Let me preface my words by saying how difficult slotting sectionals together is. It's a very long process -- not just throwing darts on a map and drawing lines.
However, a few things should be somewhat sacrosanct and a major part of the process. One is that counties shouldn't be split up unless totally necessary. With the IHSAA showing an obvious desire to keep all sectionals at 6 or 7 teams, that became easier said than done.
Hancock County has four teams going four different directions come sectional time. While we've had county teams shunted different ways in the class era -- for two successive realignments, Mt. Vernon was shifted opposite of New Palestine and Greenfield-Central in 3A, once into the Indianapolis sectional, once to Muncie -- we've never had four teams going four different ways.
Makes you pine for the old days of the Greenfield-Central sectional.
According to the IHSAA, New Palestine has apparently been grafted into Johnson County -- the Dragons put in the same sectional as Center Grove, Greenwood, Franklin and Whiteland (and Franklin Central). Meanwhile, they'll drive past three 4A schools that would be a better geographic fit on the way there, including fellow new 4A member Roncalli (which is in a sectional with east and northeast side Indianapolis teams). And North Central has apparently been grafted into the Carmel sectional and the Marion regional.
?
Greenfield-Central remained in its sectional -- which saw no change other than the closer of Anderson Highland and the dropping of Muncie Central into 3A leaves the field involving the three easternmost NCC schools, Connersville and Pendleton Heights at six teams. It will feed the Indianapolis regional instead of the Marion one as in years past.
So, New Palestine and Greenfield-Central, rivals, neighbors, can't see each other until the semistate, despite being in the same class. North Central can't see its neighbors to the east or west -- Pike or Lawrence North -- until the State Finals, despite Hinkle Fieldhouse actually being located within the boundaries ofWashington Township.
To say this makes little-to-no sense -- other than some really strange gerrymandering -- would be an understatement.
Here's the sensible way to align things -- and what probably should have happened.
Currently, New Palestine is in sectional 13 with the Johnson County schools and Franklin Central. Shunt the Dragons over into Sectional 9 with Greenfield-Central and half of the North Central Conference, making that a seven-team sectional.
Then, move Roncalli into sectional 13, with schools it actually has a bit of a tie with -- next-door neighbor Franklin Central and half of the Mid-State Conference, a league Roncalli has asked to be a part of.
Then, move North Central out of the Hamilton County/Zionsville sectional and into its old northside sectional with the Lawrence schools, Warren Central and the like.
Makes perfect sense, keeps rivalries intact and has as minimal crossing of county lines as necessary.
Mt. Vernon's sectional is a bit of a puzzler, too, but geographically makes some sense. Putting the Marauders in with the northside parochial/private schools (Brebeuf, Guerin and Chatard) and two IPS schools (Arlington and Howe) will put them in a very competitive sectional, but one that will be winnable in most sports. Historically, the IHSAA would have put Hamilton Heights in that sectional and sent MV to Muncie. That would avoid splitting county lines (HH and Guerin are practically next door to each other) and keep MV together with HHC schools Yorktown and Delta, but would mean more travel for the Marauders.
Eastern Hancock -- no surprise that there weren't any changes there, other than Shenandoah surprisingly dropping out despite being very heavily in the sectional footprint and farther east than EH (again, splitting schools from the same county, as neighboring Knightstown stays with EH). Someone had to drop out, and it was easier to move Shenandoah north than to split up two schools on US 40 with easier access to Hagerstown/Richmond where most of the sectional's schools reside.
Football-wise, everyone is going to be breathing a sigh of relief that Cathedral and Roncalli are farther west, but warm up the buses. All three county schools are in with the Muncie schools and Frankfort. It's winnable for the local schools -- the top five teams from the HHC last season are in the league -- but it's also balanced. Frankfort being in the sectional is a bit puzzling, but the likely "other" team to be moved into the sectional would have been one of the two Indy parochial powers, so the local schools will be happy to drive past all of them if need be.
What does this mean for us broadcast-wise? Some difficult choices come sectional time. In the past, we have primarily focused on the sectional featuring the most Hancock County teams -- in hoops, that meant the Mt. Vernon/New Palestine sectional had priority. Now, being split four ways, we'll have to pick the best game of the night each night and go there. This approach might actually lead to more coverage come sectional time, but it also means we won't be able to do two games in a night like we did this year on semifinal night without being really creative. It means sponsorship will be key -- the schools with the most sponsorship attached will be the ones that likely take priority in the future.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Hancock County sectionals change
The four Hancock County teams will be in four different sectionals for the next two years, as new 4A member New Palestine was placed in a sectional with four Johnson County schools and Franklin Central, while Greenfield-Central remained in the sectional it had called home with Pendleton Heights, Anderson, Connersville, New Castle and Richmond.
One minor change to G-C's sectional is that it will feed the Hinkle regional instead of the Marion regional. New Palestine's sectional will feed the Seymour regional in boys basketball.
These pairings are for boys basketball, girls basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball.
Mt. Vernon saw significant change, as the Marauders will be shifted to an Indianapolis sectional with three private schools and two IPS schools. The only change to Eastern Hancock's sectional is that Shenandoah is moved out.
Meanwhile, in football, the three 4A schools are together, but HHC power Delta is also a part of the sectional, as well as the two Muncie schools and Frankfort, so get ready for some travel. Scecina moves into Eastern Hancock's 1A sectional, which is again comprised primarily of East Central Indiana schools.
In soccer, the three county schools will be paired with Shelbyville in sectional play.
Here is the list of local sectionals and those involving HHC teams:
Basketball/baseball/softball/volleyball
4A:
#9 -- *GREENFIELD-CENTRAL, *Pendleton Heights, Anderson, Connersville, New Castle,Richmond
#13 - *NEW PALESTINE, Center Grove, Franklin Central, Franklin, Greenwood, Whiteland
#14 - *Shelbyville, Bloomington North and South, Columbus East and North, East Central
3A:
#24 - *Delta, *Yorktown, Blackford, Hamilton Heights, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside
#26 - *MT VERNON (FORTVILLE), Brebeuf, Guerin Catholic, Arlington, Chatard, Howe
#29 - *Rushville, Batesville, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Madison, South Dearborn
2A:
#41 - EASTERN HANCOCK, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Hagerstown, Knightstown, Northeastern, Union County
Football
4A:
#13 - *GREENFIELD-CENTRAL, *MT VERNON (FORTVILLE), *NEW PALESTINE, *Delta, *Pendleton Heights, Frankfort, Muncie Central, Muncie South
#15 - *Shelbyville, Columbus East, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, New Castle, Richmond, South Dearborn
3A:
#19 - *Yorktown, Bellmont, Blackford, Eastbrook, Maconaquah, Mississinewa, Peru, Western
#22 - *Rushville, Batesville, Beech Grove, Brown County, Edgewood, Greensburg, Indiana Creek, Howe
1A:
#37 - EASTERN HANCOCK, Cambridge City Lincoln, Hagerstown, Indiana Deaf School, Scecina, Knightstown, Northeastern, Tri
Boys/girls soccer
#23: Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon, New Palestine, Shelbyville
#15: Delta, Yorktown, Jay County, Muncie Central, Muncie South
#16: Pendleton Heights, Anderson, Fishers, HSE, Noblesville
#25: Rushville, Connersville, Franklin County, New Castle, Richmond
Full sectional alignments
Football sectional
Boys soccer
Girls soccer
Thanks to Chris Lambert for typing a lot of this info up!
One minor change to G-C's sectional is that it will feed the Hinkle regional instead of the Marion regional. New Palestine's sectional will feed the Seymour regional in boys basketball.
These pairings are for boys basketball, girls basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball.
Mt. Vernon saw significant change, as the Marauders will be shifted to an Indianapolis sectional with three private schools and two IPS schools. The only change to Eastern Hancock's sectional is that Shenandoah is moved out.
Meanwhile, in football, the three 4A schools are together, but HHC power Delta is also a part of the sectional, as well as the two Muncie schools and Frankfort, so get ready for some travel. Scecina moves into Eastern Hancock's 1A sectional, which is again comprised primarily of East Central Indiana schools.
In soccer, the three county schools will be paired with Shelbyville in sectional play.
Here is the list of local sectionals and those involving HHC teams:
Basketball/baseball/softball/volleyball
4A:
#9 -- *GREENFIELD-CENTRAL, *Pendleton Heights, Anderson, Connersville, New Castle,Richmond
#13 - *NEW PALESTINE, Center Grove, Franklin Central, Franklin, Greenwood, Whiteland
#14 - *Shelbyville, Bloomington North and South, Columbus East and North, East Central
3A:
#24 - *Delta, *Yorktown, Blackford, Hamilton Heights, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside
#26 - *MT VERNON (FORTVILLE), Brebeuf, Guerin Catholic, Arlington, Chatard, Howe
#29 - *Rushville, Batesville, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Madison, South Dearborn
2A:
#41 - EASTERN HANCOCK, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Hagerstown, Knightstown, Northeastern, Union County
Football
4A:
#13 - *GREENFIELD-CENTRAL, *MT VERNON (FORTVILLE), *NEW PALESTINE, *Delta, *Pendleton Heights, Frankfort, Muncie Central, Muncie South
#15 - *Shelbyville, Columbus East, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, New Castle, Richmond, South Dearborn
3A:
#19 - *Yorktown, Bellmont, Blackford, Eastbrook, Maconaquah, Mississinewa, Peru, Western
#22 - *Rushville, Batesville, Beech Grove, Brown County, Edgewood, Greensburg, Indiana Creek, Howe
1A:
#37 - EASTERN HANCOCK, Cambridge City Lincoln, Hagerstown, Indiana Deaf School, Scecina, Knightstown, Northeastern, Tri
Boys/girls soccer
#23: Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon, New Palestine, Shelbyville
#15: Delta, Yorktown, Jay County, Muncie Central, Muncie South
#16: Pendleton Heights, Anderson, Fishers, HSE, Noblesville
#25: Rushville, Connersville, Franklin County, New Castle, Richmond
Full sectional alignments
Football sectional
Boys soccer
Girls soccer
Thanks to Chris Lambert for typing a lot of this info up!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Matt Howard interview posted
In 2008, Matt Howard joined the late CCSN founder Tim Adams and Andrew Smith at halftime of a Mt. Vernon-Connersville football game. In honor of Butler making the Final Four for the second straight year, we have posted that interview on our site.
Listen to the interview
Listen to the interview
Spring schedules posted
The four Hancock County high schools' spring schedules have been posted to HancockCountySports.com. Click on each school's page for the schedule. We will be announcing a spring broadcast schedule soon! If you are interested in sponsoring any broadcasts, please let us know. Sponsorship drives coverage!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Marauders chosen for HOF Classic
The Mt. Vernon girls basketball team will compete in the Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 29 at the New Castle Fieldhouse.
MV will play in the second game of the day against 4A runner-up Penn at approximately 12:30 p.m. Roncalli -- the team that defeated MV in the regional final this season -- will face Norwell in the morning game. This will be MV's third appearance in the Hall of Fame Classic on the girls side. The Marauders won the tournament in 2001. MV's lineup features several Div. I-caliber players, including Indiana State commit Makenzi Reasor, guard Jessica Brown and sophomore-to-be Erica Moore.
Another HHC team will be competing in the two-day festival of basketball, as Pendleton Heights' boys were invited to the Dec. 30 tourney, where they'll face former HHC member Hamilton Southeastern in the first game. 4A runner-up Kokomo will face regional champion North Central in the second game.
MV will play in the second game of the day against 4A runner-up Penn at approximately 12:30 p.m. Roncalli -- the team that defeated MV in the regional final this season -- will face Norwell in the morning game. This will be MV's third appearance in the Hall of Fame Classic on the girls side. The Marauders won the tournament in 2001. MV's lineup features several Div. I-caliber players, including Indiana State commit Makenzi Reasor, guard Jessica Brown and sophomore-to-be Erica Moore.
Another HHC team will be competing in the two-day festival of basketball, as Pendleton Heights' boys were invited to the Dec. 30 tourney, where they'll face former HHC member Hamilton Southeastern in the first game. 4A runner-up Kokomo will face regional champion North Central in the second game.
Friday, March 25, 2011
State Finals Saturday
The IHSAA boys basketball State Finals begin Saturday, and you can follow the games.
All games will be broadcast live via ESPN3 (www.espn3.com) if you have access to it, with video and audio coverage.
Our friends at HCSN Radio will also be providing AUDIO coverage of the Class A and 2A games, beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Class A game features Triton against Indianapolis Metropolitan. The 2A game features Park Tudor -- with IU recruit and New Palestine resident Yogi Ferrell -- against Hammond Noll.
Listen live link
All games will be broadcast live via ESPN3 (www.espn3.com) if you have access to it, with video and audio coverage.
Our friends at HCSN Radio will also be providing AUDIO coverage of the Class A and 2A games, beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Class A game features Triton against Indianapolis Metropolitan. The 2A game features Park Tudor -- with IU recruit and New Palestine resident Yogi Ferrell -- against Hammond Noll.
Listen live link
Smith named honorable mention All-State
Eastern Hancock's Dustin Smith was named honorable mention All-State by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association on Friday.
Smith, EH's single-game and career scoring leader, led the Royals to an 18-4 record this season.
Smith, EH's single-game and career scoring leader, led the Royals to an 18-4 record this season.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday roundup
New Palestine's softball team opened the year with a resounding 21-1 victory over Lawrence North Wednesday. The Dragons scored in all five of their at-bats, jumping ahead 4-0 after two innings and then striking for eight runs in the third and six more in the fourth. NP is now 1-0 on the year.
On Tuesday, Mt. Vernon defeated potential sectional rival Hamilton Heights 10-0 in five innings. MV scored four in the first and six in the fifth to put the game away. Morgan Stunda was 2-for-3 with two doubles, a run and an RBI. Jessica Laubecher and Darcy Sapp both had two hits and two RBI. Ellie Balbach and Whitney Estes also both went 2-for-3. Balbach allowed three hits in five innings for the shutout victory in the pitching circle.
Also Tuesday, Greenfield-Central beat Speedway 5-2, scoring twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to put the game away after the Plugs tied it at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. Olivia Barnhart was 3-for-3 with a run scored to lead G-C. Tori Cuebas homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in a run. Alyssa Walls also had two RBI. Sami Frazier allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out eight in seven innings for the victory.
On Tuesday, Mt. Vernon defeated potential sectional rival Hamilton Heights 10-0 in five innings. MV scored four in the first and six in the fifth to put the game away. Morgan Stunda was 2-for-3 with two doubles, a run and an RBI. Jessica Laubecher and Darcy Sapp both had two hits and two RBI. Ellie Balbach and Whitney Estes also both went 2-for-3. Balbach allowed three hits in five innings for the shutout victory in the pitching circle.
Also Tuesday, Greenfield-Central beat Speedway 5-2, scoring twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to put the game away after the Plugs tied it at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. Olivia Barnhart was 3-for-3 with a run scored to lead G-C. Tori Cuebas homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in a run. Alyssa Walls also had two RBI. Sami Frazier allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out eight in seven innings for the victory.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
It's official: Armstrong is the Marauders' man
As expected, Doug Armstrong was officially hired as Mt. Vernon's football coach Monday night.
Coverage from the local pubs:
Daily Reporter
Indianapolis Star
Eastern Hancock should be naming its next football coach soon, too.
Also this week, we are expecting the IHSAA to release sectional alignments for 2011-13 in all sports.
Coverage from the local pubs:
Daily Reporter
Indianapolis Star
Eastern Hancock should be naming its next football coach soon, too.
Also this week, we are expecting the IHSAA to release sectional alignments for 2011-13 in all sports.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Dragons compete in gymnastics finals
Three members of the New Palestine gymnastics team competed in the State Finals in gymnastics at Worthen Arena in Muncie Saturday.
Sophomore Kenzi Hoffman led the Dragons, finishing 25th in the all-around competition with a cumulative score of 33.650. Champion Steffanie Long of Valparaiso totaled a 38.325.
Hoffman's best event was vault, where she scored a 9.15 and finished 18th. She was 28th on floor (8.675), 31st on balance beam (8.625) and 46th on uneven bars (7.2).
NP had two other gymnasts compete on bars, as Whitney Weileman was 28th (8.625) and Kristin Knoop 35th (8.15). Weileman was also 26th on vault (8.9).
Steffanie Long of Valparaiso was the all-around champ (38.325), and was the individual champ on floor (9.850) and vault (9.675). Jessica Baker of Huntington North paced the balance beam with a 9.625 score, while Morgan Algozine of Valpo was tops on the bars with a 9.675 score.
Valpo was the team champ.
Sophomore Kenzi Hoffman led the Dragons, finishing 25th in the all-around competition with a cumulative score of 33.650. Champion Steffanie Long of Valparaiso totaled a 38.325.
Hoffman's best event was vault, where she scored a 9.15 and finished 18th. She was 28th on floor (8.675), 31st on balance beam (8.625) and 46th on uneven bars (7.2).
NP had two other gymnasts compete on bars, as Whitney Weileman was 28th (8.625) and Kristin Knoop 35th (8.15). Weileman was also 26th on vault (8.9).
Steffanie Long of Valparaiso was the all-around champ (38.325), and was the individual champ on floor (9.850) and vault (9.675). Jessica Baker of Huntington North paced the balance beam with a 9.625 score, while Morgan Algozine of Valpo was tops on the bars with a 9.675 score.
Valpo was the team champ.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Shelton named IBCA Coach of the Year
Mt. Vernon's Julie Shelton has been named a District II Coach of the Year by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
Shelton helped lead the Marauders to a 21-2 record and a spot in the regional final this year. The Marauders held a No. 1 ranking in Class 3A for much of the season.
Shelton is 197-92 in 13 years as the Marauders' head coach.
Mike Hamacher of Hobart, Doug Springer of Northridge, David Baxter of Benton Central, Beth DeVinney of Seymour and Corey Simon of Evansville North were the other five award winners.
Shelton helped lead the Marauders to a 21-2 record and a spot in the regional final this year. The Marauders held a No. 1 ranking in Class 3A for much of the season.
Shelton is 197-92 in 13 years as the Marauders' head coach.
Mike Hamacher of Hobart, Doug Springer of Northridge, David Baxter of Benton Central, Beth DeVinney of Seymour and Corey Simon of Evansville North were the other five award winners.
Armstrong to be Marauders' coach
Former New Palestine coach Doug Armstrong is expected to be hired as Mt. Vernon's varsity football coach at Monday's school board meeting.
Armstrong won two sectional championships at New Palestine during his tenure. He has also been the varsity coach at Manual and spent the last season at Beech Grove.
Indy Star link
Armstrong won two sectional championships at New Palestine during his tenure. He has also been the varsity coach at Manual and spent the last season at Beech Grove.
Indy Star link
Monday, March 14, 2011
NP has new soccer coach
Bobby Holden was hired as New Palestine's new boys soccer coach at Monday's meeting.
Holden led Pendleton Heights to the semistate last season, and was the Arabians' coach the last two years. He also has been actively involved in coaching in the Greenfield Strikers soccer club.
Holden was a goalkeeper for Greenfield-Central's teams in the 2000s.
Daily Reporter story
Also, Mt. Vernon should be close to naming its new football coach. According to a source close to the program passing information along through The Gridiron Digest, there were three finalists -- Beech Grove coach (and former New Palestine coach) Doug Armstrong, MV teacher and former player/assistant coach Tim Miller and Pike assistant Pat Echivarria. Final interviews were to take place today with a board meeting next week. Doug Peacock stepped down from the position after 17 years this offseason.
Armstrong is also a reported finalist for the vacant Eastern Hancock coaching position, according to a previous Daily Reporter report. The coach would be replacing Mark Reddy, who stepped down after three years at the helm at EHHS.
Holden led Pendleton Heights to the semistate last season, and was the Arabians' coach the last two years. He also has been actively involved in coaching in the Greenfield Strikers soccer club.
Holden was a goalkeeper for Greenfield-Central's teams in the 2000s.
Daily Reporter story
Also, Mt. Vernon should be close to naming its new football coach. According to a source close to the program passing information along through The Gridiron Digest, there were three finalists -- Beech Grove coach (and former New Palestine coach) Doug Armstrong, MV teacher and former player/assistant coach Tim Miller and Pike assistant Pat Echivarria. Final interviews were to take place today with a board meeting next week. Doug Peacock stepped down from the position after 17 years this offseason.
Armstrong is also a reported finalist for the vacant Eastern Hancock coaching position, according to a previous Daily Reporter report. The coach would be replacing Mark Reddy, who stepped down after three years at the helm at EHHS.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Batesville wins regional title
The team that held off New Palestine this morning ended up winning the Shelbyville regional, as Batesville won the 10th regional title in school history -- and fourth since 2001 -- by beating #8 Roncalli 46-44 on a layup at the buzzer by Luke Williams off an inbounds play. Williams was one of three Bulldogs in double-figures when Batesville beat New Palestine in the afternoon game.
All three HHC sectional champs were beaten today. Delta fell in a close game to Columbia City in the morning round. Pendleton Heights won its morning game in the 4A Marion regional, but fell to Kokomo 58-55 in 2OT on a 3-pointer out of the corner at the buzzer.
Thanks to all of our listeners and followers during the 2010-11 basketball season, and especially thanks to our sponsors who help make HancockCountySports.com happen. Mama Nita's Pizza, Pak-Rite Rentals, Best in Sight Eye Care, Kopper Kettle and Jean Graham Re/Max Realty sponsored the regional game today, with Indiana Members Credit Union, the Daily Reporter, Nine-Star Connect and St. Vincent Sports Performance providing sponsorship throughout the entire basketball season (and McCordsville Family Dentistry from Mt. Vernon games).
All three HHC sectional champs were beaten today. Delta fell in a close game to Columbia City in the morning round. Pendleton Heights won its morning game in the 4A Marion regional, but fell to Kokomo 58-55 in 2OT on a 3-pointer out of the corner at the buzzer.
Thanks to all of our listeners and followers during the 2010-11 basketball season, and especially thanks to our sponsors who help make HancockCountySports.com happen. Mama Nita's Pizza, Pak-Rite Rentals, Best in Sight Eye Care, Kopper Kettle and Jean Graham Re/Max Realty sponsored the regional game today, with Indiana Members Credit Union, the Daily Reporter, Nine-Star Connect and St. Vincent Sports Performance providing sponsorship throughout the entire basketball season (and McCordsville Family Dentistry from Mt. Vernon games).
Dragons fall in regional semifinal
A slow start befell the New Palestine Dragons today, as they went more than eight minutes without a field goal and ended up falling 56-48 to the Batesville Bulldogs.
NP scored the game's first basket, then saw Batesville go on a 17-1 run that put the Dragons in a 14-point hole midway through the second quarter. NP rallied to cut the deficit to 25-16 at halftime, and then Taylor Rainey and Josh Penley took over. Penley hit three driving baskets and Rainey got hot from outside, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-point third quarter that cut Batesville's lead to 37-35 at the end of three. Justin Ikerd tied the game with two FTs at the start of the fourth, and then Rainey's long triple gave NP a 40-39 lead. However, Batesville's Wes Goldsmith quickly answered with a 3 out of the corner -- his fourth of the day -- to give the Bulldogs a 42-40 edge. Batesville would never trail after that, building the lead back up to 11 in the closing moments.
Rainey led the Dragons with 24 points. Penley had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. NP shot just 37% for the game, while Batesville was just a shade under 50%.
The Dragons' season concludes with an 11-12 record. Every roster player will return for the Dragons, who were comprised entirely of underclassmen this year and won one of the toughest sectionals in Class 3A.
Batesville (17-6) had three in double figures, led by Wes Goldsmith's 16 points. The Bulldogs move on to face #8 Roncalli, a 40-24 victor over Danville in the other game. A one-point contest through middle of the third quarter, the Rebels closed the game with a 15-2 run.
It was a mixed day for the HHC, as Delta fell to Columbia City 59-57 in the opening game at Blackford. Meanwhile, Pendleton Heights beat Fort Wayne Northrop 58-53 at Marion behind 41 points from Kellen Dunham. The Arabians will play Kokomo tonight.
NP scored the game's first basket, then saw Batesville go on a 17-1 run that put the Dragons in a 14-point hole midway through the second quarter. NP rallied to cut the deficit to 25-16 at halftime, and then Taylor Rainey and Josh Penley took over. Penley hit three driving baskets and Rainey got hot from outside, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-point third quarter that cut Batesville's lead to 37-35 at the end of three. Justin Ikerd tied the game with two FTs at the start of the fourth, and then Rainey's long triple gave NP a 40-39 lead. However, Batesville's Wes Goldsmith quickly answered with a 3 out of the corner -- his fourth of the day -- to give the Bulldogs a 42-40 edge. Batesville would never trail after that, building the lead back up to 11 in the closing moments.
Rainey led the Dragons with 24 points. Penley had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. NP shot just 37% for the game, while Batesville was just a shade under 50%.
The Dragons' season concludes with an 11-12 record. Every roster player will return for the Dragons, who were comprised entirely of underclassmen this year and won one of the toughest sectionals in Class 3A.
Batesville (17-6) had three in double figures, led by Wes Goldsmith's 16 points. The Bulldogs move on to face #8 Roncalli, a 40-24 victor over Danville in the other game. A one-point contest through middle of the third quarter, the Rebels closed the game with a 15-2 run.
It was a mixed day for the HHC, as Delta fell to Columbia City 59-57 in the opening game at Blackford. Meanwhile, Pendleton Heights beat Fort Wayne Northrop 58-53 at Marion behind 41 points from Kellen Dunham. The Arabians will play Kokomo tonight.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Regional lookahead
The New Palestine Dragons are getting ready for regional play, and so are we!
Join Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert at 9:35 a.m. for regional action from Shelbyville. We will bring you all of the Dragons' games on HancockCountySports.com.
Here is the regional schedule from Shelbyville's Garrett Gymnasium
10 a.m.: New Palestine (11-11) vs. Batesville (16-6)
11:30 a.m.: Danville (19-5) vs. #8 Roncalli (17-5)
8 p.m.: Championship
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
If you have trouble: the direct broadcast link is here
In the opening game, the Dragons (11-11) are what we've described all year -- an athletic, young team with no seniors that put everything together in the sectional. Half of NP's games have been decided by five points or less -- five in OT -- so the Dragons are battle-tested. They beat #4 Hamilton Heights 77-74 and avenged one of those OT losses to Shelbyville 66-55 in the sectional. On Friday, it was Josh Penley's 30-point night that led the Dragons, with three others scoring in double-figures. Penley added 16 points and 11 boards on Saturday to help lead a victory, with junior Taylor Rainey adding 19 points, Michael Morris 17 and Reid Clark scoring nine and pulling down 11 rebounds. To say things were balanced would be an understatement, as the Dragons had at least three players in double-figures each night. The Dragons have good balance, decent size, good quickness and some 3-point shooting that carried them to a sectional title.
Batesville (16-6) avenged two regular-season defeats to Greensburg with a strong defensive effort -- allowing 32 points in 32 minutes, including just three in the final quarter. Coach Aaron Garrett's squad led throughout. The two teams are similar size-wise, and some of the names from both the Dragons and Bulldogs will be familiar to each others' fans because quite a number of them play football -- in which NP and Batesville have played annually for the last eight years. Junior guard Cameron Fledderman and 6-4 senior forward Cody Cole led the Bulldogs with 12 points each in their 50-32 victory over Greensburg. Luke Williams, a 6-5, 210-pound center, added eight points and five rebounds.
The other game features #8 Roncalli and defending regional champ Danville. Roncalli is HUGE -- five players stand 6-foot-6 or taller, led by three players who average in double-figures -- juniors David Heckman and Ryan Weber and senior Collin Lynch. The Rebels beat #9 Brebeuf in the sectional title game at Beech Grove. Danville eliminated #3 Lebanon in the sectional opener, then went on to win at Lebanon. The Warriors have graduated 6-10 center Travis Carroll to Purdue, but the cupboard isn't bare for Brian Barber's club. Senior Tyler Hall averages 21.9 points and 7 rebounds per game to lead the way for a veteran squad with lots of tourney experience. The Warriors beat Mt. Vernon in the regional title game last year before falling to eventual champ Washington in the semistate.
Join Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert at 9:35 a.m. for regional action from Shelbyville. We will bring you all of the Dragons' games on HancockCountySports.com.
Here is the regional schedule from Shelbyville's Garrett Gymnasium
10 a.m.: New Palestine (11-11) vs. Batesville (16-6)
11:30 a.m.: Danville (19-5) vs. #8 Roncalli (17-5)
8 p.m.: Championship
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
If you have trouble: the direct broadcast link is here
In the opening game, the Dragons (11-11) are what we've described all year -- an athletic, young team with no seniors that put everything together in the sectional. Half of NP's games have been decided by five points or less -- five in OT -- so the Dragons are battle-tested. They beat #4 Hamilton Heights 77-74 and avenged one of those OT losses to Shelbyville 66-55 in the sectional. On Friday, it was Josh Penley's 30-point night that led the Dragons, with three others scoring in double-figures. Penley added 16 points and 11 boards on Saturday to help lead a victory, with junior Taylor Rainey adding 19 points, Michael Morris 17 and Reid Clark scoring nine and pulling down 11 rebounds. To say things were balanced would be an understatement, as the Dragons had at least three players in double-figures each night. The Dragons have good balance, decent size, good quickness and some 3-point shooting that carried them to a sectional title.
Batesville (16-6) avenged two regular-season defeats to Greensburg with a strong defensive effort -- allowing 32 points in 32 minutes, including just three in the final quarter. Coach Aaron Garrett's squad led throughout. The two teams are similar size-wise, and some of the names from both the Dragons and Bulldogs will be familiar to each others' fans because quite a number of them play football -- in which NP and Batesville have played annually for the last eight years. Junior guard Cameron Fledderman and 6-4 senior forward Cody Cole led the Bulldogs with 12 points each in their 50-32 victory over Greensburg. Luke Williams, a 6-5, 210-pound center, added eight points and five rebounds.
The other game features #8 Roncalli and defending regional champ Danville. Roncalli is HUGE -- five players stand 6-foot-6 or taller, led by three players who average in double-figures -- juniors David Heckman and Ryan Weber and senior Collin Lynch. The Rebels beat #9 Brebeuf in the sectional title game at Beech Grove. Danville eliminated #3 Lebanon in the sectional opener, then went on to win at Lebanon. The Warriors have graduated 6-10 center Travis Carroll to Purdue, but the cupboard isn't bare for Brian Barber's club. Senior Tyler Hall averages 21.9 points and 7 rebounds per game to lead the way for a veteran squad with lots of tourney experience. The Warriors beat Mt. Vernon in the regional title game last year before falling to eventual champ Washington in the semistate.
An Indiana icon in limbo
This post isn't Hancock County related, but it's about a neighbor that's very special to fans of Indiana high school basketball.
The lights go out. The spotlight is focused on one corner of hardwood after the teams have headed to their locker rooms.
Thump. Thump.
Two teenagers -- one male, one female -- in full Indian regalia slowly work their way around the floor.
Thump. Thump.
The anticipation builds. Tipoff is a few minutes away, but no regular-season game can go on without this ceremony. It's psyched out opponents, worked up a crowd that has seen it countless times -- many in the stands have witnessed this same ceremony hundreds of times. The people in the costumes change, but the moment doesn't.
A maiden and brave dance -- authentic and kitschy at the same time -- has been a part of every Anderson High School basketball game since time immaterial. It has survived many coaches, many players, many recessions, many tourney near-misses. And it's survived two Wigwams.
Once upon a time, the thump, thump of the drum would eventually work nearly 9,000 fans into an uproar. But when I finally witnessed a part of this timeless Indiana tradition, only a smattering of the Wigwam's 8,998 seats were occupied by Anderson followers in red and green, and fans of the opposing school in blue and gold.
Sure, it was a weeknight in the middle of December, but this was only two decades removed from a day when Anderson High School sold 5,000 season tickets, while neighboring Madison Heights and Highland High Schools routinely played in front of full houses at gyms about half the size of the Wigwam.
Now, both of those schools are memories -- Madison Heights painted over in Indian red and green a few years back, Highland turned into a junior high a year ago. And now, one last Anderson tradition appears to be gone.
This week, the Anderson Community School Corporation board voted 6-1 to shutter the Wigwam, citing high operating costs. The building is 50 years old, and since the closing of the 1910-built Anderson High School -- which later burned to the ground -- has stood alone, guarding over West 14th Street in Anderson while the student-athletes who inhabited it every Friday night went to school a few miles down Madison Avenue at a building that once housed the Madison Heights Pirates.
In my professional life, I've been fortunate enough to coach or cover varsity games in some great gyms -- the Muncie, New Castle and Southport fieldhouses, Richmond's Tiernan Center, Rushville's Memorial Gym, Muncie's Ball Gym and Knightstown's Hoosier Gym among them. But there was something magical about the Wigwam. I'll be honest -- it was a terrible place to cover a game as a media member, and it wasn't too comfortable for players and coaches to do their jobs, either. It was always incredibly hot in the building, and those of us working the game had to do our jobs from the stage in one end zone -- which doesn't provide the best view of the game for a reporter or broadcaster attempting to keep accurate stats or describe the game to our listeners. Right below us, for many years, were the team benches -- on the baseline in the same end zone, where one coach was always watching his team from behind, with the action taking place 60 feet from the benches half the game. The IHSAA finally made the teams move to their traditional sideline positions a few years back.
But that view was awesome at the same time. One could sit on the stage and see nearly 9,000 blond wooden bleacher planks topped with red wrapping around the gym, in two decks that went up as far as they could be.
This place seemed magical, from the moment I heard of it, reading about the fanaticism of its inhabitants in books like Philip Hoose's "Hoosiers: The Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana," which spent its entire first chapter on Anderson and the Wigwam, the basketball epicenter of the state's hoops culture, where demand for sectional tickets was once so great, an annual draw had to be held to give fans an equal shot at tickets (and fans would buy season tickets to neighboring schools to have a better shot at sectional tickets). It was a place where college classmates would talk about how the entire county would band together to root against the three Anderson schools. It was a place where, even through listening to the great WLHN broadcasts hosted by announcers like Bill Stanczykiewicz and the late Rod Brooks -- two of the many great radio broadcasters who described the action of the local heroes -- hearing them pause to allow the public address announcer to say "Welcome, sports fans, to the Wigwam" and the ensuing roar from an overflow crowd before the lineups could make the hair stand up on your neck. For a Hoosier hoops junkie, this HAD to be the place where you visited. I always begged our high school coach to put Anderson on the schedule just to see and experience the place. After all, we played Muncie Central and Highland. Finally, as a young sportswriter with the Daily Reporter, I took a rare night off and dragged myself to the inaugural Madison County Tournament just to see the place -- even though I covered close to 100 games a year and could probably use a night away from a gym. When Greenfield-Central put the Indians on the schedule the next year, I called dibs and covered the game.
Back in the heyday, the Wigwam place was so galvanizing, a trip to crosstown Highland (where the 4,000+-seat Bob Fuller gym was packed that night even though Highland's girls were playing in the 1992 regional final at exactly the same time) netted lots of evening conversation at the concession stand before the tipoff (and of course, a fife & drum corps playing Scotland the Brave before the game -- the northeast siders' version of the Maiden and Brave dance). None of it was about the aforementioned Highland girls, nor about the HHS basketball team that was ranked third in the nation at the time. all of it was about the Anderson-Richmond game going on across town that night (and all of it assuming Richmond would win. Anderson would win the sectional that year -- Richmond its one and only state title).
There was magic just walking into the Wigwam -- seeing the old team photos on the wall, walking through the catacombs looking older than they really were, and then seeing thousands of seats open up in front of you. Unfortunately, that magic wouldn't last when you walked around the upper deck and wondered "what was it like 10 years ago when these seats were packed."
Things have been moving toward the inevitable for a long time. As noted, Madison Heights closed and its gym was painted over to be a mini-Wigwam (it's called the Tee Pee and has hosted the AHS girls team since the move down the street -- and was the home of one of the greatest tourney games I've ever witnessed, when Anderson beat G-C in double OT in the 2005 girls sectional). Highland is no more. The battered American auto industry has seen many old North Central Conference towns fall into decline, and Anderson -- a town with huge General Motors plants -- was probably hit the hardest. With that, the population has been in decline, creating a spiral that's been hard to shake. Much of Anderson's season ticket base kept getting older, and there weren't any younger fans left to take their place when they passed on.
Class basketball has also shifted the spotlight into the county, where neighboring Lapel and Alexandria have won Class 1A and 2A titles and Pendleton Heights has advanced to the semistate level in both boys and girls basketball. It's made playing for those schools as attractive as being an Indian once was -- and created an easier path to a state title in those communities than would be possible in Anderson, which hasn't won a title since Jumpin' Johnny Wilson led the Indians to the title in 1946. Open enrollment has claimed more of Anderson's population, as many would-be AHS students -- and children of Anderson, Highland or Madison Heights alumni -- are now driving out of the city to Frankton, Lapel, Pendleton Heights, Yorktown and other nearby schools. Their parents now support those teams. The great Anderson sectional -- which brought about story after story after story every night -- went away, and the Wigwam hasn't hosted a tourney game in years.
As a tourney venue, Hancock County teams had some good memories there. The great Eden teams of 1945-46 didn't play their regional games in the current Wigwam, but the original 5,000-seater next door that burned down mysteriously in 1958. However, in the last days of single-class basketball, the winner of the Hancock County sectional -- which was often Pendleton Heights in later years, but New Palestine in 1997 being the last such local team -- fed through the Wigwam. NP would eventually fall to Delta -- another conference squad that went on to dazzle the state and become the last single-class runner-up.
The Wigwam's likely swan song happened a couple of weeks ago, when the Indians rallied to beat Chatard in front of a nostalgic, half-full house. However, to me, the real "last dance" happened in 1998. Anderson and Pike were ranked 1-2, and met in the Wigwam in the old ill-fated one-game regional. The place was stuffed to the gills and WNDY-TV beamed it to a statewide audience to watch two great teams go toe-to-toe and decide who would move on. With the place rocking and 9,000 fans stuffed into every corner of the gym, Pike survived a heated game and went on to win the first Class 4A championship, while Anderson suffered another near-miss -- just like had happened in all those single-class years.
The magic just seemed to go away after that night. The crowds dwindled, the town kept dying and nothing ever could quite revive either. I still have that game on tape -- as a Pike grad, I was a bit interested in the outcome and was out of town that night -- and never erased it. I only wish I could've witnessed one of those great nights in person when the place was packed.
Since that night, the inevitable has been seen in rapidly-declining crowds, which would now comfortably fit in the Tee Pee most nights. Anderson has tried -- staging a "Fill the Wigwam night" a few years back -- and hosting an all-day Wigwam Classic the last two years -- but it just hasn't been enough to bring the fans in. They just aren't there anymore. The magic just seemed gone -- it's hard to get excited to play or watch a game in front of 7,000 empty seats and remember that supercharged atmosphere.
In a way, it's been a microcosm of what's happened in Indiana high school basketball, where the fan decline began to accelerate about two decades ago due to a confluence of factors -- the rise of the NCAA Tournament's popularity, the rise in success of big-city teams with smaller fan followings, the eventual coming of class basketball, which took the decline of fans and moved it to warp speed.
Hopefully, someone will step up and find another use for the Wigwam -- a community center, a place for travel basketball games like the Spiece Fieldhouse or the Fishers Fieldhouse. Other iconic arenas have been shuttered and reopened. In Marion, the old Coliseum is still in use as a YMCA. In Vincennes, the old Adams Coliseum was used by the local private school for many years. In Brownsburg, the Varsity Gym was used as a community fitness center.
For the Anderson Indians, life will go on. There will be another team take the floor next November -- either in the Tee Pee or at the slightly-larger Bob Fuller Memorial Gym at the old Highland building. There will still be a trip to the Lemon Drop or Art's Varsity Pizza on the way there. But it won't quite be the same without walking into the gigantic brick cube with the Indian head on the side.
A place that was built 50 years ago because a 5,000-seat gym was never big enough now suddenly is too big. Unfortunately, this is likely to be the first of many of the still-existing great old gyms on the endangered list.
The thump, thump of the drum and the P.A. announcer's one sentence greeting whipping 9,000 fans into a frenzy has faded into history. But for many of us, our memories of when the Wigwam was the epicenter of one of the greatest cultural phenomena in America will never go away.
The lights go out. The spotlight is focused on one corner of hardwood after the teams have headed to their locker rooms.
Thump. Thump.
Two teenagers -- one male, one female -- in full Indian regalia slowly work their way around the floor.
Thump. Thump.
The anticipation builds. Tipoff is a few minutes away, but no regular-season game can go on without this ceremony. It's psyched out opponents, worked up a crowd that has seen it countless times -- many in the stands have witnessed this same ceremony hundreds of times. The people in the costumes change, but the moment doesn't.
A maiden and brave dance -- authentic and kitschy at the same time -- has been a part of every Anderson High School basketball game since time immaterial. It has survived many coaches, many players, many recessions, many tourney near-misses. And it's survived two Wigwams.
Once upon a time, the thump, thump of the drum would eventually work nearly 9,000 fans into an uproar. But when I finally witnessed a part of this timeless Indiana tradition, only a smattering of the Wigwam's 8,998 seats were occupied by Anderson followers in red and green, and fans of the opposing school in blue and gold.
Sure, it was a weeknight in the middle of December, but this was only two decades removed from a day when Anderson High School sold 5,000 season tickets, while neighboring Madison Heights and Highland High Schools routinely played in front of full houses at gyms about half the size of the Wigwam.
Now, both of those schools are memories -- Madison Heights painted over in Indian red and green a few years back, Highland turned into a junior high a year ago. And now, one last Anderson tradition appears to be gone.
This week, the Anderson Community School Corporation board voted 6-1 to shutter the Wigwam, citing high operating costs. The building is 50 years old, and since the closing of the 1910-built Anderson High School -- which later burned to the ground -- has stood alone, guarding over West 14th Street in Anderson while the student-athletes who inhabited it every Friday night went to school a few miles down Madison Avenue at a building that once housed the Madison Heights Pirates.
In my professional life, I've been fortunate enough to coach or cover varsity games in some great gyms -- the Muncie, New Castle and Southport fieldhouses, Richmond's Tiernan Center, Rushville's Memorial Gym, Muncie's Ball Gym and Knightstown's Hoosier Gym among them. But there was something magical about the Wigwam. I'll be honest -- it was a terrible place to cover a game as a media member, and it wasn't too comfortable for players and coaches to do their jobs, either. It was always incredibly hot in the building, and those of us working the game had to do our jobs from the stage in one end zone -- which doesn't provide the best view of the game for a reporter or broadcaster attempting to keep accurate stats or describe the game to our listeners. Right below us, for many years, were the team benches -- on the baseline in the same end zone, where one coach was always watching his team from behind, with the action taking place 60 feet from the benches half the game. The IHSAA finally made the teams move to their traditional sideline positions a few years back.
But that view was awesome at the same time. One could sit on the stage and see nearly 9,000 blond wooden bleacher planks topped with red wrapping around the gym, in two decks that went up as far as they could be.
This place seemed magical, from the moment I heard of it, reading about the fanaticism of its inhabitants in books like Philip Hoose's "Hoosiers: The Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana," which spent its entire first chapter on Anderson and the Wigwam, the basketball epicenter of the state's hoops culture, where demand for sectional tickets was once so great, an annual draw had to be held to give fans an equal shot at tickets (and fans would buy season tickets to neighboring schools to have a better shot at sectional tickets). It was a place where college classmates would talk about how the entire county would band together to root against the three Anderson schools. It was a place where, even through listening to the great WLHN broadcasts hosted by announcers like Bill Stanczykiewicz and the late Rod Brooks -- two of the many great radio broadcasters who described the action of the local heroes -- hearing them pause to allow the public address announcer to say "Welcome, sports fans, to the Wigwam" and the ensuing roar from an overflow crowd before the lineups could make the hair stand up on your neck. For a Hoosier hoops junkie, this HAD to be the place where you visited. I always begged our high school coach to put Anderson on the schedule just to see and experience the place. After all, we played Muncie Central and Highland. Finally, as a young sportswriter with the Daily Reporter, I took a rare night off and dragged myself to the inaugural Madison County Tournament just to see the place -- even though I covered close to 100 games a year and could probably use a night away from a gym. When Greenfield-Central put the Indians on the schedule the next year, I called dibs and covered the game.
Back in the heyday, the Wigwam place was so galvanizing, a trip to crosstown Highland (where the 4,000+-seat Bob Fuller gym was packed that night even though Highland's girls were playing in the 1992 regional final at exactly the same time) netted lots of evening conversation at the concession stand before the tipoff (and of course, a fife & drum corps playing Scotland the Brave before the game -- the northeast siders' version of the Maiden and Brave dance). None of it was about the aforementioned Highland girls, nor about the HHS basketball team that was ranked third in the nation at the time. all of it was about the Anderson-Richmond game going on across town that night (and all of it assuming Richmond would win. Anderson would win the sectional that year -- Richmond its one and only state title).
There was magic just walking into the Wigwam -- seeing the old team photos on the wall, walking through the catacombs looking older than they really were, and then seeing thousands of seats open up in front of you. Unfortunately, that magic wouldn't last when you walked around the upper deck and wondered "what was it like 10 years ago when these seats were packed."
Things have been moving toward the inevitable for a long time. As noted, Madison Heights closed and its gym was painted over to be a mini-Wigwam (it's called the Tee Pee and has hosted the AHS girls team since the move down the street -- and was the home of one of the greatest tourney games I've ever witnessed, when Anderson beat G-C in double OT in the 2005 girls sectional). Highland is no more. The battered American auto industry has seen many old North Central Conference towns fall into decline, and Anderson -- a town with huge General Motors plants -- was probably hit the hardest. With that, the population has been in decline, creating a spiral that's been hard to shake. Much of Anderson's season ticket base kept getting older, and there weren't any younger fans left to take their place when they passed on.
Class basketball has also shifted the spotlight into the county, where neighboring Lapel and Alexandria have won Class 1A and 2A titles and Pendleton Heights has advanced to the semistate level in both boys and girls basketball. It's made playing for those schools as attractive as being an Indian once was -- and created an easier path to a state title in those communities than would be possible in Anderson, which hasn't won a title since Jumpin' Johnny Wilson led the Indians to the title in 1946. Open enrollment has claimed more of Anderson's population, as many would-be AHS students -- and children of Anderson, Highland or Madison Heights alumni -- are now driving out of the city to Frankton, Lapel, Pendleton Heights, Yorktown and other nearby schools. Their parents now support those teams. The great Anderson sectional -- which brought about story after story after story every night -- went away, and the Wigwam hasn't hosted a tourney game in years.
As a tourney venue, Hancock County teams had some good memories there. The great Eden teams of 1945-46 didn't play their regional games in the current Wigwam, but the original 5,000-seater next door that burned down mysteriously in 1958. However, in the last days of single-class basketball, the winner of the Hancock County sectional -- which was often Pendleton Heights in later years, but New Palestine in 1997 being the last such local team -- fed through the Wigwam. NP would eventually fall to Delta -- another conference squad that went on to dazzle the state and become the last single-class runner-up.
The Wigwam's likely swan song happened a couple of weeks ago, when the Indians rallied to beat Chatard in front of a nostalgic, half-full house. However, to me, the real "last dance" happened in 1998. Anderson and Pike were ranked 1-2, and met in the Wigwam in the old ill-fated one-game regional. The place was stuffed to the gills and WNDY-TV beamed it to a statewide audience to watch two great teams go toe-to-toe and decide who would move on. With the place rocking and 9,000 fans stuffed into every corner of the gym, Pike survived a heated game and went on to win the first Class 4A championship, while Anderson suffered another near-miss -- just like had happened in all those single-class years.
The magic just seemed to go away after that night. The crowds dwindled, the town kept dying and nothing ever could quite revive either. I still have that game on tape -- as a Pike grad, I was a bit interested in the outcome and was out of town that night -- and never erased it. I only wish I could've witnessed one of those great nights in person when the place was packed.
Since that night, the inevitable has been seen in rapidly-declining crowds, which would now comfortably fit in the Tee Pee most nights. Anderson has tried -- staging a "Fill the Wigwam night" a few years back -- and hosting an all-day Wigwam Classic the last two years -- but it just hasn't been enough to bring the fans in. They just aren't there anymore. The magic just seemed gone -- it's hard to get excited to play or watch a game in front of 7,000 empty seats and remember that supercharged atmosphere.
In a way, it's been a microcosm of what's happened in Indiana high school basketball, where the fan decline began to accelerate about two decades ago due to a confluence of factors -- the rise of the NCAA Tournament's popularity, the rise in success of big-city teams with smaller fan followings, the eventual coming of class basketball, which took the decline of fans and moved it to warp speed.
Hopefully, someone will step up and find another use for the Wigwam -- a community center, a place for travel basketball games like the Spiece Fieldhouse or the Fishers Fieldhouse. Other iconic arenas have been shuttered and reopened. In Marion, the old Coliseum is still in use as a YMCA. In Vincennes, the old Adams Coliseum was used by the local private school for many years. In Brownsburg, the Varsity Gym was used as a community fitness center.
For the Anderson Indians, life will go on. There will be another team take the floor next November -- either in the Tee Pee or at the slightly-larger Bob Fuller Memorial Gym at the old Highland building. There will still be a trip to the Lemon Drop or Art's Varsity Pizza on the way there. But it won't quite be the same without walking into the gigantic brick cube with the Indian head on the side.
A place that was built 50 years ago because a 5,000-seat gym was never big enough now suddenly is too big. Unfortunately, this is likely to be the first of many of the still-existing great old gyms on the endangered list.
The thump, thump of the drum and the P.A. announcer's one sentence greeting whipping 9,000 fans into a frenzy has faded into history. But for many of us, our memories of when the Wigwam was the epicenter of one of the greatest cultural phenomena in America will never go away.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Sectional champ: Dragons win
Another wild night in New Palestine as a packed house witnessed the Dragons win a sectional championship for the second time in three years.
The Dragons came into the sectional with a sub-.500 record, finished 1-6 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference and had a young club with no seniors. At the same time, they were a battle-tested team that played *five* overtime games during the year, won another with two free throws at the buzzer, won the county championship -- coming from behind in the fourth quarter in both of those games -- and had experienced virtually every situation possible while "growing up" during the year. That all paid off this weekend, as the Dragons' quickness and explosiveness led them to a sectional title.
Saturday night, it was a 66-55 victory over the Shelbyville Golden Bears -- avenging an overtime defeat from the week before -- and one the Dragons controlled from the start.
New Palestine gave up the first basket of the game ... and then scored the game's next nine points. From that moment forward, the Dragons were the ones in control. NP led 9-2 and 14-7 early, pushed the lead to double-digits in the second quarter and settled at a 29-22 lead at halftime. Shelby jumped out in the third quarter, scoring seven points in 56 seconds to knot the game, and even took two one-point leads, but the Dragons methodically responded to the run by pushing the lead back up to seven a couple of possessions later, and pushed it to double-digits late.
A big reason why was balance. Josh Penley had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards to go along with five assists. Taylor Rainey played one of the best games of his high school career with 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and he capped the game with a dunk on the final play. But the X factor was the Dragons' inside game. Michael Morris, a 6-4 sophomore, didn't play in the first game as he was recovering from an injury. He was 6-of-7 from the field, hit two big 3-pointers, and scored 17 points to go along with six rebounds. Junior Reid Clark scored nine points and had 11 rebounds and controlled things inside, keeping a lot of ballas alive and helping the Dragons build a 50-30 rebounding advantage. NP outrebounded Shelby 27-13 in the second half. Brandon Collins had five boards, three assists and two blocks and played solid defense. Solomon Haynes had three big assists and a key early 3-point basket to get the Dragons going early ... just a strong overall effort.
We hope you enjoyed it. We will continue broadcasting next Saturday when the Dragons (11-11) face Batesville (16-5) in the opening game of the Shelbyville regional. Tipoff is 10 a.m., Andrew & Chris will be with you at 9:35 a.m. Defending regional champ Danville will face Roncalli in the other semifinal.
As always, CLICK TO LISTEN LIVE!
Saturday was also a great night for the Hoosier Heritage Conference, as HHC teams won all three sectionals in which they were entered -- duplicating a feat the girls programs also pulled off earlier this year. Pendleton Heights beat Richmond 44-40 to win the 4A New Castle sectional, while Delta beat Eastbrook 60-47 in the 3A Muncie sectional.
The Dragons came into the sectional with a sub-.500 record, finished 1-6 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference and had a young club with no seniors. At the same time, they were a battle-tested team that played *five* overtime games during the year, won another with two free throws at the buzzer, won the county championship -- coming from behind in the fourth quarter in both of those games -- and had experienced virtually every situation possible while "growing up" during the year. That all paid off this weekend, as the Dragons' quickness and explosiveness led them to a sectional title.
Saturday night, it was a 66-55 victory over the Shelbyville Golden Bears -- avenging an overtime defeat from the week before -- and one the Dragons controlled from the start.
New Palestine gave up the first basket of the game ... and then scored the game's next nine points. From that moment forward, the Dragons were the ones in control. NP led 9-2 and 14-7 early, pushed the lead to double-digits in the second quarter and settled at a 29-22 lead at halftime. Shelby jumped out in the third quarter, scoring seven points in 56 seconds to knot the game, and even took two one-point leads, but the Dragons methodically responded to the run by pushing the lead back up to seven a couple of possessions later, and pushed it to double-digits late.
A big reason why was balance. Josh Penley had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards to go along with five assists. Taylor Rainey played one of the best games of his high school career with 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and he capped the game with a dunk on the final play. But the X factor was the Dragons' inside game. Michael Morris, a 6-4 sophomore, didn't play in the first game as he was recovering from an injury. He was 6-of-7 from the field, hit two big 3-pointers, and scored 17 points to go along with six rebounds. Junior Reid Clark scored nine points and had 11 rebounds and controlled things inside, keeping a lot of ballas alive and helping the Dragons build a 50-30 rebounding advantage. NP outrebounded Shelby 27-13 in the second half. Brandon Collins had five boards, three assists and two blocks and played solid defense. Solomon Haynes had three big assists and a key early 3-point basket to get the Dragons going early ... just a strong overall effort.
We hope you enjoyed it. We will continue broadcasting next Saturday when the Dragons (11-11) face Batesville (16-5) in the opening game of the Shelbyville regional. Tipoff is 10 a.m., Andrew & Chris will be with you at 9:35 a.m. Defending regional champ Danville will face Roncalli in the other semifinal.
As always, CLICK TO LISTEN LIVE!
Saturday was also a great night for the Hoosier Heritage Conference, as HHC teams won all three sectionals in which they were entered -- duplicating a feat the girls programs also pulled off earlier this year. Pendleton Heights beat Richmond 44-40 to win the 4A New Castle sectional, while Delta beat Eastbrook 60-47 in the 3A Muncie sectional.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Sectional semifinals
While there were two top-five teams at the New Palestine sectional, it still appeared to be a balanced field.
Has it ever been.
Three games -- all barnburners -- and both of the sectional's top-five teams are out, along with some great individual performances.
New Palestine and Shelbyville survived Friday's action in two high-scoring games, and will play for the sectional championship. Join Andrew & Chris at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night from the Dragons' lair.
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In tonight's action, the Dragons fell behind early, but led for the final three quarters in a 77-74 victory over Hamilton Heights. NP trailed for the entire first quarter, but took the lead at 19-17 when Josh Penley hit a 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter. From there, NP never trailed, as Penley scored a career-high 30 points. NP went nuts from the field in the second, hitting 7 3-pointers -- including three from Taylor Rainey and two each from Penley and Solomon Haynes -- and that allowed the Dragons to spread out a lead. It jumped as high as 13 early in the third before Austin Etherington and Seth Small tried to bring HH back. Etherington scored 27 points for the Huskies, and Small scored 12 in the second half, but it wasn't enough. NP was able to hold on at the end, with Brandon Collins plucking Etherington's 3-pointer out of the corner out of the air at the buzzer. Penley (30), Rainey (11), Collins (10) and Haynes (10) all scored in double-figures for the Dragons.
In the second game, Shelbyville led early, but Mt. Vernon bounced back in the second quarter led by freshman guard C.J. Coleman, who had 14 of his 24 points in the first half. However, the Marauders' Quinn Williams put forth a performance for the ages in the second half. He scored 24 points in the fourth quarter -- 31 in the second half and 38 in the game -- to try to lead the Marauders back. Many were shots with hands in his face, drives and more. MV scored 35 fourth-quarter points. However, the Golden Bears had too much shooting. Shelby hit 11 3-pointers in the game, with John Hartnett hitting three big triples in the third to help turn a one-point Marauder halftime edge into an 11-point lead. MV kept coming back, but Shelbyville always had an answer. In the fourth, Ben Kramer scored 10 of his team-high 24 points -- including two key three-point plays -- and point guard Patrick Ellis poured in several of his 19 -- to hold the Marauders at bay. MV only had one possession with a chance to tie in the fourth quarter, but Ellis forced a steal and the Bears iced it from the line. Williams made certain his final quarter of high school basketball would be one of his best.
Also tonight, Eastern Hancock saw its stellar season end with an 18-4 record, as the Royals fell to Centerville 73-58. EH trailed 27-20 at halftime and 43-32 at the end of three. EH scored 25 points in the final quarter, but couldn't scale the mountain and complete the comeback. Dustin Smith will graduate as EH's career scoring leader, and a tremendous class of Smith, Zach Kissick, Steven Stunda and Austin Lee will graduate.
Two other HHC teams were in action tonight, and both won. Pendleton Heights beat Connersville 29-25 at New Castle. The Arabians will face Richmond -- a 61-43 winner over host New Castle -- in the sectional championship game. Delta will also be playing for a title at the Muncie Fieldhouse. The Eagles beat Blackford 52-40, and will face Eastbrook in the championship game.
Has it ever been.
Three games -- all barnburners -- and both of the sectional's top-five teams are out, along with some great individual performances.
New Palestine and Shelbyville survived Friday's action in two high-scoring games, and will play for the sectional championship. Join Andrew & Chris at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night from the Dragons' lair.
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In tonight's action, the Dragons fell behind early, but led for the final three quarters in a 77-74 victory over Hamilton Heights. NP trailed for the entire first quarter, but took the lead at 19-17 when Josh Penley hit a 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter. From there, NP never trailed, as Penley scored a career-high 30 points. NP went nuts from the field in the second, hitting 7 3-pointers -- including three from Taylor Rainey and two each from Penley and Solomon Haynes -- and that allowed the Dragons to spread out a lead. It jumped as high as 13 early in the third before Austin Etherington and Seth Small tried to bring HH back. Etherington scored 27 points for the Huskies, and Small scored 12 in the second half, but it wasn't enough. NP was able to hold on at the end, with Brandon Collins plucking Etherington's 3-pointer out of the corner out of the air at the buzzer. Penley (30), Rainey (11), Collins (10) and Haynes (10) all scored in double-figures for the Dragons.
In the second game, Shelbyville led early, but Mt. Vernon bounced back in the second quarter led by freshman guard C.J. Coleman, who had 14 of his 24 points in the first half. However, the Marauders' Quinn Williams put forth a performance for the ages in the second half. He scored 24 points in the fourth quarter -- 31 in the second half and 38 in the game -- to try to lead the Marauders back. Many were shots with hands in his face, drives and more. MV scored 35 fourth-quarter points. However, the Golden Bears had too much shooting. Shelby hit 11 3-pointers in the game, with John Hartnett hitting three big triples in the third to help turn a one-point Marauder halftime edge into an 11-point lead. MV kept coming back, but Shelbyville always had an answer. In the fourth, Ben Kramer scored 10 of his team-high 24 points -- including two key three-point plays -- and point guard Patrick Ellis poured in several of his 19 -- to hold the Marauders at bay. MV only had one possession with a chance to tie in the fourth quarter, but Ellis forced a steal and the Bears iced it from the line. Williams made certain his final quarter of high school basketball would be one of his best.
Also tonight, Eastern Hancock saw its stellar season end with an 18-4 record, as the Royals fell to Centerville 73-58. EH trailed 27-20 at halftime and 43-32 at the end of three. EH scored 25 points in the final quarter, but couldn't scale the mountain and complete the comeback. Dustin Smith will graduate as EH's career scoring leader, and a tremendous class of Smith, Zach Kissick, Steven Stunda and Austin Lee will graduate.
Two other HHC teams were in action tonight, and both won. Pendleton Heights beat Connersville 29-25 at New Castle. The Arabians will face Richmond -- a 61-43 winner over host New Castle -- in the sectional championship game. Delta will also be playing for a title at the Muncie Fieldhouse. The Eagles beat Blackford 52-40, and will face Eastbrook in the championship game.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
It's sectional time!
Let the games begin!
Just a reminder, join Andrew & Chris for sectional action from New Palestine. Join us at 5:35 p.m. for the pregame show, and tipoff of the first game at 6 p.m.
6 p.m.: New Palestine vs. #4 Hamilton Heights
7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. Shelbyville
Click to listen LIVE
Also, we'll be keeping tabs on what Eastern Hancock is doing at Hagerstown. Here's the Royals' sectional lineup tonight.
6 p.m.: Shenandoah vs. Union County
7:30 p.m.: Centerville vs. Eastern Hancock
We plan to be broadcasting a local championship game at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night. Join us!
Just a reminder, join Andrew & Chris for sectional action from New Palestine. Join us at 5:35 p.m. for the pregame show, and tipoff of the first game at 6 p.m.
6 p.m.: New Palestine vs. #4 Hamilton Heights
7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. Shelbyville
Click to listen LIVE
Also, we'll be keeping tabs on what Eastern Hancock is doing at Hagerstown. Here's the Royals' sectional lineup tonight.
6 p.m.: Shenandoah vs. Union County
7:30 p.m.: Centerville vs. Eastern Hancock
We plan to be broadcasting a local championship game at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night. Join us!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Cougars fall to PH
Greenfield-Central dropped its sectional opener tonight to the Pendleton Heights Arabians by a 41-16 score.
The Arabians jumped out early, leading 10-2 after a quarter, with a late 3 being the shot that pushed the lead up. PH built that lead despite leading scorer and Butler recruit Kellen Dunham being held scoreless for the first eight minutes. The second quarter was an even one -- PH's lead was 21-10 -- but the Arabians pulled away in the third. Dunham hit two 3s, including one at the buzzer -- as the Arabians had a 14-2 edge in the period. PH outscored the Cougars 20-6 after halftime.
Dunham led all scorers with 14 points -- six in the second and eight in the third. Ryan Albers was also in double-figures for PH, which hit nearly 60 percent of its shots. Jordan Keener led the Cougars with nine points, and was the only G-C player to score more than two.
G-C finishes its season with a 9-12 mark -- its best season and most wins since the 2003-04 season. The Cougars graduated a handful of seniors -- including leading scorer Josh Mayes and a strong inside player in Jordan Conley -- but coach Josh Johnson and his crew has a lot coming back.
PH (17-5) will advance to play Connersville, which beat Anderson in OT tonight, in Friday's second semi. The first semi will pit host New Castle against Richmond.
Eastern Hancock improved to 18-3 with a 63-33 sectional-opening win over Cambridge City Lincoln (2-19) at Hagerstown. The Royals next meet Centerville, which beat Knightstown 46-34 earlier this year, in Friday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal at Hagerstown. Friday's first game will feature Shenandoah and Union County. EH beat Centerville 55-51 in the season opener waaaay back in November.
Here's our broadcast schedule for Friday night, from New Palestine:
5:35 p.m.: Pregame show
6 p.m.: New Palestine (9-11) vs. #4 Hamilton Heights (17-4)
7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (7-13) vs. Shelbyville (14-7)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
We will be trying to get updates from the Eastern Hancock game and will follow the Royals' efforts live on our broadcast during the second game.
Here is the schedule from Hagerstown
6 p.m.: Union County (16-5) vs. Shenandoah (15-8)
7:30 p.m.: Centerville (15-6) vs. Eastern Hancock (18-3)
Championship games will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night. If a Hancock County team is playing, we will be broadcasting! If either NP or MV win and EH wins, we'll be at NP and provide updates from the Royals' game. If the Royals win and both the Marauders and Dragons fall on Friday, we'll be broadcasting the Royals' sectional championship game from Hagerstown on Saturday night.
The Arabians jumped out early, leading 10-2 after a quarter, with a late 3 being the shot that pushed the lead up. PH built that lead despite leading scorer and Butler recruit Kellen Dunham being held scoreless for the first eight minutes. The second quarter was an even one -- PH's lead was 21-10 -- but the Arabians pulled away in the third. Dunham hit two 3s, including one at the buzzer -- as the Arabians had a 14-2 edge in the period. PH outscored the Cougars 20-6 after halftime.
Dunham led all scorers with 14 points -- six in the second and eight in the third. Ryan Albers was also in double-figures for PH, which hit nearly 60 percent of its shots. Jordan Keener led the Cougars with nine points, and was the only G-C player to score more than two.
G-C finishes its season with a 9-12 mark -- its best season and most wins since the 2003-04 season. The Cougars graduated a handful of seniors -- including leading scorer Josh Mayes and a strong inside player in Jordan Conley -- but coach Josh Johnson and his crew has a lot coming back.
PH (17-5) will advance to play Connersville, which beat Anderson in OT tonight, in Friday's second semi. The first semi will pit host New Castle against Richmond.
Eastern Hancock improved to 18-3 with a 63-33 sectional-opening win over Cambridge City Lincoln (2-19) at Hagerstown. The Royals next meet Centerville, which beat Knightstown 46-34 earlier this year, in Friday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal at Hagerstown. Friday's first game will feature Shenandoah and Union County. EH beat Centerville 55-51 in the season opener waaaay back in November.
Here's our broadcast schedule for Friday night, from New Palestine:
5:35 p.m.: Pregame show
6 p.m.: New Palestine (9-11) vs. #4 Hamilton Heights (17-4)
7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (7-13) vs. Shelbyville (14-7)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
We will be trying to get updates from the Eastern Hancock game and will follow the Royals' efforts live on our broadcast during the second game.
Here is the schedule from Hagerstown
6 p.m.: Union County (16-5) vs. Shenandoah (15-8)
7:30 p.m.: Centerville (15-6) vs. Eastern Hancock (18-3)
Championship games will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night. If a Hancock County team is playing, we will be broadcasting! If either NP or MV win and EH wins, we'll be at NP and provide updates from the Royals' game. If the Royals win and both the Marauders and Dragons fall on Friday, we'll be broadcasting the Royals' sectional championship game from Hagerstown on Saturday night.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
First night of sectional
No Hancock County teams in action, but some games in Hancock County sectionals.
First off, a barnburner at New Palestine between arch-rivals Shelbyville and Rushville, and the second-ranked team in Class 3A goes down 55-52. Shelby trailed by five in the game's final minute, but a short jumper by Patrick Ellis, followed by a stolen inbounds pass and a 3-pointer by Ben Kramer tied the game. Then, with Rushville playing for the final shot, Ellis stole the ball and fed John Krise for a layup that became a 3-point play with 4.6 seconds left. Rushville missed a desperation heave and Shelby won. Rushville led 21-11 at one point early, but then Shelby went on a big run that pushed its lead to 38-31 midway through the third. The lead see-sawed back and forth, as Rushville's Jon Thompson had a huge fourth quarter. Shelby was led by Patrick Ellis' 15 points, leading three players in double-figures.
So, here are the pairings for Friday night at NPHS. We will be broadcasting both games:
6 p.m.: New Palestine (9-11) vs. #4 Hamilton Heights (17-4)
7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (7-13) vs. Shelbyville (14-7)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
The other two Hancock County teams get underway Wednesday. At New Castle, Greenfield-Central (9-11) will face Pendleton Heights (16-5) at 7:30 p.m., following the tilt between Anderson (4-16) and Connersville (8-14). In the other bracket, New Castle (15-5), which drew a bye, will face Richmond (17-5). The Red Devils beat Muncie Central 59-50 tonight.
Eastern Hancock (17-3) will face Cambridge City Lincoln (2-18) at 7:30 p.m., following the tilt between Knightstown (9-11) and Centerville (14-6). The winners of those games will play in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal Friday night. Friday's first semi will be between Union County (16-5) and Shenandoah (15-8). UC beat host Hagerstown 50-49 tonight, while Shenandoah beat Northeastern 65-53.
We will broadcast a sectional championship game involving a Hancock County team if any are remaining by Saturday night.
Also, one game involving an HHC team outside of Sectional 27 -- Yorktown fell to Muncie South 55-49. The Tigers' season ends with a 6-15 record. Muncie South will play Eastbrook on Friday at the Muncie Fieldhouse. Delta meets Blackford in the first semi.
First off, a barnburner at New Palestine between arch-rivals Shelbyville and Rushville, and the second-ranked team in Class 3A goes down 55-52. Shelby trailed by five in the game's final minute, but a short jumper by Patrick Ellis, followed by a stolen inbounds pass and a 3-pointer by Ben Kramer tied the game. Then, with Rushville playing for the final shot, Ellis stole the ball and fed John Krise for a layup that became a 3-point play with 4.6 seconds left. Rushville missed a desperation heave and Shelby won. Rushville led 21-11 at one point early, but then Shelby went on a big run that pushed its lead to 38-31 midway through the third. The lead see-sawed back and forth, as Rushville's Jon Thompson had a huge fourth quarter. Shelby was led by Patrick Ellis' 15 points, leading three players in double-figures.
So, here are the pairings for Friday night at NPHS. We will be broadcasting both games:
6 p.m.: New Palestine (9-11) vs. #4 Hamilton Heights (17-4)
7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (7-13) vs. Shelbyville (14-7)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE!
The other two Hancock County teams get underway Wednesday. At New Castle, Greenfield-Central (9-11) will face Pendleton Heights (16-5) at 7:30 p.m., following the tilt between Anderson (4-16) and Connersville (8-14). In the other bracket, New Castle (15-5), which drew a bye, will face Richmond (17-5). The Red Devils beat Muncie Central 59-50 tonight.
Eastern Hancock (17-3) will face Cambridge City Lincoln (2-18) at 7:30 p.m., following the tilt between Knightstown (9-11) and Centerville (14-6). The winners of those games will play in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal Friday night. Friday's first semi will be between Union County (16-5) and Shenandoah (15-8). UC beat host Hagerstown 50-49 tonight, while Shenandoah beat Northeastern 65-53.
We will broadcast a sectional championship game involving a Hancock County team if any are remaining by Saturday night.
Also, one game involving an HHC team outside of Sectional 27 -- Yorktown fell to Muncie South 55-49. The Tigers' season ends with a 6-15 record. Muncie South will play Eastbrook on Friday at the Muncie Fieldhouse. Delta meets Blackford in the first semi.
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