SW: Cougars swim well at Noblesville

Greenfield-Central's boys swim team fell to Noblesville 98-88 Tuesday night. G-C's boys swam well against one of the top teams in the state, with the team score lead changing hands several times. 

Cougar winners were Jon McCormick (200 IM), Austin Wilburn (50 freestyle), James Young (100 butterfly) and the 200 free relay of Stutz, Young, Cummings and Dickerson -- leading a 1-2 finish. 

The G-C girls fell 139-44 to Noblesville. Carly Fernandes led G-C with a victory in the 100 backstroke.

GBB tonight: Cougars, Marauders win big

Greenfield-Central beat Shelbyville 53-39 in girls hoops tonight, evening the Cougars' record at 3-3.

LaRae Cruz scored 16 points for G-C, including 14 in the opening 8:30 of the game. She hit four 3-pointers in that stretch, the last three of which helped spur a 17-2 Cougar run that turned a 9-7 deficit into a 24-11 lead midway through the second. G-C outscored Shelbyville 16-5 in the second to take a 34-14 lead at the half, pushed it to 40-16 early in the third and led by as many as 25 before Shelbyville made a bit of a run late in the game.

Cruz led the way for the Cougars. Freshman Shelby Oldham scored 10. Katie Peters added nine points for the Cougars. Emily Koers & Sara Jones both scored seven.

Shelby's Chelsey Skipton scored 21 points to lead all scorers.

G-C is now 3-3 and 1-1 in HHC play. Shelby is 2-3 and 0-2 in the HHC. G-C next plays Saturday at Rushville, with a 1:30 p.m. varsity start.

An archive of tonight's broadcast is available at HancockCountySports.com

Mt. Vernon 62, Muncie Central 20: All 10 Marauders played extensively in a big victory over Muncie Central. MV led 36-6 at halftime to improve to 4-1 on the year.

The Marauders next play Saturday against Pendleton Heights. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins for the call at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, live on HancockCountySports.com.

Of note: 
Mt. Vernon is still No. 1 in the ICGSA Class 3A poll, despite dropping a game since the last poll. Also, fellow HHC foe Delta is receiving votes in the 3A poll. Delta will meet New Palestine Saturday afternoon.

Eastern Hancock, for the first time in nearly a decade, is receiving votes in the 2A poll with a 4-0 mark. The Royals have two games this week -- traveling to Frankton Wednesday night before hosting Union County on Saturday.

Another HHC team is getting votes: Pendleton Heights in the 4A poll.

In the boys AP poll, Mt. Vernon is the first team outside the top 10 in Class 3A, and faces No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern Friday. Join our crew live at 7:10 p.m. for the live broadcast on HancockCountySports.com.

This week in Hancock County hoops

Big week in Hancock County hoops, including an addition to our broadcast schedule on Tuesday night.
Tuesday (girls hoops)
Shelbyville at Greenfield-Central, 7:30 (HancockCountySports.com LISTEN LIVE!)
Muncie Central at Mt. Vernon, 7:30
Wednesday (girls hoops)
Eastern Hancock at Frankton, 7:30
Friday (boys hoops)

Hamilton SE at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 (HancockCountySports.com LISTEN LIVE!)

New Castle at Greenfield-Central, 7:30

Saturday (girls hoops)

Pendleton Hts. at Mt. Vernon, 2:30 (HancockCountySports.com LISTEN LIVE!)
Greenfield-Central at Rushville, 1:30
Union County at Eastern Hancock, 1:30

Delta at New Palestine, 2:30

Saturday (boys hoops)

Eastern Hancock at Southwestern (Shelby), 7:30
New Palestine at Rushville, 7:30
Southport at Greenfield-Central, 7:30

Saturday night hoops

All four Hancock County schools were in boys basketball action Saturday night on the road, with Mt. Vernon improving to 2-0 against Hamilton County squads, Eastern Hancock winning a razor-thin margin, New Palestine and Greenfield-Central both fell in their contests.

New Castle 53, New Palestine 44: The Dragons and Trojans played a great game in the contest we broadcast on HancockCountySports.com. (and, of course, you can click to listen to the archive). NP trailed 12-3 early, but used an 11-3 run late in the first half to knot the game at 22-22 in the final minute of the opening half.

The lead changed hands a couple of times in the opening minutes of the second half and stayed close until New Castle's Steven Bennett hit back-to-back 3s -- a catch-and-shoot from the left wing and then a pull-up 25-footer on the right side -- to turn a one-point game into a 46-39 contest. From there, the Dragons had to foul and never could get closer.

Bennett scored 17 of his game-high 25 points after halftime -- and scored all but 12 of his team's second-half points. Guard Jordan Richardson added eight more in the fourth quarter -- all from the line as NC went 10-of-11 from the stripe in the fourth. Richardson finished with 13.

Reid Clark led NP with 12 points. Josh Penley added 11.

The Dragons (1-1) next play Dec. 3 at Rushville. Our friends at WIFE-94.3 will have a broadcast that night.

Mt. Vernon 51, Hamilton Heights 37: The Marauders started the second quarter on a huge 18-5 run that gave them a 27-12 lead late in the first half, and they held on from there. MV had a balanced attack led by Stephen Turner's 14 points. Dan Werner added 12 points for the Marauders, who improved to 2-0 with two big road victories. This was a win over a top-10 team, as HH was ranked No. 4 in Class 3A.

The Marauders had a big run in each of their games so far in going 2-0. Their next game will be Friday against 4A No. 5 Hamilton Southeastern, led by Michigan State recruit Gary Harris. HancockCountySports.com will broadcast the Marauders' home opener at 7:10 p.m. Friday.

Eastern Hancock 56, Frankton 55: Three nights after playing an overtime game against Centerville, the Royals won their first game of the year when senior center Cody Clark hit two free throws in the final two seconds to put the Royals ahead.

EH is now 1-1 on the year. The Royals next play Dec. 3 against Southwestern (Shelby).

Fishers 77, Greenfield-Central 28: The Cougars dropped to 0-3 in the opening week after a big loss at Fishers. Sophomore Grant Wolfe led the Cougars with nine points.

G-C hosts New Castle Friday.

Elsewhere in the HHC
Muncie Central 77, Yorktown 42
Pendleton Heights 54, Delta 40. Kellen Dunham scores 37 points for PH

Afternoon girls hoops: G-C, MV win

Mt. Vernon gave head coach Julie Shelton her 200th career victory this afternoon with a 70-61 road victory at Hamilton Heights.

The Marauders jumped out to a 22-8 lead early and held on against the Huskies, despite battling foul trouble and more. Guard Jessica Brown scored 25 points for MV, which played without center Makenzi Reasor due to illness.

The Marauders will next play Tuesday against Muncie Central. Next Saturday, join Chris Lambert for MV vs. Pendleton Heights, live on HancockCountySports.com at 2:10 p.m.

Greenfield-Central also won today, beating Marion 48-42. LaRae Cruz scored 20 for the Cougars. Katie Peters added 10 points for G-C, which is now 2-3 on the season.

Join Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert tonight for boys hoops: New Palestine at New Castle, 7:10 p.m. airtime on HancockCountySports.com!

Next Friday night, join us for boys basketball -- Mt. Vernon vs. Hamilton SE at 7:10 p.m., before the Marauder girls play PH on Saturday, airtime 2:10 p.m., all LIVE! at HancockCountySports.com!

Saturday night hoops

Big day of basketball Saturday, as six of the eight Hancock County basketball teams will tip off.

First off, join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert for our first annual "You Pick It" game between New Palestine and New Castle from the New Castle Fieldhouse. Both teams come into the game 1-0. The game will tip off at approximately 7:30 p.m., our pregame will begin at about 7:10 p.m. Log on to HancockCountySports.com to listen!

All four Hancock County boys teams are in action, and all four on the road:
Eastern Hancock (0-1) at Frankton (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
Greenfield-Central (0-2) at Fishers (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
Mt. Vernon (1-0) at Hamilton Heights (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
New Palestine (1-0) at New Castle (1-0), 7:30 p.m. LISTEN LIVE!

Also, two girls teams will be in action:
Greenfield-Central (1-3) at Marion (2-3), 1:30 p.m.
3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon (2-1) at 3A No. 9 Hamilton Heights (3-1), 2:30 p.m.
New Palestine (1-4) is fresh off a two-point loss to Columbus East, and will next play Dec. 2 against Delta. Eastern Hancock (4-0) travels to Frankton on Nov. 30.

Friday wrap: NP girls, G-C boys fall

The New Palestine girls basketball team dropped a 52-50 decision to 4A No. 8 Columbus East at home Friday night.

The Dragons led throughout much of the second and third quarters, but a 9-2 run for Columbus East to start the fourth allowed the Olympians to take the lead and they held on from there.

Bethany Murrell scored a game-high 16 points for the Dragons -- all in the opening half, allowing NP to open up a 29-27 lead at the break. Lauren Tieman scored a career-high 14 points, and also grabbed seven rebounds. The Dragons' Abby Seifert grabbed 11 rebounds.

Columbus East was led by 15 points by sophomore center Allyson Bunch and 12 from guard Courtney Hunter. Division I recruit Courtney Ogle had eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.

East led 52-48 in the closing minutes, thanks to a basket by Kailey Smith and two free throws by Courtney Hunter. Tieman scored with 13 seconds left on a beautiful under-the-basket feed from Murrell to cut it to 52-50. NP had a shot when the Olympians missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Ogle forced a steal and dribbled out the clock.

The Dragons are now 1-4 and open conference play Saturday, Dec. 2 against Delta, with a 1 p.m. JV tipoff. Columbus East is now 3-0. East head coach Danny Brown won his 200th career game.

Columbus East won the JV game 59-21. Ivey Spreen led the Dragons with seven points.

Boys basketball
Whiteland 66, Greenfield-Central 25: The Cougars fell to 0-2 after a tough home loss. Whiteland used a 26-1 third quarter to pull away.

Jordan Keener scored nine points to lead the Cougars. Drew Dougherty, Cole Olesky and Grant Wolfe scored four each. 


G-C plays at Fishers Saturday.

G-C fell 34-24 in the JV game. 

Thrilling night of hoops

Three games involving Hancock County schools, and all went down to the wire tonight.

Mt. Vernon and New Palestine were victorious on the road, while Eastern Hancock dropped a tough 44-42 overtime decision at home against Centerville in the game that we broadcast on HancockCountySports.com.

Mt. Vernon 51, Noblesville 46: Led by guard C.J. Coleman, the Marauders rallied from a 13-point deficit and outscored the Millers 25-6 down the stretch to win on the road in one of the toughest road venues in Central Indiana. Coleman scored 21 for the Marauders, who hit 5 straight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to rally back and start 1-0. Next up for MV: Saturday at Hamilton Heights.

New Palestine 57, Jennings County 55: Michael Morris hit a putback with 2.4 seconds left to give the Dragons a two-point victory on the road. The Dragons, now 1-0, travel to New Castle Saturday night in the game we'll be broadcasting on HancockCountySports.com!

Centerville 44, Eastern Hancock 42, OT: A game that lived up to its billing -- two teams that were both returning two players with significant varsity experience went down to the wire. Jared Pyle's flying 3-point play gave the Royals the lead late, but Centerville's offensive rebounding strength was evident late and in OT. Cody Short grabbed three huge offensive rebounds in OT -- putting one back to give the Bulldogs a 42-40 lead. Cody Wallace answered that basket to tie it at 42, but Short again snuck in for an offensive board and fed Max Smith for a runner in the lane that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good with 14 seconds left.

Pyle scored 16 points to lead the Royals. Victor Vincz scored 13. Smith had 11 off the bench to lead a very balanced Centerville attack.

EH travels to Frankton on Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

Greenfield-Central was idle tonight, but the Cougars will host Whiteland on Friday and then travel to Fishers on Saturday. The Cougars fell 55-28 to Union (Modoc) Tuesday night.

High school hoops tonight

Lots of high school hoops tonight as we warm up the turkey.

Greenfield-Central's boys got things underway last night with a 55-28 loss to Union (Modoc). The other three county schools open tonight.

Join Andrew Smith, Chris Lambert and Keith Meyers for our game: Centerville at Eastern Hancock. The Bulldogs and Royals are both reloading after great seasons last year -- Centerville won 17 games, EH 18. We'll also see a great coaching matchup between Centerville's Ryan Chiddester and EH's Aaron Spaulding in the traditional Thanskgiving Eve opener.

Listen LIVE at 7:10 p.m. at HancockCountySports.com!

Other games tonight (all tipoffs 7:30 p.m.)
Mt. Vernon at Noblesville
New Palestine at Jennings County (listen online to the Jennings County broadcast: WJCP).

Rest of the week (all games 7:30 p.m.
Friday 
Whiteland at Greenfield-Central
Saturday
Eastern Hancock at Frankton
Greenfield-Central at Fishers
Mt. Vernon at Hamilton Heights
New Palestine at New Castle (listen LIVE to the HancockCountySports.com broadcast at 7:10 p.m.).

Tuesday wrap: Big night of sports

Make sure to tune into HancockCountySports.com at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday for Eastern Hancock vs. Centerville boys basketball, and again at 7:10 p.m. Saturday for New Palestine at New Castle boys hoops. 


Girls basketball
Eastern Hancock 37, Shenandoah 27: The Royals improved to 4-0 on the season with their first victory over the Raiders in more than a decade.

EH used a 17-6 second-quarter surge to pull ahead never let the Raiders closer.

Kristen Eischen had 10 points and nine rebounds to lead the Royals. Guard Kiersten Schrope had eight boards and four assists. Hannah Best added eight points and Kaytlin Eastes had seven points and seven rebounds.

Lauren Harmon also had seven points off the bench.

EH coach Jeremy Powers credited the Royals' strong defensive effort in the victory.

The Royals next play Nov. 30 at Frankton.

Westfield 54, New Palestine 44: The New Palestine girls basketball team dropped a 54-44 decision to Westfield Tuesday night at NP.

The Dragons used a big second quarter to take a 23-22 halftime lead, and the lead changed hands several times in the second half before the Shamrocks pulled away in the final five minutes.

Kyleigh Smock hit three early 3-pointers to put the Dragons ahead, but Westfield used 6-3 post Jenn Anderson extensively in the second half.

Anderson scored 14 of her game-high 23 points after halftime as the Shamrocks hit 11-of-21 from the field after the break. Neither team led by more than four points until Westfield began to pull away at the foul line late. Anderson hit 10-of-16 shots and also grabbed 17 rebounds.

Three Dragons scored in double figures, led by Lauren Tieman's double-double. She had 11 points and 13 rebounds -- including 11 offensive boards. The Dragons outrebounded Westfield 47-29, including 26 offensive rebounds. Bethany Murrell scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Smock had 10 points. Abby Seifert had a double-figure rebounding night with 10 boards to go along with seven points.

The Dragons (1-3) next play Friday at home against 4A No. 8 Columbus East.

Boys basketball
Union (Modoc) 55, Greenfield-Central 28: The Cougars struggled to score in their season-opening loss, as they fell behind 26-10 at the half and never could catch up.

Sophomore Drew Dougherty led the Cougars with nine points. Jordan Keener added seven.

G-C will play Whiteland Friday night, and then travel to Fishers on Saturday in a busy opening week.  

Wrestling
New Palestine 52, Pike 21: The Dragons improved to 5-0 on the year with the victory on the road.

Tommy Cash, Robbie Elsea, Nick Ulrey, Jack Buchanan and Willie Bryan all won by fall for the Dragons. Cameron Denney won a major decision, while Ben Taylor and Gordon Wagner also won by decision. Bill Emmons and Taylor Fee both won forfeits.

The Dragons are next in action Dec. 1 against Whiteland.

Swimming
Cougars split with Franklin Central: Greenfield-Central's boys swim team split two meets with Franklin Central.

G-C's boys won 96.5-79.5. Winners for the Cougars were Patrick Stutz (50 free, 100 free), James Young (100 butterfly), Jon McCormick (100 breaststroke), Nathan Graber (diving) and the 200/400 freestyle relays.

G-C's girls fell 94-82 in their meet. Cougar winners were Carly Fernandes (200 IM, 100 freestyle), Taylor Johnson (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly), Janeal Hunt (diving), Emily Ditto (100 backstroke), the 200 medley relay team of Fernandes, Bethany Weldon, Johnson and Kylie Smith, and the 200 free relay team of Johnson, Ditto, Smith and Fernandes.

The Cougars host the Greenfield-Central Relays Saturday.

Monday wrap: NP swimming 2nd to PH

New Palestine had some strong swims in a 3-way meet at Pendleton Heights, in which the Dragon girls placed second. PH won with 149 points, NP had 134 and third-place Rushville had 34.

The Dragons won three events. One victory came from the 200 free relay of junior Emily Trimpe and seniors Jordan Rogers, Karen Emminger and Olivia Ayer. They finished in 1:49.31, improving their time from their first meet. The 200 medley relay made up of the same four girls finished in 2:05.51 and also won. Trimpe also won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.29.


Seconds went to junior Katie Mustard in the 200 IM, Emminger in the 50 freestyle, Claire Hornsby in the 100 butterfly, Rogers in the 100 freestyle, Erin Trimpe in the 500 freestyle and the 400 free relay team of Rogers, Mustard, Emminger and Emily Trimpe.


NP coach Steve Maxwell cited Hornsby's second-place swim in the butterfly, noting that it was just off her career-best time. "Her hard work is paying off," he said.

The votes are in

The votes are in and ...

Saturday night's "You Pick It" HancockCountySports.com basketball broadcast will feature the New Palestine Dragons against the New Castle Trojans.

Join Andrew Smith and Chris Lambert live from the New Castle Fieldhouse at 7:10 p.m. Saturday for the call on the contest.

Also, join us Wednesday for our boys basketball season opener, as the Eastern Hancock Royals host the Centerville Bulldogs. Our broadcast will begin at 7:10 p.m.

To hear both, log on to HancockCountySports.com

Looking ahead, we have two Mt. Vernon broadcasts the following week:
On Friday, Dec. 2, the Mt. Vernon boys basketball team faces Gary Harris and the Hamilton Southeastern Royals. Join us at 7:10 p.m. for the tipoff of that contest.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, Julie Shelton's Marauder girls basketball team meets up with Shari Doud's Pendleton Heights Arabians. Join us at 2:10 p.m. for the pregame show and tipoff of the Marauders and the Arabians.

HancockCountySports.com is your online home for LIVE local sports!

Saturday wrap: EH hoops, G-C/NP wrestling win

Girls basketball
Eastern Hancock 53, Horizon Christian 34: The Royals scored 25 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the Lions and improve to 3-0 on the season.

EH led 16-13 after a quarter and opened it up to 28-19 after three before pulling away in the fourth. Kiersten Schrope had 14 points, four rebounds and seven steals to lead the Royals. Alora Marshall had nine points and a team-high five rebounds. Hannah Best added five points and three other Royals scored four.

The Royals next play Tuesday at Shenandoah.


Wrestling
G-C dominates at Elwood: The Greenfield-Central wrestling team dominated at the Elwood Invitational, winning all five matches by wide margins.

G-C beat Attucks 76-6 in the opening round and didn't lose a single individual match the rest of the day, beating Alexandria 80-0, Elwood 79-0, Eastbrook 78-0 and Blackford 79-0.

G-C's Cole Moore (113), Garrett Mullins (120), Sam Locke (126), Cody Cecil (132), Josh Farrell (138), Dustin Mayhugh (145), Joe Hoskins (152), Dillon Lowder (160), Dezmen McGinley (170), Kyle Wilburn (182), Ian Early (195), Austin Gearlds (220) and Tyler Beeson (285) were all a perfect 5-0. At 106, Taylor Wright was 4-1.

NP goes 4-0 at Western: The New Palestine wrestling team went a perfect 4-0 at the Western Invitational on Saturday. The Dragons beat Delta 67-12, Western Boone 60-15, Mishawaka 58-12 and Western 72-12. 


Tommy Cash, Taylor Fee, Gordon Wagner, Robbie Elsea, Logan Hunt, Nick Ulrey, Noah Grable and Jack Buchanan all went 4-0 for the Dragons. Rylan McCarty and Max Ingle went 3-0 and Willie Bryan was 2-0.


The Dragons next compete Tuesday at Pike.

Friday roundup: Marauders win, G-C/NP fall

The girls basketball season is in full swing with the second weekend of play, and #1 Mt. Vernon bounced back from a midweek loss to post a convincing 58-31 victory over #8 Rushville Friday night.

You heard Chris Lambert's call of the game, as the Marauders jumped ahead early and never looked back. MV led 29-18 at halftime and pulled away in the second, allowing the Lions only 13 points after the break. Guard Jessica Brown scored 22 points to lead MV. The Marauders' inside tandem of Makenzi Reasor and Erica Moore scored 12 points each, and the Marauders' bench got extensive minutes in the victory.

Sarah Cook, a freshman for the Lions, scored 15 points for a young Rushville squad that also starts two sophomores in key roles.

MV (2-1) next plays Nov. 26 at No. 10 Hamilton Heights for a 2:30 varsity tip.

Archived broadcast

Warren Central 69, New Palestine 37: The Dragons fell in a 12-point deficit at the end of the first and were unable to dent the Warriors' lead. NP trailed 36-26 midway through the third, but the Warriors went on a 19-2 run to pull away. Bethany Murrell -- who signed with Florida Gulf Coast University last week -- scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Dragons. She also had a team-high three assists. Abby Seifert had a team-high nine boards to go along with five points. Lauren Tieman had six oints and six rebounds. Kyleigh Smock had eight points and four rebounds.

Breann Denny had 15 points to lead four Warriors in double-figures. Post player Brenna Jones had a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Kendra Wilson (14 points) and Linzi Moore (12 points) also hit double-figures for No. 6 Warren.

NP (1-2) next plays Tuesday at home against Westfield with a 7:30 p.m. varsity tipoff .

Pendleton Heights 61, Greenfield-Central 55: The Cougars fell into an early 10-point deficit and managed to keep chopping away, but eventually fell to the Arabians on the road. LaRae Cruz had 21 points to lead G-C, which trailed 29-21 at half and 39-35 at the end of three. Katie Peters had nine, while Sara Jones and Shelby Oldham scored seven points each for the Cougars.

G-C (1-3) next plays Nov .26 at Marion, with a 1:30 p.m. varsity tipoff.

Eastern Hancock was idle tonight. The Royals will host Horizon Christian at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Hoops coming up

It's a full night of girls hoops tonight in the county, as three of the four county schools will be in action.

Join us LIVE for 3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon vs. 3A No. 8 Rushville. Two teams that came into the year with top-10 rankings and two teams who will be major contenders in the Hoosier Heritage Conference square off in the Marauders' home opener. MV is 1-1, Rushville is 0-2, both against some pretty strong foes to start the year.

Join Chris Lambert for the broadcast, which begins at 7:10 p.m. on HancockCountySports.com!

Also Friday, get updates as New Palestine visits 4A No. 6 Warren Central, and Greenfield-Central travels to HHC rival Pendleton Heights. Eastern Hancock is the one team that will be gearing up for Saturday action, as the Royals host Horizon Christian at 7 p.m.

Next week, our boys basketball broadcast schedule begins Wednesday with the annual Thanksgiving Eve game between Centerville and Eastern Hancock. We'll be with you live at 7:10 p.m. Saturday night, you can VOTE for the game you want us to broadcast -- EH at Frankton, G-C at Fishers, MV at Hamilton Heights or NP at New Castle. We'll broadcast the game with the most votes by 11:59 p.m. Saturday night.

Vote by liking our Facebook page, then going to the poll on the page wall and voting!

GBB teams all fall tonight

All three local girls basketball teams in action tonight came away on the short end of the scoreboard tonight, as Mt. Vernon, New Palestine and Greenfield-Central all fell.

The Marauders, ranked #1 in Class 3A in the preseason and carrying a lot of accolades, saw themselves victim to Lawrence Central's biggest victory in years, beating the Marauders 58-49. LC jumped ahead 18-8 after a quarter led by post Kyra Tucker's 10 points. The Bears never trailed after that, leading 30-19 at halftime. MV cut the deficit with an 8-0 run in the third, but could never close. Lawrence Central's speed bothered the Marauders all night.

Taylor Sanders' fourth-quarter 3 staved off the Marauders' last run and helped clinch the victory. Kasey Johnson scored 17 points and Sanders 16 for the Bears. Erica Moore had 14 points and Makenzi Reasor 12 for the Marauders. Rachel Houck and Jessica Brown scored eight each and Kelsie Owens scored seven.

MV is 1-1 heading into Friday's game against #8 Rushville. You can listen to the LIVE broadcast with Chris Lambert starting at 7:10 p.m. at http://www.hancockcountysports.com!

Franklin Central 48, New Palestine 44: The Flashes used back-to-back 3-pointers to take the lead and take control and spoil NP's home opener.

Kyleigh Archer and Lizzy Pedigo's back-to-back triples gave the Flashes a 32-29 lead after they had trailed for much of the second and third quarters. FC never trailed after that, as the two 3-pointers keyed a 17-4 run that saw the Flashes build a 41-32 lead after the first possession of the fourth, in which Julia Arnold hit another 3.

NP had several possessions down three in the final two minutes, but turnovers and missed shots allowed the Flashes to stop the threats, and Arnold hit two free throws in the final 20 seconds to salt the game away.

Arnold scored 10 to lead FC, which had three other players who scored nine points. Kyeligh Smock scored 16 points and added four steals to lead the Dragons. Lauren Tieman had her second straight double-figure scoring game with 10 points and seven rebounds. Bethany Murrell had nine points and eight boards. Abby Seifert had a game-high 11 rebounds as the Dragons outrebounded FC 45-35. NP shot 22 percent for the game and 19 percent in the second half, while the Flashes hit 45 percent from the floor after halftime.

Both teams are now 1-1 on the season. NP next plays Friday at 4A No. 6 Warren Central.

New Castle 53, Greenfield-Central 43: The Cougars fell to 1-2 on the season after the road loss to the Trojans. G-C next plays Friday at HHC rival Pendleton Heights.

Girls swimming
New Palestine 138, Roncalli 102, Greenwood 89: The Dragons won a tight 3-way meet in their season opener at the NPHS natatorium.

Emily Trimpe -- a returning dual state finalist for NP -- was a winner in all four events. She won the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. She also was part of the winning 200 free and 400 free relay teams. Other winners for the Dragons were Olivia Ayer (50 freestyle) and Karen Emminger (100 butterfly). Trimpe and Emminger combined with Jordan Rogers and Katie Mustard to win both freestyle relays.

Seconds for the Dragons went to Mustard in the 200 IM, Rogers in the 100 freestyle, Erin Trimpe in the 500 freestyle and the 200 free relay team of Ayer, Lily Horn, Emily Bare and Erin Trimpe.

The Dragons will next compete Monday in a 3-way meet at Pendleton Heights.

Saturday GBB recap

Two local girls basketball teams remained unbeaten while another dropped a close game Saturday night.

New Palestine won its season opener by a narrow 54-52 margin over Whiteland in overtime. A see-saw game that saw nobody hold a lead bigger than four after a quick 10-3 burst by the Dragons to start the game saw Bethany Murrell score 12 of the Dragons' last 14 points and 24 overall in the victory. Murrell hit a shot with 3.6 seconds left that appeared to give the Dragons a victory. But Whiteland's Michaela Harris hit a shot from the post and drew a foul with 0.3 seconds left.

Murrell finished with 24 points, six rebounds and three steals. Lauren Tieman added 10 points and eight rebounds. Abby Seifert had eight boards. Emily Curry had eight points, five boards and two steals. Tori Stephenson had three assists.

The Dragons outrebounded Whiteland 38-23. Kaitlyn Phillips led the Warriors with 12 points. Perry had 11 points, Karley Beam added 10 points and four assists, and Harris had eight points and nine rebounds.

The Dragons are now 1-0 on the year after their first victory over Whiteland since the 2004-05 season. Whiteland is 1-1. NP next plays its home opener Tuesday against Franklin Central.

Eastern Hancock 60, Muncie South 48: The Royals improved to 2-0 on the young season under new head coach Jeremy Powers. EH jumped ahead 21-5 after a quarter and kept the lead in double digits at each quarter stop from there.

Kristen Eischen had 19 points, 15 rebounds and four steals to lead the Royals. Kaytlin Eastes had 11 points. Lauren Harmon had seven points and six rebounds. Kiersten Schrope had eight boards and five assists. The Royals next play Saturday, Nov. 19 against Horizon Christian at home.

Franklin 43, Greenfield-Central 37: The Cougars dropped a close game to the Grizzly Cubs in a matchup that was tight throughout. Franklin pulled away from a 30-28 lead at the end of the third.

G-C is now 1-1 on the year. The Cougars next play Tuesday at New Castle.

3A No. 1 Mt. Vernon was idle tonight after a 49-31 victory at Connersville. The Marauders will next play Tuesday against Lawrence Central.

Last HHC team falls

No. 5 Pendleton Heights fell behind early and never was able to rally against No. 2 Cathedral Friday night, as the Arabians fell 35-0 in IHSAA regional play.

PH, which defeated New Palestine last week to win the sectional, was the last HHC team standing in the IHSAA football tournament for the second straight year. The Arabians end a fine season at 11-2 and won back-to-back sectional championships -- the only two in school history.

Girls basketball: 3 teams now 1-0

All three Hancock County teams who have played a game are now 1-0 on the young season as Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon joined Eastern Hancock in winning their season openers.

EH gave coach Jeremy Powers his first career victory on Wednesday night with a two-point win over Elwood. Tonight, it was the Cougars and Marauders' turns.

G-C made very quick work of Cambridge City Lincoln in a 65-21 victory. G-C led 21-0 after a quarter and 38-7 at half. Senior LaRae Cruz (14 points) and junior Katie Peters (13 points) led three Cougars in double figures. Regan Lewis added 10 for G-C, while Sara Jones and Briana Tietjen each scored nine. The Cougars continue their season at home against Franklin tonight.

Ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, Mt. Vernon opened the season with a convincing 49-31 victory at Connersville. The Marauders continue play Tuesday against Lawrence Central before hosting No. 5 Rushville next Friday night. Join Chris Lambert for the LIVE broadcast on HancockCountySports.com starting at 7:10 p.m.!

New Palestine will open its season Saturday night at Whiteland with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff before hosting Franklin Central at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Dragons' home opener.

Eastern Hancock is also in action Saturday, meeting Muncie South at 2:30 p.m.

Royals open with win

Eastern Hancock opened the girls basketball season with a 50-48 victory over Elwood Wednesday night.

The Royals' victory was the first for new varsity coach Jeremy Powers, an Eastern Hancock alum who had previously been the head girls coach at Tri and head boys coach at Morton Memorial.

EH trailed 9-6 after a quarter and 21-18 at halftime, but rallied to tie the game at 34-34 at the end of three.

Junior forward Kaytlin Eastes led the Royals in scoring with 11 points. Sophomore Kristen Eischen had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Hannah Best added nine points and sophomore Kiersten Schrope had seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Alora Marshall also had three assists for the Royals.

EH next plays Saturday at Muncie South.

The rest of the county's girls basketball teams open Friday (G-C at Cambridge City, MV at Connersville) and Saturday (NP at Whiteland).

MV #1 in girls poll

Mt. Vernon is No. 1 in the ICGSA Class 3A girls basketball poll. The Marauders are ahead of Benton Central, Norwell and Evansville Memorial.

Two MV opponents are in the 3A top 10 -- Rushville (No. 5, tied with Edgewood) and Hamilton Heights (No. 9). MV will compete in the Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 29, facing 4A No. 1 Penn in the opening round. 4A No. 9 Roncalli and 3A No. 3 Norwell will also be part of the tournament field.

A couple of other area teams on local schools' schedules -- Warren Central (4A No. 8) and Triton Central (2A No. 9) are in the rankings.

MV is also No. 8 overall in the IBCA poll released Monday. 

Regional sites announced

The IHSAA announced its 16 regional sites this morning for boys and girls basketball.

Greenfield-Central's Class 4A sectional includes Anderson, Connersville, New Castle, Pendleton Heights and Richmond. Boys basketball sectional will be at New Castle, the regional at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Girls basketball sectional will be at G-C, regional at Decatur Central.
New Palestine's Class 4A sectional includes Center Grove, Franklin, Franklin Central, Greenwood and Whiteland. Boys basketball sectional will be at Center Grove, regional at Shelbyville. Girls basketball sectional will be at Franklin Central, regional at Bedford North Lawrence.
Mt. Vernon's Class 3A sectional includes Arlington, Brebeuf, Chatard, Guerin Catholic and Howe. Boys basketball sectional will be at MV, regional at Greencastle. Girls basketball sectional will be at Arlington, regional at Danville. For the first time since the four-team regionals began in 2002, MV will not be hosting a girls basketball regional.
Eastern Hancock's Class 2A sectional includes Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Hagerstown, Knightstown, Northeastern and Union County. Boys basketball sectional will be at Hagerstown, regional at Connersville. Girls basketball sectional will be at Cambridge City Lincoln, regional at Speedway.

In additional, all four county schools will again swim in the New Palestine sectional and wrestle in the Shelbyville sectional. NP will again host its gymnastics sectional.

The full statewide list

Season finale: Arabians 24, Dragons 13

#5 Pendleton Heights took an early lead and made two big plays in the passing game to answer scores and beat #1 New Palestine 24-13 to win the Class 4A Sectional 13 title Friday night.

Arabian quarterback Mitch Patishall threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns -- both to Austin Coffel, who had three catches for 36, 59 and 59 yards. The game featured 711 yards of offense -- the Arabians had 378, the Dragons 333.

PH running back Jon Furrow ran for 100 yards in the first half and had 101 total, as Jacob Lyons carried much of the load in the second half.

NP's Connor Simmons finished a fantastic career by throwing for 282 yards, completing 18-of-39 passes. He threw one touchdown pass, a 31-yarder to Tyler Walden that was his 35th of the year and 39th of his career. Unofficially, Simmons finishes with 2,793 yards for the season and 3,277 for his career. He holds all of New Palestine's passing records for season and career completions, yards and touchdowns. Brandon Collins' 6 catch, 74-yard night broke Jay Ehle's 18-year-old single-season receiving record.

Josh Penley had 98 receiving yards -- including a 48-yarder on the game's first play from scrimmage. The drive stalled at the 17 yard line, and PH answered with an 11-play, 83-yard drive that put the Arabians up 7-0 and set the tone for the rest of the night. NP answered on its third foray into PH territory with Simmons and Walden hooking up from 31 yards out with 5:10 left in the half to tie the game.

But both times NP scored, PH answered. Patishall hit Coffel from 36 yards out despite tough coverage from Dakota Smith just 2:53 after the Dragons took the lead, and PH led 14-7 through the third and into the fourth quarter. The Arabians would never relinquish the lead. NP's first drive of the second half stalled at the PH 11 on downs. After a near-miss -- Penley's perfect submarine tackle on 4th-and-1 stuffed a PH drive at the Dragon 23 -- NP finally broke through early in the fourth when Simmons went 5-for-5 on a drive, which finished with Austin Monday's 1-yard TD run with 10:45 left.

But the 20 seconds that turned the game happened. NP missed the game-tying extra point just barely wide left, and Patishall found Coffel behind the last defender for a 59-yard TD on the next play to make it a 21-13 game. NP had three more possessions, but could only muster one first down.

The season ended for the Dragons with an 11-1 record -- one of their best seasons in school history. They won their second straight Hoosier Heritage Conference title and were a lot of fun to watch and cover all season. We enjoyed being a small part of it by being able to bring eight different Dragons games live to you this season, including seven wins. Some of these Dragons will move on to play college football, but they accomplished much in their four-year careers -- two sectional titles, 20 straight HHC wins and a sectional title. Thanks for listening to us and following us all season.

Here are the media stories:
Daily Reporter | Anderson Herald-Bulletin | Indianapolis Star

Pregame look: #1 Dragons vs. #5 Arabians

It's almost gametime as the top-ranked New Palestine Dragons (11-0) take on the fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians (10-1) in a battle for the Sectional 13 championship. This is one of a handful of games in the state pitting two ranked teams, and one of the biggest games in a long time to be played on the Shepler Field turf.

Our crew is excited to bring you the game Friday night. Click here to join Andrew Smith, Mike Jackson and Chris Lambert for the play-by-play call at 6:30 p.m. 


The Dragons and Arabians have been two of the state’s top teams this season. They were 1-2 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, both rank in the Top 5 in the Associated Press poll and are third and fourth in the Sagarin computer rankings.

Previous meeting: The Dragons won 34-21 on Sept. 2. Both teams have gone undefeated since. It was the most points each team has given up all season. Dragon QB Connor Simmons had one of the best games of his career, completing 22-of-26 passes for 287 yards and 5 TDs. WR Josh Penley had 151 receiving yards and three TDs – one yard shy of the school record for receiving yards in a game. WR Brandon Collins also had a big game, with 103 yards and two TDs. NP nose tackle Chris Wolf had three sacks and 10 tackles in the game defensively. The Arabians’ Mitch Patishall completed 21-of-41 passes for 221 yards and a TD. Cody Cochran (8-75) and Jacob Lyons (4-60) were his top receivers. Jon Furrow ran for 84 yards to lead the Arabians’ rushing attack, which gained 164 yards on the ground. Austin Monday’s 48 yards led a Dragon ground game that gained 64 total yards on the ground. 

Scouting Pendleton Heights: Pendleton Heights is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history. The Arabians are currently 10-1, and possess Class 4A’s second-highest scoring offense (41.9 ppg) and top scoring defense (10.5 ppg). In addition, the Arabians lead Class 4A in win margin (+31.45 ppg). That margin is ninth-best among the 315 football-playing schools in Indiana. Since the loss to the Dragons on Sept. 2, PH’s defense has allowed just eight touchdowns, and the offense has scored at least 31 points in every game since. The offense is led by senior QB Mitch Patishall, a three-year starter who has thrown for 1,347 yards and 17 TDs this season. He has completed 60 percent of his passes. The Arabians also sport two 1,000-yard rushers in senior Jacob Lyons (1,341 yards, 13 TDs) and junior Jon Furrow (1,173 yards, 16 TDs). Add in third RB Clint Nicholson in the three-back run-and-shoot set, and PH has three backs who all average more than 7 yards per carry. The four starting backs have combined for 3,220 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns. Junior WRs Austin Coffel (22-363, 4 TDs) and Kurt Talbert (20-315, 1 TD) are the top receivers for a balanced passing attack. PH’s stout defense is led by Steffan Slick (8 sacks, 12 TFL), Kaleb Newell (7 sacks, 21.5 TFL), Jake Stilwell (6 sacks, 15.5 TFL) and Patrick Butler (129 tackles, 5 sacks, 13.5 TFL). Chandler Wilson (3 INTs) and Furrow (2 INT) are tops in interceptions. Furrow is also one of the state’s more accurate kickers, hitting 7-of-10 field goals and 60-of-62 PATs. 

Scouting New Palestine: The Dragons posted a 62-0 victory over Muncie Central in the sectional 1^st round, and followed up with a 27-14 victory over Delta last week. NP trailed 14-0 in the first eight minutes, but rallied behind 241 passing yards and four touchdowns passes from QB Connor Simmons. His 71-yard TD pass to Tyler Walden got the Dragons on the board in the first, and then he threw three straight touchdowns to Josh Penley of 11, 20 and 28 yards. The Dragon running game helped shorten the game in the second half, led by Austin Monday’s 92 yards. He had 82 of those after halftime. Walden had 105 receiving yards on the night, while Penley had 59 and Brandon Collins four catches for 47 yards. Simmons became the school’s career passing yardage and touchdowns leader in the victory. NP’s defense also held the Eagles’ high-powered offense off the board after the first quarter, forcing two fumbles and holding Delta on downs deep in its own territory. Simmons has thrown nine touchdown passes in the tournament and 34 for the season. Simmons holds virtually every school passing record, while WRs Brandon Collins and Josh Penley are climbing the ladder to set the school receiving records. In addition, the "Red Rage" defense has posted three shutouts this season, the first time a Dragon team has accomplished that feat since 1996.

We can't wait for kickoff. Join us for the LIVE broadcast!

2011-12 HancockCountySports.com basketball schedule

HancockCountySports.com has released its 2011-12 basketball schedule. We might ADD to this schedule, but join us on these nights for LIVE coverage of high school sports in YOUR community. We have several marquee games, including all of the intra-county rivalries, boy/girl doubleheaders between New Palestine and Greenfield-Central, and also Eastern Hancock and Knightstown, the county title game, the HHC girls basketball classic at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a sectional championship rematch and appearances by Gary Harris and Kellen Dunham. It's a good time to listen to HancockCountySports.com!

• Friday 11/4: FOOTBALL: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, 6:30 p.m.
• Friday 11/18: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Rushville at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
• Wednesday 11/23: BOYS BASKETBALL Centerville at Eastern Hancock, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday 11/26: VOTE FOR IT GAME ON FACEBOOK PAGE!, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 12/2: BOYS BASKETBALL: Hamilton SE at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday 12/3: GIRLS: Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon, 2:10 p.m.
• Friday 12/9: GIRLS/BOYS BASKETBALL: Greenfield-Central at New Palestine, 5:40 p.m.
• Thursday 12/15: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon at New Palestine, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 12/16: GIRLS/BOYS BASKETBALL: Knightstown at Eastern Hancock, 5:40 p.m.
• Wednesday 12/21: BOYS BASKETBALL: New Palestine at Beech Grove, 7:10 p.m.
• Tuesday 12/27: BOYS/GIRLS BASKETBALL: County finals from Mt. Vernon, 5:40 p.m.
• Thursday 12/29: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon in Hall of Fame Classic (vs. Penn, 11:15 a.m., Conso/Championship 5:40 or 7:10 p.m.)
• Friday 1/6: BOYS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 1/13: BOYS BASKETBALL: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, 7:10 p.m.
• Thursday 1/19: BOYS BASKETBALL: Knightstown at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 1/20: BOYS BASKETBALL: Eastern Hancock at Lapel, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday 1/21: GIRLS BASKETBALL: New Palestine vs. Rushville, 1:30 p.m.; Mt. Vernon vs. Greenfield-Central, 5 p.m. from Hinkle Fieldhouse
• Friday 1/27: BOYS BASKETBALL: New Palestine at Yorktown, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday 1/28: BOYS BASKETBALL: Eastern Hancock at Greenfield-Central, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 2/3: BOYS BASKETBALL: Shelbyville at New Palestine, 7:10 p.m.
• Thursday 2/9: BOYS BASKETBALL: Triton Central at Eastern Hancock, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 2/10: GIRLS BASKEBALL: Sectional semifinal, TBA
• Saturday 2/11: GIRLS BASKETBALL: Sectional final, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 2/17: BOYS BASKETBALL: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 2/24: BOYS BASKETBALL: Mt. Vernon at Yorktown, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday 3/2: BOYS BASKETBALL: Sectional semifinal, TBA
• Saturday 3/3: BOYS BASKETBALL: Sectional final, 7:10 p.m.