WHITELAND – Shelbyville was mere minutes away from ending a 20-game losing streak to a top-10 ranked program.

In the Class 4A, Sectional 14 opener for the Golden Bears Tuesday at Whiteland High School, Shelbyville twice took a fourth-quarter lead over No. 8 Franklin only to see the Grizzly Cubs quickly respond.

Shelbyville’s final lead came when Ava Wilson scored off an offensive rebound with 3:51 to go to give her team a 28-27 lead.

Ten seconds later, Scarlett Kimbrell sank Franklin’s second three-pointer of the game and the Grizzly Cubs scored 10 of the game’s final 14 points to survive and advance with a 37-32 victory.

“We followed our game plan to perfection. We did exactly what we needed to do,” said Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler. “We held them to two 3s with a team that has multiple girls make two 3s per game. We did everything that we needed to do tonight.

“A couple of shots (made) and a couple turnovers (less) and it’s a different ball game.”

In their last 10 meetings, Franklin won by an average of 30 points per game. Averaging 60 ppg this season, the Grizzly Cubs had not been held below 40 points.

So Shelbyville tried to shorten the game by lengthening offensive possessions. That proved no easy task with the speed and length of the Franklin roster that had three six-footers at its disposal.

The Golden Bears struggled early to get comfortable playing a different style while under constant pressure from Franklin. Shelbyville took just six shots in the opening quarter and had four turnovers while falling behind 12-5.

“There was a point in time where I heard to fans saying, ‘Score, score score,’ and I said, ‘No, no, no, let’s stick to our game plan,’” said Hoefler. “That was our goal – to keep it low scoring.

“It took us a second to really settle in then we held them to four points in the second quarter and that really led us into a good halftime.”

The lead grew to 14-5 before Shelbyville closed out the half with a 7-2 scoring run. Ellie Simpson, Ava Wilson and Hannah Baker sparked the Shelbyville crowd with baskets and put Franklin on notice.

Shelbyville never got the lead in the third quarter but stayed patient and frustrated the Grizzly Cubs, who were not handing the slower pace very well.

The Golden Bears’ first lead came on an Ava Wilson score in the lane that made it 26-25. Less than 10 seconds later, Aubrey Runyon, who had key minutes off the bench, answered back with a drive to the basket and score.

Nearly two minutes later, Wilson, who was battling illness and less than 100% in the contest, scored off an offensive rebound for a 28-27 advantage.

Kimbrell followed with Franklin’s first 3 since the mid-point of the first quarter and the Grizzly Cubs never trailed again.

Getting into the half-court set was Shelbyville’s greatest problem. Franklin’s aggressive trapping defense forced 24 turnovers – 13 in the second half – and racked up many more deflections.

“The last two minutes is where we struggled a little bit,” said Hoefler. “Their traps hit us a little bit on the hard side and there were a couple of jump balls I wish we had back that we could have broken their press on.”

Runyon scored again after Kimbrell’s 3 to make it 32-28. Ellie Keller sank two free throws for Shelbyville before Kimbrell followed her own miss and scored with 1:27 to go.

Wilson got a steal and attacked the lane and scored to get Shelbyville within two points with 55 seconds left but Emma Sappenfield sank three free throws in the game’s final 50 seconds to seal the win.

Wilson finished with a game-high 19 points and had five rebounds and four steals. She closes out her career with 1,213 points – fourth on the program’s career scoring list.

“Ava is actually very, very sick right now. In four years of coaching her, she has never had a sick day,” said Hoefler. “She was sick yesterday (Monday) too and she just battled through.

“She is a true baller. I have no other way to describe her. She just came through big for us tonight.”

Ella Johnson, another of Shelbyville’s five seniors, finished with four points and seven rebounds.

Franklin (21-3), with three starters committed to collegiate athletic programs, did not have a double-digit scorer in the win.

Lauren Klem, who will run cross country and track at Xavier, had nine points and two steals. Sappenfield also finished with nine points.

Erica Buening, who will play basketball at nearby Franklin College, finished with three points – all in the first quarter. And Kimbrell, committed to play volleyball at Florida Tech, had five points, two steals and a blocked shot.

Runyon, a junior, finished with six points and two rebounds off the Franklin bench.

The Grizzly Cubs will return to Whiteland Friday for a semifinal contest with Columbus North (11-12). The first semifinal Friday has Columbus East (5-17) at Whiteland (11-12), who eliminated East Central (7-17) in the first quarterfinal game Tuesday, 52-23.

Shelbyville finished 15-8 – a second straight season with 15 wins but lost to Franklin in the sectional for the fourth consecutive year. The program must replace five seniors with players from a junior varsity squad that finished 21-1 – its only loss this season to Franklin.

“My seniors, I am truly going to miss them. They are one of the best senior classes I have ever had the privilege of coaching,” said Hoefler. “They are hard-working girls, but with that being said we have a really young group (behind them) that really want to get after it.

“Our JV went 21-1 this season so I am really looking forward to those girls stepping up this summer.”

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Southwestern graduate Alison Muck won the 60-meter hurdles competition for Franklin College Friday night in Terre Haute.

Competing at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Friday Night Spikes Meet, Muck crossed the finish line in 9.75 seconds to win the hurdling event.

Muck also finished fourth in the high jump after clearing 1.48 meters.

Shelbyville graduate Tristin Maloney, also competing for Franklin College, placed 24^th in the 1-mile run in 5:43.51.

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

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate had four rebounds and two assists for SMU Wednesday in a 68-66 win over Temple.

The Mustangs are 10-10 this season and 4-5 against American Athletic Conference foes.

Olivia Faust

The Triton Central graduate had one rebound Saturday for No. 5 Marian in a 70-47 victory at Grace College.

The Knights are 19-1 this season and unbeaten (10-0) against Crossroads League opposition.

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate had two points and one assist Saturday in Hanover’s 77-70 loss at Bluffton University.

On Wednesday, Crim notched two points in an 83-72 victory over Franklin College.

Hanover is 12-7 (8-4 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate scored 14 points, dished out nine assists and had two steals in Hanover’s 71-62 win at Bluffton.

On Wednesday at Franklin, Heath totaled a team-high 20 points and added four assists in a 75-70 win at Franklin.

The Panthers are 13-6 (11-1 HCAC).

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate scored a game-high 35 points Saturday and had six rebounds and one block in Oakland City’s 81-76 loss at Brescia University.

Oakland City is 7-13 this season.

Tenleigh Phelps and Lizzie Graham

Phelps, a Triton Central graduate, grabbed an Indiana University South Bend single-game record 19 rebounds Wednesday in the Titans’ 80-45 win over Holy Cross. Phelps, who broke the nearly 20-year-old record, also scored 14 points and had three assists.

On Saturday, Phelps finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in IU South Bend’s 91-42 win at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois.

Graham, also a Triton Central graduate, had three points and one steal against Trinity Christian.

The Titans are 20-0 and have a two-game lead with a 12-0 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate had nine points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal Wednesday in Anderson’s 76-52 win over Defiance.

Larrison collected 10 points, six rebounds and one assist Saturday in an 80-62 loss at Mount St. Joseph.

The Ravens are 9-10 (5-7 HCAC).

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate won both diving competitions Saturday for Franklin College in a dual meet win at Indiana Wesleyan.

Baker totaled 272.05 points in winning the one-meter diving competition, and 253.95 points in the three-meter competition.

Zaleeya Martin

The Shelbyville graduate finished 13^th in the 60-meter dash for the University of Indianapolis and 34^th in the 200 at the IUPUI Invitational held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Martin crossed the finish line in 7.9 seconds in the 60 meters and 26.77 seconds in the 200.

Kina Schultz

The Shelbyville graduate placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles and 25^th in the 200 for Muskingum Saturday in the Muskie Meet held at the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex in New Concord, Ohio.

Schultz clocked 9.97 seconds in the 60 hurdles and 28.93 seconds in the 200.

Steemer Showcase

At Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, four Shelby County graduates competed in the track and field showcase.

Morristown graduate Jacob Batten finished 56^th in the 400 meters in 55.13.

Allison Batten, also a Morristown graduate, finished 45^th in the 400 in 1:01.5.

Shelbyville graduate Michael Fox placed 41^st in the 1-mile race for Manchester University in 4:55.81.

Waldron graduate Madalyn Hudnall finished ninth in the shot put for Mount St. Joseph with a top throw of 37 feet, 7.75 inches. She also finished 16^th in the weight throw at 40-7.

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New Castle defeated Rushville and Shelbyville in a three-team gymnastics meet Monday at Girls Inc. in Shelbyville.

The Trojans totaled 92.575 to hold off Rushville (88.25) and the Golden Bears (85.125).

Rushville’s Bell Westphal won three of the four events and claimed the all-around title. Westphal produced the top score on the balance beam (8.55), vault (8.65) and uneven bars (7.8) to amass an all-around score of 33.05.

Southwestern’s Mikayla Claiborne, competing as an individual, scored top-six finishes in all four events and was runner-up in the all-around at 31.4.

New Castle’s Sydney Hamm finished third at 31.125.

Rushville’s Sophia Dora was the only other event winner, securing first place in the floor exercise with a score of 8.25.

Shelbyville’s Lilli Conway was runner-up on the uneven bars (7.3) and Haylee Barnes and Renee Aldridge finished tied for sixth place on the vault.

In another gymnastics meet:

Connersville Invite

Morristown joined gymnasts from Franklin County, Milan, Northeastern, Tri and Union County at Connersville Monday.

Morristown produced its highest team score of the season at 73.9.

Remi Spicklemire led the Yellow Jackets with a second-place finish in the vault and was part of a three-way tie for first place on the balance beam. Spicklemire also placed sixth in the all-around competition.

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Southwestern built a double-digit lead early Saturday night against visiting Indianapolis Herron and cruised to its first victory of the season, 83-69.

Ben Kahler scored 25 points for Southwestern (1-13), who produced a season-high point total in the win. Avery Dennison followed with 21 points and Mitchell Clements scored a career-high 19 points. Carter Snepp added 14 points.

Jaden Parker scored a game-high 26 points for the Achaeans (1-15). Isreal Cozart (18 points) and Ashu Price (15) also reached double digits.

Southwestern won the junior varsity game, 53-43. Cecil Newton led the Spartans with 21 points.

Southwestern hosts Hauser (12-4, 4-0 Mid-Hoosier Conference) Thursday.

In other prep basketball games:

Boys basketball

Triton Central 48, Eastern Hancock 28

At Eastern Hancock, the visiting Tigers took a double-digit lead after the first quarter Saturday and rolled to a win over a potential Sectional 42 opponent.

Eli Sego scored 11 of his game-high 18 points in the opening eight minutes to get the Tigers (13-4) a 17-6 lead. Silas Blair hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter and finished with 11 points.

Kayden Ruble had a team-high 13 points for Eastern Hancock (7-8).

Of the five teams in Sectional 42, Triton Central is the only team with more than seven wins.

Edinburgh 72, Morristown 54

At Morristown Friday, Connor Ramey made five 3s and finished with a game-high 30 points to lead the Lancers to the Mid-Hoosier Conference victory.

The Lancers (8-7, 2-3 MHC) built a 25-15 halftime advantage then scored 24 third-quarter points to pull away for the win.

Cade Mahin led Morristown (2-13, 0-5 MHC) with 11 points and Dalton McMichael sank three 3s and finished with 10 points.

On Saturday, Morristown traveled to New Castle and suffered a 67-26 loss to the Trojans (8-9).

Morristown hits the road again Saturday for an afternoon game at Alexandria (8-8).

Waldron 58, Southwestern 46

At Waldron Friday, the visiting Spartans had four players score in double figures but it was not enough to get the MHC victory.

Keith Settles scored a game-high 21 points for Waldron and Lucas Shaw finished with 18 to end the Mohawks’ 4-game losing streak.

Avery Dennison led Southwestern (0-13, 0-2 MHC) with 12 points. Ben Kahler and Mitchell Clements each had 11 points and Carter Snepp scored 10.

On Saturday, Waldron traveled to Ellettsville and defeated Seven Oaks Classical School, 83-22. The Firehawks dropped to 2-14.

Waldron (6-7, 2-1 MHC) returns to action Thursday at North Decatur (10-8, 3-1 MHC).

Triton Central 41, Indianapolis Scecina 36

At Triton Central Friday, Eli Sego scored a game-high 20 points to keep the Tigers atop the Indiana Crossroads Conference standings.

Silas Blair finished with 11 points and Triton Central improved to 12-4 (3-0 ICC).

Clifford Brown led Scecina (4-12, 0-3 ICC) with 17 points.

Girls basketball

Southwestern 49, Greenwood Christian 36

At Greenwood Christian, Southwestern used a strong third-quarter performance to deal the Cougars their 10^th-straight loss.

Greenwood Christian led 23-19 at halftime but the Spartans scored 17 points in the third quarter to regain the lead then hit a pair of 3s and 7-of-12 free throws in the final quarter to seal their third win in their last four games.

Tanna Tatlock led Southwestern with 19 points. Claire Utley finished with nine points. The Spartans made 30-of-45 free throw attempts in the game.

Kate Reed and Sydney Waldron topped Greenwood Christian (4-17) with 12 points apiece.

Southwestern is the host site for Class A, Sectional 60. The Spartans (3-19) face No. 11 Oldenburg Academy (17-4) at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Waldron 62, Milan 45

At Waldron, Grace Fischer scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the first half to help the Mohawks close out the regular-season schedule with a win over the Indians.

Alyssa Benson hit three 3s on the way to 14 points and had seven assists. Fischer also had 14 rebounds and five steals.

Kaiya Rinear led Milan (4-18) with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Waldron (8-13) will face Morristown (10-13) at the Southwestern Sectional Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Triton Central 49, Beech Grove 23

At Beech Grove, Class 2A, No. 15 Triton Central held the Hornets scoreless in the fourth quarter and claimed the Indiana Crossroads Conference championship with a 7-0 record.

Maryrose Felling scored a game-high 20 points for Triton Central (17-6). Quinn King and Brooklyn Bailey each had eight points.

Mylee Boling scored 11 points for Beech Grove (14-8, 4-3 ICC).

Triton Central travels to Indianapolis Scecina Friday for a Class 2A, Sectional 42 semifinal showdown with No. 3 Eastern Hancock (21-1).

Morristown 58, Indianapolis Lutheran 43

At Morristown, the Yellow Jackets raced out to a 40-17 lead by halftime and closed out its regular-season schedule with a 15-point victory.

The Saints dropped to 12-9.

Morristown (10-13) will battle Waldron (8-13) Wednesday at the Southwestern Sectional.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Two of Ayden Nufio’s best minutes of the season on the wrestling mat propelled the Triton Central senior to his first sectional championship.

On Saturday at William L. Garrett Gymnasium, Nufio (photo) scored a pinfall victory in the semifinal match at 113 pounds then defeated Shelbyville freshman Tripp Garner, 12-4, in the championship match to earn a berth in the Perry Meridian Regional on Feb. 3.

Nufio and Garner met twice this season, splitting the two meetings. Nufio relied on his experience Saturday afternoon as a two-time regional qualifier to get the first takedown in the championship and then extended his lead to 8-0 after two periods.

“I wanted to come out there with intent, grab it by the reins so he wouldn’t have a chance to show his offense,” said Nufio. “It was a solid strategy.”

Nufio now needs one win at the regional to become a first-time semistate qualifier.

“I am really going to try my hardest and give it everything I can for that six minutes and try to make it to the semistate,” he said. “My coaches have pushed me every single day. I am thankful they push me hard. I am happy to have great teammates that push me every day and great friends who support me in everything I do.”

Garner also advanced to the Perry Meridian Regional with a runner-up finish in his first sectional.

A total of seven Golden Bears and three Tigers advanced out of the Shelbyville Sectional Saturday to extend their season at least one more week. The top four finishers at the regional move on to the New Castle Semistate on Feb. 10.

Shelbyville senior Jacob Harker, a semistate qualifier in 2023, finished third at 285 pounds while dealing with a knee injury.

Shelbyville sophomore Julian Eads also placed third at 157 pounds to earn a second straight trip to the regional round.

Those finishing fourth at the sectional and advancing to the regional were Triton Central freshman Chance Uhls (106 pounds), Triton Central sophomore Conner Phipps (126), Shelbyville sophomore Brady Bryant (150), Shelbyville junior Andrew Burton (165), Shelbyville freshman Reuben Martins-Thomas (175) and Shelbyville junior Brayden Schultz (190).

Warren Central won the sectional team title with 265 points. New Palestine was runner-up at 223, finishing ahead of Greenfield-Central (216), Franklin Central (167), Shelbyville (109), Purdue Polytechnic (82.5), Triton Central (78), Indianapolis Lutheran (57) and Indianapolis Scecina (20).

Steve Bush photos.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

SPEEDWAY – With a little more help, Drew Matelic may have led Speedway to a victory over Shelbyville.

The Speedway sophomore scored a game-high 26 points, 22 in the first half, but the Golden Bears’ balance was too much for the Sparkplugs to overcome Friday during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Morris Pollard Gymnasium.

Caden Claxton tallied a team-high 20 points to lead Shelbyville and eight more Golden Bears scored in a 67-50 victory in what is believed to be the first meeting between the two programs.

“”We got some guys that came off the bench for us tonight and really helped us,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “(Luke) Brinkman’s 3 in the first quarter really sparked us. And guys like Gavin Reed coming off the bench and getting a big tip back. Ethan Lambert came out and played strong for us.”

Shelbyville (11-6) got off to a fast start before Matelic caught fire for a Speedway team playing without leading scorer Camren Reich. Matelic missed his first shot then made six straight, including three 3-pointers, and he kept the Sparkplugs close in the first half.

“As soon as we found out Reich wasn’t playing, we told them they have one dude (Matelic) that is going to try and come out and go after it,” said Hartnett. “And he came out and had 22 in the first half. … He shoots it well from outside. He got to the (free throw) line well with that long, athletic frame. He was hard to stop.”

For the second night in a row Shelbyville put together a strong third quarter to build a double-digit lead as Matelic finally cooled off.

Kohen Myers (photo), getting his third straight start, scored six of his 11 points in the third quarter as the Golden Bears extended their lead to 53-38.

Matelic did not score in the fourth quarter while his team tried to rally. The Sparkplugs got within nine points early in the quarter but Shelbyville closed it out from there with a 10-0 run.

Mar Nicholson (main photo) finished with 16 points and five rebounds for Shelbyville. Cole Schene (photo) had eight points and nine rebounds. Luke Brinkman added five points, five rebounds and four assists.

Landon Short had nine points and four rebounds for Speedway (6-8).

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 12-5 this season with a 43-34 win at Speedway. Kenny Owens led the Golden Bears with 11 points. Grantland Fitzgerald finished with nine points.

Shelbyville is off until Feb. 9 when it travels to New Palestine (12-4).

Steve Bush photos.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Shelbyville produced its most complete offensive performance of the season Thursday night to defeat Class 3A, No. 9 Indian Creek, 68-57, at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

Caden Claxton scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter and Mar Nicholson had 24 points, five rebounds and four blocks to improve the Golden Bears to 10-6.

Shelbyville shot 51% from the field and hit 18-of-26 free-throw attempts to score a season high against the Braves (11-4).

“Our goal tonight was to push the basketball and get it up the floor,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “Mar Nicholson is a really good rim runner along with Kohen Myers. When we have Kohen Myers in the game, he is our best guy at pushing the ball and looking up the floor along with Caden Claxton. 

“That lineup we started tonight is pretty much our run lineup. We’ve been seeing that lineup in second quarters of games and we would go on runs. So we’ve switched it up a little bit to see if we can get off to good starts and its worked out for us.”

An 11-2 run by Shelbyville in the opening quarter was countered by Indian Creek’s 8-2 run that left the game tied at 13-all.

Nicholson scored seven straight points in the second quarter to get Shelbyville a 20-15 advantage. The sophomore scored again in the low post with 81 seconds left in the half to put the Golden Bears up for good.

The Golden Bears have struggled this season putting together strong third quarters but that was not the case Thursday. Shelbyville hit 8-of-15 shots to open a 46-30 lead going into the final quarter.

Indian Creek twice got the lead under double digits in the fourth quarter but Shelbyville overcame five turnovers by hitting 11-of-17 free-throw attempts to seal the victory.

“We have to take care of the basketball even if they throw the 1-3-1 or the trapping zones — just move the basketball like we know how to do,” said Hartnett. “Stay calm and stay collected and get the ball moving, and when they trap you, find the open guys and take care of it. If we do that in the fourth (quarter) earlier I think we extend that lead.”

Adam Crouch topped Indian Creek with 23 points and six rebounds. Bobby Emberton finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 11-5 this season with a 63-42 victory Thursday. Brody Runnebohm scored 18 points to lead the Golden Bears. Gavin Reed (13 points), Tyler Gwinnup (12) and Kenny Owens (10) also reached double digits in the scoring category.

Shelbyville is at Speedway (6-6) tonight. The game will air if GIANT fm with the pregame show beginning at approximately 7 p.m.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

A total of $5.030 million will be allotted in 2024 for the Thoroughbred Premier Racing Schedule, marking a new record for purse money offered for the program in Horseshoe Indianapolis history.

The schedule is highlighted by the 30^th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby and Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks set for Saturday, July 6. First post is 12 p.m. Indiana Derby Day.

A total of 42 premier races will be held during the 22^nd season of Thoroughbred racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, beginning Monday, April 8 with two handicaps for Total Solar Eclipse Day. The afternoon racing program features the $55,000 Dark Side of the Moon and the $55,000 Total Eclipse of the Heart events for Indiana sired and bred horses. Racing begins at 12 p.m. and will take a break during the main portion of the total solar eclipse event, picking back up following the rare experience.

“We are in the direct line of the total solar eclipse path and thought it was a unique opportunity to offer racing around this phenomena,” explained Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “We have worked closely with our horsemen’s organization to provide a full day of racing on such a monumental day, which will not occur in North America again until 2044. We will showcase our older Indiana horses in two handicaps during the racing program and hope to expose our racing product to all whole new group of people expected in our area.”

Horseshoe Indianapolis will also feature the Caesars and Horseshoe Indianapolis Wednesday, May 15, both Black Type events. The races are the richest events over the turf in Indiana.

“Our Caesars Day has become a great afternoon for us in mid-May,” explained Halstrom. “We have found the perfect spot for these Black Type turf events. We have seen some really talented horses in both of these races over the past few years.”

The highlight of the season is Indiana Derby Weekend, which has now expanded to include two days of action Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6. A total of 10 premier races are featured over two days with the spotlight on the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby Sat. July 6. The race is Indiana’s biggest horse race and draws high caliber three-year-olds into Indiana each year, including Triple Crown participants. The addition of the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks for three-year-old fillies only strengthens the afternoon card, which has set track records for money wagered the past five years.

“The Indiana Derby continues to grow, and we saw the track’s first $8 million handle day last season,” added Halstrom. “This program has become a staple on the summer event calendar for local racing fans as well as our national racing audience. With the addition of Indiana premier races on the day, it gives us a full platform to showcase our state’s racing program and feature local participants on a day that captures national attention. And last season, we coupled it with two National Horseplayers Championship qualifiers that were well received and brought in a whole new audience for Indiana Derby Day.”

Several name changes to premier races have taken place this year to include past Indiana champions Nobody Listens and Piedi Bianchi, both former year-end award winners. Also, races were named in honor of Joe Davis and Brian Elmore, both outgoing executives of the Indiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.

“We wanted to do something to honor both Joe (Davis) and Brian (Elmore) and felt a race named in their honor would be a good way to thank them for their service over the past few years,” noted Halstrom. “We truly appreciate the partnership we have had with them and will strive to continue to move the Indiana premier racing program forward.”

The premier racing schedule will once again culminate for the fifth annual Indiana Champions Day featuring the state’s top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses Saturday, Oct. 26. More than $1.1 million will be allotted over eight races, providing a great way to showcase the top horses of 2024.

The 22^nd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing begins with a special Monday, April 8 racing program at 12 p.m. for the Total Solar Eclipse Day. Racing extends through Thursday, Nov. 14. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis .

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Shelbyville limited East Central to 10 points over the final three quarters Tuesday and closed out the regular-season schedule with a 30-21 victory in St. Leon.

The Trojans (7-15) held an 11-4 lead after one quarter but the Golden Bears took the lead at halftime and slowly pulled away for their eighth win in their last nine games.

Ava Wilson led Shelbyville (15-7) with 17 points. Ella Johnson finished with seven points. With the win, the Golden Bears matched their win total from last season and have produced double-digit win seasons in three consecutive years after five years straight of less than 10 wins.

Anna Black led East Central with 10 points.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity defeated East Central, 38-26, to close out its season at 21-1.

On Tuesday, Shelbyville travels to Whiteland for the Class 4A, Sectional 14 tournament. The Golden Bears take on No. 6 Franklin (20-2) in the second quarterfinal game with the winner advancing to face Columbus North in the semifinal round Feb. 2.

Franklin defeated Shelbyville, 60-32, on Dec. 16 at Franklin. The Grizzly Cubs have won 20 straight meetings with the Golden Bears. Franklin has eliminated Shelbyville from the sectional three consecutive seasons.

In other girls basketball games:

Danville 46, Triton Central 33

At Danville, three Warriors scored in double digits to defeat Class 2A, No. 14 Triton Central (16-6).

Emma Ancelet scored 10 of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter. Maddy Wethington scored 13 points and Ava Walls had 12 to improve Danville to 19-3 this season.

Maryrose Felling led Triton Central with 14 points.

The Tigers close out their regular-season schedule Thursday at Beech Grove (14-7, 4-2 Indiana Crossroads Conference). With a win, Triton Central will secure the ICC championship outright with a 7-0 mark. A loss would leave Triton Central to share the title with either Cascade (5-1 ICC) or Speedway (5-1 ICC), who play each other Thursday.

Waldron 65, Edinburgh 33

At Edinburgh, the visiting Mohawks ended a 6-game losing streak with a Mid-Hoosier Conference win over the Lancers.

Emerson Lindsey sank five three-pointers on the way to a game-high 17 points. Audrey Hogg added 13 points and Grace Fischer finished with 11.

Waldron improved to 7-13 this season and 4-2 against MHC programs to secure a third-place finish in the conference standings behind North Decatur and South Decatur.

Bella Turner topped Edinburgh (3-19, 1-4 MHC) with 11 points. Kenna Streeval finished with nine points.

The Mohawks have two non-conference games left on the regular-season schedule. Waldron hosts Milan (4-17) Thursday and is at Seven Oaks Classical School (7-9) Saturday.

Brown County 60, Southwestern 43

At Southwestern, Lexie Austin hit four 3s and finished 12-of-13 from the free-throw line to score a game-high 30 points for Brown County (11-10).

The loss ended the Spartans’ two-game win streak. Southwestern led 35-34 after three quarters Tuesday but the Eagles used a 26-point final quarter to seal the victory.

Tanna Tatlock led Southwestern (2-19) with 13 points. In Monday’s win at Edinburgh, Tatlock broke the school record for rebounds in a game with 26, breaking the old record of 23 by Delana White set in 1998.

Emma Isgrigg finished with 12 points and Riley Engel had 10 in the loss.

The Spartans close out their regular-season schedule Thursday Greenwood Christian (4-15).

Knightstown 38, Morristown 32

At Knightstown Monday, the host Panthers halted the Yellow Jackets’ 3-game win streak.

Lilly Drew scored 17 points and collected 10 rebounds and Anna Roberson finished with 13 points to improve Knightstown to 9-13.

Morristown dropped to 9-13. The Yellow Jackets’ regular-season schedule concludes Thursday against Indianapolis Lutheran (12-8).

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USA Basketball announced that Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is among the 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

The players were selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill and is subject to change.
The 12-member 2024 USA Men’s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
In addition to Haliburton, the pool features 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men’s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals: Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De’Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., LeBron James, Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
The 2024 USA Men’s National Team will be led by head coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (L.A. Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich in Tokyo.
The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight – and 17th overall – Olympic gold medal.

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Waldron graduate Madalyn Hudnall produced a pair of top-eight finishes for Mount St. Joseph track and field Saturday.

The Lions hosted the Mount St. Joseph Invitational at the Centennial Fieldhouse & Austin E. Knowlton Fitness Center. Hudnall represented Mount St. Joseph in both throwing events in her first indoor meet of 2024.

She finished runner-up in the shot put with a best throw of 38 feet, 7.75 inches.

In the weight throw, Hudnall’s best throw of 38-8 earned her a seventh-place finish.

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

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate won the five-dive, one-meter diving competition Friday for Franklin College in a dual meet with Rose-Hulman. It was the final home meet of the season for Franklin College and served as Senior Night.

Baker, a senior, scored 183.98 points to win the event.

In a second six-dive, one-meter competition, Baker finished runner-up with 260.46 points.

Hadyn Ball

The Triton Central graduate finished fifth in the 197-pound weight class Saturday at the Wabash College Invitational.

Ball, competing for Wabash, lost his opening-round match, 7-0, to the University of Indianapolis’ Phoenix Rodgers. He was then defeated 7-4 by his Wabash teammate Trescott Duffy.

In the fifth-place match, Ball defeated Mount St. Joseph’s Kaleb Gelter, 8-4.

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate had five points and one rebound Wednesday in SMU’s 76-61 loss to North Texas.

On Saturday, Chandler had one point in a 68-61 loss at East Carolina.

The Mustangs are 8-10 this season.

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals Wednesday in Hanover’s 70-68 win over Franklin College.

Heath had five points and five assists Saturday in a 79-39 win over Earlham College.

The Panthers are 11-6.

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate was credited with one rebound and one assist Wednesday in Hanover’s 72-67 loss at Franklin College.

On Saturday, Crim had six points and three assists in a 93-67 win over Earlham College.

Hanover is 11-6.

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate scored 19 points and added three rebounds and one assist Thursday in Oakland City’s 70-68 loss at Ohio Christian.

Oakland City lost its fifth-straight game Saturday at the University of Rio Grande (Ohio), 81-75. Moore finished with 29 points, four rebounds and one assist.

Oakland City is 7-12.

Tenleigh Phelps, Lizzie Graham

Indiana University South Bend women’s basketball stayed unbeaten with a pair of wins last week.

On Wednesday, Phelps, a Triton Central graduate, had 23 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the Titans’ 84-44 win at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois.

Graham, also a Triton Central graduate, finished with seven points, one rebound and two steals.

On Saturday, IU South Bend improved to 18-0 with a 58-55 win at IU Northwest. Phelps collected 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and one block.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate had 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals and three blocks Wednesday in Anderson’s 84-73 win at Defiance College.

On Saturday, Larrison had five points, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in a 94-75 loss to Franklin College.

The Ravens are 8-9.

Alison Muck

The Southwestern graduate tied for second place in the high jump Friday for Franklin College in the Rose-Hulman Friday Night Spikes event in Terre Haute.

Muck cleared 1.49 meters to finish runner-up. She also finished 16^th (8.82 seconds) in the 60 meters.

Tristin Maloney

The Shelbyville graduate placed 44^th in the 1-mile run for Franklin College Friday at the Rose-Hulman event. He crossed the finish line in 5:40.

Maloney also was part of Franklin College’s 1,600 relay team that placed 12^th.

Zaleeya Martin

The Shelbyville graduate finished fifth in the 60 meters (7.92) Saturday for the University of Indianapolis at the Butler Invitational at the new indoor track and field facility at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

She also placed 14^th in the 200 in 27.15.

Jacob Batten

The Morristown graduate finished seventh in the 400 meters for Trine Saturday in the Mastodon Invitational hosted by Purdue Fort Wayne.

He crossed the finish line in 55.82.

Allison Batten

The Morristown graduate also finished seventh in the 400 meters for Trine Saturday in Fort Wayne. She ran the race in 1:08.

Kilikina Schultz

The Shelbyville graduate won the 60-meter hurdles Saturday for Muskingum on its home track.

In the Muskingum Meet at the Bullock Health & Wellness Complex in New Concord, Ohio, Schultz was the only hurdler to break 10 seconds in the championship race. She crossed the finish line in 9.84.

Schultz also placed 10^th in the 60 meters (8.65) and was part of Muskingum’s winning 800 relay team (4:25.3).

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In a matter of three days, Southwestern girls basketball has gone from winless to a two-game win streak.

On Monday at Edinburgh, Riley Engel and Ellie Gosser combined for 23 points to lead the Spartans to a 42-40 overtime victory. Southwestern’s first win of the season came Saturday in overtime at Cambridge City Lincoln.

The Spartans (2-18, 1-5 Mid-Hoosier Conference) led 19-10 at halftime Monday before getting outscored 16-5 in the third quarter. Gosser scored six of her 11 points in the fourth quarter to get the game into overtime.

In the extra session, Southwestern got seven points from Gosser, Emma Isgrigg and Tanna Tatlock to prevail.

Engel led the Spartans with 12 points.

Bella Turner and Kenna Streeval each had 11 points to lead Edinburgh (3-18, 1-3 MHC).

Southwestern is back in action tonight hosting Brown County (10-10).

In another prep event Monday:

Boys basketball

North Decatur 52, Morristown 34

At North Decatur, the host Chargers stayed in contention for the MHC title with a win over the Yellow Jackets.

North Decatur improved to 10-6 this season and 3-1 against MHC foes, joining Hauser and South Decatur atop the standings with three wins.

Colin Kieninger led the Yellow Jackets (2-12, 0-4 MHC) with nine points and six rebounds. Kellen Crim finished with seven points and Kane Snyder had five points, five rebounds and five assists.

Morristown hosts Edinburgh (7-7, 1-3 MHC) Friday and travels Saturday to New Castle (7-9).

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Two of Greenfield-Central’s smallest players on the roster came up big Saturday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

Brady Johnson came off the bench to hit back-to-back three-pointers early in the second quarter and Boston Willard hit another 3 off an inbound play with two minutes left to seal the Cougars’ 49-44 victory over Shelbyville.

The two guards combined for 20 points on a night when leading scorer Braylon Mullins struggled and Class 4A, No. 7 Greenfield-Central improved to a program record 15-0 to start the season.

“We had a couple turnovers that really hurt us and in the second half when we were cutting that lead, we had turnovers that really hurt us,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “We knew this team thrives on turnovers. They score a lot of points off turnovers and that’s what couldn’t happen tonight and it affected us right at the time we didn’t need them.”

Mullins, who averages 27 points per game, made just 4 of 14 shots Saturday night but the Golden Bears could not capitalize. Damon Badgley hit a 3 with 61 seconds left in the opening quarter to cut the Cougars’ lead to 8-7.

Following a Willard offensive rebound and score, Johnson, who averages just 2 ppg, hit two 3s within 80 seconds of each other to extend Greenfield-Central’s lead to 16-7.

Shelbyville answered with a 9-2 run but never got the lead. Willard hit a short jumper in the final seconds of the first half for a 20-16 advantage.

Mullins, a junior, scored nine of his season-low 14 points in the third quarter as the Cougars opened up a double-digit lead.

The Golden Bears got within five points in the fourth quarter when Willard hit a 3 that ended another 9-2 run. From there, the Cougars made 6 of 8 free throws to get the Hoosier Heritage Conference victory to remain atop the conference standings at 5-0.

“The one (shot) that really hurt us was when Willard hit the 3 in the corner when we cut (the lead) to five,” said Hartnett. “We gave up a wide open 3 in the corner that we lost communication on and no one picked him up. He hit a big 3.”

Caden Claxton led Shelbyville (9-6, 1-4 HHC) with 12 points and five rebounds. Mar Nicholson finished with 11 points. Badgley and Kohen Myers each had eight points.

Shelbyville shot 46% from the field in the loss but hit just 6 of 13 free throws which proved tough to overcome in a 5-point loss.

“The free throws we shot tonight really affected us,” said Hartnett.

In the junior varsity game, Shelbyville outscored Greenfield-Central 19-4 in the final quarter to earn a 52-31 victory. Gavin Reed led the Golden Bears (10-5) with 14 points. Brody Runnebohm finished with 13 points.

Shelbyville has two games this week, hosting Class 3A, No. 8 Indian Creek (11-3) Thursday and traveling Friday to Speedway (5-6).

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David Corder’s tenure as Waldron High School’s boys basketball coach has ended after 10 games.

Corder (photo) resigned as the school’s varsity basketball coach Friday confirmed Waldron athletic director Brad Peterson.

John Shaw has been named interim head coach and he led the Mohawks Saturday in a 56-38 loss at Bethesda Christian. Jeb Stewart and Tommy Coy will serve as Shaw’s assistant coaches.

Corder returned to Indiana after amassing 283 career wins and eight state tournament appearances in Georgia and South Carolina. He led three different high schools to 20-win seasons.

While stepping aside as Waldron head coach, Corder will continue teaching English at the high school.

“We wish him well. He is still teaching at the high school,” said Peterson. “He does a great job in the classroom. He is very professional. We are happy he is staying on to finish the year as an English teacher.”

The Mohawks were 4-6 under Corder, losing their first three games by a combined 18 points before winning four straight over programs with a combined three wins. Waldron then lost its next three games to Tri-Central (65-35), Triton Central in the semifinal round of the Shelby County Tournament, 42-35, and Jac-Cen-Del (63-42).

On Saturday at Bethesda Christian, Jack Fischer led the Mohawks (4-7) with 11 points and three rebounds. Keith Settles had eight points and four rebounds. Lucas Shaw finished with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Bethesda Christian won its third straight to improve to 8-7.

Waldron is home Friday to face Southwestern (0-12) then travels to Seven Oaks Classical School (1-13) Saturday.

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Triton Central senior Hailey Harris made her final home game and her final “Pink Out” game a memorable one.

Harris hit four three-pointers, including three in the second half, to lead Class 2A, No. 14 Triton Central to a 54-47 win Friday over Lawrenceburg.

Triton Central’s annual “Pink Out” game has raised over $200,000 in more than a decade and always takes an emotional toll on those in attendance, including the players. Breast cancer survivors are celebrated prior to the start of the varsity game with a parade around the gymnasium which is decorated in pink.

Once the game started, Triton Central and Lawrenceburg battled through the opening half and ended it tied 26-all.

Harris hit two 3s in the third quarter that saw the Tigers fall behind 38-36 going into the final quarter.

Harris added another long-range connection in the fourth quarter and freshman point guard Quinn King scored seven of her nine points to help finish off the victory.

Harris scored a game-high 18 points. Maryrose Felling followed with 17 points.

Aubree LaBazzo and Natalie Knigga each scored 17 points for Lawrenceburg (13-9).

Triton Central (16-5, 6-0 Indiana Crossroads Conference) has two road games left on the regular-season schedule.

The Tigers are at Danville (18-3) Tuesday before traveling to Beech Grove (13-7, 3-2 ICC) Thursday to try and clinch the conference championship outright.

In other prep events:

Boys basketball

Anderson Prep 77, Morristown 72

At Morristown Saturday, a 40-point second half was still not enough to get the Yellow Jackets a win over Anderson Prep.

Kellen Crim finished with a team-high 19 points and five assists for Morristown (2-11). Kane Snyder had 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists and Cade Mahin collected 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets led the Jets (4-10) 32-29 at halftime before being outscored 21-14 in the third quarter. The two teams combined for 53 points in the fourth quarter.

Morristown is at North Decatur (9-6) tonight and hosts Edinburgh (7-7) Friday. Both are Mid-Hoosier Conference contests.

Union County 60, Southwestern 50

At Southwestern Saturday, a 20-point second quarter propelled the Patriots past the Spartans.

Union County’s five starters produced all 20 points in the second quarter to build a 35-19 halftime advantage. Logan Harris finished with a game-high 23 points for UC (6-7). Mason Stewart had 12 points.

Ben Kahler scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. Avery Dennison and Carter Snepp each scored 10 points for the Spartans (0-12).

Union County won the junior varsity game, 52-35. Landon Drake led the Spartans with 11 points.

Southwestern is at Waldron (4-7) Friday in a Mid-Hoosier Conference game.

Triton Central 63, Indianapolis Lutheran 54

At Triton Central Saturday, Eli Sego scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the first half and the Tigers made 10-of-12 free throws in the final quarter to seal the Indiana Crossroads Conference victory.

Sego had 23 points in the win for Class 2A, No. 15 Triton Central (11-4, 2-0 ICC). Silas Blair finished with 10 points and Max Crouse had 10 to keep the Tigers atop the conference standings.

Cayden Loesher led Class A, No. 8 Lutheran with 18 points. L.J. Ward added 10 points for the Saints (8-5, 3-2 ICC).

Triton Central hosts Indianapolis Scecina (4-11, 0-2 ICC) Friday in Fairland.

Girls basketball

Shelbyville 67, Delta 52

At Shelbyville Saturday, Ava Wilson scored 19 of her game-high 30 points in the first half to get the Golden Bears a win in their final Hoosier Heritage Conference game of the season.

Playing for the final time at Garrett Gymnasium, Wilson, a senior, helped Shelbyville improve to 14-7 this season and finish 3-4 in the HHC standings.

Ella Johnson had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Ellie Keller hit a pair of 3s and also finished with 10 points.

Jillian Barr led Delta (10-10, 1-5 HHC) with 22 points.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 20-1 with a 53-23 win over the Eagles. The Golden Bears completed their third straight season without a loss to a HHC school.

Shelbyville, winners in seven of its last eight games, closes out its regular-season schedule Tuesday at East Central (7-14).

Southwestern 67, Cambridge City Lincoln 66, OT

At Cambridge City, the visiting Spartans made eight 3s and sank 21-of-29 free-throw attempts to collect their first win of the season.

Tanna Tatlock led Southwestern (1-18) with 22 points. She was 10 of 15 at the free-throw line. Riley Engel sank four 3s and finished with 19 points.

Emma Isgrigg also hit four 3s and scored 16 points.

The Spartans’ previous high for points in a game this season was 37.

Southwestern led after each of the first three quarters but the Golden Eagles (3-15) made five 3s in the final eight minutes to send the game to overtime.

Alivia Anderson led Cambridge City Lincoln with 21 points. Addyson Pitcock finished with 19 points.

The Spartans seek their second win of the season tonight at Edinburgh (3-17).

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Shelbyville girls basketball will face a top-10 ranked team in its sectional opener on Jan. 30.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) announced the sectional pairings Sunday for the 49^th Annual Girls Basketball State Tournament. Sectional games will begin Jan. 30 with sectional champions crowned Feb. 3.

Regional championship games are Feb. 10.

Class 4A, Sectional 14 has six teams and kicks off Jan. 30 with two quarterfinal round games. In the sectional opener, East Central (7-14) takes on the host school, Whiteland (9-11).

In the second game, Shelbyville (14-7) battles No. 7 Franklin (17-2) in a rematch of the 2023 sectional championship game. The Grizzly Cubs defeated the Golden Bears this season, 60-32, on Dec. 16.

The winner returns to Whiteland Friday to face Columbus North (10-11) in the second semifinal game.

The East Central-Whiteland winner will take on Columbus East (5-15) in the first semifinal Feb. 2.

The Whiteland Sectional champion will face the Evansville Harrison Sectional champion in a one-game regional championship on Feb. 10 at a site yet-to-be-determined.

The southern regional host sites are Bedford North Lawrence, Charlestown, Crawford County, Decatur Central, Greencastle, Southmont, Southwestern (Shelbyville) and West Washington.

Class 2A, Sectional 42 features a pair of top-15 ranked teams and they will meet in the semifinals on Feb. 2 at Indianapolis Scecina.

The five-team sectional begins Jan. 30 with the host Crusaders (6-14) taking on Indianapolis Riverside (3-11). The winner meets Irvington Prep (2-11) in the semifinal round.

In the other semifinal, No. 14 Triton Central (16-5) battles No. 3 Eastern Hancock (19-1) for a spot in the sectional championship game. The Royals defeated Triton Central, 50-41, on Nov. 11.

Eastern Hancock is the defending sectional champion.

The Scecina Sectional champion will face the South Putnam Sectional champion in the one-game regional championship on Feb. 10.

Seven teams will vie for the Class A, Sectional 60 championship at Southwestern High School in southern Shelby County.

In the opener Jan. 30, South Decatur (13-9) takes on Edinburgh (3-17). The winner returns for a Feb. 2 semifinal game against No. 8 Jac-Cen-Del (17-4).

All three Shelby County programs in the sectional will take the court on Jan. 31. In the first quarterfinal contest, the host Spartans (1-18) take on No. 13 Oldenburg Academy (15-4). The Twisters defeated Southwestern, 53-27, on Nov. 11.

The second quarterfinal pits Waldron (6-13) against Morristown (9-12). The Mohawks defeated the Yellow Jackets, 56-47, on Dec. 8.

The winners return for a Friday semifinal contest.

The Southwestern Sectional champion will face the Eminence Sectional champion in the Feb. 10 regional championship game.

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Trailing 24-16 on the road at Hauser Thursday, Morristown outscored the Jets 29-0 in the third quarter to seal a 48-33 Mid-Hoosier Conference victory.

Danika Rutledge scored a game-high 18 points and added 14 rebounds and three steals to improve Morristown to 9-12 (3-3 MHC).

Emma Nelson hit three three-pointers and finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals. Jayla Keithley (photo from Shelby County Tourney) had six points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Hauser led 16-10 after one quarter and outscored the Yellow Jackets 8-6 in the second quarter before not scoring again until the fourth quarter.

Norah Berkenstock and Abby Manley each scored 11 points to lead the Jets (6-16, 1-4 MHC). Chloie Phelps had a team-high 10 rebounds.

Morristown has two games left on its regular-season schedule. The Yellow Jackets travel to Knightstown (7-13) Monday then host Indianapolis Lutheran (11-7) Thursday.

In other prep events Thursday:

Girls basketball

New Palestine 61, Waldron 36

At New Palestine, the visiting Mohawks lost their sixth-straight game to fall to 6-13 this season.

Waldron trailed 36-19 at halftime and was outscored 15-4 in the third quarter and outrebounded 15-4 to fall behind 51-23.

Allie Blum scored a game-high 23 points to lead New Palestine (11-9) to its highest scoring output of the season. Vivian Miller finished with 12 points and Kenna Tweedy scored 11 off the bench.

Alivia Fischer topped the Waldron scoring with 11 points. Grace Fischer had 10 points.

Waldron (3-2 MHC) will seek to maintain its third-place position in the conference standings Tuesday at Edinburgh (3-17, 1-2).

Gymnastics

Seymour 94.325, Shelbyville 83.3, Southwestern 29.975

At Girls Inc. in Shelbyville, Seymour produced the top three finishers in the All-Around standings to help secure a win over the Golden Bears.

Mia Dailey (31.575), Ella Brock (31.375) and Viv Newkirk (30.15) had the top all-around scores while Southwestern’s lone gymnast, Mikayla Claiborne, finished fourth at 28.975.

Shelbyville’s Lilli Conway (28.5) and Renee Aldridge (28.075) placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

Dailey won the floor exercise (8.35) and uneven bars (7.575). Newkirk won the balance beam competition (7.6). Brock finished first in the vault (9.1).

Claiborne placed third in the vault (8.7) and floor exercise (7.625).

Conway finished fourth on the uneven bars (6.625) and fifth on the balance beam (7.0). Aldridge placed fifth in the vault (8.45) and on uneven bars (6.475).

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Morristown High School will add two women and the 1951 cross country team to its Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday night in conjunction with the boys basketball game against Anderson Prep.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 includes track and field athlete Lauri Harris (Class of 1982), gymnast Katie Schneider (Class of 1996) and the seven-member 1951 cross country team that finished sixth at the state championship meet. The roster consisted of Don Wortman, Paul Goble, Tom Pruitt, Gaylord Cole, Hubert Blackford, Donald Kuhn and James Knopp.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Saturday between the junior varsity and varsity games. The JV game tips off at 6 p.m.

Harris earned 12 varsity letters during her Morristown career in track and field, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics and cheerleading. She still holds the school track and field records in the 100-meter dash (11.9 seconds) and 200 meters (26.4 seconds).

Upon graduation, Harris attended Indiana University and graduated in 1986 with a degree in Health Information. In 2015, she earned her master’s degree from IU in Health Informatics.

Harris also was a member of the marching band at Morristown and served as class president.

Schneider was a four-year gymnast for Morristown and qualified for the IHSAA State Finals in 1996. She was a three-year regional qualifier and just missed the state finals cut in the balance beam her senior year by .2 of a point.

Due to an injury, Schneider was added to the State Finals field in the balance beam where she placed 27^th overall out of 38 competitors.

Morristown’s 1951 cross country team placed sixth in the State Finals that year behind Anderson, University (Bloomington), Fort Wayne North, Indianapolis Shortridge and Indianapolis Tech – all much larger schools.

Paul Goble finished eighth in the individual standings. Wortman placed 25^th ahead of Pruitt (31^st), Cole (48^th), Blackford (94^th), Kuhn (108^th) and Knopp (111^th).

Morristown’s cross country team was formed in 1950. Goble won the East Central Conference Meet that year and the following two years. He finished 11^th in the 1950 state meet.

Goble was inducted into the Morristown Hall of Fame in 2018 as part of the first class inducted.

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The Indiana High School Athletic Association will air the 49^th Annual Girls Basketball State Tournament Pairings Show Sunday.

The pairings show will set the pairings for girls basketball sectionals in all four IHSAA classes.

Bob Lovell and Greg Rakestraw will host the show that will air exclusively on IHSAAtv.org at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The show also can be heard on the affiliates of the IHSAA Champions Network which includes GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 106.3 fm, 1520 am or the GIANT fm app) in Shelbyville.

Shelby County’s five girls basketball programs will compete in one of three sectionals.

Class 4A, Sectional 14

Whiteland is the host site for a six-team sectional that includes Shelbyville.

Class 4A, No. 7 Franklin (17-2) is the defending sectional champion. The Grizzly Cubs defeated Shelbyville in the 2023 sectional championship game.

The Golden Bears, at 13-7, have the second most wins in the sectional.

Columbus North (10-10) is the only other team with double-digit wins.

Whiteland (9-10), East Central (7-14) and Columbus East (5-13) round out the sectional field.

Class 2A, Sectional 42

The five-team field at the Indianapolis Scecina Sectional features a pair of top-15 ranked teams.

Class 2A, No. 3 Eastern Hancock (18-1) is the defending champion and faces a potential rematch with 2A No. 14 Triton Central (15-5) at some point in the sectional. The Royals defeated Triton Central, 50-41, on Nov. 11.

The other three teams in the field are Indianapolis Riverside (3-11), Scecina (6-13) and Irvington Prep (2-11).

Class A, Sectional 60

Three teams have better-than-.500 records in the seven-team sectional hosted by Southwestern.

Class A, No. 8 Jac-Cen-Del (16-4) leads the way with 16 wins. Class A, No. 13 Oldenburg Academy (15-4) is one win back of the Eagles and South Decatur is 12-9.

Jac-Cen-Del defeated Oldenburg Academy, 44-31, on Nov. 20 and lost at South Decatur, 43-38, on Nov. 28.

The remaining four teams in the field are Morristown (8-12), Waldron (6-12), Edinburgh (3-17) and Southwestern (0-18).

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INDIANAPOLIS – Neither Triton Central boys basketball team found the basketball rims at Roncalli High School very friendly Wednesday night.

Class 2A, No. 15 Triton Central shot just 35% from the field and made just one three-pointer in a 51-33 loss to the Royals.

The Tigers’ defense kept the game close midway through the second quarter while the offense struggled. A Sam Collier steal and layin cut Roncalli’s lead to 16-15 with 5:06 left in the first half.

The Royals scored the final 10 points of the quarter to take a 26-15 halftime advantage and Triton Central never recovered.

“We couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” quipped Triton Central head coach Mark James. “It affected us mentally when the ball wouldn’t go in.”

Eli Sego, Triton Central’s leading scorer at 17.2 ppg, scored his first points midway through the third quarter which ended a more than 9-minute scoreless drought for the Tigers (10-4). And it gave the Tigers a glimmer of hope.

Triton Central got within 10 points, 37-27, early in the fourth quarter but a turnover led to a Luke Greene 3 at the other end of the floor and the Tigers never got the lead under double digits.

Joe Taylor, a 6-7 sophomore, led Roncalli (7-4) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Drew Kegerreis, Roncalli’s leading scorer at 18.4 ppg, finished with 10 points.

No Triton Central player reached double figures in the scoring column. Silas Blair led the Tigers with nine points and three rebounds.

Collier (photo) finished with eight points, two rebounds and two steals and Sam Kemper came off the bench to score six points.

Sego ended the game with six points, three assists and three steals.

“We just couldn’t hit (shots) and that it affected the kids big time,” said James. “That is the first time that has happened to them all year. We’ve had quarters like that but never a whole game.”

In the junior varsity game, Triton Central scored just four points in the first half and suffered a 36-15 defeat. Brody Ciriello led the Tigers with five points.

Of Triton Central’s final eight games of the regular season, six come against Indiana Crossroads Conference opponents. The first is Saturday in Fairland against Class A, No. 8 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-4, 3-1 ICC).

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Shelbyville’s girls basketball program celebrated its five seniors then blitzed a potential Sectional 14 opponent.

On Wednesday at Garrett Gymnasium, the Golden Bears raced out to a 21-4 advantage after one quarter against Whiteland and never looked back. Ava Wilson scored a game-high 23 points on her Senior Night to lead Shelbyville to a 60-35 victory.

Wilson, Lilly Marshall, Ellie Simpson, Ella Johnson and Lilly Johnson have one more home game in Garrett Gymnasium – Saturday against Delta (10-8) – before finishing the regular-season schedule Tuesday at East Central.

Shelbyville has won six of its last seven games to improve to 13-7.

Ella Johnson scored all seven of her points against the Warriors Wednesday in the first quarter. Wilson had 11 points in the second quarter as the lead grew to 35-12.

Ellie Keller hit a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter on the way to an 11-point performance and the Golden Bears led by 29 going into the final quarter.

Sophia Dyer topped Whiteland (9-10) with 17 points.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 19-1 this season with a 41-32 victory.

In other prep events:

Girls basketball

Morristown 71, Greenwood Christian 39

At Greenwood Christian, Morristown had three players score in double digits and three more combine for 21 points to run away from the Cougars (4-14).

Emma Nelson hit three 3s to lead the Yellow Jackets (8-12) with 18 points. She also had four rebounds and five steals.

Jayla Keithley filled the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Alexia Rogers added 11 points.

Danika Rutledge followed with nine points, three rebounds and four assists and Olivia Rude and Nevaeh Cox each scored six points.

Morristown led 31-18 at halftime and extended the lead to 50-30 after three quarters. The 71 points was a season high for the Yellow Jackets, who travel to Hauser (6-15) tonight.

Swimming

Shelbyville’s Will Rife and Riley Everette each won two individual events and were part of a winning relay team in Tuesday’s dual meet at Greenwood.

Rife, a senior, took first place in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Everette, a sophomore, touched the wall first in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

Rife teamed with Everett Stegemiller, Brody Jeanette and Andrew Duffy to score first-place points in the 400 freestyle relay.

Everette joined with Hailey Maulden, Miriam Garringer and Paige Bohman to win the 200 freestyle relay.

Also winning events for Shelbyville were Bohman (100 freestyle), Garringer (100 backstroke) and Jeanette (100 breaststroke).

Greenwood won the boys dual meet, 92-64, and the girls dual meet, 100-56.

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Triton Central graduate Maya Chandler was part of a NCAA record-setting women’s basketball game Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee.

SMU defeated Memphis, 91-86 in double overtime. The two teams were whistled for a NCAA single-game record 75 fouls. That broke the previous record of 70 fouls in an Oklahoma-Kentucky game on Nov. 28, 2014.

SMU set a program record with 40 made free throws on 60 free-throw attempts – also a program record.

Chandler was in the starting lineup for SMU and played 44 minutes, scoring five points, grabbing a career-high seven rebounds and getting one assist and one steal.

On Sunday, SMU lost at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, 84-75. Chandler finished with 13 points, one rebound and two assists.

The Mustangs are 8-8 this season.

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

Rylie Stephens

The Triton Central graduate had one rebound and one assist Saturday in Samford’s 75-52 loss Saturday at Chattanooga.

On Thursday at East Tennessee State University, Stephens had one point and one rebound in a 57-40 loss.

Samford is 8-9.

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate had two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal Saturday in Hanover’s 83-78 win over Bluffton University.

Three days earlier, Crim scored 15 points and had one rebound, two assists and two steals in a 108-102 double-overtime loss to Transylvania University (Kentucky).

Hanover is 10-5.

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate collected six points, eight rebounds and two steals Saturday in Hanover’s 73-56 win over Bluffton University.

On Jan. 10, Hanover lost at No. 2 Transylvania, 54-39. Heath finished with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Hanover is 9-6.

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate had 17 points, four rebounds and five assists Saturday in Oakland City’s 74-73 loss to Shawnee State University.

On Thursday, Moore had four points, five rebounds and one assist in the Mighty Oaks’ 87-83 loss to Point Park University.

Oakland City is 7-10 this season.

Tenleigh Phelps, Lizzie Graham

Indiana University South Bend improved to 16-0 this season with an 84-63 win Sunday at St. Ambrose University (Iowa). Head coach Steve Bruce secured career win No. 300 with the Titans.

Phelps, a Triton Central graduate, scored 24 points and collected a season-high 17 rebounds – one short of the program record.

Graham, a Triton Central graduate, had three rebounds in the win. The freshman was recently named to the inaugural Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. To receive the award, a student-athlete must have received a 3.25 or better grade point average in the 2023 fall semester. Graham was one of 67 athletes across all six IU South Bend sports to receive the honor.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate scored a team-high 10 points and added two rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block for Anderson in an 80-55 loss to Mount St. Joseph Saturday.

On Jan. 10, Anderson defeated Manchester, 86-66. Larrison finished with six points and three rebounds.

The Ravens are 7-8 this season and 3-5 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate won both diving competitions for Franklin College in a dual meet at DePauw University Friday.

Baker totaled 250.25 points in the 1-meter event and 253.90 points in the 3-meter event.

Alison Muck

The Southwestern graduate finished second in the high jump for Franklin College Saturday in the Robert H. Johnson Open hosted by Wabash College

Muck cleared 1.48 meters.

Ava Ruschhaupt

The Shelbyville graduate finished 15^th in the 60 meters and 22^nd in the 200 for Franklin College in the Robert J. Johnson Open.

Kina Schultz

The Shelbyville graduate placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles for Muskingum in Muskie Meet No. 1 it hosted Saturday in New Concord, Ohio.

Schultz also was part of Muskingum’s 800 relay team that finished third.

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Maryrose Felling scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the opening quarter Tuesday and Class 2A, No. 14 Triton Central pinned a 44-30 loss on a future Indiana Crossroads Conference member.

The sophomore hit a trio of 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes as the Tigers roared out to a 17-9 lead over Covenant Christian, who will join the ICC next season replacing Cascade.

Triton Central’s defense limited the Warriors to just three second-quarter points and extended its lead to 25-12 at halftime.

Covenant Christian’s offense never got in gear in the second half and Triton Central held its 10^th opponent of the season to 30 points or less.

Brooklyn Bailey finished with 14 points for Triton Central on Senior  Night. Fellow seniors Hailey Harris and Lucy Spall each scored four points.

Moriah Armstrong led Covenant Christian (6-14) with eight points. Avery Reichart and Vivian Haffner each scored six for the Warriors, who are 2-3 this season against ICC competition.

Triton Central (15-5) will host its highly-successful Pink Out Game Friday against Lawrenceburg (12-8).

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Morristown’s Remi Spicklemire won all four individual events Monday at Girls Inc. but Shelbyville’s depth carried it to the dual win.

The Golden Bears’ four gymnasts defeated the Yellow Jackets 83-58.8. Morristown had just three available gymnasts.

Spicklemire (photo, right) scored first-place ribbons in the vault (8.35), uneven bars (7.05), balance beam (8.175) and floor exercise (7.825) which allowed her to claim the all-around title over Shelbyville’s Renee Aldridge, 31.4-28.725.

Aldridge (photo, left) placed second in three of the four individual events – vault (8.175), uneven bars (6.95) and balance beam (7.4). She finished fourth in the floor exercise.

Shelbyville’s Lilly Conway was the floor exercise runner-up with a score of 6.425.

In other prep events:

Swimming

Hoosier Heritage Conference Championships

Will Rife produced Shelbyville’s best finish – runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly Saturday at the conference championship meet at New Palestine High School.

Rife touched the wall in 54.87 seconds to finish second behind Yorktown’s Henry Ko (50.58). Mt. Vernon’s Eli Webster finished third in 55.31.

Rife also finished sixth in the 100 backstroke in 58.58. Pendleton Heights’ Jacob Simpson won the race in 54.71.

Also scoring top-15 finishes were Brody Jeanette (13^th in 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle), Andrew Duffy (14^th in 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke) and Everett Stegemiller (14^th in 100 freestyle).

Delta won the HHC title with 377 points – five better than runner-up Yorktown.

In the girls HHC championship meet on Jan. 6, Riley Everette produced a pair of top-six finishes for Shelbyville.

The sophomore finished sixth in the 200 individual medley in 2:26.83and sixth in the 100 butterfly in 1:04.65.

Miriam Garringer had a pair of top-10 results. The senior placed seventh in the 100 freestyle in 57.65 and ninth in the 200 freestyle in 2:08.31.

Also finishing in the top 15 were Naomi Garringer (11^th in 50 freestyle, 14^th in 100 backstroke) and Paige Bohman (15^th in 50 freestyle, 14^th in 100 freestyle).

Greenfield-Central won the HHC team title with 527 points. Delta was runner-up at 369.

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Ballplayers from all parts of the state have begun 2024 strong, posting explosive scoring outputs, as well as big assist and rebounding numbers each night.

Though Northern Indiana saw postponements throughout the weekend, a 55-point performance on the girls’ side heated things up earlier in the week, while Southern Indiana saw a young man rewrite his school’s record book, surpassing a prior mark set by a Hall of Famer you are sure to know.

Culver Community senior Jack Rodgers, Argos senior Samantha Redinger, Greenfield-Central junior Braylon Mullins, McCutcheon freshman Lillie Graves, Springs Valley junior Deion Edwards, and South Knox junior Ella Bobe have been selected for Jan. 8 - Jan. 13 in the recognition program coordinated by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Rodgers is the boys’ winner and Redinger the girls’ winner in District-1. Mullins and Graves take home boys’ and girls’ honors, respectively, in District-2. Edwards was selected as the boys’ recipient, while Bobe is the girls’ recipient, in District-3.

In his only game of the week last week, Culver Community's Jack Rodgers helped the Cavaliers to a 78-56 victory over Community Baptist Tuesday evening. The 6-0 point guard set a career high by scoring 39 points in the win. Additionally, Rodgers posted a double-double with 12 rebounds, 6 of which came at the offensive end of the floor. For good measure, the senior guard added 7 assists and 4 steals to his stat line.

Argos senior Samantha Redinger is making her second appearance here this season. She is currently leading all Hoosier ladies with a 32.0 point per game scoring average through 18 games, and last week she was well above that mark. In a 79-54 win against Oregon-Davis on Thursday, the 5-7 wing erupted for 55 points on an efficient 18-of-34 shooting, including a 10-of-20 performance from 3-point range. In addition, Redinger added 9 rebounds, 6 steals, and a pair of assists in the triumph.

Greenfield-Central picked up a pair of nice wins over the weekend, and junior Braylon Mullins was a huge part of their success. On Friday, the Cougars took a big Hoosier Heritage Conference win, 70-50, against New Castle. Then Saturday, in their return to the court, they took care of Hancock County rival Eastern Hancock, 64-31. To begin his weekend, Mullins put together an all-around effort against New Castle, scoring 26 points, pulling down 8 rebounds, handing out 4 assists, and collecting 5 steals. Saturday, the 6-5 guard was even better, pouring in 44 points on 16-26 shooting, including 8-15 from deep. In doing so, the Junior’s 44th point also represented his 1000th point of his career. In this memorable outing, Mullins added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, helping the Cougars to a perfect 13-0 record thus far.

Freshman Lillie Graves is certainly making her mark early in her career for McCutcheon. Last week she managed a pair of 30-point scoring games, as the Mavericks moved to 17-2 on the season, already six wins better than in 2022-2023. In a big win Tuesday against Carroll (Flora), 56-49, the 6-0 wing posted a double-double with 34 points and 15 rebounds. She was 12-of-14 from the charity stripe, plus she added a pair of assists and 4 steals. Saturday, in a comfortable win at Muncie Central, Graves followed that up with 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting, she pulled down 10 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive, posting her second double-double of the week, plus she contributed 3 assists and a pair of steals.

Springs Valley is having a nice season so far with a 10-4 record, plus they are winners of seven games in a row. Last weekend was exciting for the Blackhawks, as they won a pair of games in overtime. Friday night, they traveled to West Washington, escaping by a 60-58 margin for the Patoka Lake Conference win. Junior Deion Edwards didn’t shoot it great in this one, but he still managed to contribute, adding 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the nail-biter. It was the next day’s game that was one to remember for the 6-4 forward. Saturday, both teams were dropping buckets as quickly as the temperature outside, forcing the Blackhawks to win another overtime thriller, 101-98, over Austin. In this particular game, Edwards was 19-of-31 from the field, 2-of-5 from downtown, and 16-of-18 from the free throw line, scoring 56 points. In addition, the junior forward broke the single-game school record set by a gentleman you might have heard of…Larry Bird. Edwards also posted a double-double with 14 rebounds, hauling in an impressive 11 of them at the offensive end of the floor. He also handed out 4 assists and collected 3 steals in the high-scoring affair.

Junior Ella Bobe has helped South Knox to an 18-1 record this year, with their only loss coming in overtime. Last week, the Spartans posted a 3-0 mark, and Bobe was great across the board in all three games. Tuesday, in a 77-47 Blue Chip Conference win at Wood Memorial, the 5-9 guard scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, she grabbed 8 rebounds, handed out 3 assists, and she stole the ball 3 times. Tuesday, at home, the Spartans picked up an easy win against North Daviess. In limited time, Bobe scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting, she dished out 8 assists, collected 5 rebounds, and picked up 2 steals. Saturday was more of the same, as South Knox traveled to Vincennes Lincoln, winning in impressive fashion, 75-37. The Junior guard scored another 24 points, this time on 10-of-15 shooting, plus she added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals to her weekly totals. For the week, she shot a blistering 69% from the field, while averaging 7.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

This is the 16th season for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week program, andthe fourth season it is being presented by Franciscan Health, a corporate sponsor of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Player of the Week winners are chosen each week from each of the IHSAA’s three districts. Girls’ winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Girls State Finals. Boys’ winners will be chosen through the Monday following the IHSAA Boys State Finals.

Triton Central produced three runner-up finishes in the Indiana Crossroads Conference Championships wrestling meet Saturday at Beech Grove High School.

Freshman Chance Uhls, senior Ayden Nufio and junior Dayne Bailey each placed second in their respective weight classes.

Uhls pinned Lutheran’s Wyatt Geminden in 61 seconds to reach the ICC championship match at 106 pounds where he lost to Monrovia’s Royce Malone.

At 113 pounds, Nufio defeated Beech Grove’s Michael Stacy and Lutheran’s Caleb Morrow to reach the championship round. Monrovia’s Gavin Ash defeated Nufio to claim the title.

Bailey secured two pinfall victories at 150 pounds to get into the championship match. He was defeated 9-1 by Cascade’s Carter Hutchison.

Triton Central also had four wrestlers win third-place matches. They were Anthony Toon (120 pounds), Liam Thompson (132), Braxton Zimmerman (138) and Hunter Franklin (157).

Cascade won the team title for the third straight season but it did not come easy. The Cadets totaled 207 points to hold off Speedway (205.5), Beech Grove (202) and Monrovia (191).

Triton Central finished fifth with 177 points.

In other wrestling events:

Hoosier Heritage Conference Championships

At Pendleton Heights Saturday, Shelbyville advance one wrestler into the championship round.

Brady Bryant, a sophomore, defeated Delta’s Zeke Witter in the opening match at 150 pounds. Bryant then pinned New Castle’s Darin Reynolds in the second period to qualify for the championship match at his weight class.

In the finale, New Palestine’s Elijah Alonso defeated Bryant, 8-1.

Two Shelbyville wrestlers won third-place matches.

At 113 pounds, freshman Tripp Garner defeated New Castle’s Carson Bell to finish third on the podium.

Junior Brayden Schultz topped Pendleton Heights’ Chris Crank, 8-2, to also finish third at 190 pounds.

Delta captured the HHC team title with 207.5 points. New Palestine followed with 191 points to finish ahead of Greenfield-Central (189), Pendleton Heights (154), Mt. Vernon (145), New Castle (110), Shelbyville (104) and Yorktown (101).

Girls Wrestling State Finals

Shelbyville’s Ella Holmes suffered a first-period pinfall loss to Harrison’s Erin Cauble Friday in the 235-pound bracket of the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling State Finals in Kokomo.

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Shelbyville shot just 28% from the field on its home court Saturday night and saw its three-game win streak snapped by Pendleton Heights.

The Golden Bears hit just 7-of-28 shot attempts inside the 3-point line while the Arabians were 14 of 30 to secure the Hoosier Heritage Conference victory.

Marian University commit Josiah Gustin finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead Pendleton Heights (7-8, 1-2 HHC). Aaron Cookston followed with 10 points and Cooper Sims and Evan Mozingo each scored nine points.

Caden Claxton hit four three-pointers to top Shelbyville (9-5, 1-3 HHC) with 16 points. Kohen Myers had nine points and Mar Nicholson finished with eight points and six rebounds.

The Golden Bears continue their HHC schedule Saturday at Garrett Gymnasium against Class 4A, No. 8 Greenfield-Central (13-0, 4-0 HHC). The Cougars are off to the best start in program history and Braylon Mullins eclipsed 1,000 career points Saturday in a 64-31 win over Eastern Hancock.

The game will air on GIANT fm.

In other prep events:

Boys basketball

Triton Central 76, Milan 35

At Milan Saturday, the visiting Tigers scored 54 points in the middle two quarters to push their win streak to three straight.

Eli Sego led Triton Central (10-3) with 14 points. Max Crouse (13 points), Silas Blair (12) and Taggy Goul (10) also scored in double figures. Eleven different Tigers scored in the road win.

Micah Norman topped Milan (0-11) with 14 points

Triton Central travels Wednesday to Roncalli (6-4). That game will be broadcast on GIANT fm with the pre-game show airing at approximately 7 p.m.

Jac-Cen-Del 63, Waldron 42

At Waldron, the visiting Eagles (7-7) raced out to an 18-6 advantage after one quarter and limited the Mohawks to nine fourth-quarter points to seal the win against a potential Sectional 60 opponent.

Lucas Shaw topped Waldron (4-6) with 12 points and seven rebounds. Keith Settles had eight points and Parker Douglas and Will Larrison each scored six.

On Friday, Waldron travels to Hope for a Mid-Hoosier Conference contest against Hauser (10-3, 3-0 MHC). That game will be broadcast on GIANT fm with the pre-game show airing at approximately 7 p.m.

Rushville 52, Morristown 17

At Rushville, Quentin Cain finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists to improve the Lions to 2-12 this season under first-year head coach Kerry Brown.

Clayton Chase also reached double digits with a 12-point performance all on made 3s.

Morristown travels to North Decatur (9-6) Friday for a MHC contest.

South Decatur 55, Southwestern 43

At South Decatur Saturday, a slow start doomed the Spartans in the MHC contest. Southwestern scored just four first-quarter points and trailed 31-15 at halftime.

Jamison Keller led South Decatur (8-6, 3-1 MHC) with a game-high 19 points. Drake Scaggs finished with 12 points and Colby Rathburn had 10.

Ben Kahler scored a team-high 18 points for Southwestern (0-11, 0-1 MHC). Mitchell Clements added 11 points and Carter Snepp scored 10.

Southwestern won the junior varsity game, 47-45.

On Friday, Brown County had five guys score in double digits and produced a season-high point total in an 88-68 victory over the Spartans.

Brady Bond led Brown County (7-6) with 18 points. Eli Harden had 16. Eli Wrightsman and Jesse Hubbard each scored 14 and Cash Harden finished with 13.

The 88 points were the most points scored by the program since an 88-86 win at Indian Creek on Deb. 15, 2002.

Kahler sank 11-of-15 free throw attempts and scored 29 points for Southwestern in the loss. Avery Dennison finished with 17 points. Clements (11 points) and Snepp (10) also reached double digits.

The Spartans won the JV game, 68-50. Thomas Werbe scored 21 points for Southwestern in the win.

Southwestern travels to Edinburgh (6-7, 1-3 MHC) Friday for a girls/boys varsity-only doubleheader.

Girls basketball

Mt. Vernon 58, Shelbyville 49

At Mt. Vernon Saturday, the host Marauders sank four 3s in the fourth quarter to hold off a comeback attempt and end Shelbyville’s five-game win streak.

Gabby Thomas led Mt. Vernon (7-12, 1-3 HHC) with 15 points. DePaul University commit Ellery Minch finished with 12 points and Easton Wampler added 11.

Ava Wilson topped Shelbyville (12-7, 2-4 HHC) with 18 points. That pushed her career scoring total to 1,124 points and makes her the program’s fourth all-time leading scorer.

Ellie Keller and Hannah Baker each hit a pair of 3s and finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 18-1 (5-0 HHC) with its win over Mt. Vernon.

The Golden Bears host Whiteland (9-9) – a potential Sectional 14 opponent – Wednesday at Garrett Gymnasium.

Morristown 52, Edinburgh 41

At Edinburgh, a trio of Yellow Jackets scored in double digits to pin a Mid-Hoosier Conference loss on Edinburgh (3-16, 1-1 MHC).

Danika Rutledge scored 14 points, collected 14 rebounds and had six steals to lead Morristown (7-12, 2-3 MHC). Emma Nelson followed with 13 points and five rebounds and Jayla Keithley had 11 points, four rebounds and five steals.

Morristown is at Greenwood Christian (4-13) Tuesday.

Eastern Hancock 71, Waldron 30

At Eastern Hancock, freshman McKenzie Koch scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Class 2A, No. 2 Royals to their 18^th win of the season.

Jackie Corlett led Waldron (6-12) with nine points. Emerson Lindsey finished with eight points and four assists.

Waldron is at New Palestine (10-9) Thursday.

Jac-Cen-Del 77, Southwestern 22

At Southwestern Friday, Reagan Hughes hit five 3s in the opening quarter and Class A, No. 8 Jac-Cen-Del rolled to the victory over a potential Sectional 60 opponent.

Hughes hit seven 3s in the win and scored a game-high 25 points. Julia Meyer had 20 points and the Eagles improved to 15-4.

Tanna Tatlock led Southwestern (0-18) with 11 points. Emma Isgrigg finished with eight points.

The Spartans are at Indianapolis Herron (14-6) Tuesday.

Gymnastics

Franklin Central Invitational

Morristown finished 11^th in the team standings of the 16-team invitational.

Remi Spicklemire produced the Yellow Jackets’ top finish – 11^th on the balance beam.

Morristown travels to Shelbyville tonight for a dual meet at Girls Inc.

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Kokomo built a nine-point lead after three quarters Thursday in Fairland and went on to defeat Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central 47-43.

The Wildkats (10-8) led 20-19 at halftime then outscored the Tigers 19-11 in the third quarter to take a 39-30 lead.

Maryrose Felling scored 10 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter but Triton Central (14-5) never recovered. The Tigers have lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Brooklyn Bailey and Hailey Harris each scored six points for Triton Central.

Ma’Kaela Drake topped Kokomo with 16 points, two rebounds and three steals. Aijia Elliott and Satrya Scott each scored seven points.

Triton Central won the junior varsity game, 36-33. Ahna Ashman, Macy Cloe and Layla Compton each scored seven points to lead the Tigers.

Triton Central hosts Covenant Christian (6-13) Tuesday. The Warriors are joining the Indiana Crossroads Conference in 2024-25.

In other prep events Thursday:

Girls basketball

North Decatur 59. Southwestern 15

At North Decatur, the visiting Spartans were outscored 20-6 in the opening quarter and trailed 33-12 at halftime.

Ella Kunz led North Decatur (13-6, 4-0 Mid-Hoosier Conference) with 20 points. Madi Allen finished with 17 points.

The Chargers have won four straight and seven of their last eight.

Tanna Tatlock led Southwestern (0-17, 0-5 MHC) with seven points.

Southwestern hosts Class A, No. 8 Jac-Cen-Del (14-4) tonight.

South Decatur 55, Waldron 37

At Waldron, the host Mohawks fell behind 25-16 at halftime and could not mount a comeback effort in the Mid-Hoosier Conference contest.

South Decatur improved to 11-9 overall and 4-1 in conference games. The Cougars have won three of their last four games. The program’s double-digit win total is its first since the 2014 season.

Waldron has lost four straight to fall to 6-11 (3-2 MHC). The schedule does not get any easier with road games Saturday at Class 2A, No. 2 Eastern Hancock (17-1) and Jan. 18 at New Palestine (9-9).

Gymnastics

New Palestine 98.075, Shelbyville 81.9

At Girls Inc. in Shelbyville, the Dragons defeated the Golden Bears in their season opener.

New Palestine gymnasts won all four individual events and had the top four finishers in the all-around competition.

Lynzie Stiller took first place in the vault (8.775) and uneven bars (7.9) while Olivia Frank won the balance beam (8.875) and floor exercise (8.525).

Frank was the all-around champion with a four-event score of 33.275. Stiller was runner-up at 33.125.

Shelbyville’s Renee Aldridge placed fifth in the all-around at 28.5.

Aldridge was the Golden Bears’ top finisher in three events – vault (8.425), uneven bars (6.325) and floor exercise (7.325). Ella Griggs had Shelbyville’s top finish on the balance beam (6.925).

The Golden Bears host Morristown Monday at Girls Inc.

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COLUMBUS — Columbus East pushed and pulled its way within two points of Shelbyville Tuesday night at the Orange Pit, but a Mar Nicholson offensive rebound and score and four made free throws from Cole Schene and Luke Brinkman sealed the Golden Bears’ 59-53 victory.

Nicholson finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while fellow sophomore Caden Claxton had 17 points, three rebounds and two assists to improve Shelbyville to 9-4.

“We knew Columbus East was going to be very physical,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “The (referees) tightened up on it early then kind of let us play a little bit more in the second half. We’ve got to get tougher in those situations. We have to be tough and take care of the ball and not panic when we get pressured in these late quarters.”

Keaton Lawson, also a sophomore, topped Columbus East (3-7) with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Shelbyville collected its third-straight win with a strong first half performance that included Damon Badgley sinking a trio of 3-pointers. After a slow start to the season, the junior has hit 14 of his last 24 3-point attempts (58%).

Claxton and Badgley combined for 11 first-quarter points that helped Shelbyville build a 17-10 lead. Nicholson had six points and three rebounds in the second quarter and the Golden Bears opened up a double-digit lead, 33-22, at halftime.

Lawson (photo below, right) scored nine points in the third quarter in a variety of ways while Shelbyville slowed, making just four field goals and committing four turnovers against a physical Olympians defense.

“(Lawson) is tough as nails and he is a good lefty that can go right and use his right hand well,” said Hartnett.

An Alex Duncan layin with five seconds on the third-quarter clock cut Shelbyville’s lead to 44-41 but Claxton (photo) raced to half court and hit a momentum-squashing 3 to set the lead at six going to the final quarter.

Three of Nicholson’s four field goals in the final eight minutes came of offensive rebounds. The final one came with 1:40 left when the Olympians had gotten within 53-51.

“(Nicholson) was our key in the fourth quarter getting easy buckets, getting the offensive board and putting it back up,” said Hartnett.

The Olympians could not answer back and Shelbyville spread the floor and forced Columbus East to foul to stop the clock.

Schene, who scored eight points in Shelbyville’s 44-30 junior varsity win, sank a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to push the lead back to six. Schene finished with four points and five rebounds in the varsity game and Kyle Clouse also contributed off the bench with two points, two rebounds and a blocked shot.

“We practice hard and it’s competitive every single day,” said Hartnett. “Everybody has to be ready for their shot. Tonight, Kyle Clouse was ready for his shot.”

Shelbyville’s junior varsity also improved to 9-4. Gavin Reed led the Golden Bears with 15 points.

The Golden Bears seek their fourth-straight win Saturday night against Pendleton Heights (6-7, 0-1 Hoosier Heritage Conference) at Garrett Gymnasium.

Notes: Former Shelbyville assistant coach and Triton Central head coach Perry Nash is in his first season as head coach at Columbus East. Another former Shelbyville assistant coach, Al Anderson, is on the Olympians coaching staff as is former Golden Bear Brock Blackwell. … Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Associate Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer Tom Beach was in attendance Tuesday. Beach was Shelbyville’s head coach for four seasons from 2010-2013 and is the father-in-law of Nash. … The Golden Bears are now 1-2 this season against potential Sectional 14 opponents. The sectional, which will be held at East Central, features Whiteland (9-5), Franklin (10-2), Columbus East, Shelbyville, Columbus North (3-6) and East Central (5-7). The Golden Bears are at East Central Feb. 17. Former Shelbyville assistant coach Tyler Thiesing is now the head coach at East Central.

Steve Bush photos

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For the first time in two decades, Shelbyville girls basketball has back-to-back wins against Rushville.

On Tuesday at Garrett Gymnasium, Ella Johnson (photo) scored 11 points and pulled down a school-record 22 rebounds to lead the Golden Bears to a 43-33 victory over the Lions. Johnson set the single-game record of 21 rebounds in Shelbyville’s season-opening win over Waldron.

Ava Wilson led the Golden Bears with 13 points. Hannah Baker finished with 10 points.

Shelbyville led 21-16 at halftime and extended that lead to 32-23 after three quarters.

Leonie Boyer led Rushville (7-12) with nine points. 

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 17-1 with a hard-fought 38-28 win Tuesday.

The Golden Bears (12-6, 2-3 Hoosier Heritage Conference) travel to Fortville Saturday afternoon to face Mt. Vernon (6-12, 0-3 HHC).

In other prep events Tuesday:

Girls basketball 

New Palestine 43, Triton Central 37

At New Palestine, Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central got off to a fast start but scored just two fourth-quarter points to fall to the Dragons.

The Tigers (14-4) led 18-7 after the first quarter but a trio of Dragons combined for seven 3-pointers in the second quarter to take a 30-26 lead at halftime.

A late 3-point play kept New Palestine up 37-35 after three quarters and Lucy Spall had Triton Central’s only fourth quarter points.

Sadey Hughbanks led the Dragons (9-9) with 16 points. Allie Blum, a University of Kentucky softball commit, finished with 11 points.

Brooklyn Bailey was the only Tiger to score in double digits. The senior finished with 10 points. Hailey Harris had nine points.

Triton Central hosts Kokomo (9-8) Thursday in Fairland.

North Decatur 60, Morristown 31

At Morristown, the visiting Chargers won their third-straight game and remained atop the Mid-Hoosier Conference standings at 3-0 (12-6 overall).

Alexia Rogers led Morristown (6-12, 1-3 MHC) with 10 points and two steals. Emma Nelson finished with eight points, four rebounds and two blocks.

Morristown is at Edinburgh (3-14, 1-0 MHC) Saturday. 

Gymnastics

Morristown, Martinsville and Kokomo competed against Roncalli in a four-team invitational meet.

Morristown’s Remi Spicklemire produced top-six finishes in all four events and placed fifth in the all-around competition with a score of 31.05. She was runner-up on the balance beam, fourth in the vault and sixth in floor exercise and on the balance beam.

Morristown’s next event is Saturday at the 18-team Franklin Invitational. 

Boys swimming

Pendleton Heights 111, Shelbyville 62

At Pendleton Heights, Shelbyville’s Will Rife produced two individual wins and was part of the Golden Bears’ winning 200-yard freestyle relay team.

Rife collected first-place points in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. He teamed with Everett Stegemiller, Andrew Duffy and Brody Jeanette to win the 200 freestyle relay.

Duffy also had a first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke.

Jeanette was runner-up in the 200 freestyle and Stegemiller placed second in both the 500 freestyle and the 200 individual medley.

Girls swimming

Pendleton Heights 112, Shelbyville 54

At Pendleton Heights, Shelbyville sophomore Riley Everette won two events and was part of the winning 400 freestyle relay.

Everette touched the wall first in the 100 butterfly and the 100 breaststroke then teamed with Miriam Garringer, Naomi Garringer and Paige Bohman to win the final event of the meet – the 400 freestyle relay.

Naomi Garringer took first place in the 200 freestyle.

Shelbyville also got runner-up finishes from Miriam Garringer in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke and Naomi Garringer in the 100 freestyle.

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Shelbyville sophomore Ella Holmes is one of 16 girls that will compete Friday at historic Kokomo Gymnasium in the 235-pound bracket of the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling State Finals.

Holmes, the runner-up at the Muncie Central Semistate, will open the bracket with a match against Harrison (West Lafayette) sophomore Erin Cauble, the third-place finisher at the Penn Semistate. A win would earn Holmes, a first-time state finalist, a medal as a top 8 finisher and at least two more matches in Kokomo.

In the Round of 8, Holmes would face either Columbia City sophomore Vivian Parke, the Rochester Semistate champion, or Edgewood junior Ayrica DeHart, the fourth-place finisher at the Mooresville Semistate.

Also in the bottom half of the 235-pound bracket and potential semifinal round opponents for Holmes are Northview’s Varzidy Batchelor (Mooresville champion), Muncie Central’s Lexi Edwards (fourth place at Rochester), Greenfield-Central’s Keely Allen (third place at Muncie Central) and Attica’s Aubrey Bartkowiak (Penn runner-up).

Batchelor is the reigning state champion at 195 pounds. Bartkowiak was the 2023 state runner-up at 250 pounds.

Weigh-in for the State Finals is at 10 a.m. Friday in Kokomo. Wrestling begins at 11 a.m.

State champions in 14 weight classes will be crowned by the state coaches association. The Indiana High School Athletic Association still classifies girls wrestling as an Emerging Sport, which is the final step toward becoming a fully-sanctioned IHSAA sport.

This is the second consecutive year Shelbyville has a girls state finals qualifier. Pacey Virden competed in the 2023 state championship meet, held at Mooresville High School, and lost her opening-round match at 195 pounds.

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Samford University’s women’s basketball team secured its first winning non-conference record since the 2017-18 season on Friday with a 74-50 victory over Cumberland University (Tennessee).

Triton Central graduate Rylie Stephens had four rebounds in Samford’s last non-conference contest of the season.

The Bulldogs are 8-7 and have two road games next up on the schedule.

Samford is at East Tennessee State Thursday in Johnson City, Tenn., for their Southern Conference opener, and at Chattanooga Saturday afternoon.

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

Drake Moore

The Morristown graduate had a team-high 14 points and grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists Saturday in Oakland City’s 80-76 loss to West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

Oakland City is 7-8 this season and 2-3 against River States Conference opponents.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate finished with six points and four rebounds Saturday in Anderson’s 74-34 loss to No. 2 Transylvania.

The Ravens are 6-7 (2-4 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate had four points, two rebounds and one assist Sunday for SMU in a 65-63 loss to Rice.

On Thursday, SMU defeated Florida Atlantic, 57-52, in its home conference opener. Chandler had six points and one assist in the win.

The Mustangs are 7-7 (1-2 American Athletic Conference).

Kyle Crim

The Morristown graduate had 10 points and three rebounds Saturday in Hanover’s 83-73 win at Manchester University.

The Panthers improved to 9-4 overall and 5-1 against HCAC opponents.

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate scored six points, had two rebounds, six assists and one steal Saturday for Hanover in an 82-46 victory at Manchester.

The Panthers are 8-5 and still a perfect 6-0 against HCAC opponents.

Tenleigh Phelps and Lizzie Graham

The No. 21-ranked IU South Bend women’s basketball team improved to 14-0 (6-0 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) this season with a 102-40 victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Phelps (top photo), a Triton Central graduate, scored 16 points and added six rebounds, one assist and two steals to her stat line in the win.

Graham (bottom photo), also a Triton Central graduate, had eight points, four rebounds and one assist.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate placed third in the one-meter diving competition at the Colonel Classic, hosted by Centre College.

Baker totaled 213.95 points for Franklin College, who finished runner-up in the team standings.

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Class 2A, No. 10 Triton Central did not need to be explosive to win the 2024 Shelby County Tournament. That’s a good thing since the Tigers produced two of their three lowest scoring outputs of the season at Southwestern High School.

Following a 42-35 win Friday over Waldron in the semifinal round, Triton Central nailed down a 43-36 victory Saturday over a pesky Morristown team it defeated by 40 points in the season opener.

“We are struggling a little bit right now offensively with confidence,” said Triton Central head coach Mark James. “We are 12 games into this (season) and that is going to be a concern coming up.”

Morristown appeared to be on life support after the first eight minutes Saturday against the Tigers. The Yellow Jackets trailed 13-3 and only took two shots attempts – that would be a theme.

In the second quarter, Owen Rinzel and Kellen Crim each hit a three-pointer and Morristown’s confidence slowly started to rise. So did James’ blood pressure just a little.

Trailing 22-15 at halftime, Cade Mahin sank a pair of free throws early in the third quarter and the Yellow Jackets were suddenly within five points of their state-ranked opponent.

Triton Central always had an answer though before any Morristown momentum swing could get out of hand.

Taggy Goul scored his only points of the game on back-to-possessions in the third quarter to push the lead back to nine.

Silas Blair was Triton Central’s only consistent offensive threat in the championship and he nailed a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to get the Tigers a 34-24 lead.

“They were fighting. They played really good defense,” said Blair of Morristown. “We played good defense but our offense just hasn’t clicked the last few games. We are still working on that.”

Despite being a 2-win team, Morristown would not go away. Dalton McMichael came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer and Mahin had a pair of baskets and the Yellow Jackets twice got within five points in the game’s final 30 seconds but Blair hit two free throws to seal the victory and start the celebration.

While the county title was the second straight for Triton Central and third in the last four seasons, it was the first for head coach Mark James, who has 608 career victories.

“It’s never easy. It wasn’t easy,” said James. “Everybody we played in this tournament was very prepared and played very hard. It was sort of what I expected – a lot of tradition, the kids really get up for the games and play hard. I thought our kids played really hard and Morristown’s kids played really hard.”

Blair finished with a game-high 17 points and had seven rebounds and three assists. The junior was named the Shelby County Tournament Most Valuable Player.

“This is awesome. I didn’t think I could do this but my teammates push me hard in practice,” he said. “They want what is best for me. No one is selfish on this team. That means a lot.”

Eli Sego had 12 points and four steals for Triton Central, now 9-3, with a road trip ahead to Milan (0-9) on Saturday.

Mahin led Morristown (2-9) with 10 points and seven rebounds. Crim finished with nine points.

The Yellow Jackets took just 22 shots in the game --  11 less than Triton Central -- and hit 12 but were 6 of 10 from the 3-point arc.

Morristown will seek its third win in four games Friday at Rushville (1-11).

Steve Bush photos

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Triton Central senior Brooklyn Bailey added a small piece of hardware to her voluminous bag of tricks Saturday night at the Shelby County Tournament.

The bag of tricks is fictional. The hardware is not.

Bailey scored 47 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central to wins over Waldron (53-43) and Morristown (52-22) to capture the 2024 Shelby County Tournament title. The Triton Central center, who hit 8 of 11 shots in the championship, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“All my coaches told me all week and prepared me to be prepared because you are going to be double teamed and probably will be face-guarded and don’t let that bring down your confidence,” said Bailey after cutting down a piece of the county tourney championship net. “They wanted me to move around and help my teammates and if I’m double-teamed I want to help out my teammates rather than me scoring.”

Bailey dominated the third quarter Thursday in the Tigers’ semifinal win over Waldron. She had nine points and six rebounds over that eight-minute span that kept Triton Central in the lead. She went on to score 22 points and collect 10 rebounds.

In the championship game Saturday, she showed how low-post dominant she can be by scoring 11 points in the second quarter and six more in the third on a variety of moves around the rim – and punctuated her dominance by stepping out and hitting a 3-pointer that gave her team a 27-6 lead.

“Brooklyn has grown so much from middle school to where she is now,” said Triton Central head coach Bryan Graham. “She is a student of the game. She is always trying to learn off someone.”

Bailey confirmed her thirst for knowledge by recalling who taught her how to operate in the low post.

“Actually, my first year with Tenleigh Phelps really helped me with all my post moves,” explained Bailey. “I’m not the tallest so she really helped me with being able to move and cut and even watching her play now for IU South Bend I still look at her as my role model.”

Triton Central raced out to a 15-4 lead after one quarter Saturday at Southwestern High School and opened up a 35-14 cushion by halftime with Bailey’s dominance and the 3-point shooting of Maryrose Felling and Hailey Harris.

The Tigers were 7-of-11 from beyond the arc against the Yellow Jackets, who could not keep pace. In the third quarter, Morristown missed all 11 shot attempts and that helped the lead grow to 32.

Bailey scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to kick in the running clock and minutes later, she and fellow seniors Harris (photo, center) and Lucy Spall departed the game together.

Graham now has 13 county tourney titles in his 16 seasons with the Tigers.

“I am very blessed to be where I am at and in the community and with the kids I have,” he said.

Felling, a sophomore, finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Triton Central.

“Maryrose has the ability and has shown at times, including tonight, she is one of the best rebounding guards around,” said Graham. “She has the ‘it’ on knowing where the ball is going and I think a lot of shooters do because they kind of understand when someone shoots it where it is going to miss.”

Freshman Quinn King tallied four points and a game-high eight assists.

Freshman Jayla Keithley led Morristown with 14 points and four rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets (6-11) return to action Tuesday at home against North Decatur (11-6).

Triton Central, now 14-3, travels to New Palestine (8-9) Tuesday.

Steve Bush photos

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With three players scoring in double digits, Shelbyville ended a five-game losing streak to Greensburg Saturday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

Damon Badgley hit a season-high six three-pointers to lead Shelbyville with 19 points. Caden Claxton made four 3s and finished with 17 points and Mar Nicholson added 15 to get the Golden Bears to 8-4.

The win was the first over the Pirates since Jan. 6, 2018.

Shelbyville trailed 11-8 after one quarter but outscored the Pirates 35-20 over the next two quarters to build a 43-31 lead.

Jack McKinsey scored 11 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter as Greensburg (8-4) tried to rally. McKinsey was the only Pirate to score in double figures in the loss.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity team improved to 8-4 with a 62-30 victory Saturday.

The Golden Bears will go for a third-straight win Tuesday at a potential Sectional 14 opponent – Columbus East (3-6).

In other prep events Saturday:

Girls basketball

Shelbyville 56, Yorktown 41

At Garrett Gymnasium in Shelbyville, the host Golden Bears outscored the visiting Tigers 19-5 in the third quarter to break open what was a 29-all tie at halftime.

Ella Johnson had six of her 14 points in the pivotal third quarter and five different Golden Bears scored in the period to build a 48-34 lead.

Ava Wilson finished with a game-high 21 points for Shelbyville in the Hoosier Heritage Conference contest. The Golden Bears have won four straight and improved to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in the HHC standings.

Johnson also had 10 rebounds to go with her 14 points.

Lilly Sylvester led Yorktown (9-7, 2-2 HHC) with 13 points.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity team improved to 16-1 with a 44-12 victory over Yorktown.

The Golden Bears are back in action Tuesday at Garrett Gymnasium against Rushville (7-11).

Wrestling

Guerin Catholic Invitational

Shelbyville dominated all five dual matches to capture the Guerin Catholic Invitational team title.

The Golden Bears defeated Indianapolis Scecina (65-12), Lapel (75-6), Brebeuf (84-0), Lafayette Central Catholic (80-0) and Guerin Catholic (78-5).

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Forgive Ella Holmes if she will miss a few classes Friday at Shelbyville High School. The sophomore has a spot reserved at the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling State Finals in Kokomo that day.

Holmes scored three consecutive pinfall victories this past Friday at the Muncie Central Semistate to reach the championship match.

In that championship, she was defeated 8-2 by Perry Meridian sophomore Alexia Bradley but still qualified for the state finals at Kokomo’s historic Memorial Gymnasium.

Two other Golden Bears competed at the semistate but did not advance past the opening round.

Competing at 100 pounds, freshman Jessica Price suffered a first-period pinfall defeat to Hamilton Heights sophomore Kendall Moe.

At 105 pounds, Shelbyville sophomore Katelyn Wilson also was defeated by pinfall in the first round by Eastern Hancock junior Olivia Evans.

Competing in the 235-pound weight class, Holmes’ day started with a quick pinfall victory over Greenfield-Central’s Ray Biggerstaff.

Holmes needed one more win to qualify for the state championship meet and pinned Hamilton Southeastern’s Fanta Sall in three minutes, 22 seconds.

Holmes advanced to the semistate championship match with a first-period pin of Southport’s Olivia Durham.

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Many Shelby County Tournament games have been won over the years with players stepping up and contributing on a big stage.

On Friday at Southwestern, Morristown sophomore Owen Rinzel scored nine first-half points – triple his season scoring average – to get the one-win Yellow Jackets off to a strong start against winless Southwestern in the second semifinal game of the Shelby County Tournament.

In the second half, Colin Kieninger (photo) scored eight of his 10 points – and his team’s final six points of the game – to get Morristown past the Spartans, 34-30, and into tonight’s championship game against Class 2A, No. 10 Triton Central (8-3).

“It was not pretty by any means but a win is a win,” said Morristown head coach Cory Kreiger. “For us, we will take it because it’s two wins in a row, and especially in a meaningful game like a county tourney game and getting a chance to go play for a championship.”

Rinzel finished with 11 points and four rebounds.

“Owen has stepped into a really big role for us,” said Kreiger. “These past couple of weeks he has really come on for us and for him to kind of get us going, especially in the first quarter when he had seven points, that was big for us. He does a good job rebounding the basketball but it is good to get those contributions especially being a sophomore and getting those meaningful minutes.”

Kieninger, a junior, had 10 points, including a key 3-pointer with 4:42 left in the fourth quarter, and pulled down seven rebounds.

“Colin doesn’t always score in the most graceful ways but he is pretty good, especially using his body around the basket,” said Kreiger. “He crashes the boards for us and that’s what we need. He has been great for us this year. He is fun to watch. He is fun to work with because he works hard.”

Both teams struggled offensively and shot a combined 20% (8 of 40) from the 3-point arc but Kieninger’s trifecta came after Southwestern’s Ben Kahler and Carter Snepp each hit 3s to cut Morristown’s lead to 28-27.

Kahler followed with another 3 with 2:15 to go but it was as close as Southwestern got to the lead.

Kieninger and freshman Kellen Crim hit 3 of 4 free throws in the game’s final 21 seconds to improve Morristown to 2-8 this season.

Crim finished with eight points and four assists.

Kahler and Snepp (photo) were the only Spartans (0-9) to score.

Kahler had a game-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. Snepp finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Steve Bush photo

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Waldron played fast and furious in its first meeting with Triton Central on Nov. 30.

With Eli Sego back in the lineup for Triton Central after missing that first meeting with the Mohawks, Waldron had a whole different pace about them Friday in the first semifinal game of the Shelby County Tournament at Southwestern High School.

The Class 2A, No. 10 Tigers pushed Waldron’s offense out beyond the 3-point arc and limited the Mohawks to just 29% shooting from the field in the first three quarters.

That allowed Triton Central to build a double-digit lead in the first half in part to Sego scoring 14 points and getting the Tigers a 26-15 halftime lead and 33-20 advantage after three quarters.

Triton Central head coach Mark James spread the floor in the fourth quarter and forced Waldron to chase.

“They got the lead and went to that four-corner set with no shot clock … and once they got the lead they played stall ball,” said Waldron head coach David Korder.

That strategy was effective in taking time off the game clock but it stalled out the Tigers’ offensive performance and Lucas Shaw (photo) went into attack mode for Waldron.

The junior scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the final eight minutes but it was not enough to get Waldron any closer than seven points and the comeback attempt fell short.

Triton Central only took five shot attempts in the fourth quarter and had seven turnovers but still prevailed 42-35 to reach tonight’s county tournament championship to face Morristown.

No other Mohawk scored more than six points in the loss. Waldron (4-5) shot 12 of 34 (35%) from the field.

“We are a decent shooting team but not a great shooting team,” said Korder. “That is something we have to work on. We tell the kids you are the most open when you first catch the ball and some of them still haven’t grasped that concept yet.”

Sego did not score in the second half and Silas Blair (main photo) only had two of his 12 points over the final two quarters as the Tigers (8-3) scored just 16 second-half points.

“(Eli) is a heck of player and they are not going anywhere. I’ve seen their middle school team and they are good,” said Korder. “They are going to be good for the next four, five or six years. They have a solid team that is well drilled and very disciplined and especially when they get the lead and spread the floor like that. It is hard to come back on them without a shot clock.”

Max Crouse finished with seven points – all in the second half.

Steve Bush photos

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Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central needed to get its offense in gear Thursday in the second semifinal game of the Shelby County Tournament. Head coach Bryan Graham turned to senior center Brooklyn Bailey.

Bailey (photo) scored twice in the low post to start the third quarter and sparked the Tigers to a 14-3 run against Waldron, a team it defeated by 46 points on Dec. 1.

Down 34-18, the Mohawks would not give in, closing the quarter with a 12-4 run to get within eight.

Bailey scored five of Triton Central’s first 10 points of the fourth quarter and the Tigers hit just enough free throws to secure a 53-43 victory and a berth in Saturday’s county tournament championship game against Morristown.

“It doesn’t matter what the records are or how many you’ve won by or what players you have. The county tourney is just a little bit different,” said Graham, who has won 12 county tournament titles in his 15 previous seasons. “We’ve been very blessed for a lot of years to be very successful in this tournament. It’s hard to get kids who always have the (Victory Bell) and the (county tourney) trophy to understand that the people that don’t always have it, how much more it means to them. … It means more to people that don’t have something and, hopefully, when our girls look back and graduate they see what coach is talking about.

“Tonight, that was a great example. It doesn’t matter what the score was the first time (against Waldron). It doesn’t matter what the records are. It matters about situational basketball and if someone wants something they don’t have, they are going to play well.”

Triton Central senior Lucy Spall (13) puts up a shot from close range Thursday in the Tigers' Shelby County Tournament semifinal game against Waldron.

Bailey finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“We made that adjustment at halftime and said we are going to feed that ball inside to the post every single time,” said Graham. “We had to get a post touch every single time. I think our first three plays we scripted that everything was going into the post every single time.”

Hailey Harris had 13 points and six rebounds and Maryrose Felling finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals.

Freshman point guard Quinn King had six points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

“She plays such a vital role for us,” said Graham. “Not only did she have the ball in her hands but she was trying to get the ball to Felling, trying to get the ball to Brooklyn. And then she is trying to concentrate on not turning the ball over and getting the ball where it needs to go. And hit open shots at the same time.

“She has a lot on her plate for being a freshman at 14 years old and she has done outstanding. She has grown every single game. By this time next year, we will talk about how much better she is then.”

Waldron's Grace Fischer (25) battles for control of the basketball with Triton Central's Hailey Harris (right) Thursday at Southwestern.

A low-scoring first quarter ended with Waldron’s Alyssa Benson hitting a baseline 12-foot jumper for a 7-6 lead.

The Mohawks grew the lead to 12-8 in the second quarter on a Benson 3-pointer and an Alivia Fischer rebound and score.

Triton Central scored the next seven points, let its defense go to work and never trailed again.

Freshman Grace Fischer led Waldron with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in her Shelby County Tournament debut.

Benson finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists. Emerson Lindsey added nine points.

Steve Bush photos

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When facing a team that struggles to score points, a fast start can be very beneficial.

Morristown was in that situation Thursday against Southwestern in the opening game of the Shelby County Girls Basketball Tournament. It took nearly four minutes to get the first points on the scoreboard but after Southwestern opened the scoring with a three-pointer, the Yellow Jackets scored the next 19 points and never surrendered a double-digit lead in a 51-29 victory.

Morristown (6-10) advanced to Saturday’s championship game at Southwestern High School at 6 p.m. to face Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central (13-3).

Southwestern's Ellie Gosser (5) shoots over Morristown's Nevaeh Cox in Thursday's Shelby County Basketball Tournament semifinal game.

Southwestern, averaging just 25.9 ppg, took a 3-0 lead Thursday on its home floor with a Tanna Tatlock 3-pointer. The Spartans did not score again until there was 2:22 left in the first half.

Meanwhile, six different Yellow Jackets scored in a 19-0 run that ended with Danika Rutledge (photo) scoring off an offensive rebound.

A 5-1 run by the Spartans cut the lead to 12 before Alexia Rogers sank a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to make it 23-8.

Near the mid-point of the third quarter, Tatlock drove to the rim and scored to cut Morristown’s lead to 27-16 and a defensive stop gave the ball back to the Spartans (0-16), who did not continue to cut into the lead.

Rogers hit another 3 that sparked a 13-3 run and the Yellow Jackets were not challenged again.

Jayla Keithley (photo) led Morristown with 13 points, three rebounds, four assists and four steals in her first county tournament game. Rogers hit a trio of 3s and finished with 11 points.

Katie Theobald scored eight points off the Morristown bench and Rutledge finished with six points and 10 rebounds.

Eight different Yellow Jackets scored in the win.

Riley Engel hit a pair of 3s and led Southwestern with nine points and seven rebounds. Tatlock had eight points and 13 rebounds.

Steve Bush photos

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Shelbyville needed about four minutes to get going Wednesday against Southport. After a scoreless opening half of the opening quarter, the Golden Bears outscored the Cardinals 33-7 over the final 12 minutes of the first half.

That allowed Shelbyville to cruise to a 61-20 victory to secure its 10^th win of the season and give the program its third-consecutive season of double-digit wins – the first time that has happened since 2005-07.

“We are past the rebuilding stage. That’s what I want to say,” said fifth-year Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler (48-62), who took over the program in 2019. “I would say we are past the rebuilding stage and we never want to go back to where we were at. So now it’s just being consistent and let that consistency grow the program to be a great program. That’s the goal.”

Shelbyville finished 4-20 in Hoefler’s first season and allowed 59 points per game. In year two, the program went 8-15 and allowed 56 ppg. The Golden Bears finished one win short of a .500 season in 2022, going 11-12 (allowing 48 ppg).

Shelbyville’s first winning season since 2016 came last year, with a 15-9 mark and a 43 ppg defensive average. Now 10-6 after Wednesday  night’s win at Garrett Gymnasium, the Golden Bears are allowing just 38 ppg.

There were doubts a double-digit win season could be produced after the graduation of the program’s career scoring leader in Kylee Edwards. But with tremendous leadership from five seniors and a talented sophomore class, the Golden Bears are already at 10 wins with six regular-season games left on the schedule – and five of the opponents are at .500 or below.

Prior to the start of Wednesday’s game, Shelbyville honored senior Ava Wilson (photo) for eclipsing 1,000 career points Friday while leading the Golden Bears to the North Decatur Invitational championship. It is the first time in program history there are back-to-back 1,000-point scorers.

Wilson was part of that slow start Wednesday for Shelbyville. She missed her first five shots but defensive turnovers allowed her to get to the rim and score. She had four points in the opening quarter which was part of an 11-0 run and added 15 in the second quarter when Shelbyville opened up a 33-9 lead at halftime.

“Having Ava and these five seniors has really helped out,” said Hoefler of the team’s success this season. “Now it’s moving into next year and I know we are not there yet, we will lose five seniors and a 1,000-point scorer again and that will be a big transition for us. We will have no seniors so it will be all juniors and sophomores and probably a freshman playing. And it will be about being consistent and getting another 10 wins next year.”

Wilson finished with a game-high 24 points Wednesday. She also had four rebounds and four steals. She now has 1,072 career points and needs 38 points to pass Misty (Smith) Albrecht for fourth on the program’s career scoring list. The top three are Edwards (1,563), Gretchen Haehl (1,418) and Brenda Kelsey (1,374).

Two sophomores that have continued to grow within the program followed Wilson Wednesday in the scoring column. Ellie Keller (photo) had 12 points, two rebounds and two assists and Hannah Baker finished with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.

“The sophomores have been picking it up and that’s why I am trying to give them more and more minutes,” said Hoefler. “And then hopefully some of these junior varsity girls after playing the summer up on varsity, will be ready for that varsity experience moving forward.”

Shelbyville’s JV program improved to 15-1 Wednesday with a 42-16 win over Southport. Maddy Jones, a sophomore, led the Golden Bears with 13 points. Three more sophomores that have been starters for the JV this season – Sophia Asher, Savannah Collins and Reese Fortune – earned varsity minutes against Southport and produced four points, four rebounds and a steal.

“I did not see that coming,” admitted Hoefler of the JV record under the direction of Ben Sprinkle. “I thought our JV was going to struggle a little bit but they have grown by leaps and bounds. We have a couple of repeat JV players from freshman year to sophomore year which is good because it gives them that experience so moving forward next year as juniors they will play at that varsity level for us.”

The JV program has not lost a game to a Hoosier Heritage Conference  opponent since the 2020-21 season, according to Hoefler.

Through the development of the middle school program and the creation of a Shelbyville club basketball program, Hoefler sees more “basketball” players in the pipeline for the program.

“We have some up and coming basketball players, which is nice, but really a lot of work to still do with them as well,” she said. “I am hoping for more numbers moving forward. We have our feeder system that we have rebranded the Shelbyville Storm, which is through our school and we have a second- through eighth-grade program now.”

And wins at the varsity level adds to the desire to be a Golden Bear.

“That’s been a big thing. Last season what really helped us out was winning a lot and having people coming to our games so it gets those younger kids interested when they see us winning,” said Hoefler.

Southport has produced double-digit win seasons in three of the last four years but the program was gutted by graduation and is struggling at 1-15 now.

TeAsia Bibbs, a freshman, hit a pair of 3s to lead the Cardinals with eight points. Shelbyville forced Southport into 31 turnovers – one more than total shots attempted.

The meeting of the two programs was the first since Shelbyville traveled to Southport on Jan. 14, 2003, and won 67-63. The head coach of the Golden Bears then was John Fair.

One person familiar with Garrett Gymnasium sat on the Southport bench Wednesday  night. Annie (Thomas) Burris (photo, center) is a 2014 Southwestern graduate now working at Southport High School and serving as an assistant coach with the girls basketball program. Burris led her Spartans to a 52-50 win at Shelbyville on Nov. 22, 2013, during her senior season.

She and her husband, Tyler, are expecting their first child, a son, in June.

Steve Bush photos

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Drake Moore, a Morristown graduate, scored 23 points and had five rebounds and three assists Tuesday in Oakland City’s 109-104 double-overtime victory at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky.

With the win, the Mighty Oaks evened their season record at 7-7.

Oakland City begins a three-game homestand Saturday when West Virginia University Institute of Technology comes to the Johnson Center.

The following week has Point Park University visiting Jan. 11 and Shawnee State University in on Jan. 13.

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

Maya Chandler

The Triton Central graduate had seven points and one assist in 21 minutes of playing time Saturday in SMU’s 70-61 loss at South Florida.

The Mustangs dropped to 6-6 this season and are now 0-1 against American Athletic Conference schools.

Olivia Faust

The Triton Central graduate scored two points Wednesday in limited playing time for Marian in a 92-54 win over Goshen College.

With the win, the Knights improved to 13-1 this season.

On Saturday, Marian defeated Concordia University, 76-37, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Faust had one rebound and one assist.

Bella Larrison

The Waldron graduate finished with a team-high 12 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block Wednesday in Anderson University’s 76-53 loss at Hanover.

The Ravens dropped to 6-6 (2-3 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

Taylor Heath

The Triton Central graduate had two points, 10 assists, three steals and one block Wednesday in Hanover’s 76-53 win over Anderson.

The Panthers improved to 7-5 (5-0 HCAC).

On Friday, Heath had one rebound and one steal in Hanover’s 69-59 win over the University of Mount Union in the McDonald’s Holiday Classic in Bluffton, Ohio.

Hanover lost 77-74 in overtime Saturday to Muskingum University in Bluffton. Heath scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists and had one steal in 40 minutes of playing time.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

The 2023-24 issue of Hoosier Basketball Magazine is available to be ordered by mail.

Hoosier Basketball Magazine offers a comprehensive survey of all high school (boys and girls), college (men and women) and professional (Pacers and Fever) basketball in Indiana.

Twelve high school seniors are featured on Hoosier Basketball Magazine’s traditional front cover, six boys and six girls. The boys pictured are Jack Benter (Brownstown Central), Flory Bidunga (Kokomo), Micah Davis (Franklin), Evan Haywood (Brebeuf Jesuit), Ron Rutland (Indianapolis Attucks) and K.J. Windham (Ben Davis). The featured girls are Alli Harness (Carroll-Flora), Jordyn Poole (Fort Wayne Snider), Chloe Spreen (Bedford North Lawrence), Reagan Wilson (Noblesville), Faith Wiseman (Indian Creek) and Juliann Woodard (Jennings County).

Hoosier Basketball Magazine also has produced a featured “Champions Cover” edition. Spotlighted on the front of the Champions Cover are six senior players – two 2023 Class 4A state champions (Spreen and Windham), a semistate champion (Bidunga) and three regional champions from last season (Benter, Poole and Wiseman).

The design of the special edition cover is a throwback to the 1975-76 issue that featured actions photos on the cover.

There are five college players that appear on the traditional cover including Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Zach Edey (Purdue), Trey Galloway (Indiana), Ella Collier (Marian) and Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana) along with Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers).

Both Edey and Holmes are part of the Champions Cover based on Big Ten titles won by Purdue men and Indiana women from the 2022-23 season. Edey is a replica of the 1979-80 Joe Barry Carroll cover, while Holmes recognizes the 1977-78 cover that pictured No. 54 Kent Benson.

There are three high school seniors that appear with action pictures on the table of contents page. They are Lauren Foster (Indian Creek), Kennedy Fuelling (Norwell) and Jaedin Reyna (Hammond Noll).

The 2023-24 edition can be ordered by mail now by emailing hoosierbbllmag@att.net or call or text 317-925-8200.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Morristown carried momentum out of winning the Healthy Hoopla Holiday Tournament Thursday with a win Saturday over Indianapolis Scecina.

A trio of Yellow Jackets scored in double figures in Morristown’s 54-32 win over the Crusaders (3-9). Jayla Keithley scored a team-high 17 points and had seven rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Emma Nelson scored 13 points for Morristown and added six rebounds. Danika Rutledge finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

On Thursday, Morristown opened the four-team tournament hosted by Cambridge City Lincoln with a 58-34 win over Milan. Nevaeh Cox had a team-high 15 points for Morristown against the Indians (4-11). Rutledge had 14 points and six rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets (5-10) secured the championship (photo) with a 40-21 win over Cambridge City Lincoln (2-10). Keithley totaled 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists for Morristown.

In other prep events:

Girls basketball

Union City Invitational

Southwestern is still seeking its first win of the season after going 0-3 at the 8-team Union City Invitational held Friday and Saturday.

The Spartans (0-15) started against the host Indians Friday and lost 47-37. Tanna Tatlock and Emma Isgrigg each scored 10 points for Southwestern. Riley Engel finished with seven points.

Camryn Fischer scored a game-high 19 points for Union City (8-8). Gabby Ordonez finished with 17 points.

In Saturday’s opener, Adams Central held Southwestern to three first-half points and rolled to a 52-16 victory. Ava Stafford led the Flying Jets (4-13) with 13 points. Athena Schwartz added 11 points.

Isgrigg topped Southwestern with five points.

Tatlock scored a season-high 22 points in Southwestern’s finale – a 65-37 loss to Blue River Valley. She hit 11 of 12 free-throw attempts in the loss.

Charlee Gibson sank six 3s, all in the first half, and finished with a game-high 32 points for the Vikings (8-6).

Tatlock (photo) was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Oldenburg Academy 69, Waldron 45

At Waldron Thursday, the visiting Twisters outscored the Mohawks 21-5 in the third quarter to pull away and secure the victory.

Oldenburg Academy improved to 11-4 this season.

Waldron (6-9) trailed 36-26 at halftime before the Twisters opened up 57-31 lead after three quarters.

Alyssa Benson and Emerson Lindsey each scored 14 points for Waldron. Benson also had six rebounds, five assists and nine steals.

Grace Fischer finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Oldenburg Academy won the junior varsity game, 36-22. Brooklyn Milbourn led Waldron with 10 points.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.

Two Shelbyville wrestlers advanced out of the Perry Meridian Girls Wrestling Regional Saturday.

Freshman Jessica Price and sophomore Ella Holmes each finished third at the regional to advance to the semistate round of competition.

Price (photo, left) went 3-1 at 100 pounds, scoring a third-period pin in her opening round match. She was defeated in the semifinals but returned to score two more pinfall victories – including a 56-second pin of Southport’s Ma’kayla Pardue in the third-place match to keep her season going.

Price is 10-3 this season.

Holmes (photo, center) received a bye into the round of 8 at 235 pounds and suffered a third-period pinfall defeat in her opening match. Holmes then pinned three straight opponents – including Greenfield-Central’s Keely Allen, who defeated her in the round of 8 – to secure a third-place finish.

Holmes is 10-4 this season.

Shelbyville sophomore Cora Flynn (photo, right) finished fifth at 120 pounds to earn an alternate position. She defeated Beech Grove’s Janessa Golder by pinfall in the fifth-place match.

Also competing for Shelbyville in the regional were Katelyn Wilson (105 pounds), Natalie Stickles (110), Sydney Ann Dudgeon (130) and Anna Shearer (155).

Girls wrestling is still considered an emerging sport by the Indiana High School Athletic Association. 

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed. Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email by visiting shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.