Friday, February 10, 2012

Semifinals: Marauders in sectional final, Dragons fall in 4th

Mt. Vernon is one game away from its second straight sectional title -- and the fourth under coach Julie Shelton -- after a blowout victory over Howe in tonight's semifinal at Arlington.

Meanwhile, New Palestine saw its season end after losing an 11-point second-half lead and falling to Franklin 60-52 in the 4A semifinal at Franklin.

The Marauders were never challenged in their game against Howe, leading 32-0 after a quarter and allowing just one point in the first half. MV, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, improved to 19-5 with the victory and advanced to Saturday night's sectional championship against the Chatard Trojans, who beat Guerin Catholic 66-59 in the second game at Arlington.

Chris Lambert and Andrew Smith will have the broadcast at 6:35 p.m. Saturday from Arlington High School, live at HancockCountySports.com.

Thanks for listening tonight as the New Palestine Dragons played a tremendous first three quarters in building a 44-33 lead late in the third, but Franklin went on a 17-3 run to take the lead and salted a 60-52 victory away at the foul line.

The Dragons had three players in double-figures and held Franklin to below 30 percent shooting, but the Grizzly Cubs' 24 offensive boards and 20 Dragon turnovers -- several in the second half -- ended up turning the tide.

Shelby Parmer scored 24 points for Franklin. Bethany Murrell (20), Tori Stephenson (16) and Emily Curry (10) all scored in double-figures for the Dragons. Abby Seifert had 13 rebounds as the six Dragon seniors -- Murrell, Stephenson, Curry, Seifert, Kyleigh Smock and Lauren Tieman -- finished their careers at New Palestine. The Dragons finished the season 11-11.

Franklin moves on to face Greenwood in Saturday's sectional title game at Franklin. 




Thursday, February 9, 2012

Thursday hoops: Dragons, Cougars win; Royals fall

24 hours earlier than normal, we had a big night of hoops across the state and in Hancock County tonight.

New Palestine and Greenfield-Central both won, while Eastern Hancock dropped a 52-45 decision to Triton Central in the game we broadcast at HancockCountySports.com.

This weekend, the girls take center stage. We'll broadcast New Palestine vs. Franklin at 7:15 p.m. Friday at HancockCountySports.com. We will also broadcast a sectional championship game Saturday night.

Let's look back at Thursday's games:
New Palestine 54, Franklin 39: The Dragons took the lead with 15-7 second quarter that put them ahead by five at halftime, then outscored the Grizzly Cubs 17-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a big road victory.

Junior Michael Morris continues to lead the Dragons, tonight scoring 15 points and grabbing four boards. He hit 6-of-13 from the floor. Reid Clark had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He hit 5-of-6 from the floor and his only free throw attempt. Josh Penley added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with four assists. Brandon Collins had seven points, four assists and five steals.

The Dragons hit 48 percent from the floor. Franklin shot 41 percent.

The Dragons are now 12-5. They next play at home Tuesday against Westfield, then travel to Mt. Vernon next Friday 2/17 in a game we'll broadcast at HancockCountySports.com.

Greenfield-Central 46, Knightstown 44: Jordan Keener hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cougars their second victory of the year.

Keener had 19 points, including the NBA-range shot at the buzzer, to lead the Cougars, who trailed by eight points in the fourth quarter. Mason Irbe had eight points and Grant Wolfe six for the Cougars. Anthony Peck led Knightstown with 18. 

The Cougars next play Friday 2/17 at Rushville in the first half of a double-weekend which includes a Saturday home game against Cambridge City Lincoln.

Triton Central 52, Eastern Hancock 45: The Royals held TC without a field goal for the first 7:15, but the Tigers rallied, using a 14-6 second quarter to take a 20-18 halftime lead, then pulling away led by center Luke Stephenson, who scored eight fourth-quarter points. TC opened the fourth with a 10-4 spurt, and its lead vacillated between three and five points for much of the final quarter before hitting free throws at the end.

Austin Pitman led TC with 14 points. Stephenson had eight in the fourth quarter, and two other Tigers scored in double-figures as TC improved to 7-9 on the year.

Guard Victor Vincz had a strong offensive game for the Royals, scoring 19 points. Senior Jared Pyle scored 13 points for EH (9-8).

The Royals are next in action Tuesday at Alexandria.

Mt. Vernon was idle, but next plays at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Lawrence Central. The Bears beat Warren Central 59-56 on a last-second 3 from IU recruit Jeremy Hollowell. MV beat Warren 62-47 on Monday.

Gymnastics: New Palestine wins


The New Palestine gymnastics team won a three-way meet Wednesday against Hagerstown and Muncie South. The Dragons scored 96.2 to edge Hagerstown (94.725). Muncie South was third with 70.65.
 
Kenzi Hoffman led the Dragons with first-place finishes on vault (9.0) and floor exercise (9.1). She was also second on uneven bars (8.3), third on balance beam (7.8) and second in the all-around (34.2).
 
Other strong performances came from Jessica Marshall, who was second on beam and fourth on both vault and floor. Shelly Huesman was third on bars. Ciarra Hough was third on floor, fifth on vault and sixth on bars.
 
Julie Hilton was also fourth on vault and eighth on floor exercise. Maddie Wallace was eighth on the vault. Kylie Zehner was eighth on the balance beam. Savannah Eldridge was eighth on bars and eighth in the all-around.
 
The Dragons will travel to Bloominton North High School Saturday to compete in the Valentine's Invitational.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Sectional broadcasts

Friday night, we will be broadcasting the New Palestine vs. Franklin sectional semifinal game at HancockCountySports.com. The Dragons are 11-10, the Grizzly Cubs 10-9. The two teams played a down-to-the-wire 47-44 game on Dec. 30, in which Franklin prevailed. NP advanced with a 45-41 victory over Whiteland on Tuesday.

We will also be endeavoring to provide updates from the Mt. Vernon-Howe game.

On Saturday, we will broadcast either Mt. Vernon or New Palestine, and we will announce the game we plan to broadcast upon completion of Friday's semifinals. If both MV and NP are playing, we will have continual score updates from both sites.

Also, don't forget that on Thursday, we'll broadcast boys hoops as Triton Central visits Eastern Hancock. Join Andrew & Chris at 7:10 p.m. for the broadcast at HancockCountySports.com!

Tuesday night: Marauders & Dragons move on

All four Hancock County teams were in action to open sectional play tonight.

Mt. Vernon and New Palestine moved on to the semifinals with victories, while Eastern Hancock and Greenfield-Central fell in their opening-round contests.

First, let's look at the wins:
Mt. Vernon 57, Brebeuf 28: The Marauders used their powerful inside game to build a big lead and win their first-round sectional contest. Erica Moore had 15 points to lead three Marauders in double-figures. Anna Olson had a strong game inside with 13 points. Guard Jessica Brown added 11.

MV used its patented runs to pull away quickly. The Marauders scored the game's first 17 points, and then went on a 17-1 run in the second half. MV held Brebeuf without a field goal for the game's first 12 minutes, during which the Marauders built up a 21-7 edge. It was 30-16 at halftime, with Moore scoring all 15 of her points in the opening half. MV outscored Brebeuf 15-0 in the third quarter to go up 45-16 at the end of three.

However, the game might have been costly for the Marauders, as 6-foot-2 center Makenzi Reasor appeared to suffer an injury due to contact with the head late in the first quarter and did not play the rest of the game.

MV is now 18-5 on the year and faces Howe in Friday's semifinal round at 6 p.m.. Guerin Catholic and Chatard will play the second semi at Arlington.

New Palestine 45, Whiteland 41: The Dragons took the lead early in the second with a 10-0 run that put them up 15-7, and pushed it as high as double-digits on several occasions. A late Whiteland push cut the lead, but the four-point final margin was as close as the Warriors got from the early moments of the second quarter on.

Senior Bethany Murrell scored 18 points and added nine rebounds and four steals for the Dragons. NP shot 48 percent in the second half to pull away after leading 19-14 at halftime. NP led 31-21 after three quarters. Senior guard Tori Stephenson added eight points. Abby Seifert had six points and nine rebounds. Lauren Tieman had six points and six boards.

The Dragons' rebounding prowess helped them grab 17 offensive boards and outrebound Whiteland 38-23.

Interestingly, the Dragons won despite not hitting a 3-pointer -- they went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the game. The Dragons had been very strong from the 3-point arc in the latter stages of the season.

Now 11-10, NP has won five of six games. The Dragons will play host Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the game that will be broadcast by HancockCountySports.com. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins at approximately 7:15 p.m. for the call. Center Grove will face Greenwood in the first semifinal.

Pendleton Heights 55, Greenfield-Central 45: PH used a 9-point run late in the third quarter to take a 39-31 lead, then held the Cougars at bay in the fourth to move on. Kenzie Gustin led PH with 23 points.

LaRae Cruz led G-C with 12 points. 

The Cougars finish their season with a 13-8 record. PH moves on to face Richmond in the first  semifinal at G-C on Friday night. Anderson will meet New Castle in the other semi.

Hagerstown 53, Eastern Hancock 22: The Tigers have been one of 2A's top teams all season, and clinched their 20th victory with the win. The Royals had a breakout year finish at 12-9 under first-year coach Jeremy Powers. Hagerstown is now 20-2.

Local sectional pairings
Class 4A sectional at Franklin
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Center Grove 40, Franklin Central 38
New Palestine 45, Whiteland 41
Friday, Feb. 10
Greenwood (18-2) vs. Center Grove (9-12), 6 p.m.
Franklin (11-9) vs. New Palestine (11-10), 7:30 p.m. (LIVE BROADCAST)
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Bedford North Lawrence regional (pairings: winners at Evansville Central vs. Seymour; winners at Franklin vs. Columbus North). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 8


Class 3A sectional at Arlington
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Mt. Vernon 57, Brebeuf 28
Chatard advances via forfeit over Arlington
Friday, Feb. 10
Howe (5-14) vs. Mt. Vernon (18-5), 6 p.m.
Guerin Catholic (16-7) vs. Chatard (9-12), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7 p.m.
Winner goes to: Lebanon regional (pairings: winners at Western Boone vs. Arlington; winners at Owen Valley vs. Beech Grove). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 7

Class 4A sectional at Greenfield-Central
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pendleton Heights 55, Greenfield-Central 45
Anderson 50, Connersville 46

Friday, Feb. 10
Richmond (13-7) vs. Pendleton Heights (15-7), 6 p.m.
New Castle (5-15) vs. Anderson (17-5), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Decatur Central regional (pairings: winners at Ben Davis vs. Warren Central; winners at Terre Haute North vs. Greenfield-Central). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 7

Class 2A sectional at Cambridge City Lincoln
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Hagerstown 53, Eastern Hancock 22
Wednesday, Feb. 8Centerville (14-6) vs. Cambridge City Lincoln (8-11), 6 p.m.
Knightstown (14-6) vs. Union County (4-16), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 10
Northeastern (7-12) vs. Hagerstown (20-2), 6 p.m.
Wednesday winners, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Speedway regional (pairings: winners at Attucks vs. Broad Ripple; winners at Cascade vs. Cambridge City Lincoln). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship 8

Monday, February 6, 2012

Marauders upend #8 Warren Central

Mt. Vernon had an impressive 62-47 victory over 4A #8 Warren Central tonight, as the Marauders got an early lead and took advantage of Warren's foul trouble to pull ahead in the second quarter.

MV then never looked back, maintaining a lead that was in double-digits for much of the second half, and responding to Warren Central's best run midway through the third quarter -- one that cut a Marauder lead to 6 -- with an 8-2 spurt of their own to go back up by double-digits.

The Marauders then salted things away at the free throw line -- matter of fact, MV only hit one field goal in the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer by Alex Payne from the top of the key, but outscored the Warriors 23-16 thanks to 20-of-24 FT shooting in the final eight minutes.

C.J. Coleman led the Marauders with 18 points, including 9-of-11 from the line. Anthony Burnett hit 13-of-14 from the stripe -- including his last 13 -- and scored 17 points. Payne & Dan Werner scored eight each -- Werner with six first-quarter points to kick-start the Marauders. Payne had six in the fourth quarter.

MV hit 32-of-39 from the line. Warren Central outscored the Marauders 38-30 from the field -- MV hit 13 field goals, four of them 3s, while WC hit 17 shots, including four 3s -- but the Marauders had a decided free throw edge. WC was 9-of-16.

The Warriors -- who were playing their third game in four days -- fell to 12-5 on the season. MV, which won its sixth straight, is now 12-4.

Both teams play at Lawrence Central next. The Marauders' tilt will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The other 3 Hancock County teams will next be in action Thursday. Greenfield-Central hosts Knightstown, New Palestine travels to Franklin and Eastern Hancock will host Triton Central. We will have the EH-TC game at HancockCountySports.com!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Girls sectional week: Change in MV's sectional


It's girls basketball sectional week, and all four Hancock County schools will be in action Tuesday night as things begin.

We will begin our broadcasts in the semifinal round. Follow us on Twitter for live updates from Tuesday's first-round games.

There has been one schedule change in the Arlington sectional, as the Mt. Vernon Marauders will play Brebeuf at 7 p.m. Tuesday, rather than the originally-scheduled 6 p.m.

Arlington -- which was scheduled to play Chatard in the second game that evening -- will have to forfeit its game because of a lack of available players, due to suspensions from its final regular-season game. So, the start time of the Marauders' game was pushed back an hour as it will be the only game played at Arlington that night. The winner will face Howe on Friday.

For the first time in history, the four Hancock County schools will be divided amongst four sectionals. So, here are the pairings.

Class 4A sectional at Greenfield-Central
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pendleton Hts. (14-7) vs. Greenfield-C. (13-7), 6 p.m.
Anderson (16-5) vs. Connersville (14-7), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 10

Richmond (13-7) vs. PH/G-C winner, 6 p.m.
New Castle (5-15) vs. Anderson/Connersville winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Decatur Central regional (pairings: winners at Ben Davis vs. Warren Central; winners at Terre Haute North vs. Greenfield-Central). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 7

Class 4A sectional at Franklin
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Franklin Central (11-9) vs. Center Grove (8-12), 6 p.m.
New Palestine (10-10) vs. Whiteland (6-15), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 10

Greenwood (18-2) vs. FC/CG winner, 6 p.m.
Franklin (11-9) vs. NP/Whiteland winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Bedford North Lawrence regional (pairings: winners at Evansville Central vs. Seymour; winners at Franklin vs. Columbus North). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 8


Class 3A sectional at Arlington
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Brebeuf (7-13) vs. #2 Mt. Vernon (17-5), 7 p.m.
Chatard (9-12) advances via forfeit over Arlington (1-18)
Friday, Feb. 10
Howe (5-14) vs. Brebeuf/MV winner, 6 p.m.
Guerin Catholic (16-7) vs. Chatard (9-12), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7 p.m.
Winner goes to: Lebanon regional (pairings: winners at Western Boone vs. Arlington; winners at Owen Valley vs. Beech Grove). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 7

Class 2A sectional at Cambridge City Lincoln
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Eastern Hancock (12-8) vs. Hagerstown (19-2), 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Centerville (14-6) vs. Cambridge City Lincoln (8-11), 6 p.m.
Knightstown (14-6) vs. Union County (4-16), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 10
Northeastern (7-12) vs. EH-Hagerstown winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday winners, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Speedway regional (pairings: winners at Attucks vs. Broad Ripple; winners at Cascade vs. Cambridge City Lincoln). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship 8