New Palestine took a lead going into the fourth quarter and then began to pull away. Led by Michael Morris and Josh Penley, the Dragons won their second sectional championship in three years, beating the Franklin Central Flashes 58-51.
The Dragons (17-6) move on to face the Castle Knights (18-4) in next Saturday's Shelbyville regional. New Palestine will play in the noon semifinal, which we will broadcast at HancockCountySports.com.The teams who will play in the first semifinal are yet to be determined -- the title games between Columbus North and Bloomington South, as well as Bedford North Lawrence and Jeffersonville -- will be contested Monday.
The game was close throughout before NP pulled away down the stretch to win its third sectional title in four years and second straight. The sectional championship is the seventh in New Palestine school history. The Dragons' first two class-era titles -- in 2009 and 2011 -- came in 3A. Now, as the second-smallest school in 4A, the Dragons won a sectional title their first year out.
Junior Michael Morris continued his strong tournament play, scoring 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbing six rebounds. Josh Penley had 18 points, hitting 5-of-9 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the line. He had six boards and three assists. Reid Clark had a six-point, eight-rebound night. Brandon Collins had seven points. Solomon Haynes added five boards from the guard spot.
The Dragons trailed 25-21 at halftime, but outscored FC 15-9 in the
third quarter to take a two-point lead going into the final eight
minutes, and began to pull away in the latter half of the fourth
quarter. The Dragons' victory was their second over the Flashes this
season, having also beaten FC 64-63 on Dec. 17.
At Hagerstown, Eastern Hancock fell to Union County 53-45, as UC went on a 20-4 run in the last six and a half minutes to take the lead and pull away. The Royals, who were playing without leading scorer Victor Vincz, had a lead for much of the night before falling to the Patriots in the fourth. EH finishes the year 12-11. Union County is now 21-2.
Showing posts with label Franklin Central. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Franklin Central. Show all posts
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Dragons, Royals both rally tonight
Tonight has to be one of the most memorable nights of sectional hoops in local history, as both New Palestine and Eastern Hancock registered improbable come-from-behind wins to advance to the sectional finals.
New Palestine 61, Whiteland 60: The Dragons had to rally from deficits of 10-0 early and 46-34 late in the third quarter, but did with a huge fourth-quarter run. NP finished with an 8-1 run that allowed them to pull ahead. Trailing 59-53, Josh Penley hit a baseline jumper, then Solomon Haynes forced a steal and fed Justin Ikerd for an open 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. After Whiteland's Kyle Alford split two free throws, Michael Morris hit a 17-footer from the left wing to tie the game at 60-60 with 25 seconds left.
Whiteland was trying to hold for the last shot, but Haynes stripped the Warriors at midcourt again. He had a breakaway layup, but was fouled from behind with 6.7 seconds left. An intentional foul was called, giving Haynes two free throws and the Dragons the ball. He hit one. NP missed the front end of a one-and-bonus with 3.7 left and Whiteland had an open look from the corner at the horn to win, but Luke Dougherty's shot fell short, allowing the Dragons to pull away with the victory.
Morris scored 16 points -- 14 in the second half -- to lead the Dragons in scoring. Ikerd and Penley each scored 12 -- with Ikerd hitting four of the Dragons' five 3-pointers. Reid Clark hit five shots -- most from outside -- to score 10 points. Brandon Collins added seven first-half points and Haynes scored his four points in the fourth quarter, also adding a key 3-point play midway through the period that launched the Dragons' rally from a double-digit deficit.
Whiteland was led by DeJuan Davis' 17 points and 16 from leading scorer Taylor Robards.
The Dragons advance to face either Franklin Central or Center Grove in the 7:30 p.m. Saturday championship game at CG. FC leads CG 33-16 at halftime.
A full archive of the game can be found here!
Eastern Hancock 71, Cambridge City Lincoln 64: The Royals scored 16 points in the OT session and rallied from a late five-point deficit in an improbable way. Playing without leading scorer Victor Vincz due to an injury, the Royals also had two starters foul out in the fourth quarter. EH trailed 27-18 at halftime and 55-50 in the closing seconds. But Garrett Hancock was fouled on a 3-pointer and in the ensuing melee, a CCL player was called for a technical foul. Hancock hit all five free throws to tie the game up. EH missed a shot that would've sent the game to OT, but pulled away in the extra session.
Hancock had 22 points for EH. CCL senior Zac Rea led all scorers with 34 points.
EH is now 12-10, and will face either Centerville or Union County in Saturday's sectional final at Hagerstown.
Also Saturday: Listen to the 3A girls basketball State Finals: Mt. Vernon vs. Fort Wayne Concordia. Live broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. from the Hulman Center at HancockCountySports.com!
New Palestine 61, Whiteland 60: The Dragons had to rally from deficits of 10-0 early and 46-34 late in the third quarter, but did with a huge fourth-quarter run. NP finished with an 8-1 run that allowed them to pull ahead. Trailing 59-53, Josh Penley hit a baseline jumper, then Solomon Haynes forced a steal and fed Justin Ikerd for an open 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. After Whiteland's Kyle Alford split two free throws, Michael Morris hit a 17-footer from the left wing to tie the game at 60-60 with 25 seconds left.
Whiteland was trying to hold for the last shot, but Haynes stripped the Warriors at midcourt again. He had a breakaway layup, but was fouled from behind with 6.7 seconds left. An intentional foul was called, giving Haynes two free throws and the Dragons the ball. He hit one. NP missed the front end of a one-and-bonus with 3.7 left and Whiteland had an open look from the corner at the horn to win, but Luke Dougherty's shot fell short, allowing the Dragons to pull away with the victory.
Morris scored 16 points -- 14 in the second half -- to lead the Dragons in scoring. Ikerd and Penley each scored 12 -- with Ikerd hitting four of the Dragons' five 3-pointers. Reid Clark hit five shots -- most from outside -- to score 10 points. Brandon Collins added seven first-half points and Haynes scored his four points in the fourth quarter, also adding a key 3-point play midway through the period that launched the Dragons' rally from a double-digit deficit.
Whiteland was led by DeJuan Davis' 17 points and 16 from leading scorer Taylor Robards.
The Dragons advance to face either Franklin Central or Center Grove in the 7:30 p.m. Saturday championship game at CG. FC leads CG 33-16 at halftime.
A full archive of the game can be found here!
Eastern Hancock 71, Cambridge City Lincoln 64: The Royals scored 16 points in the OT session and rallied from a late five-point deficit in an improbable way. Playing without leading scorer Victor Vincz due to an injury, the Royals also had two starters foul out in the fourth quarter. EH trailed 27-18 at halftime and 55-50 in the closing seconds. But Garrett Hancock was fouled on a 3-pointer and in the ensuing melee, a CCL player was called for a technical foul. Hancock hit all five free throws to tie the game up. EH missed a shot that would've sent the game to OT, but pulled away in the extra session.
Hancock had 22 points for EH. CCL senior Zac Rea led all scorers with 34 points.
EH is now 12-10, and will face either Centerville or Union County in Saturday's sectional final at Hagerstown.
Also Saturday: Listen to the 3A girls basketball State Finals: Mt. Vernon vs. Fort Wayne Concordia. Live broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. from the Hulman Center at HancockCountySports.com!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Saturday wrap: Hoops & wrestling
Boys basketball
New Palestine 64, Franklin Central 63: The Dragons won a see-saw battle against the Flashes with some clutch play at the end of the game.
The Dragons trailed 60-57 when Justin Ikerd hit a 3-pointer to knot the game up in the late stages. Then, Josh Penley got a steal and turned it into a basket to give the Dragons the lead. The Dragons then forced a stop and Michael Morris drained two free throws with 3 seconds left to ice it.
Four Dragons scored in double-figures as they improved to 5-1 on the season. Morris had a 17-point night, hitting 5-of-9 shots and adding nine rebounds and four assists. Ikerd scored 15 points, hitting five 3-pointers and grabbing four rebounds. Penley had 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior guard Solomon Haynes had a season-high 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, three assists and two steals. Senior Reid Clark added six points, five rebounds and a team-high three steals.
The Dragons rallied from deficits of 20-13 after a quarter and 34-26 at the half, taking the lead by scoring 20 third-quarter points and going ahead 46-44, setting up a see-saw finish.
The Dragons' next game will be Wednesday at Beech Grove. It will be broadcast live by HancockCountySports.com
Mt. Vernon 60, Whiteland 31: The Marauders posted lopsided victories in back-to-back games, beating a Whiteland team that came into the game with a 4-1 record and had just beaten Center Grove.
The Marauders, now 4-2, won their two weekend games by a combined score of 137-79. They will next play Jan. 27 in the Hancock County Tournament, visiting Eastern Hancock at 10 a.m. in the morning session before hosting the championship/consolation games at 6 p.m.
Cambridge City Lincoln 65, Eastern Hancock 54: The Royals trailed 27-22 at halftime, and then saw Cambridge City Lincoln pull away in the second half.
CCL was led by Zac Rea, who nearly had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Jared Pyle scored in double-figures for the Royals.
The Royals are now 4-3 and play Tuesday at Blue River.
Girls basketball
Eastern Hancock 57, Northeastern 54: Playing less than 24 hours after their hard-fought game against Knightstown, the Royals rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes to beat Northeastern.
EH trailed 28-20 at halftime after Northeastern scored 23 in the second quarter, but the Royals chipped away, cutting the deficit to 37-33 at the end of three.
The Royals had tremendous balance in scoring, as six players scored between seven and 11 points.
Lauren Harmon led the way for the Royals, scoring 11 points to pace a balanced attack. She hit three 3-pointers and also added six rebounds. Alora Marshall had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. Skyler Overleese also scored nine points, with Hannah Best adding eight points and four assists. Guard Kiersten Schrope had seven points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. Kaytlin Eastes had seven points and six boards, while Kristen Eischen had five points. Peyton Neisler had five rebounds off the bench.
The Royals are now 7-2 and play Tuesday at home against Cambridge City Lincoln.
New Palestine 65, Yorktown 24: The Dragons jumped ahead 19-2 after a quarter and used a strong defensive effort to pull away. The Dragons got a lot of production from throughout their lineup.
Tori Stephenson led the way with three 3-pointers and 15 points to go along with eight steals, hitting a pair of triples in the second quarter to help the Dragons open up a 37-9 halftime lead. NP's defense held Yorktown to two points in the third, with the Dragons leading 51-11.
Lauren Tieman added 12 points and eight rebounds. Bethany Murrell scored 12 points -- all early -- and added a strong all-around game with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots. Taylor Espich had a career-high 10 points, four assists and three steals, making her first career start.
Emily Curry and Abby Seifert each scored seven points. Seifert also added eight rebounds and four steals.
The Dragons' defense forced 20 steals and 30 turnovers, leading to 38 Dragon points.
The Dragons' next game will be against Greenfield-Central in the Hancock County Tournament on Dec. 27.
Wrestling
New Palestine wins Dragon 5-way: The Dragons won a thrilling 34-33 decision over Greenfield-Central to take the New Palestine 5-way duals Saturday afternoon.
The Dragons also beat Mt. Vernon 84-0, Union County 60-15 and Triton Central 66-6 en route to the victory. The Dragons are now 18-1 on the season in dual matches.
Greenfield-Central is now 12-3. The Cougars beat Mt. Vernon 82-0, Union County 60-14 and Triton Central 58-15.
For New Palestine, Willie Bryan (285), Tommy Cash (106), Taylor Fee (120), Gordon Wagner (126), Billy Emmons (113), Nick Ulrey (145) and Connor Robinson (160) all won their matches against G-C in their dual meet, with Bryan, Cash and Robinson all winning by fall and Emmons taking a forfeit. Fee won a major decision wrestling up a weight class.
Bryan, Cash, Fee, Ulrey and Robinson were all 5-0 on the day. In addition, Rylan McCarty was 3-0 at 120. Gordon Wagner, Brian Wagner, Cameron Denney, Matt Roembke and Robbie Elsea all went 3-1, with Wagner wrestling the match of the day, taking two-time state champion Cody Phillips of Union County the distance before falling 9-6. Ulrey and G-C's Josh Farrell -- also a state-ranked wrestler -- had a down-to-the-wire match that wasn't decided until the final takedown in the closing seconds.
Greenfield-Central's Kyle Wilburn, Ian Early, Farrell, Austin Rose and Dezmen McGinley all went 4-0 on the day.
Mt. Vernon went 0-4 as a team.
Swimming
Greenfield-Central's boys finished fourth in the Hamilton Southeastern invitational, with two school records being set. Jon McCormick set a record finishing fifth in the 100 breaststroke at 1:02.33. The 400 free relay of Patrick Stutz, Wilburn, Wilburn and James Young finished fourht and set a record in 3:21.28. Other top-8 finishers were Young (4th 100 fly, 8th 200 free), Stutz (2nd 50 free, 6th 100 free), McCormick (4th, 200 IM0 and the 200 free relay of Stutz, Wilburn, Young and Wilburn, which finished 2nd. The 200 medley relay was seventh.
G-C's girls finished eighth. Carly Fernandes was fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 200 IM.
New Palestine 64, Franklin Central 63: The Dragons won a see-saw battle against the Flashes with some clutch play at the end of the game.
The Dragons trailed 60-57 when Justin Ikerd hit a 3-pointer to knot the game up in the late stages. Then, Josh Penley got a steal and turned it into a basket to give the Dragons the lead. The Dragons then forced a stop and Michael Morris drained two free throws with 3 seconds left to ice it.
Four Dragons scored in double-figures as they improved to 5-1 on the season. Morris had a 17-point night, hitting 5-of-9 shots and adding nine rebounds and four assists. Ikerd scored 15 points, hitting five 3-pointers and grabbing four rebounds. Penley had 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior guard Solomon Haynes had a season-high 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, three assists and two steals. Senior Reid Clark added six points, five rebounds and a team-high three steals.
The Dragons rallied from deficits of 20-13 after a quarter and 34-26 at the half, taking the lead by scoring 20 third-quarter points and going ahead 46-44, setting up a see-saw finish.
The Dragons' next game will be Wednesday at Beech Grove. It will be broadcast live by HancockCountySports.com
Mt. Vernon 60, Whiteland 31: The Marauders posted lopsided victories in back-to-back games, beating a Whiteland team that came into the game with a 4-1 record and had just beaten Center Grove.
The Marauders, now 4-2, won their two weekend games by a combined score of 137-79. They will next play Jan. 27 in the Hancock County Tournament, visiting Eastern Hancock at 10 a.m. in the morning session before hosting the championship/consolation games at 6 p.m.
Cambridge City Lincoln 65, Eastern Hancock 54: The Royals trailed 27-22 at halftime, and then saw Cambridge City Lincoln pull away in the second half.
CCL was led by Zac Rea, who nearly had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Jared Pyle scored in double-figures for the Royals.
The Royals are now 4-3 and play Tuesday at Blue River.
Girls basketball
Eastern Hancock 57, Northeastern 54: Playing less than 24 hours after their hard-fought game against Knightstown, the Royals rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes to beat Northeastern.
EH trailed 28-20 at halftime after Northeastern scored 23 in the second quarter, but the Royals chipped away, cutting the deficit to 37-33 at the end of three.
The Royals had tremendous balance in scoring, as six players scored between seven and 11 points.
Lauren Harmon led the way for the Royals, scoring 11 points to pace a balanced attack. She hit three 3-pointers and also added six rebounds. Alora Marshall had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. Skyler Overleese also scored nine points, with Hannah Best adding eight points and four assists. Guard Kiersten Schrope had seven points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. Kaytlin Eastes had seven points and six boards, while Kristen Eischen had five points. Peyton Neisler had five rebounds off the bench.
The Royals are now 7-2 and play Tuesday at home against Cambridge City Lincoln.
New Palestine 65, Yorktown 24: The Dragons jumped ahead 19-2 after a quarter and used a strong defensive effort to pull away. The Dragons got a lot of production from throughout their lineup.
Tori Stephenson led the way with three 3-pointers and 15 points to go along with eight steals, hitting a pair of triples in the second quarter to help the Dragons open up a 37-9 halftime lead. NP's defense held Yorktown to two points in the third, with the Dragons leading 51-11.
Lauren Tieman added 12 points and eight rebounds. Bethany Murrell scored 12 points -- all early -- and added a strong all-around game with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots. Taylor Espich had a career-high 10 points, four assists and three steals, making her first career start.
Emily Curry and Abby Seifert each scored seven points. Seifert also added eight rebounds and four steals.
The Dragons' defense forced 20 steals and 30 turnovers, leading to 38 Dragon points.
The Dragons' next game will be against Greenfield-Central in the Hancock County Tournament on Dec. 27.
Wrestling
New Palestine wins Dragon 5-way: The Dragons won a thrilling 34-33 decision over Greenfield-Central to take the New Palestine 5-way duals Saturday afternoon.
The Dragons also beat Mt. Vernon 84-0, Union County 60-15 and Triton Central 66-6 en route to the victory. The Dragons are now 18-1 on the season in dual matches.
Greenfield-Central is now 12-3. The Cougars beat Mt. Vernon 82-0, Union County 60-14 and Triton Central 58-15.
For New Palestine, Willie Bryan (285), Tommy Cash (106), Taylor Fee (120), Gordon Wagner (126), Billy Emmons (113), Nick Ulrey (145) and Connor Robinson (160) all won their matches against G-C in their dual meet, with Bryan, Cash and Robinson all winning by fall and Emmons taking a forfeit. Fee won a major decision wrestling up a weight class.
Bryan, Cash, Fee, Ulrey and Robinson were all 5-0 on the day. In addition, Rylan McCarty was 3-0 at 120. Gordon Wagner, Brian Wagner, Cameron Denney, Matt Roembke and Robbie Elsea all went 3-1, with Wagner wrestling the match of the day, taking two-time state champion Cody Phillips of Union County the distance before falling 9-6. Ulrey and G-C's Josh Farrell -- also a state-ranked wrestler -- had a down-to-the-wire match that wasn't decided until the final takedown in the closing seconds.
Greenfield-Central's Kyle Wilburn, Ian Early, Farrell, Austin Rose and Dezmen McGinley all went 4-0 on the day.
Mt. Vernon went 0-4 as a team.
Swimming
Greenfield-Central's boys finished fourth in the Hamilton Southeastern invitational, with two school records being set. Jon McCormick set a record finishing fifth in the 100 breaststroke at 1:02.33. The 400 free relay of Patrick Stutz, Wilburn, Wilburn and James Young finished fourht and set a record in 3:21.28. Other top-8 finishers were Young (4th 100 fly, 8th 200 free), Stutz (2nd 50 free, 6th 100 free), McCormick (4th, 200 IM0 and the 200 free relay of Stutz, Wilburn, Young and Wilburn, which finished 2nd. The 200 medley relay was seventh.
G-C's girls finished eighth. Carly Fernandes was fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 200 IM.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Basketball weekend
Lots of basketball this weekend starts tonight, with a BIG girls game between New Palestine and 3A No. 3 Mt. Vernon.
The Dragons are 3-5 against a top-25 schedule, but could easily be 7-1 as four of their losses have been in down-to-the-wire games. The Marauders are 6-2, with both defeats to 4A programs having strong years. The game features four players who will be playing at the next level next year -- MV's Makenzi Reasor (Indiana State) and Jessica Brown (Indiana Wesleyan) along with NP's Bethany Murrell (Florida Gulf Coast) and Tori Stephenson (Danville Area CC).
The game also features two of the area's top rebounders in NP's Lauren Tieman and Abby Seifert -- the latter of which is averaging more than 10 rebounds per game -- and MV's Reasor and Anna Olson. Both teams are senior-laden, and this could be the final meeting for these teams as currently constituted.
The other big key is the HHC race. MV can take a full-game lead on the conference going into the Christmas break with games remaining against Delta, Greenfield-Central and Shelbyville. Should the Dragons win, it would forge a 4-way tie at the top of the conference, with tonight's two participants, G-C and Pendleton Heights -- who are both 3-1 in league play.
You can listen to the game live tonight with Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins on HancockCountySports.com. Direct listen live link here.
Knightstown at Eastern Hancock: More hoops on Friday, with the Royals and Panthers facing off in a doubleheader. First, let's look at the boys. EH is 3-2, and is two baskets away from being a perfect 5-0 on the year. Knightstown is 1-4, as both teams are retooling a bit after graduating strong senior classes last season. Victor Vincz had 27 points in EH's 68-53 victory over Sheridan on Saturday. He and Jared Pyle lead EH in scoring. Knightstown has a young team led by Clay Ratliff, who is nearly averaging a double-double.
On the girls side, EH is 6-1, enjoying its best start in years, led by sophomore guard Kiersten Schrope, who has scored, rebounded and handled the ball for the Royals. Sophomore Kristen Eischen does a lot of the work up front. But Knightstown poses a tough test. The Panthers are experienced, with four players averaging between 9-11 points per game, and they are coming off a victory over New Castle last week. Knightstown is 5-3.
Listen to both games starting at 5:40 p.m. Friday at HancockCountySports.com
Other games
Friday boys
Morristown at New Palestine, 7:30: Another installment in Hancock County's longest-running basketball series -- the two teams have played each other annually since at least the 1940s, and likely longer. The Dragons have dominated the series recently, and have a deep, senior-laden team that's 3-1 on the year. Morristown does feature one of the state's top scorers in Dylan Langkabel, who is headed to Northwood University in Michigan to play next year. Expect a good matchup.
Shelbyville at Mt. Vernon, 7:30: The Marauders are 2-2, but are ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by the Sagarin ratings. MV has played four tough opponents so far, so the winless Golden Bears (0-4) could be a good opportunity for the Marauders to get a lift going into the county tournament. Our friends at WSVX (www.wsvx.com) will broadcast the game.
Yorktown at Greenfield-Central, 7:30: Yorktown is 1-0 in HHC play and 2-2 overall since Greg Miller returned to the head coaching reins. The Tigers have been building for some time. The Cougars are 0-6 on the year and have struggled to score points, but have done so against a brutally-difficult schedule and with a very young, sophomore-laden team. Our friends at WRGF-89.7 will broadcast.
Saturday boys
Eastern Hancock at Cambridge City Lincoln, 7:30: This game could be a good matchup, as the Golden Eagles are experienced and playing at home. CCL is 2-2 on the year under coach Rodney Klein.
New Palestine at Franklin Central, 7:30: The Dragons and Flashes resume their series after a long hiatus. And it happens without legendary FC coach Mark James on the sidelines, as he took his boots to Ben Davis. The Flashes are 3-2 under new coach John Rockey, and are coming off big wins over Columbus North and Fishers. This could be a preview of the Center Grove sectional. A student broadcast is available at WRFT-91.5.
Saturday girls
Eastern Hancock at Northeastern, 1:30: The Royals will have a quick turnaround, playing Saturday afternoon after a Friday-night game, which will be good prep for the county tournament. Northeastern comes in with a 2-7 record.
New Palestine at Yorktown, 7:30: The Dragons go on the road for the first time since before Thanksgiving with their final conference matchup before the county tournament. Yorktown graduated the bulk of a core that had been together for four years and is starting over with new coach Lendon Schwartz. The Tigers are 4-4, but are 0-2 in HHC play so far.
The Dragons are 3-5 against a top-25 schedule, but could easily be 7-1 as four of their losses have been in down-to-the-wire games. The Marauders are 6-2, with both defeats to 4A programs having strong years. The game features four players who will be playing at the next level next year -- MV's Makenzi Reasor (Indiana State) and Jessica Brown (Indiana Wesleyan) along with NP's Bethany Murrell (Florida Gulf Coast) and Tori Stephenson (Danville Area CC).
The game also features two of the area's top rebounders in NP's Lauren Tieman and Abby Seifert -- the latter of which is averaging more than 10 rebounds per game -- and MV's Reasor and Anna Olson. Both teams are senior-laden, and this could be the final meeting for these teams as currently constituted.
The other big key is the HHC race. MV can take a full-game lead on the conference going into the Christmas break with games remaining against Delta, Greenfield-Central and Shelbyville. Should the Dragons win, it would forge a 4-way tie at the top of the conference, with tonight's two participants, G-C and Pendleton Heights -- who are both 3-1 in league play.
You can listen to the game live tonight with Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins on HancockCountySports.com. Direct listen live link here.
Knightstown at Eastern Hancock: More hoops on Friday, with the Royals and Panthers facing off in a doubleheader. First, let's look at the boys. EH is 3-2, and is two baskets away from being a perfect 5-0 on the year. Knightstown is 1-4, as both teams are retooling a bit after graduating strong senior classes last season. Victor Vincz had 27 points in EH's 68-53 victory over Sheridan on Saturday. He and Jared Pyle lead EH in scoring. Knightstown has a young team led by Clay Ratliff, who is nearly averaging a double-double.
On the girls side, EH is 6-1, enjoying its best start in years, led by sophomore guard Kiersten Schrope, who has scored, rebounded and handled the ball for the Royals. Sophomore Kristen Eischen does a lot of the work up front. But Knightstown poses a tough test. The Panthers are experienced, with four players averaging between 9-11 points per game, and they are coming off a victory over New Castle last week. Knightstown is 5-3.
Listen to both games starting at 5:40 p.m. Friday at HancockCountySports.com
Other games
Friday boys
Morristown at New Palestine, 7:30: Another installment in Hancock County's longest-running basketball series -- the two teams have played each other annually since at least the 1940s, and likely longer. The Dragons have dominated the series recently, and have a deep, senior-laden team that's 3-1 on the year. Morristown does feature one of the state's top scorers in Dylan Langkabel, who is headed to Northwood University in Michigan to play next year. Expect a good matchup.
Shelbyville at Mt. Vernon, 7:30: The Marauders are 2-2, but are ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by the Sagarin ratings. MV has played four tough opponents so far, so the winless Golden Bears (0-4) could be a good opportunity for the Marauders to get a lift going into the county tournament. Our friends at WSVX (www.wsvx.com) will broadcast the game.
Yorktown at Greenfield-Central, 7:30: Yorktown is 1-0 in HHC play and 2-2 overall since Greg Miller returned to the head coaching reins. The Tigers have been building for some time. The Cougars are 0-6 on the year and have struggled to score points, but have done so against a brutally-difficult schedule and with a very young, sophomore-laden team. Our friends at WRGF-89.7 will broadcast.
Saturday boys
Eastern Hancock at Cambridge City Lincoln, 7:30: This game could be a good matchup, as the Golden Eagles are experienced and playing at home. CCL is 2-2 on the year under coach Rodney Klein.
New Palestine at Franklin Central, 7:30: The Dragons and Flashes resume their series after a long hiatus. And it happens without legendary FC coach Mark James on the sidelines, as he took his boots to Ben Davis. The Flashes are 3-2 under new coach John Rockey, and are coming off big wins over Columbus North and Fishers. This could be a preview of the Center Grove sectional. A student broadcast is available at WRFT-91.5.
Saturday girls
Eastern Hancock at Northeastern, 1:30: The Royals will have a quick turnaround, playing Saturday afternoon after a Friday-night game, which will be good prep for the county tournament. Northeastern comes in with a 2-7 record.
New Palestine at Yorktown, 7:30: The Dragons go on the road for the first time since before Thanksgiving with their final conference matchup before the county tournament. Yorktown graduated the bulk of a core that had been together for four years and is starting over with new coach Lendon Schwartz. The Tigers are 4-4, but are 0-2 in HHC play so far.
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