Pipers at the new Shelbyville High School Gymnasium (it would not be dedicated to Bill Garrett’s memory until 1975).

This was a time of limited mass media and the ABA’s players were largely an unknown quantity. Fans in attendance at Shelbyville that night were unaware that they would be witnessing performances by two of the game’s all-time greatest players.

Indiana’s Roger Brown and Pittsburgh’s Connie Hawkins (photo) were Brooklyn high school legends who battled in historic match-ups that became part of New York roundball folklore. Both were unfairly implicated in a gambling scandal and, though never legally charged, were excluded from collegiate participation and eventually banned from the NBA and cast into virtual anonymity.

The confluence of circumstances resulted in the two landing in the fledging ABA for its inaugural season in 1967.

Hawkins won the statistical battle that January night in Shelbyville scoring 35 points to Brown’s 13, however the Pacers defeated the Pipers, 119-113. Freddie Lewis would lead Indiana in scoring with 31 points with teammate Bob Netolicky contributing 22.

Media circles were abuzz the week of the game concerning the Pacers’ acquisition of 7-foot center Reggie Harding. Players of that height were rare at the time and basketball experts believed Harding had a wealth of potential. He had been a high school superstar but had never gone to college.

Harding played his first game as a Pacer in Shelbyville that night and tallied 18 points and 22 rebounds. Unfortunately, Harding had difficulty subscribing to team and league rules and was waived at the end of the season.

The game ended in controversy as the Pipers protested that the SHS court was 10 feet shorter than the standard NBA court length of 94 feet. Pipers’ players and coaches could be seen arguing their point at the far end of the gym immediately after the game.

Pittsburgh filed an official protest with the league. Team president Gabe Rubin called the situation “a travesty.”

The argument seems poorly conceived as the ABA was notorious for consistently playing in high school gyms and even the most rudimentary facilities with courts of asymmetrical dimensions. One team’s home court was an old airline hangar.

The league denied the protest and upheld the Pacers’ victory.

Pittsburgh compiled the league’s best overall record at 54-24 that first season and went on to capture the league’s first title with a 4-3 championship series win over the New Orleans Buccaneers.

The Pipers’ Connie Hawkins was named the league’s Most Valuable Player with Roger Brown named All-ABA Second Team. The Pacers finished 38-40.

Shelbyville High School again played host to the Pacers on Oct. 6, 1968, this time for an exhibition contest. The Oakland Oaks and superstar Rick Barry (photo, right) were the opponents. Barry had led the San Francisco Warriors to the NBA finals in 1967 and was an all-star who had led the league in scoring with a 36 points per game average.

Barry’s disputes with the Warriors about money issues initiated his jump to the ABA. He was ordered to sit out the 1967-68 season but was cleared to play for the Oaks in 1968.

The event was once again sponsored by the Shelbyville Lions Club and saw one of the game’s biggest stars take to the Golden Bears court. Barry did not disappoint. He scored 48 points as the Oaks downed the Pacers, 147-138.

Newly-acquired center Mel Daniels led the Pacers with 25 points, Brown had 22 and former Indiana Mr. Basketball and IU star Jimmy Rayl finished with 20.

Barry suffered a season-ending injury in December, however the Oaks went on to post the league’s best record at 60-18. They won the 1969 ABA championship by defeating the Eastern Division champion Pacers in the finals.

Barry’s statistics for his abbreviated season: 34 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game and an 89% free throw percentage.

Both events were highlighted with a decidedly local flavor. The first featured a halftime shootout between five local business people including Mayor Ralph Van Natta. John Thomas won the competition and donated his prize to the Boys Club and The Ron Winton Fund.

Prior to the Pacers-Oaks contest, Shelbyville Boys Club travel teams squared off against opponents from Franklin and Rushville in preliminary games. 

The Pacers would go on to win five division titles and three ABA championships. Terry Pluto, author of “Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association,” designated the Pacers, “The Boston Celtics of the ABA,” in recognition of their consistent level of success and dominance during the league’s 9-year existence.

In 1968, basketball fans in attendance at the Pacers games in Shelbyville were treated to two evenings of watching some of the sport’s all-time greatest players.

Connie Hawkins, Roger Brown, Mel Daniels and Rick Barry are members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the crowning achievement for an American player.

Pacers’ Netolicky, Lewis, Daniels and Brown, along with Hawkins, and Barry, were named to the All-Time ABA Team comprised of the most outstanding 30 players in league history.

Brown and Daniels are two of only five Pacers to have their numbers retired. The aforementioned all played at Shelbyville on one or both of those nights in 1968.

In this day of hyperbole and mega-stardom, it is difficult to imagine a professional basketball team coming to a small town and performing before a local crowd. It is even more improbable that those in attendance would have the opportunity to be in the presence of so many of basketball’s all-time greats.

Shelbyville fans could not have appreciated the magnitude of what they were watching on those two evenings in 1968. Yet, as with all things, time provides a sense of clarity.

Today, reflection of those two special Pacers appearances in Shelbyville provides historical perspective and a renewed appreciation for the privilege of having witnessed a group of prodigious athletes demonstrate their skills in a very special gymnasium.

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Lizzie Graham set a Triton Central record for made three-pointers in a game and the Tigers rolled to their fourth Indiana Crossroads Conference win of the season.

On Tuesday at Cardinal Ritter, Graham hit nine 3s on the way to a 31-point performance in Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central’s 84-40 win.

All 31 points, including the nine 3s, came in the first three quarters as the Tigers built a 71-32 lead over the winless Raiders (0-12, 0-5 ICC). The Indiana University South Bend commit made four 3s in the first quarter and four more in the third.

Triton Central (6-3, 4-0 ICC) raced out to a 31-8 lead after one quarter with Graham (photo) scoring 12 points, Brooklyn Bailey getting nine and Hallie Schweitzer scoring eight.

Six different Tigers scored in the second quarter to help the lead grow to 53-18 by halftime.

Bailey finished the game with 15 points while Schweitzer had 10.

Nia Stubblefield hit six 3s for Ritter to finish with a team-high 21 points.

Triton Central will seek sole possession of the lead in the ICC standings Thursday with a road trip to Speedway (4-5, 3-0 ICC), the only other program still unbeaten in the conference standings.

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Taylor Heath scored 10 points, dished out three assists and collected two steals Saturday for Hanover’s women’s basketball program in a 68-54 victory over Defiance College.

Heath (main photo, with ball), a Triton Central graduate, helped Hanover improve to 6-2 this season and 3-0 against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes.

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

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate scored 20 points and had one rebound, two assists and three steals Saturday in Loyola’s 77-53 loss at Marquette.

On Dec. 7, Chandler scored a career-high 23 points and had four rebounds in Loyola’s 78-52 loss to DePaul.

Loyola is 3-8 this season.

Hayden Langkabel

The Morristown graduate finished with nine points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal Saturday in Marian’s 81-74 loss at Huntington.

The Knights are 11-2 this season and 3-2 in the Crossroads League.

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds Tuesday to help Oakland City secure a 79-75 road victory at Goshen College.

On Saturday, Moore finished with 17 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals in Oakland City’s 89-84 loss to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Oakland City is 6-5.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate had three points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block for Anderson’s women’s basketball program Saturday in a 79-70 win at Earlham.

The Ravens are 4-5 overall and 3-2 in the HCAC standings.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate finished second in the one-meter diving competition for Franklin College Saturday in a 158-47 win at Anderson.

Baker totaled 343.8 points in the diving competition.

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A former Rushville Lion great will be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

The board of directors of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the 2023 women’s induction class, to be honored at the 21^st Women’s Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

Among the nine players in the induction class is Jennifer (Marlow) Drudge who was not only a standout basketball player at Rushville, but also a 1994 State Tennis Doubles Runner-up.  Graduating from Rushville in 1995, Drudge scored a career 1,306 points, averaging over 20 points per game her senior season.  She was selected as 1^st team All sectional, Regional and All-State her senior season, while also being named an Indiana All-Star. 

Drudge played collegiately at Butler where right away, she was honored on the All-Newcomer Team her freshman season.  Her junior and senior seasons she was named 1^st Team All Conference and All-Defensive Team as a senior. 

Drudge was the Head Coach at Carmel from 2001-2004 and an assistant with the Greyhounds in 00-01 and again from 2009-13. 

She was inducted into the Butler Hall of Fame in 2013, while being named to their All-Centennial team. 

She has taught Chemistry at Carmel High School since 2000, while being their department chair since 2010.

The 2023 HOF class:

Name,  High School, Graduation
Kasia (McClendon) Campbell, Gary West Side, 1993

Bruce Dockery, Evansville Bosse, 1969

Katie Douglas, Perry Meridian, 1997

Jennifer (Marlow) Drudge, Rushville, 1995

Ruth (Riley) Hunter, North Miami, 1997

Sheila (McMillen) Keller, Rochester, 1995

Diane (Hoereth) Metz, Roncalli, 1986

Charmonique Stallworth, South Bend Washington, 1992

Lisa (Shepherd) Stidham, Richmond, 1997

Wiatt McLaughlin put on a show Saturday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium but his Whiteland team’s less-than-stellar free-throw shooting nearly cost the Warriors a win.

McLaughlin doubled his season-scoring average of 14 ppg with a 29-point performance to lead Whiteland to a 72-65 win at Shelbyville. The junior guard scored 25 points in the first and third quarters to keep his team in the game.

“He’s a very nice player. He has a nice pull-up jumper and for his height he gets to the basket really well and finishes really well,” said Shelbyville coach John Hartnett. “He is a hard player to stop and we couldn’t get it done tonight.”

The Golden Bears (2-3) trailed 51-42 entering the fourth quarter and waited too long to start sending the Warriors (2-3) to the charity stripe.

Whiteland entered the game shooting 62% as a team but lowered that with a 14-for-28 performance against Shelbyville.

The Golden Bears got as close as 67-63 inside the final minute but Jazz Banwait, McLaughlin and Gavin Stubbe made five of Whiteland’s final six free-throw attempts to seal the win.

Ollie Sandman, who finished with 28 points to lead Shelbyville, scored seven points in less than 30 seconds to slash Whiteland’s lead to 66-61. The senior was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and hit all three free throws with 1:12 to go. He then hit a contested 3 and was fouled with 48 seconds left to add another free throw.

McLaughlin hit one of two free throws and Jackson Parker added two more free throws to Shelbyville’s push to cut the lead to 67-63.

“We know we are making progress with our guys,” said Hartnett. “We just need to learn to finish games. We have to find ways to win. These guys know what they are capable of doing. We have to be mentally tougher and physically tougher and find ways to get it done.”

McLaughlin got hot early, scoring 14 of his team’s 21 first-quarter points to build an 8-point lead.

Shelbyville held McLaughlin scoreless in the second quarter and cut Whiteland’s lead to 29-27 by halftime.

McLaughlin’s 11 third-quarter points helped the Warriors get a 51-42 lead going into the fourth.

Austin Willoughby finished with 12 points and Brayden Roy had nine points and 12 rebounds.

Damon Badgley scored 14 points off the bench for Shelbyville. Luke Brinkman finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Ethan Lambert had six points and six rebounds.

Shelbyville travels to Greenwood (1-4) Tuesday.

Whiteland 72, Shelbyville 65

WH – Helm 2-3 0-0 4, Banwait 2-5 3-6 8, McLaughlin 12-22 4-7 29, Roy 4-5 1-4 9, Willoughby 5-7 2-7 12, Edwards 0-5 2-2 2, Scifres 0-0 0-0 0, Stubbe 1-2 2-2 5, Perkins 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 27-51 14-28 72.

SH – Sandman 6-16 11-13 28, Brinkman 4-11 0-0 8, Parker 0-2 4-4 4, Claxton 1-8 0-0 3, Lambert 3-4 0-0 6, Badgley 5-10 2-2 14, Asher 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 20-54 17-19 65.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

WH (2-3)  21    8  22  21  --  72

SH (2-3)    13  14  15  23  --  65

Three-point field goals: WH 4-14 (Helm 0-1, Banwait 1-2, McLaughlin 1-3, Willoughby 0-1, Edwards 0-4, Stubbe 1-2, Perkins 1-1), SH 8-27 (Sandman 5-13, Brinkman 0-3, Claxton 1-5, Badgley 2-4, Asher 0-2). Rebounds: WH 30 (Helm 4, Banwait 5, McLaughlin 5, Roy 12, Edwards 3, Perkins 1), SH 30 (Sandman 4, Brinkman 9, Parker 4, Claxton 1, Lambert 6, Badgley 4, Asher 2). Assists: WH 8 (Banwait 3, McLaughlin 1, Willoughby 2, Scifres 2), SH 7 (Sandman 2, Brinkman 2, Parker 1, Claxton 2). Steals: WH 3 (Banwait 2, Willoughby 1), SH 1 (Badgley 1). Blocks: WH 3 (Roy 1, Willoughby 1, Scifres 1). Total fouls: WH 17, SH 21. Fouled out: Helm (WH), Brinkman (SH), Badgley (SH).

JV

Whiteland 49, Shelbyville 45

SHS record: 4-1.

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NEW CASTLE – A lackluster start for Shelbyville coupled with a hot-shooting quarter for New Castle left the Golden Bears puzzled by a 30-27 halftime lead Friday at winless New Castle.

With a goal of getting to the rim and scoring in the second half, Ava Wilson (main photo) went to work. The Shelbyville junior guard scored half of her game-high 24 points in the third quarter when the Golden Bears smothered the Trojans and built a 54-34 lead.

Shelbyville forced New Castle into 41 turnovers and just 34 shot attempts to improve to 9-2 (1-2 HHC) this season in a 76-41 victory.

The Golden Bears scored 46 second-half points to secure their first Hoosier Heritage Conference victory of the season.

Wilson also had six rebounds, two assists and four steals.

Kylee Edwards (photo) continued her pursuit of the Shelbyville career scoring record with 19 points. She currently has 1,397 points and is 22 points away from breaking Gretchen Haehl’s career scoring mark of 1,418 points.

The senior also added six rebounds, four assists and seven steals in the victory.

Abby Brenner contributed 11 points and three steals and Ellie Keller finished with 10 points off the bench.

New Castle (0-11, 0-4 HHC) entered the game shooting just over 20% from the 3-point line but hit 5-of-8 attempts in the first half against Shelbyville to keep the game close despite committing 18 turnovers.

 Emma Hart led New Castle with 12 points and six assists. Jayci Reeves and Chloe Vaughn each finished with nine points.

Edwards, averaging 23.9 ppg this season, could break the program record Tuesday when the Golden Bears host Greenfield-Central (4-6, 1-1 HHC).

Steve Bush photos                 

Shelbyville 76, New Castle 41

SH – Edwards 6-16 6-6 19, Simpson 2-3 0-0 4, Keller 4-5 2-2 10, Wilson 11-19 2-3 24, Pogue 0-0 0-0 0, E. Johnson 1-2 1-2 3, L. Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Brenner 5-11 1-2 11, Marshall 0-0 0-0 0, S. Baker 2-3 0-0 5, H. Baker 0-0 0-1 0. Totals: 31-59 12-18 76.

NC – Hart 5-9 1-1 2, Stearns 0-1 0-0 0, Reeves 4-7 1-3 9, Vaughn 3-4 0-0 9, McTier 1-1 0-0 2, Clark 1-4 0-0 3, Mathews 1-2 0-0 3, Bush 0-1 0-0 0, Tyner 1-4 0-0 3, Minyard 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 16-34 2-4 41.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH (9-2)    12  18  24  22  --  76

NC (0-11) 13  14    7    7  --  41

Three-point field goals: SH 2-11 (Edwards 1-5, Simpson 0-1, Wilson 0-2, Brenner 0-1, S. Baker 1-2), NC 7-12 (Hart 1-4, Vaughn 3-4, Clark 1-2, Mathews 1-1, Tyner 1-1). Rebounds: SH 21 (Edwards 6, Keller 1, Wilson 6, Pogue 1, E. Johnson 3, L. Johnson 1, Brenner 2, H. Baker 1), NC 22 (Hart 1, Stearns 1, Reeves 7, Vaughn 2, McTier 2, Clark 3, Mathews 3, Tyner 2, Minyard 1). Assists: SH 11 (Edwards 4, Simpson 3, Wilson 2, L. Johnson 1, Brenner 1), NC 10 (Hart 6, Stearns 1, Vaughn 1, Bush 1, Minyard 1). Steals: SH 18 (Edwards 7, Keller 1, Wilson 4, E. Johnson 1, Brenner 3, S. Baker 2), NC 2 (Hart 1, Clark 1). Blocks: SH 3 (Edwards 1, Wilson 1, L. Johnson 1), NC 1 (Stearns 1). Total fouls: SH 13, NC 14. Turnovers: SH 12, NC 41.

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Yorktown held off Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights to capture both Shelby Relays championship trophies Saturday afternoon at Shelbyville High School.

The Yorktown girls won five of the 11 relay races contested to collect 136 points. Pendleton Heights was runner-up at 122 points followed by Mt. Vernon (104), Columbus East (100), Shelbyville (82), Batesville (46) and Hagerstown 16).

Yorktown captured four wins and four runner-up finishes to amass 140 points in the boys event. Mt. Vernon was second at 124 while Pendleton Heights placed third (114). Shelbyville finished fourth (80) ahead of Batesville (78) and Hagerstown (42).

“Overall, I was extremely happy,” said Shelbyville head coach Coen Weiler. “We’ve had a lot of conversations this whole season just talking about the size of our team in relation to where we’ve been in the past. We are a little bit small in numbers but we’ve really come together as a unit.

“If you look at that final boys relay, we were the only team left with everybody out on the deck, with everybody engaged, with everybody into it. That’s what we’ve been trying to drive home is developing that sense of camaraderie and cheering people on and being into it when there are only 19 total. We are really getting that figured out and today really showed it.”

The Golden Bears produced one event win in the boys 200 freestyle relay. Trey Carrell, Andrew Duffy, Tristin Maloney and Will Rife (main photo) bested the field with a time of 1:39.72.

On the boys side, Shelbyville also got runner-up finishes in the 200 medley relay (Rife, Carrell, Maloney and Duffy (photo), 1:52.26) and the 100 freestyle relay (Elijah von Werder, Blake Hughes, Gaige Harker and Beau Kenkel, 53.45).

In the girls event, Shelbyville also produced a pair of runner-up finishes.

Lexi Dwiggins (photo), Riley Everette, Paige Bohman and Naomi Garringer finished second in the 375 freestyle relay in 4:11.8.

Bohman and Naomi Garringer teamed with Meeghen Bushfield and Miriam Garringer to place second in the 100 freestyle relay in 52.04.

Shelbyville has two more home meets on the 2022 portion of the schedule – Tuesday with East Central and Dec. 29 with Batesville and Chatard.

The 2023 schedule begins with the Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet on Jan. 6-7. The Golden Bears got a preview of the competition Saturday with Yorktown, Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights all competing in the relays-only event. Greenfield-Central also will be formidable at the HHC event at New Palestine.

With state qualifiers Karissa Hamilton and Marlee Rice lost to graduation, the Shelbyville girls program is building around veteran Miriam Garringer and a talented freshman class.

“Right now, we are trying to figure out what high school swimming is a little bit,” said Weiler. “I think after Christmas break when they’ve gone through some real rigorous Christmas break training, I think it will really change where their mindset is at and get them to realize where they are at talent wise and that will pay off big time at the end of this season and really build into the next season.”

Miriam Garringer, a junior, finished fourth in the 200 freestyle sectional championship race as sophomore.

“She has really stepped up in skill and ability and confidence in herself,” said Weiler. “I think everyone looks at her as a significant leader and really follows her example. I think she is really flourishing in that role.”

The program also has 2021 regional-qualifying diver Maiah Helfer-Vazquez back competing after missing most of the 2022 season.

“We worked hard those first couple of meets getting her back on the (diving) board and being confident, getting rid of any doubts from having to miss a full year for things out of her control,” said Weiler. “Last week, she broke through breaking her career personal record by seven points. This early in the season, I think that is huge for her.”

While the girls program was bolstered by the addition of six freshmen, the boys program has a more veteran presence without the addition of a single freshman.

The eight-member boys program features four seniors, two juniors and two sophomores.

Senior Trey Carrell and junior Will Rife competed in the 2022 state finals and are back leading the Golden Bears.

“This season you can really tell as a senior and knowing he is No. 1 or No. 2 with him and Will battling back and forth, you can really tell Trey is taking himself really seriously and setting the standard for the rest of the boys,” said Weiler.

“Will, right now, is looking really, really good,” said Weiler. “He is on the times that we didn’t see (last year) until well after Christmas break and going into the sectional. He has already beaten his entry time for sectional last year significantly. I am really excited to see what we can get out of him at the conference meet.”

Shelby Relays

Boys results

Yorktown 140, Mt. Vernon 124, Pendleton Heights 114, Shelbyville 80, Batesville 78, Hagerstown 42

200 medley relay: 1. YT 1:50.61; 2. SH (Rife, Carrell, Maloney, Duffy) 1:52.26; 3. MV 2:00.17; 4. PH 2:27.68; 5. HT 2:44.51.

800 freestyle relay: 1. YT 7:42.68; 2. PH 8:59.88; 3. HT 9:13.32; 4. MV 9:34.82; 5. BV 10:57.33.

400 medley relay: 1. MV 3:46.85; 2. PH 4:04.74; 3. YT 4:15.05; 4. SH (Carrell, Duffy, Rife, von Werder) 4:21.03; 5. BV 5:25.54.

375 freestyle relay: 1. YT 3:31.51; 2. BV 3:32.06; 3. PH 3:38.75; 4. SH (Harker, Hughes, Kenkel, von Werder) 4:20.09; 5. HT 4:23.06; 6. MV 4:24.72.

150 butterfly relay: 1. PH 1:16.34; 2. YT 1:17.24; 3. SH (Carrell, Maloney, Rife) 1:20.77; 4. BV 1:26.27; 5. MV 1:38.23.

100 freestyle relay: 1. MV 41.88; 2. SH (von Werder, Hughes, Harker, Kenkel) 53.45; 3. PH 54.57; 4. YT 57.72; 5. BV 1:01.06; 6. HT 1:02.08.

1000 freestyle relay: 1. YT 10:17.01; 2. HT 11:15.77; 3. BV 11:37.85; 4. MV 12:27.11; 5. PH 12:36.64.

200 freestyle relay: 1. SH (Carrell, Duffy, Maloney, Rife) 1:39.72; 2. YT 1:45.01; 3. PH 1:54.95; 4. MV 2:11.9; 5. BV 2:17.16.

150 backstroke relay: 1. MV 1:17.8; 2. PH 1:21.79; 3. YT 1:22.54; 4. BV 1:51.58; 5. SH (Harker, Hughes, Kenkel) 1:54.67; 6. HT 1:57.61.

150 breaststroke relay: 1. MV 1:27.04; 2. YT 1:32.49; 3. BV 1:36.73; 4. PH 1:43.66.

400 freestyle relay: 1. MV 3:25.79; 2. YT 3:36.63; 3. PH 3:38.55; 4. SH (Maloney, Duffy, Kenkel, von Werder) 4:00.48; 5. BV 4:38.96.

Girls results

Yorktown 136, Pendleton Heights 122, Mt. Vernon 104, Columbus East 100, Shelbyville 82, Batesville 46, Hagerstown 16

200 medley relay: 1. YT 2:08.75; 2. CE 2:13.03; 3. MV 2:13.36; 4. SHS (N. Garringer, Bushfield, Everette, Bohman) 2:13.52; 5. BV 2:18.21; 6. PH 2:30.83; 7. HT 2:39.91

800 freestyle relay: 1. YT 8:35.61; 2. PH 8:36.21; 3. CE 10:27.36; 4. MV 10:27.74; 5. BV 12:04.2.

400 medley relay: 1. PH 4:35.41; 2. MV 4:35.68; 3. CE 4:51.14; 4. YT 5:03.01; 5. BV 5:14.64; 6. SH (Wheelhouse, Dwiggins, Stader, Conners) 5:48.95.

375 freestyle relay: 1. PH 3:53.85; 2. SH (Dwiggins, Everette, Bohman, N. Garringer) 4:11.8; 3. CE 4:25.63; 4. YT 4:36.58; 5. HT 4:43.6; 6. BV 5:18.77.

150 butterfly relay: 1. YT 1:24.1; 2. PH 1:30.67; 3. SH (Bushfield, Everette, M. Garringer) 1:32.2; 4. CE 1:32.72; 5. MV 1:46.28; 6. BV 1:47.15.

100 freestyle relay: 1. MV 50.1; 2. SH (Bohman, Bushfield, N. Garringer, M. Garringer) 52.04; 3. YT 1:00.08; 4. CE 1:00.47; 5. HT 1:01.05; 6. BV 1:03.2; 7. PH 1:04.09.

1000 freestyle relay: 1. PH 11:40.32; 2. YT 11:47.17; 3. CE 12:20.84; 4. MV 13:44.93; 5. SH (Conners, Wheelhouse) 15:15.71.

200 freestyle relay: 1. PH 1:53.33; 2. MV 1:54.62; 3. YT 2:01.31; 4. SH (Stader, Conners, Wheelhouse, Dwiggins) 2:13.53; 5. CE 2:14.18; 6. BV 2:14.3; 7. HT 2:15.61.

150 backstroke relay: 1.YT 1:37.57; 2. MV 1:38.34; 3. CE 1:41.26; 4. BV 1:52.31; 5. SH (Stader, Conners, Wheelhouse) 2:06.34.

150 breaststroke relay: 1. YT 1:48.02; 2. PH 1:49.13; 3. CE 1:49.64; 4. MV 2:01.55; 5. SH (Dwiggins, M. Garringer, Bushfield) 2:02.43; 6. BV 2:10.43.

400 freestyle relay: 1. PH 4:01.13; 2. MV 4:03.45; 3. SH (Bohman, Everette, N. Garringer, M. Garringer) 4:10.79; 4. YT 4:20.86; 5. CE 4:35.76.

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NEW CASTLE – Containing New Castle senior Gavin Welch was a high priority for Shelbyville Friday in its Hoosier Heritage Conference opener.

Welch, a six-foot, six-inch athletic wing, opted to be a bigger difference maker on defense. The Division II Barry University (Fla.) recruit shadowed Shelbyville’s Ollie Sandman the entire game, which slowed down the Golden Bears’ offense.

Sandman (photo), who averages 19.5 points per game, was limited to 13 points on 10 shot attempts in Shelbyville’s 50-38 loss.

“Gavin did a great job on Ollie,” said Shelbyville coach John Hartnett. “Ollie is a heck of a player to guard. I thought they did a good job of containing Ollie a little bit. I wish our offense would have had a little bit more movement on all the things we worked on this week. It was almost like we were a little too timid tonight attacking the basket.”

Welch and fellow New Castle senior Ethan Hinton entered the game averaging 20 ppg apiece. The dynamic duo finished with just 16 points total as Colin Taylor picked up the scoring pace.

The junior guard scored a game-high 19 points, with 15 coming in the fourth quarter when the Trojans (3-2, 1-0 HHC) turned a two-point lead into a 12-point victory.

“We did what we needed to do in the first half,” said Hartnett. “Our first-half defense was really good. I told the guys at halftime you have to lock in and go finish this thing. In that fourth quarter, we let Taylor get away and they took off and ran with it in the end.”

A 5-0 run midway through the third quarter gave the Golden Bears (2-2, 0-1 HHC) a 22-19 lead. Jackson Parker and Damon Badgley hit three free throws and Sandman splashed a fall away 17 footer.

And with 3:11 left in the quarter, Sandman drove the lane and scored to give Shelbyville a 24-21 lead.

New Castle scored the final five points of the quarter to take a 26-24 lead into the fourth quarter and Taylor took over from there. He scored 11 of the Trojans’ first 13 points of the quarter to create a 39-30 advantage.

From there, New Castle hit 11 of 12 free throws to seal the victory.

Tyson Lewis finished with five points and 10 rebounds. Welch had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. Hinton had six points and five rebounds.

Sandman led Shelbyville with 13 points and four rebounds. Badgley finished with nine points. Ethan Lambert (photo) had six points and six rebounds.

Steve Bush photos.

New Castle 50, Shelbyville 38

SH – Sandman 5-10 0-0 13, Brinkman 1-7 0-0 2, Parker 1-6 1-2 3, Claxton 2-5 0-0 5, Lambert 3-6 0-0 6, Badgley 3-6 3-5 9, Asher 0-1 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-41 4-7 38.

NC – Lewis 1-5 2-2 5, Hinton 2-6 1-2 5, Taylor 7-9 4-4 19, Welch 3-12 3-4 10, Johnson 0-3 0-0 0, Butler 2-5 5-6 10, Boatright 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 15-42 15-18 50.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH (2-2)    6  11  7  14  --  38

NC (3-2)    6  11  9  24  --  50

Three-point field goals: SH 4-18 (Sandman 3-7, Brinkman 0-4, Parker 0-2, Claxton 1-2, Badgley 0-2, Asher 0-1), NC 5-23 (Lewis 0-4, Hinton 1-4, Taylor 1-3, Welch 1-6, Johnson 0-3, Butler 1-3). Rebounds: SH 22 (Sandman 4, Brinkman 3, Parker 3, Claxton 3, Lambert 6, Badgley 2, Asher 1), NC 26 (Lewis 10, Hinton 5, Taylor 4, Welch 4, Johnson 1, Butler 1, Thompson 1). Assists: SH 4 (Sandman 1, Parker 2, Badgley 1), NC 3 (Hinton 1, Taylor 1, Welch 1). Steals: NC 4 (Lewis 1, Taylor 1, Welch 2). Blocks: SH 1 (Parker 1), NC 2 (Hinton 1, Welch 1). Total fouls: SH 17, NC 11. Fouled out: Parker (SH). Turnovers: SH 13, NC 6.

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Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central had three players score in double figures to lead the Tigers to a 50-26 victory Saturday night at Southwestern.

Lizzie Graham hit five three-pointers on the way to a game-high 17 points. Maryrose Felling and Brooklyn Bailey each finished with 10 points.

Triton Central (5-3) led 15-4 after the first quarter and 33-9 at halftime.

McKinley Correll led Southwestern (0-10) with 13 points.

Triton Central won the junior varsity game, 49-14.

Cheyenne Allen led Triton Central with 17 points.

Katelynn Coffman topped Southwestern with five points.

Southwestern is at Morristown (3-7) Tuesday. Triton Central travels to Indianapolis Ritter (0-11) Tuesday.

In other prep events Saturday:

Boys basketball

Tri-Central 63, Morristown 48

At Tri-Central, the visiting Yellow Jackets led at the end of each of the first two quarters but surrendered 43 second-half points to the Trojans to fall to 1-6 this season.

Jameson Palmer and Mathew Carlton each had 14 points for Morristown. Palmer also had a team-high seven rebounds.

Wyatt Marcum finished with six points, two rebounds and four steals.

Tri-Central improved to 2-3 this season.

Morristown hosts South Decatur (2-2) Friday.

Girls basketball

Waldron 40, Knightstown 35

At Knightstown, a strong first quarter got Waldron off to a strong start and a 14-3 lead but the Panthers recovered to take the lead at halftime.

The Mohawks answered back with a strong third quarter that proved enough to secure the road victory.

Alyssa Benson led Waldron (3-7) with 16 points, three assists and four steals.

Josee Larrison added nine points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Knightstown dropped to 3-8 this season.

Waldron won the junior varsity game, 35-26. Audrey Hogg led Waldron (2-5) with seven points.

Waldron hosts North Decatur (8-4) Friday.

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Class 2A, No. 13 Triton Central bounced back strong from its first loss of the season to defeat Class 3A, No. 4 Greensburg Friday, 54-51.

The host Tigers (5-1) trailed after the first three breaks in the action but put together a balanced effort in the fourth quarter where six different players scored to complete the come-from-behind victory.

Isaac Morgan topped Triton Central with 13 points. Eli Sego and Silas Blair each had 11 and Luke Faust added nine points.

Greensburg (1-1) led 22-14 after one quarter, 28-22 at halftime and 37-36 at the end of three quarters.

Jack McKinsey scored nine of his game-high 16 points in the first quarter for the Pirates. Ki Dyer finished with 13 and Jeter Edwards had 11 points.

On Wednesday, Roncalli hit eight second-half three-pointers to run away from Triton Central, 71-54.

The game was tied 34-all at halftime before the Rebels (2-1) connected on six 3s in the third quarter to build a 58-48 lead that the Tigers could not overcome.

Roncalli made 15 3s in the victory.

Luke Kegerreis led Roncalli with 25 points. Nolan Tunny finished with 15 and Drew Kegerreis had 13.

Morgan led Triton Central with 17 points. Faust had 15 and Max Crouse came off the bench to score 10 points.

Triton Central opens its Indiana Crossroads Conference schedule Friday at Cascade (2-2, 1-1 ICC).

In other prep events:

Boys basketball

Waldron 46, Morristown 45

At Morristown, the host Yellow Jackets staged a furious second-half comeback attempt that fell just short.

Waldron (3-3, 1-1 Mid-Hoosier Conference) led 22-10 at halftime but Morristown (1-5, 1-1 MHC) outscored the Mohawks 19-9 in the third quarter to cut the advantage to 31-29 going into the fourth quarter.

Morristown grabbed the lead at 45-43 before Waldron’s Bryce Yarling tied the game late in the fourth quarter. After a defensive stop, Yarling drew the defense to him and found Sam Jones, who was fouled trying to score with 11 seconds left.

Jones converted one of two free throws to get the Mohawks the lead and Jacob Lindsey deflected a Morristown pass to seal the victory on Military Night at the Bee Hive.

Lucas Mitchell led Waldron with 20 points. Yarling finished with 13.

Jameson Palmer led three Morristown players in double figures. Palmer finished with 14 points. Cade Mahin had 12 and Wyatt Marcum added 10.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action tonight at Tri-Central (1-3).

Waldron hosts Southwestern on Dec. 17.

Trinity Lutheran 59, Southwestern 42

At Southwestern Friday, the visiting Cougars built a 31-22 halftime advantage then outscored the Spartans 16-6 in the third quarter to build a 19-point lead that led to their first victory of the season.

Luke Coomler and Levi Pottschmidt combined to make nine 3s and each finished with 15 points for Trinity Lutheran (1-3). Ten different Cougars scored in the win.

Matthew Clements led Southwestern (0-5) with 18 points. Ben Kahler finished with nine.

On Thursday, Daniel Davis scored 18 points to lead Tri to a 60-17 victory. Caelin Coffman had 14 points and Bryant Cornelius finished with 11.

Connor Jewell led Southwestern with six points.

Southwestern travels to Class A, No. 3 Indianapolis Lutheran (1-0) Friday.

Girls basketball

Morristown 62, Waldron 38

At Morristown Friday, Nevaeh Sanders had 22 points and six steals to lead the host Yellow Jackets to the win on Military Night.

Raegan Kleine finished with 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists. Danika Rutledge had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Morristown (3-7, 1-1 MHC) raced out to an 18-5 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 27-13 at halftime.

A 21-point third quarter sealed the victory.

Waldron dropped to 2-7 this season and 1-1 against MHC foes.

The Mohawks travel to Knightstown (3-7) tonight.

Morristown is at Oldenburg Academy (5-4) Monday.

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Racing dates for the 21^st season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing were approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) at their regular meeting Thursday, Dec. 1 held at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. A total of 123 racing days are on the calendar with six all-Quarter Horse racing days included in the overall total.

One of the biggest changes for the 2023 racing season is the addition of several Saturday dates from June 3 through Sept. 2. Five of those dates are allotted for Quarter Horse racing with a first post time of 10:45 a.m. Five dates in that time frame will be Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing with a first post of 5:30 p.m. while two dates, July 8 and Aug. 26 will have an earlier post time of 12 p.m. The July 8 date will be the track’s signature event, the 29^th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby which headlines a day of stakes action that exceeds $1 million.

“With the added Saturday dates, we will be able to offer retail customers the opportunity to come out and enjoy racing during the summer,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “We have inserted ourselves into the national weekly racing calendar and found a great fit for our product. Now, we hope to begin the process to establish ourselves during the weekend when racing activity escalates and is a more competitive market. We feel our program has grown enough over the past few years to allot us the opportunity to work for the weekend audiences.”

The general racing calendar will begin with a Monday through Thursday schedule with Monday racing dropped in the summer to accommodate Saturday racing. In September, the schedule will go back to the original format of Monday through Thursday.

In addition to Indiana Derby, the fourth annual Indiana Champions Day, also featuring stakes races in excess of $1 million, is slated for Saturday, Oct. 28 with a first post of 12 p.m.

Horseshoe Indianapolis will also conduct live racing on three holidays during the meet. Racing will be held Monday, May 29 for Memorial Day and Tuesday, July 4 for Independence Day with a first post of 12 p.m. Racing will also be held Saturday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day featuring an all-Quarter Horse card beginning at 10:45 a.m.

The 21^st season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing resumes Tuesday, April 18 and concludes Friday, Nov. 17. Racing will be held during the week beginning at 2:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with Thursday post times set at 2:10 p.m. Saturday racing will be offered on 16 dates in 2023 with six of those dates reserved for all-Quarter Horse action.

County tournament trophies, MVP’s, Victory Bells and just good old fashioned bragging rights will be on the line the first weekend of the new year.

The 2023 Shelby County Tournament Basketball Tournament will be held at Morristown January 5 – 7.  On Wednesday, the county’s head coaches and athletic directors met at their traditional breakfast  to hold the blind draw to set the brackets for the event.

The girls tournament semifinals will be on Thursday, January 5.  In the opening game, Morristown will host Triton Central. In their first meeting, November 23, Morristown defeated the Tigers in Fairland, 38-35. It was the end of a 30-game losing streak for the Yellow Jackets in the series.  Morristown (2-7) never trailed at the end of each quarter which helped it secure its first win over Triton Central (4-3) since Jan. 10, 2004.

It will be another rematch in the second semifinal.  On November 11, after an 0-3 start to the season Waldron (2-6) defeated Southwestern for Ilea Shipp’s first head coaching win, 44-32.

Southwestern (0-9) is still fighting inexperience and the absence of leading returning scorer Lilly Rooks due to a torn ACL.

The boys tournament will open on Friday.  In the opening semifinal at 6 p.m., defending champion Waldron (2-3) will play Southwestern (0-3).  A preview of that matchup happens when the Mohawks host the Spartans on December 17.

The county tournament semifinal is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. A second regular season meeting will be at Southwestern on January 27. A potential fourth meeting could happen in Sectional 60.

In the boys second semifinal, Triton Central will square off against Morristown (1-4).  The Tigers dominated the first meeting at Fairland on Thanksgiving Eve, 61-26.

Triton Central (4-0) completed a sweep of all of the other teams in Shelby County, including a win at Shelbyville, to open the season.

New Morristown head coach Cory Krieger will make his county tournament debut.

The championship games will be held Saturday, January 7.  The girls tip at 6 p.m.  Time will be allowed between games for celebration and cutting down the nets following the girls championship game.  The boys will tip-off at approximately 8 p.m.

Every game of the Shelby County Tournament can be heard on GIANT fm Sports (96.5, 106.3, giant.fm and GIANT fm app).

Hayden Langkabel finished with nine points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal Saturday for No. 5 Marian, but it was not enough to keep the Knights unbeaten.

Indiana Wesleyan, ranked No. 21, pinned the first loss of the season on Marian, 81-79. The Knights dropped to 10-1 overall and 3-1 in the Crossroads League.

Marian rebounded Monday to defeat Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, 84-49. Langkabel had nine points, four assists and one block.

On Nov. 30, Langkabel, a Morristown graduate, had 24 points, four rebounds, one steal and one assist in Marian’s 78-75 win over Bethel.

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

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists Saturday in Loyola’s 57-54 win over Bradley.

The Ramblers improved to 3-6.

On Thursday, Loyola lost at Illinois Chicago, 45-36. Chandler had four points, five rebounds and three steals.

Rylie Stephens

The Triton Central graduate had two rebounds Saturday in Samford’s 71-59 win over Southern Miss. The win improved Samford to 4-6 this season.

On Nov. 30, Samford traveled to Jacksonville State and lost, 75-59. Stephens was credited with four rebounds.

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate led Hanover to a 74-50 victory at Bluffton Saturday with a 12-point, seven-assist performance. She also had three steals to get Hanover to 5-2 this season and 2-0 against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes.

On Nov. 30, Heath had 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists in Hanover’s 79-71 win over Anderson.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate had one rebound and one assist on Nov. 30 for Anderson in a 79-71 loss to Hanover.

On Saturday, Larrison finished with three points, three rebounds and one assist in Anderson’s 77-75 loss to Mount St. Joseph.

Larrison had six points, two rebounds and one steal Sunday in Anderson’s 96-66 loss at Webster in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Ravens are 3-5 this season.

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate had four points, six rebounds and two assists Tuesday in Oakland City’s 100-62 loss at Indiana University Kokomo.

On Nov. 30, Moore finished with 16 points, two rebounds, six assists and one steal in a 120-115 double-overtime victory at Indiana University East.

The Oaks are 5-4 this season.

Tenleigh Phelps

The Triton Central graduate scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds and had three assists Tuesday in Youngstown State’s 102-39 win over West Virginia Tech.

Youngstown State is 5-3.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate finished second in both one-meter diving sessions Saturday for Franklin College in a 167-31 win over Hanover.

Baker was runner-up to teammate Gauge Creech in session No. 1 – 197.71 to 163.06; and again in session No. 2 – 293.71-231.

Jill Anspaugh

The Shelbyville graduate was one of 40 Franklin College student-athletes named to the HCAC Tom Bohlsen Academic All-Conference Team.

Athletes must have at least a cumulative 3.5 GPA and be a varsity athlete.

A total of 365 student-athletes from the conference’s 10 academic institutions earned the annual award for HCAC fall sports football, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and women’s tennis.

Anspaugh is a cross country and track and field runner for Franklin College.

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Isabella Gizzi scored 35 points to keep New Palestine unbeaten against Hoosier Heritage Conference foes this season.

At William L. Garrett Gymnasium Tuesday, Gizzi carried the visiting Dragons to a 59-51 victory over Shelbyville. Gizzi sank five 3s in the win and went 11-for-12 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Vivian Miller finished with 14 points for New Palestine (7-3, 3-0 HHC).

Shelbyville (8-2, 0-2 HHC) trailed 12-5 after one quarter but outscored the Dragons 18-5 in the second quarter to take a 23-17 halftime advantage.

Gizzi hit a trio of 3s in the third quarter to get New Palestine back in front 38-36 going into the fourth quarter. Gizzi’s 35 points is the second highest total in her career and third highest in program history.

Ava Wilson led Shelbyville with 24 points. Kylee Edwards finished with 16.

The game featured a pair of 1,300-point career scorers in Gizzi and Edwards.

Gizzi entered the game with 1,309 career points, which is the program record. The former record holder is New Palestine head coach Sarah Gizzi, Isabella’s mother.

With 16 points, Edwards surpassed Brenda Kelsay as Shelbyville’s No. 2 all-time scorer with 1,378 points. She needs 41 points to break the Golden Bears’ record of 1,418 points set by Gretchen Haehl.

Shelbyville travels to winless New Castle (0-10, 0-3 HHC) Friday for a varsity-only contest.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity team defeated New Palestine, 36-34.

In other prep events Tuesday:

Boys basketball

Union County 41, Morristown 23

At Union County, the host Patriots’ defense never allowed Morristown a double-figure scoring quarter and pulled away for their first victory of the season.

Brad Meadows hit a pair of fourth-quarter three-pointers and finished with 11 points. Gavin Davis also scored 11 points for Union County (1-3).

Jameson Palmer led Morristown (1-4) with 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Cade Mahin added four points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Morristown hosts Waldron (2-3) Friday in a varsity-only contest.

Girls basketball

Jac-Cen-Del 47, Waldron 33

At Jac-Cen-Del, the visiting Mohawks outscored the Eagles 12-1 in the third quarter to tie the game at 31-all going into the fourth then got outscored 16-2 over the final eight minutes to fall to a potential sectional foe.

Julia Meyer led Jac-Cen-Del (5-4) with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Reagan Hughes finished with nine points and Kelsey Borgman and Olivia Neal each had seven.

Waldron dropped to 2-6 this season and travels to Morristown (2-7) Friday for a varsity-only contest.

Knightstown 35, Southwestern 34

At Knightstown, Reagan Taylor sank a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to keep the Spartans (0-9) winless this season.

Taylor finished with a game-high 14 points, scoring 12 in the final quarter when the Panthers outscored the Spartans 20-8 to complete the come-from-behind victory.

Southwestern led 11-10 at halftime and 26-15 after three quarters.

McKinley Correll topped Southwestern with 10 points. Haley Casey finished with seven and Tanna Tatlock and Riley Engel each had six.

Knightstown won the JV game, 29-20. Emma Isgrigg led the Spartans with six points.

Southwestern hosts Class 2A, No. 16 Triton Central (4-3) Saturday.

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Triton Central football added to its postseason awards honors with the release of the Indiana Football Coaches Association Class 2A Senior and Junior All-State Teams.

Triton Central senior Brad Schultz had a record-breaking season in 2022 and was one of four wide receivers to earn the All-State moniker.

Schultz set single-season records at TC for receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,492). He led the Tigers with 17 touchdowns. Schultz also broke the career records for receptions and receiving yards.

Senior Hadyn Ball was named an All-State punter in Class 2A. Ball anchored Triton Central’s offensive line from the center position and had 53 total tackles with three quarterback sacks. He delivered several strong punts in key parts of games this season while not starting the season as the team’s top punter.

Other notable seniors named IFCA Class 2A Senior All-State are Cascade tight end Devon Weigle, offensive lineman Walker Van Ness and running back Liam Farmer, Evansville Mater Dei offensive lineman Cody Wells, running back Joey Pierre and linebacker Mitch Adler, and Indianapolis Scecina defensive linemen Tamir Woods and Adam Young and defensive back Mason Beriault.

A total of 44 senior athletes were named All-State by the IFCA.

Triton Central quarterback Jace Stuckey headlined the IFCA Class 2A Junior All-State Team. The junior completed 168-of-251 pass attempts for a program record-setting 2,657 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also rushed for 232 yards and eight touchdowns.

Triton Central swept the special teams honors in Class 2A with junior Levi Dewey earning the All-State designation. Dewey converted 33-of-37 extra-point attempts and was 10-for-12 on field goals, including a program record-setting 50 yard field goal.

Only 27 juniors from around the state were named All-State in Class 2A.

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The Shelbyville swim program secured dual home meet wins Monday over Heritage Christian and Beech Grove.

In the boys meet, Shelbyville edged out Heritage Christian, 50-41, and defeated Beech Grove, 77-6.

Scoring event wins for Shelbyville were Trey Carrell in the 50-yard freestyle (23.59 seconds) and 100 freestyle (52.32), Will Rife in the 100 butterfly (57.7) and 100 backstroke (1:02.13), and Andrew Duffy in the 500 freestyle (6:47.9).

In the girls meet, Shelbyville topped Heritage Christian, 61-41, and Beech Grove, 63-34.

Four Golden Bears were event winners: Miriam Garringer in the 200 freestyle (2:10.34), Paige Bohman in the 50 freestyle (28.79), Naomi Garringer in the 100 backstroke (1:15.8), and Riley Everette in the 100 butterfly (1:13.58).

Shelbyville won the meet opening 200 medley relay with Naomi Garringer, Meeghen Bushfield, Riley Everette and Miriam Garringer.

The quartet of Everette, Bohman and the Garringer sisters won the 400 freestyle relay.

Shelbyville hosts Warren Central Thursday and hosts the Shelby Relays Saturday.

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Shelbyville hit some tough shots early and just enough free throws late to end a three-game losing streak to Connersville Saturday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium, 44-42.

The Golden Bears shot 50% from the field (13 of 26) and three-point line (8 of 16) and outrebounded the larger and much stronger Spartans, 21-19.

“This one definitely feels good,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “The reason why we did what we did was we were really prepared. We scouted these guys inside and out and we knew what our game plan had to be, and it was to keep them out of the paint and shoot some outside shots.”

Connersville finished just 13 of 37 (35%) from the field and was 5 of 20 from the 3-point arc.

The low-scoring, physical contest saw the host Golden Bears score 12 straight points in the first quarter to close it out with a 12-3 lead.

Ollie Sandman nailed a pair of three-pointers and Damon Badgley and Jackson Parker (main photo) hit contested shots to get early momentum against the Spartans.

Josh Williams and James Williams scored all 11 of Connersville’s second-quarter points to help the visitors cut the lead to 19-14 by halftime.

Connersville kept the comeback pressure on in the third quarter where Josh Williams scored 11 of his team-high 24 points.

Sandman (photo) countered with a trio of 3s in the quarter and three made free throws that kept Shelbyville ahead 34-30.

“We had a long conversation after the last game where he was putting a lot of blame on himself being the team leader, and we said we don’t do that,” said Hartnett. “Your next game is what you are focused on and come out and be a competitor and winner. And he did exactly what he needed to do.”

Connersville hit the first basket of the game to take an early 3-0 lead and did not get squared back up with Shelbyville until 1:52 was left in the fourth quarter when Josh Williams drove to the basket off a turnover, scored and hit a free throw to make it 42-all.

Luke Brinkman was fouled with 16 seconds left and hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Golden Bears a precarious 43-42 lead.

Williams spun into the lane on the other end and dished off to Blaine Hornsby for what would have been a layin if not for a Brinkman foul. The Connersville junior missed both free-throw attempts and Brinkman secured the rebound and was fouled.

The junior again hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1.7 seconds left on the scoreboard clock and Williams’ long heave at the buzzer was off the mark.

Sandman finished with a game-high 25 points and had three rebounds and two assists.

Brinkman (photo), Parker and Caden Claxton each had five points. Parker finished with a game-high eight rebounds.

Shelbyville won the junior varsity game, 39-37, when Brody Runnebohm sank a 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation. The freshman then intercepted the long inbounds pass to seal the victory.

Jack West led Shelbyville with 12 points. Badgley, who started the JV game before having a strong first half in the varsity contest, had nine points and Runnebohm finished with eight.

Shelbyville is at New Castle (2-2) Friday for a girls/boys Hoosier Heritage Conference doubleheader.

Steve Bush photos

Shelbyville 44, Connersville 42

CV – G. Pearson 1-5 0-0 3, Jo. Williams 6-17 9-12 24, Myers 3-7 0-0 8, Barron 1-5 0-0 2, Ja. Williams 2-3 1-3 5, B. Pearson 0-1 0-0 3, Hornsby 0-0 0-2 0, Naylor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-37 11-17 42.

SH – Sandman 7-15 5-6 25, Brinkman 1-2 3-6 5, Parker 2-2 0-0 5, Claxton 1-1 2-3 5, Lambert 0-1 0-1 0. Asher 0-1 0-0 0, Badgley 2-4 0-1 4, Schene 0-0 0-0 0. West 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-26 10-17 44.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CV (2-2)    3  11  16  12  --  42

SH (2-1)  12    7  15  10  --  44

Three-point field goals: CV 5-20 (G. Pearson 1-3, Jo. Williams 2-11, Myers 2-4, Barron 0-2, B. Pearson 0-1), SH 8-16 (Sandman 6-12, Parker 1-1, Claxton 1-1, Asher 0-1, Badgley 0-1). Rebounds: CV 19 (G. Pearson 2, Jo. Williams 6, Myers 1, Barron 3, Ja. Williams 4, B. Pearson 1, Hornsby 1, Naylor 1), SH 21 (Sandman 3, Brinkman 4, Parker 8, Claxton 1, Lambert 4, Asher 1). Assists: CV 3 (G. Pearson 2, Jo. Williams 1), SH 5 (Sandman 2, Lambert 2, Asher 1). Steals: CV 3 (Jo. Williams 1, Barron 1, B. Pearson 1), SH 1 (Claxton 1). Blocks: CV 1 (Barron 1). Total fouls: CV 22, SH 14. Fouled out: Myers, Ja. Williams (CV). Turnovers: CV 8, SH 14.

JV

Shelbyville 39, Connersville 37

CV – A. Williams 11, T. Garrett 7, Cloyd 6, Peterson 5, McHenry 5, Roszell 3.

SH – West 12, Badgley 9, Runnebohm 8, Schene 5, Reinhart 3, Reed 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CV  9  14  6    8  --  37

SH  6  12  8  13  --  39

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Shelbyville outscored visiting Batesville 23-6 in the third quarter to secure a 58-26 victory Saturday afternoon at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

The Golden Bears (8-1) led 20-10 at halftime before Ava Wilson scored half of her game-high 24 points in the third quarter.

Kylee Edwards did not score in the first quarter but scored 21 points over the final three periods to back Wilson. The senior needs 13 points to surpass Brenda Kelsay as Shelbyville’s No. 2 all-time career scorer.

Claire Saner led Batesville (4-4) with seven points.

Shelbyville won the junior varsity game, 39-23.

The Golden Bears return to their Hoosier Heritage Conference schedule Tuesday when New Palestine (6-3, 2-0 HHC) visits Garrett Gymnasium.

In other prep events Saturday:

Boys basketball

Triton Central 66, Southwestern 27

At Southwestern, the visiting Tigers had five players score at least eight points to maintain possession of the Victory Bell.

Isaac Morgan finished with a game-high 20 points. Silas Blair had 13. Eli Sego collected nine points and Luke Faust and Max Crouse each had eight.

Triton Central (4-0) led 26-9 at halftime then outscored the Spartans 19-8 in the third quarter.

Carter Snepp led Southwestern (0-3) with nine points.

Triton Central hosts Roncalli (1-0) Wednesday in Fairland. Southwestern travels to Tri (2-0) Thursday.

Edinburgh 66, Waldron 44

At Edinburgh, Caleb Dewey scored a game-high 30 points and Jarrett Turner added 17 to lead the Class A, No. 2 Lancers to the win over the Mohawks, who have lost three straight after starting the season 2-0.

Lucas Mitchell led Waldron (2-3, 0-1 Mid-Hoosier Conference) with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Bryce Yarling finished with 13 but no other Mohawk scored more than two points.

The Lancers (4-0, 1-0 MHC) led 15-10 after one quarter then outscored the Mohawks 17-6 in the second quarter to build a 32-16 lead at halftime. Dewey also had 10 rebounds and two assists for Edinburgh.

In the junior varsity contest, Waldron prevailed 42-34 to improve to 3-2 this season.

Max Jones led Waldron with 16 points. Jack Fischer had eight points and Blake Baldwin and Will Larrison each had seven.

Waldron travels to Morristown (1-3) Friday for a girls/boys doubleheader.

Knightstown 48, Morristown 42

At Morristown, Jameson Palmer scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but it was not enough to keep visiting Knightstown from taking the win.

Michael Roberson tallied a game-high 23 points and Mason Fields added 10 points to lead the Panthers (3-1).

Knightstown led 24-15 at halftime but the Yellow Jackets recovered to tie the contest at 34-all going into the final eight minutes.

The Panthers hit just two field goals in the fourth quarter but went 9-for-9 at the free-throw line to seal the victory.

Morristown (1-3) is at Union County (0-3) Tuesday.

Girls basketball

Franklin County 54, Morristown 41

At Franklin County, the host Wildcats (7-2) raced out to an 18-6 lead after one quarter and held off the Yellow Jackets (2-7).

Nevaeh Sanders scored 15 points and added three rebounds, three assists and two steals for Morristown.

Danika Rutledge finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Raegan Kleine had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Morristown hosts Waldron (2-5) Friday in a girls/boys doubleheader.

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For the second time in as many nights, Triton Central reclaimed the Victory Bell in Waldron.

Following Triton Central’s 63-48 victory in the boys varsity contest Thursday, Triton Central’s girls basketball program recaptured possession of Shelby County’s traveling trophy with a 61-25 victory Friday over Waldron.

The Tigers led 19-4 after one quarter and 39-6 at halftime to cruise to their fourth victory of the season.

Maryrose Felling had a game-high 17 points for Triton Central (4-3). Lizzie Graham had 12 and Hallie Schweitzer finished with 10.

Audrey Hogg topped Waldron (2-5) with seven points. Cendall Sheaffer finished with six.

Waldron is at Jac-Cen-Del (3-4) Tuesday. Triton Central will defend the Victory Bell on Dec. 10 at Southwestern (0-8).

In other prep events:

Boys swimming

Columbus East 134, Shelbyville 33

At Columbus East Thursday, the visiting Olympians secured first-place points in each event contested.

Shelbyville’s Will Rife was the runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle (2:04.42) and the 100 butterfly (58.65).

Rife teamed with Blake Hughes, Gaige Harker and Tristin Maloney to finish runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay (1:54.79).

The Golden Bears host Beech Grove Monday.

Girls swimming

Columbus East 130, Shelbyville 55

At Columbus East Thursday, Miriam Garringer and Naomi Garringer posted race victories for the Golden Bears.

Miriam Garringer won the 50 freestyle in 27.42.

Naomi Garringer collected first-place points in the 500 freestyle (6:26.22). She also placed second in the 200 freestyle (2:22.07).

Maiah Helfer-Vazquez placed second in the diving competition with 168.6 points.

The Shelbyville quartet of Paige Bohman, Lilly Conners, Lexi Dwiggins and Kylie Stader finished runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay in 2:11.58.

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WALDRON – Ahead or behind, Class 2A, No. 21 Triton Central does not seem to be fazed. For a program giving major minutes to two freshmen, it is unusual to see such poise under pressure.

On Thursday in Waldron, those freshmen picked up their first major piece of hardware after helping Triton Central recover from a poor first-half performance to topple the Mohawks, 63-48, and take possession of the Victory Bell – Shelby County’s coveted traveling trophy.

The Tigers improved to 3-0 despite shooting just 24% from the field in the first half Thursday and committing 12 turnovers to trail 24-14.

“I told the kids after the game I didn’t go in there and sprinkle any magic fairy dust around the lockerroom. We just didn’t feel like we were executing our offense the way we wanted to execute,” said Triton Central head coach Kyle Ballard.

Over the first 16 minutes, seniors Luke Faust and Isaac Morgan were 0-for-3 from the field and had no points. The duo combined for 16 third-quarter points and sparked a 15-0 run to start the second half.

“That kind of stuff is contagious,” said Ballard. “I think early in the third quarter we went on a 15-0 run and that started with our defense creating some offense for us on the break and opened some things up.”

Waldron (2-2) stabilized after the TC run and had the game tied 33-all before Morgan drove and scored and completed a 3-point play at the free-throw line to give the Tigers a 36-33 lead after three quarters.

“We are a long way from where we want to be,” said Waldron head coach Beau Scott. “I told the guys it’s just about understanding the game. I tell them just make easy plays, make easy plays. To be a high school kid and have the discipline to do that, especially when things aren’t going your way, it’s difficult. I’m confident we are going to get to where we want to be.”

Waldron hit 7 of 10 shots in the opening quarter and four different players scored at least four points. But the scoring help for seniors Lucas Mitchell and Bryce Yarling waned as the game went on.

The duo scored 17 of Waldron’s 24 second-half points.

The Mohawks never got closer than three points early in the final quarter and the Tigers steadily pulled away with help from the freshmen, Eli Sego and Max Crouse, who combined for 13 points over the final eight minutes.

“That’s who they are. That’s how they played all through middle school,” said Ballard. “We wouldn’t have them out there if we didn’t have the confidence that they would perform in those situations.”

Faust led Triton Central with 19 points – all in the second half. Crouse added 14 points, three rebounds and three assists. Sego and Morgan each finished with 10 points and Silas Blair had seven points and eight rebounds.

Mitchell topped Waldron with 23 points and six rebounds. Yarling finished with 10.

In the junior varsity contest, Triton Central used an 18-point third quarter to take the lead over Waldron and finish with a 43-38 victory.

Sam Collier led the Tigers with 16 points. Jack Fischer topped Waldron with 12 points.

Triton Central will defend the Victory Bell Saturday at Southwestern (0-2). Waldron travels to Class A, No. 2 Edinburgh (2-0) Saturday.

Notes: Yarling’s 10 points puts his career total at 1,046 points. He is 65 points away from passing Darwin Shurig (1,110 points) for No. 4 all-time in Waldron program history. … With his fast start to the season, Lucas Mitchell has his sights set on reaching 1,000 career points. After Thursday’s performance, Mitchell now sits at 708 career points. He is averaging 29 ppg through four games this season. … Triton Central had 29 rebounds against Waldron with seven different players getting at least three rebounds. … The draw for the 2023 Shelby County Basketball Tournament will be Wednesday morning.

Triton Central 63, Waldron 48

TC – Faust 6-9 4-4 19, Sego 4-5 2-2 10, Morgan 3-10 4-5 10, Baugh 1-2 0-0 2, Stuckey 0-1 1-3 1, Blair 2-8 3-4 7, Crouse 4-5 4-5 14, Goul 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-41 18-23 63.

WA – Mitchell 8-17 5-7 23, Yarling 4-12 2-3 10, Shaw 2-7 0-0 4, Douglas 2-4 0-0 4, Settles 1-3 3-4 5, Lindsey 1-4 0-0 2, Bennett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-47 10-14 48.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

TC (3-0)    5    9  22  27  --  63

WA (2-2) 16   8    9  15  --  48

Three-point field goals: TC 5-15 (Faust 3-6, Sego 0-1, Morgan 0-2, Blair 0-3, Crouse 2-3), WA 2-11 (Mitchell 2-5, Yarling 0-3, Shaw 0-2, Lindsey 0-1). Rebounds: TC 29 (Faust 3, Sego 3, Morgan 3, Baugh 3, Blair 8, Crouse 3, Stuckey 4, Goul 2), WA 19 (Mitchell 6, Yarling 3, Shaw 2, Settles 2, Jones 5, Bennett 1). Assists: TC 10 (Faust 2, Sego 1, Morgan 1, Blair 3, Crouse 3), WA 3 (Mitchell 2, Shaw 1). Steals: TC 3 (Faust 1, Sego 1, Baugh 1), WA 8 (Mitchell 1, Yarling 4, Shaw 2, Settles 1). Blocks: TC 2 (Faust 1, Sego 1), WA 1 (Mitchell 1). Total fouls: TC 17, WA 19. Fouled out: Shaw (WA). Turnovers: TC 15, WA 11.

JV

Triton Central 43, Waldron 38

TC – Collier 16, G. Morgan 8, Clements 7, McElfresh 7, McClure 5.

WA – Fischer 12, Larrison 11, M. Jones 6, N. Mitchell 4, Baldwin 3, Thomas 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

TC      4    8  18  13  --  43

WA  11    4  11  12  --  38

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A Triton Central Tiger has been awarded a scholarship from the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Four recipients were announced of the Hall's “Gifts of the Game” scholarship program. Triton Central student-athlete Elizabeth Graham was selected as recipient of a four-year renewable college scholarship worth up to $4,000.

Graham is a four-year member of the Triton-Central girls basketball team, earning All-Shelby County, All-Indiana Crossroads Conference, and IBCA All-District honors.  When not on the hardwood, Graham participates on the Tigers girls soccer team, also earning All-County and All-Conference selections. 

On the final Friday of August, the Shelbyville Golden Bears will host its season opener for the 2023 football season.

The question at hand for Shelbyville Central Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance is will the artificial turf playing surface at J.M. McKeand Stadium be ready to go?

“We’ve talked about when this is going to start. I am nervous about this,” said Vance. “I’ve told the companies (doing the McKeand Stadium project) we needed everything done by Aug. 1.

“The original plan was to get them in here about the middle of May, maybe right at track sectional time. We may see if we can back that up a little earlier, maybe April to get done by August. We don’t have an exact start date yet. We’re still working on that.”

The $2 million project includes replacing the dilapidated track surface and remove the natural grass for an artificial turf surface.

“It’s time,” said Vance when asked why change the McKeand Stadium playing surface now. It has been an ongoing discussion in the community for many years. “We have to redo our track. From what I’ve been told, we haven’t done any upgrades to our track for at least 20 years. Our track is not in very good shape, to the point we can’t host any big events right now.

“If we are re-doing our track, now is the time to talk about turf. The (SCS) board has agreed it is a direction we need to go.”

McKeand Stadium was a consistent track and field sectional and regional host for years but the wear and tear on the surface has forced the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) to use alternate sites.

“No. 1, (artificial turf) is good for our school community to have,” explained Vance. “It’s not just for football – soccer, band, baseball and softball can be on it. It has multipurpose use. It will be good for a lot of kids. I think our kids deserve that.

“At the same time too, we are not talking about this as a cost-saving measure because I don’t think it is in the long run. In the short term, cash flow year to year, we will save some money on paint, watering, mowing and the time of our workers to do all that.”

Shelbyville and Yorktown are the last two of the eight-school Hoosier Heritage Conference to maintain natural grass surfaces for football.

“If you look around the metro area, we are one of the last schools not to have turf,” said Vance. “It doesn’t mean it’s the reason why you get it, but there are reasons why other schools have gone to it.

“We are one of the last two in our conference to not have turf. I think it’s a good thing for our community. I think it’s a good selling point. Hopefully, it will attract people here.”

Beynon Sports will handle the new track installation.

According to Beynon, SCS has selected a track that will deliver optimal shock absorbency and superior energy return. The BSS 1000 system being installed is the company’s most popular system. The surface will be similar to what Greenfield-Central High School recently installed, according to Vance.

FieldTurf will perform the artificial turf installation and has worked in conjunction with Beynon Sports in past projects.

The turf will feature black end zones with gold lettering. The track surrounding the playing surface will be red.

The artificial surface will change the track and field set up at Shelbyville. The shot put area will be moved outside the stadium to the discus area. Long jump, high jump and pole vault will continue to be contested inside the stadium.

The turf surface will add even more appeal to McKeand Stadium as a host site with ample parking and seating and new lights. Vance would like to upgrade the scoreboard to complete the renovation.

“I think by the time this is done, with what we’ve done already here over the years with the bleachers a few years ago and the outdoor building (Lockerrooms, restrooms and concessions stand), we will have a top-of-the-line facility out there. This will cap all this off.”

Shelbyville High School is in the process of getting new boilers. A new chiller will be installed during the summer, which will lead to a project in 2024 to bring air conditioning to William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

“In terms of HVAC, the high school will be taken care of after this summer,” said Vance.

Garrett Gymnasium is already a fan- and player-favorite facility but its amenities need upgraded.

“We need to look at our lockerooms and restrooms at Garrett Gymnasium for upgrades and renovation,” said Vance. “If we get the gym air conditioned and get the lockerrooms and restrooms upgraded and updated, we can almost walk away from the gym because it will be in pretty good shape … as a matter of fact the high school in general (will be in good shape).”

 Work around McKeand Stadium will be visible in the spring and summer of 2023 with parking lot work scheduled for both the high school and middle school.

“There is going to be a lot going on this summer,” said Vance. “Our facilities will be busy with the two (elementary school renovations) and the chiller at the high school, there will be a lot going on. That’s good. That’s progress.

For more on the elementary school renovations, go to https://shelbycountypost.com/local-news/664249

“I am big on our facilities. Our children deserve good facilities. Our staff deserve good facilities to work in. And I think when people come look at our communities, they look at the schools and you want your schools to look good. And they do. We have great facilities here but we are going to look at them and see how we can make them better.”

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A trio of Indiana Crossroads Conference football teams finished the season with at least 10 wins. That kind of success was recognized in the announcement of the ICC All-Conference Football Team for 2022.

Indianapolis Lutheran, Indianapolis Scecina and Triton Central had 16 representatives selected to the 2022 All-ICC squad.

The Triton Central selections honored for their performances this past season were junior quarterback Jace Stuckey, junior running back Ray Crawford, senior receiver Brad Schultz and senior linebacker Lucas Kleeman.

Stuckey set the Triton Central record for passing yards in a season with 2,657. He completed 168 of 251 pass attempts (67%) with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Crawford topped 1,000 yards rushing for the third consecutive season. On 196 attempts, he gained 1,129 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

Schultz set both single season and career receptions for Triton Central with an impressive final season. He caught 79 passes for 1,492 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Kleeman led Triton Central’s defense with 60 total tackles, one quarterback sack and one interception.

Representing Class A state champion Lutheran is Micah McKay, CurBrian Shelby, Jacob Roberts, Kam Patterson, Joe Davis, Jonny Hall and Jackson Willis.

The Scecina selections are Tamir Woods, Mason Beriault, Adam Young, Keaton Thibo and Brandon Fitts-Ramsey.

Also selected All-ICC are Beech Grove’s Mike Fonseca, Dominic Jennings and Jeremiah Lee; Cascade’s Liam Farmer, Walker Van Ness and Devon Weigle; Speedway’s DeeJay McFerson, Adedamola Ajani and Carmell Perry; Monrovia’s Corbin Byrnes; and Cardinal Ritter’s Jamirson Rodgers.

Lutheran (15-0) was crowned the ICC champion with a perfect 7-0 record.

Scecina (10-2) finished runner-up with a 6-1 mark, ahead of Triton Central (10-3, 5-2 ICC), Beech Grove (4-6, 3-4), Speedway (6-5, 3-4), Cascade (6-5, 3-4), Monrovia (6-8, 1-6) and Cardinal Ritter (1-8, 0-7).

Main photo by Steve Bush for Shelby County Post.

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