Monday, February 27, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: Bulldogs win on Senior Night over Cougars 79-71

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – Class 4A No. 2 New Albany sent its seniors out on a high note Friday night at The Doghouse.
The Bulldogs shot 62.2 percent from the field (28-of-45) to defeat Bloomington North in their regular-season finale 79-71. New Albany (21-3) also made 44.4 percent of its 3-point attempts (8-of-18) and 83.3 percent of its free throws (15-of-18).
All-State junior Romeo Langford paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 28 points, shooting 9-of-18 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the line. He grabbed nine rebounds and distributed three assists.
In his final home game at The Doghouse, senior guard Isaac Hibbard compiled 17 points as he was 5-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-5 from the stripe. He also snagged six boards and made three assists.
Hibbard passed former New Albany great Lamont Roland for 10th place on the Bulldogs’ all-time scoring list. Hibbard now has 1,089 career points.
“It’s a great honor because there’s been a lot of great players that have come through New Albany and played in this gym,” Hibbard said. “Just knowing that all the hard work has paid off and that you can be on the top 10 scoring list is a big accomplishment for me.”
New Albany head coach Jim Shannon has enjoyed coaching Hibbard.
“It’s been an absolute joy and a blessing to be able to coach him because he is very coachable, very knowledgeable and very much a team player,” Shannon said.
The only other New Albany player reaching double figures was Sean East with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The junior guard dished out a team-high eight assists.
The Bulldogs took control of the game during a seven-plus-minute stretch in the first half. With the score tied at 19 at the 1:24 mark of the opening quarter, New Albany reeled off 20 consecutive points to go up 39-19 with 2:09 left in the second period.
Bloomington North (12-9) made a final charge late in the fourth. Trailing 72-52 with 2:11 remaining in regulation, the Cougars put together a 19-5 run to pull within 77-71 with five seconds left. But New Albany senior Peyton Martin sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 1.9 ticks remaining. North outscored the Bulldogs in the final stanza 34-19.
Junior forward Musa Jallow led the Cougars with 24 points. Teammates Tim Brewster and Liam Wilkerson scored 17 and 11, respectively. Indiana University head coach Tom Crean was in attendance. The Hoosiers are recruiting both Langford and Jallow.
The Bulldogs will begin their quest to repeat as Class 4A state champions at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when they face Jennings County (13-10) in the first round of the Class 4A Seymour Sectional. New Albany has captured the last three sectional championships.
“We always tell our guys that it’s 0-0 from here on out,” Shannon said. “Nobody cares that you won the conference. Nobody cares how many games you’ve won. Nobody cares what your ranking is. We’re going to come lay it on the line and go hard Tuesday night. We’re not overlooking anybody by any stretch.”

NEW ALBANY 79, BLOOMINGTON NORTH 71
Bl. North                19   7 11 34-71
New Albany           21 18 21 19-79
Bloomington North (12-9): Musa Jallow 24, Tim Brewster 17, Liam Wilkerson 11, Jack Townsend 9, David Morgan 5, Logan Calvin 3, Sean Rudder 2, Ethan Vencel 0.
New Albany (21-3): Romeo Langford 28, Isaac Hibbard 17, Sean East 12, Derrick Stevenson 7, Peyton Martin 5, Julien Hunter 4, Trey Hourigan 2, Seth Short 2, Savion Southers 2, Blake Murphy 0.
3-point field goals: Bloomington North 12 (Brewster 5, Townsend 3, Jallow 2, Morgan 1, Wilkerson 1); New Albany 8 (Hibbard 3, East 2, Langford 1, Martin 1, Stevenson 1).

Saturday, February 25, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: Red Devils drop second in a row, fall to Castle 73-52

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEWBURGH – Jeffersonville suffered its second consecutive loss Friday night at Class 4A No. 8 Castle 73-52. It was the regular-season finale for both teams.
For the second game in a row, the Red Devils (14-10) could not give head coach Joe Luce his 300th career victory. Prior to the two-game skid, Jeff had won six contests in a row.
Trailing 12-11 with 1:59 left in the first quarter, the Knights (20-3) concluded the period with 12 straight points to go up 23-12.
Castle outscored the Devils 21-15 in the second to take a 44-27 halftime lead. The Knights proceeded to outscore Jeff 29-25 in the second half.
Six-foot-six junior forward Gerrin Moore was the Red Devils’ top scorer with 17 points, nailing four 3-pointers. Freshman guard Jacob Jones had 12 and Jeff senior Mike Minton scored eight. Castle held junior Bailey Falkenstein, Jeff’s leading scorer, to seven points.
Knight senior center Jack Nunge tallied a game-high 30 points, while teammate Payton Mills had 16.
“They are a very good team,” Luce said on his Saturday morning radio show on WXVW-1450 AM. “To be honest with you, we were not in that game much at all. We played well in the first quarter until about the last minute. We tried to limit possessions and we were not able to sustain that. We turned the ball over. We played poorly to be honest with you.
“We came around in the second half and played some decent basketball. But it was not an outstanding performance by us by any stretch.”
The Red Devils will face Seymour (8-14) in the first round of the Class 4A Seymour Sectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Jeff beat the Owls in Hoosier Hills Conference play Dec. 9 at Johnson Arena 63-46.
“We need to get some guys healthy and get back to where we can have a full team ready to go on Tuesday. I think we’ll have a good shot at getting back on track,” Luce said.

CASTLE 73, JEFFERSONVILLE 52
Jeff             12 15 16   9-52
Castle        23 21 19 10-73
Jeff (14-10): Gerrin Moore 17, Jacob Jones 12, Mike Minton 8, Bailey Falkenstein 7, Tre Coleman 3, Antonio Thompson 3, Joe LaGrange 2, Jailen Ernest 0, Gabe Gallahar 0, Cam Northern 0, Taj Sanders 0, Drew Taylor 0.
Castle (20-3): Jack Nunge 30, Payton Mills 16, Alex Hemenway 7, Jace Stieler 7, Brandon Eades 4, Shawn Young Jr. 4, Jordan Baker 3, Triston Wilkinson 2, Freddie Coudret 0, Zach Messinger 0, Bricem Thompson 0.
3-point field goals: Jeff 6 (Moore 4, Minton 2); Castle 5 (Nunge 2, Eades 1, Hemenway 1, Stieler 1).

BOYS’ SWIMMING: Red Devils, Floyd have no one advance in state finals

By KEVIN HARRIS
INDIANAPOLIS – Floyd Central and Jeffersonville did not have one of their swimmers advance to the second day of the IHSAA State Finals during Friday’s preliminaries at the Indiana University Natatorium on the IUPUI campus.
Sophomore Dillon Freiberger posted the best finish for the Highlanders, placing 17th in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 4:40.29. Floyd Central sophomore Noah McIntire wound up 27th in the 200 individual medley (2:00.99) and 28th in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.5).
The Highlanders’ 400 freestyle relay, consisting of Freiberger and fellow sophomores Christian Salinas, Tristan Deaton and Henry Lang, finished 22nd in 3:15.33. Salinas, McIntire, Deaton and Lang swam the 200 medley relay team to a 24th-place finish in 1:39.55.
Floyd’s 200 free relay squad of Deaton, McIntire, Freiberger and Lang placed 26th in 1:30.57.
Jeff sophomore Kameron Case was 23rd in the 100 freestyle (48.21 seconds) and 26th in the 200 free (1:45.53). Red Devil freshman Carter Dilger ended up 26th in the 100 butterfly (52.65) and 30th in the 100 backstroke (55.89).
The top 16 finishers in the preliminaries qualified for Saturday’s championship and consolation races.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: Floyd falls short of HHC championship; Bulldogs clinch outright title

By KEVIN HARRIS
COLUMBUS – Columbus East denied Class 4A No. 9 Floyd Central a share of the Hoosier Hills Conference championship Wednesday night at the Orange Pit. The Olympians recorded their season-high in scoring to knock off the Highlanders 79-64.
Floyd Central (18-4, 5-2 HHC) needed a victory Wednesday to tie for the conference title with Class 4A No. 2 New Albany. However, with the Highlanders’ loss, the Bulldogs (20-3, 6-1) clinched the outright HHC championship for the fourth consecutive season.
Floyd Central has not won at least a share of the HHC crown since 1989. In addition, Floyd had its 14-game winning streak snapped Wednesday.
Cobie Barnes led the Highlanders with 20 points. Teammate Trevor Apple chipped in 10.
Jonathan Foster was East’s leading scorer with 20 points, followed by the Olympians’ Matthew Frost with 16.
Wednesday’s game was the regular-season finale for Floyd Central. The Highlanders have received a first-round bye in next week’s Class 4A Seymour Sectional. They will face either Jeffersonville (14-9) or Seymour (8-13) in the sectional semifinals at 6 p.m. a week from Friday.
East (11-12, 4-3) will play Shelbyville (15-6) in the first round of the Class 4A Bloomington North Sectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

COLUMBUS EAST 79, FLOYD CENTRAL 64
Floyd Central     21 13 13 17-64
Columbus East   18 18 22 21-79
Floyd Central (18-4, 5-2 Hoosier Hills Conference): Cobie Barnes 20, Trevor Apple 10, Gabe Shireman 9, Tyler Kimm 6, Evan Nichols 6, Matt Weimer 6, Luke Gohmann 5, Brendon Hobson 2.
Columbus East (11-12, 4-3): Jonathan Foster 20, Matthew Frost 16, Tanner McFall 15, Thomas Myers 13, Max Nolting 11, Kyle Frost 4, Drew Johnson 0, Carson Whitehead 0.
3-point field goals: Floyd Central 6 (Shireman 3, Kimm 2, Gohmann 1); Columbus East 7 (Nolting 3, Foster 2, M. Frost 1, McFall 1).

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: Salem rallies to beat Jeff in overtime 85-79

By KEVIN HARRIS
SALEM – Class 3A No. 9 Salem denied Jeffersonville head coach Joe Luce his 300th career victory Tuesday night, as the host Lions won in overtime 85-79.
The Red Devils (14-9) went up 75-69 with 1:10 remaining in regulation when sophomore guard Joe LaGrange hit a pair of free throws. But Salem (19-2) got back-to-back 3-pointers from Hunter Weedin and Jaelen Nice to tie the game at 75 and force overtime.
Jeff had a fast start in the extra session. Freshman guard Jacob Jones converted two consecutive layups to put the Red Devils up 79-75 with 2:52 left.
But Jeff went scoreless after that. The Lions ended the game on a 10-0 run, with eight of their 10 points coming at the free-throw line.
Junior Bailey Falkenstein led the Red Devils with 25 points. Jeff senior Mike Minton scored 20 points, as he nailed six 3-pointers. Jeff freshman forward Tre Coleman scored 11 points, while Jones had 11 assists and nine points. Coleman, Jones and Red Devil junior Gerrin Moore each grabbed seven rebounds.
Senior Seth Hobson paced Salem with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Teammate Jeffrey Burch scored 17 points, while Weedin had 16 points and seven boards. Lion senior Derek Cornett distributed six assists.
Tuesday was the first time the teams have played since the 1957-58 season. It was Salem’s first victory over Jeff since the 1929-30 campaign.
The Red Devils, whose winning streak ended at six games, will travel to Class 4A No. 8 Castle (19-3) for their regular-season finale at 8 p.m. EDT Friday. The Lions will visit Borden (11-10) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

SALEM 85, JEFFERSONVILLE 79, OT
Jeff            22 15 18 20   4-79
Salem        19 14 24 18 10-85
Jeff (14-9): Bailey Falkenstein 25, Mike Minton 20, Tre Coleman 11, Jacob Jones 9, Joe LaGrange 7, Gerrin Moore 7.
Salem (19-2): Seth Hobson 24, Jeffrey Burch 17, Hunter Weedin 16, Xavier Haendiges 15, Jaelen Nice 10, Derek Cornett 3.

3-point field goals: Jeff 12 (Minton 6, Falkenstein 4, Jones 1, LaGrange 1); Salem 7 (Burch 3, Nice 2, Hobson 1, Weedin 1).

BOYS’ SWIMMING: Jeff’s Wood, Floyd’s Tuxworth fall short of advancing to state

By KEVIN HARRIS
BLOOMINGTON – Jeffersonville senior Aidan Wood and Floyd Central junior Tux Tuxworth each came up short of advancing to the IHSAA State Finals on Tuesday night at the Bloomington North Diving Regional. The top eight divers advanced to state.
Wood finished 10th with a score of 345.95, while Tuxworth placed 18th with a score of 200.95. Seymour sophomore Devin Ramsey was the regional champion, posting a score of 432.60.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: New Albany to have sectional ticket draw Wednesday

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – The New Albany High School athletic department will have its sectional ticket draw for season ticketholders Wednesday evening at The Doghouse. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the draw beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Sectional tickets are $10 each. The tickets are good for all three nights of next week’s Class 4A Seymour Sectional. All seats are general admission. There will be no reserved seating.

New Albany season ticketholders must bring their season ticket stubs.

Monday, February 20, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: Bulldogs, Jeff each draw first-round sectional games

By KEVIN HARRIS
INDIANAPOLIS – Class 4A No. 3 New Albany and Jeffersonville will be on opposite sides of the Class 4A Seymour Sectional bracket next week as the IHSAA conducted its draw for the state tournament Sunday.
The Red Devils (14-8) will face the host Owls (8-12) in the sectional opener on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The winner will face Floyd Central (18-3) in the first semifinal on Friday, March 3.
Jeff defeated Seymour on Dec. 9 at Johnson Arena, 63-46.
“Seymour will be a good opponent for us, playing them on their home floor,” Red Devil head coach Joe Luce said. “We’ll need to play our best basketball.”
The defending Class 4A state champion Bulldogs (20-3) will take on Jennings County (13-9) in the second first-round game on the 28th. The winner will play Bedford North Lawrence (8-15) in the second semifinal on March 3. The championship game will take place on Saturday, March 4.
New Albany blew out the Panthers on Feb. 2 at The Doghouse 84-55. The Bulldogs have captured the last three sectional championships.
New Albany head coach Jim Shannon enjoys the fact that the Bulldogs will play possibly three games next week.
“We’re looking forward to it. I like playing three games in a week. I don’t like waiting because the kids get stale,” Shannon said. “I’ve been doing it for so long that I don’t put a whole lot into (the draw). You’ve just got to show up and play.”
Shannon and Luce both like the way their respective teams are playing at this point in the season.
New Albany has won four games in a row after suffering a 52-46 loss at Columbus East on Feb. 4. In that game, the Bulldogs played without Romeo Langford because the 6-foot-5 standout was recovering from a dislocated pinky finger.
“I think we’re playing really well. We’re really excited about (the sectional),” Shannon said.
The Red Devils are currently on a season-high six-game winning streak, giving them a lot of momentum entering the sectional.
“We’re playing great basketball,” said Luce, who will try to earn his 300th career victory Tuesday night at Class 3A No. 9 Salem. “We’re being efficient on each possession and not turning the basketball over and getting to the rim.”

CLASS 4A SEYMOUR SECTIONAL
FIRST ROUND
TUESDAY, FEB. 28
Jeffersonville (14-8) vs. Seymour (8-12)
New Albany (20-3) vs. Jennings County (13-9)
SEMIFINALS
FRIDAY, MARCH 3
Floyd Central (18-3) vs. Jeff or Seymour
Bedford North Lawrence (8-15) vs. New Albany or Jennings County
CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY, MARCH 4

Semifinal winners

BOYS’ HOOPS BREAKDOWN: Bulldogs rally to knock off Manual in OT 76-72

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – All season, opponents have taken their best shots at knocking off defending Class 4A state champion New Albany.
On Saturday night at The Doghouse, it was Indianapolis Manual’s turn to try to down the Class 4A No. 3 Bulldogs. The physical Redskins pushed New Albany to the limit, building a 12-point lead late in the third quarter.
But the Bulldogs refused to lose. They came from behind and defeated Manual in overtime 76-72. New Albany extended its winning streak to four games. The Bulldogs also lengthened their homecourt winning streak to 29 games.
“It was a great high school basketball game,” New Albany head coach Jim Shannon said. “It was a tournament atmosphere. It had talent. Both teams had kids playing hard and going to the rim. What a game and what a comeback for us.”
Manual (14-6) took a 48-36 lead with 51.3 seconds left in the third period when senior guard Courvoisier McCauley converted a three-point play.
With the Redskins holding a 55-46 lead with more than six minutes remaining in regulation, New Albany junior guard Sean East made a rare five-point play to pull the Bulldogs (20-3) within four points. East nailed a 3-pointer at 5:56 mark, then drew a foul shortly thereafter that put him at the line. The junior hit both free throws to cut the Manual lead to 55-51.
“It was huge,” Shannon said about East’s five straight points. “I thought he played much better in the second half. I didn’t think he was in the attack mode in the first half. I thought he played better defensively in the second half.”
East gave New Albany a 57-56 lead with 3:23 remaining by swishing a free throw. The Redskins responded with four straight free throws to go up 60-57 with 1:15 left. But at the 59-second mark, New Albany junior Romeo Langford knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60. McCauley missed a desperation 3 at the buzzer to force overtime.
Langford took control of the game in the extra session. He scored the first five points of the overtime to give New Albany a 65-60 advantage. He began overtime with a baseline jumper, followed by a three-point play that included a dunk. Langford made a layup with less than two minutes left to put New Albany up 71-63.
Manual, though, did not go away quietly. Reserve guard Wilanta Hankston hit a 3 in the corner with seven seconds remaining to pull the Redskins within two at 74-72. But East sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 5.9 ticks left.
“Down the stretch, I felt really good. In the fourth quarter and overtime, I felt really good. I thought we were going to win the game,” Shannon said. “I think the kids finally got some confidence when we hit a couple of shots and the crowd really helped us. That sparked us to turn them over a little bit and they started missing some shots.”
Langford ended up with a game-high 40 points, marking the third time this season he has scored at least 40. The 6-foot-5 swingman also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
New Albany senior guard Isaac Hibbard scored 16 points, while East chipped in 13. McCauley, who entered the game averaging about 27 points per game, led Manual with 32 points and eight rebounds.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Langford – The five-star player went 10-of-18 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 16-of-21 from the free-throw line. Langford seemed to be more comfortable shooting the ball after he dislocated his pinky finger a couple of weeks ago.
Langford became Floyd County’s all-time leading scorer on Saturday night, as he now has 1,906 career points.
“He’s the real deal. We all know that,” Shannon said. “He got to the line 21 times. He hit 16 out of 21 – that’s pretty daggone good. And he hit four 3’s, so that looks like that’s back for him. We’ve got him hitting 3’s, got him going to the line and his 2’s always take care of themselves. He had some rebounds and ended up defending the best player on their team (McCauley) for a large part of the second half.”
KEY SEQUENCE: East’s five-point play swung the game’s momentum back to the Bulldogs. If it was not for that play, New Albany might have seen its home win streak conclude.
UNSUNG HERO: Julien Hunter, New Albany – Despite scoring just three points, the 6-3 Hunter battled hard against Manual’s taller players throughout the contest. He showed his toughness inside by grabbing seven rebounds.
Hunter stepped up his game a lot with 6-4 junior forward Blake Murphy being inactive because of the flu.
“I was very pleased with Julien Hunter,” Shannon said. “He had some big rebounds. He was going against men. I mean, those kids were men.”
WHAT NEW ALBANY DID WELL: The Bulldogs displayed a lot of mental toughness in coming back and defeating a solid Class 3A squad.
Shannon thinks Saturday’s game should help his players when the state tournament starts.
“I told the guys at halftime that this is a great game for us,” Shannon said. “I told them during the game out there when we looked like we were losing and going to get beat, I said, ‘Hey, this is a great game for us. It’s a tune-up before the tournament. If you get to the semistate again, this is what you’re going to see, so figure out if you want to beat teams like this or not because this is what you’re going to see.’”
AREA OF CONCERN FOR NEW ALBANY: Late in the second quarter and for most of the third, New Albany’s offense seemed to really struggle, especially when Manual went to a 1-3-1 trapping defense. As a result, the Redskins turned a 21-19 deficit midway through the second to a 48-36 advantage late in the third.
The Bulldogs cannot afford to have long, tough stretches like that in the postseason if they are to make another run at a state title.
NEXT GAME: Home vs. Bloomington North (12-8), Friday, 7:30 p.m. (Senior Night at New Albany)

NEW ALBANY 76, INDIANAPOLIS MANUAL 72, OT
Manual          12 19 20   9 12-72
New Albany  14 12 15 19 16-76
Manual (14-6): Courvoisier McCauley 32, Nathan Merriweather 11, Jaron Glenn 9, Cameron Sembly 9, Amari Evans 4, Jalen Johnson 4, Wilanta Hankston 3, Montez McNair 0, T.J. Waldon 0, Coadie Barnett 0.
New Albany (20-3): Romeo Langford 40, Isaac Hibbard 16, Sean East 13, Julien Hunter 3, Trey Hourigan 2, Derrick Stevenson 2, Marcus McGee 0, Savion Southers 0.
3-point field goals: Manual 7 (Merriweather 3, McCauley 2, Hankston 1, Sembly 1); New Albany 7 (Langford 4, Hibbard 2, East 1).
Rebounds: Manual 28 (McCauley 8); New Albany 29 (Langford 10).
Turnovers: Manual 15, New Albany 12.
Total fouls: Manual 28, New Albany 17.
Fouled out: Glenn, Johnson, McCauley, Merriweather; Hunter.

Junior varsity score: New Albany 69, Manual 26.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS BREAKDOWN: Falkenstein has historic night in Jeff’s upset win over Ballard

By KEVIN HARRIS
JEFFERSONVILLE – Throughout the 2016-17 season, Jeffersonville junior Bailey Falkenstein has shown he has become one of the top players in Southern Indiana.
On Friday night at Johnson Arena, he proved it again in a major way.
Falkenstein etched his name in the Red Devil basketball record book by pouring in a career-high 41 points to lead Jeff to an 83-64 upset victory over Louisville Ballard. It was Senior Night at Jeff High. The Bruins (22-6) entered the game ranked sixth in Kentucky in the latest Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings.
Falkenstein’s point total is the fourth-highest single-game scoring output in Jeff history. He is the fourth Red Devil ever to score 40-plus points in a contest, joining some elite company in 1971 Indiana Mr. Basketball Mike Flynn, Pete Obremskey and Dennis Coutee. Flynn scored 40 or more points four times in his Jeff career from 1967-71, including a school-record 51 versus Providence in his senior season of 1970-71.
“Bailey Falkenstein is the epitome of a great basketball player,” Red Devil head coach Joe Luce said.
Falkenstein’s recent great play has been a huge reason why Jeff (14-8) has a six-game winning streak. During the streak, Falkenstein has averaged 27.5 points per game.
“It’s been a good stretch. I’m really feeling it,” Falkenstein said. “My teammates are giving me the ball and I’m in a good stretch right now. We’re playing really good basketball right now. We’re playing really hard.”
Along with his high point total versus Ballard, Falkenstein did a great job on the boards with six rebounds. Red Devil senior guard Mike Minton had 11 points. Jeff freshman Jacob Jones tallied 10 points, while teammate Tre Coleman grabbed a game-high seven boards.
Senior forward Clivonte Patterson led the Bruins with 18 points. It was the Red Devils’ first victory over Ballard since the 2008-09 season. The 19-point win matched Jeff’s largest margin of victory in series history.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Falkenstein – When you put up 41 points, you deserve to get as many player of the game awards as you want.
Falkenstein point totals for each quarter were consistent. He had 12 points in the first, eight in the second, 11 in the third and 10 in the fourth.
KEY SEQUENCE: Trailing 23-10 after the first quarter, Ballard bounced back with a 15-1 run to take a 25-24 lead with 4:19 left in the second.
However, Jeff responded with its second 17-0 run of the game to lead 41-25 at the half. The Red Devils then scored the first four points of the third to extend their advantage to 45-25. The closest the Bruins got after that was 13 points at 49-36 midway through the third.
UNSUNG HERO: Minton – Minton had a memorable final game at Johnson Arena. He knocked down three 3-pointers in a starting role. That included two during the Red Devils’ 17-0 run in the opening quarter to put them up 13 at period’s end.
WHAT JEFF DID WELL: The Red Devils’ offense had another sound performance during their win streak. It was the third time during the six-game winning streak Jeff has scored more than 80 points.
Luce was happy with the way his players competed against Ballard’s full-court press.
“We handled their press well. Their pressure is going to get to you because it’s really good,” Luce said. “We were able to play consistent tonight. It’s a good program win for us.”
Defensively, the Red Devils held the up-tempo Bruins in the 60s and forced Ballard into 16 turnovers. Also, Jeff outrebounded the Bruins 31-28.
AREA OF CONCERN FOR JEFF: Even though Jeff held its own against Ballard’s defensive pressure, it did commit 18 turnovers. But when a team faces the Bruins’ intense pressure, turning the ball over can be expected.
NEXT GAME: At Class 3A No. 9 Salem (18-2), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

JEFF’S HIGHEST SINGLE-GAME POINT TOTALS
1. Mike Flynn               51              1970-71
2. (tie) Flynn                 43              1969-70
Pete Obremskey           43              1953-54
4. Bailey Falkenstein    41              2016-17
5. (tie) Dennis Coutee   40              2000-01
Flynn                             40              1970-71
Flynn                             40              1970-71

JEFFERSONVILLE 83, LOUISVILLE BALLARD 64
Ballard          10 15 17 22-64
Jeff                23 18 19 23-83
Ballard (22-6): Clivonte Patterson 18, Jamil Wilson 13, Antoine Darby 11, Tyron Duncan 6, Orlando Higginbottom 5, Marshon Ford 3, Jackson Molsberger 3, Kereion Douglas 2, Alexander Holley 2, Tyrese Duncan 1, Tony Kose 0, Jaylen Price 0, Dorion Tisby 0, Delonta Wimberly 0.
Jeff (14-8): Bailey Falkenstein 41, Mike Minton 11, Jacob Jones 10, Tre Coleman 6, Gerrin Moore 6, Cam Northern 5, Joe LaGrange 4, Jailen Ernest 0, Gabe Gallahar 0, Taj Sanders 0, Drew Taylor 0, Antonio Thompson 0.
3-point field goals: Ballard 5 (Darby 1, Ford 1, Molsberger 1, Patterson 1, Wilson 1); Jeff 5 (Minton 3, Falkenstein 2).
Rebounds: Ballard 28 (Patterson 6); Jeff 31 (Coleman 7).
Turnovers: Ballard 16, Jeff 18.
Total fouls: Ballard 22, Jeff 19.
Fouled out: none.
Technical fouls: Patterson; Falkenstein.

Junior varsity score: Jeff 75, Ballard 62.

BOYS’ SWIMMING: Floyd repeats as sectional champions; Jeff third

By KEVIN HARRIS
GEORGETOWN – Floyd Central scored 518 points to win its own sectional for the second year in a row Saturday at Highland Hills Middle School. It was the Highlanders’ eighth sectional championship in program history.
Seymour finished second in the team standings with 348 points. Jeffersonville placed third with 345 points, followed by New Albany with 200. Individual sectional champions in swimming events advanced to next weekend’s IHSAA State Finals at the Indiana University Natatorium on the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis.
Sophomore Noah McIntire won two individual sectional titles. He finished first in the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 2:00.12 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.73.
McIntire also helped both the Highlanders’ 200 medley relay team and 200 freestyle relay squad collect sectional championships.
McIntire teamed up with Christian Salinas, Tristan Deaton and Henry Lang to place first in the 200 medley relay in 1:39.72. McIntire, Lang, Deaton and Floyd sophomore Dillon Freiberger won the 200 free relay in 1:31.35.
Freiberger was the 500 free champion with a time of 4:43.38. The Highlanders completed the sweep of the relay races by winning the 400 free relay in 3:17.04. The 400 free relay team consisted of Lang, Salinas, Freiberger and Deaton.
Jeffersonville sophomore Kameron Case and Red Devil freshman Carter Dilger each won two individual titles. Case was first in the 100 free in 48.09 seconds and 200 free in 1:44.22. Dilger was the sectional champion in the 100 butterfly in 52.07 and 100 backstroke in 54.76.
The best finish for New Albany was fourth by its 200 medley relay team in 1:50.11. Team members are senior Devin Yockey and juniors Seth Byrnes, Lukas Kaiser and Duncan Manger. Seymour’s Jake Vance won the 50 freestyle in 22.31.
In the diving competition, Jeff senior Aidan Wood and Floyd junior Tux Tuxworth each qualified for Tuesday’s Bloomington North Diving Regional. Wood finished third with a score of 336.50, while Tuxworth placed fourth with a score of 282.15.
Seymour sophomore Devin Ramsey placed first with a score of 465.85. The top four divers qualified for the regional.

FLOYD CENTRAL SECTIONAL
At Highland Hills Middle School, Georgetown
Team scores: Floyd Central 518, Seymour 348, Jeffersonville 345, New Albany 200, Jennings County 191, Corydon Central 143, Madison 101, North Harrison 88, Salem 88, Switzerland County 52, Scottsburg 46, Providence 39, Charlestown 33, Southwestern 29, Henryville 18, South Central 11.

WRESTLING: Floyd’s Sellmer places fifth at state

By KEVIN HARRIS
INDIANAPOLIS – Floyd Central junior Tristan Sellmer finished fifth in the 138-pound weight class in the IHSAA State Finals on Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Sellmer (41-3) started his day losing his quarterfinal match by a 3-1 decision to eventual state runner-up Kris Rumph from Portage. Sellmer bounced back in the consolation round by defeating Plymouth freshman Graham Calhoun by a 7-2 decision.
In the fifth-place match, Sellmer prevailed by an 8-3 decision over Avon sophomore Nathan Conley.  
Sellmer began the state finals on a high note Friday. He qualified for Saturday’s quarterfinals by defeating Connersville junior Jacob Redd by technical foul 19-3.

Floyd Central senior Bradley Philpot and New Washington senior Noah Franklin each lost their opening-round matches Friday.

SOUTHERN INDIANA PREPS SCOREBOARD

SATURDAY
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
HOOSIER HILLS CONFERENCE
Bloomington South 61, Jennings County 45
Columbus East 75, Martinsville 68
Floyd Central 64, Bloomington North 49
Madison 65, Shawe Memorial 32
New Albany 76, Indianapolis Manual 72, OT
MID-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
Providence 57, Brownstown Central 55, OT
Southwestern 70, Scottsburg 60
SOUTHERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Crawford County 48, Lanesville 35
Henryville 59, Crothersville 33
Springs Valley 48, South Central 46
PATOKA LAKE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Crawford County 48, Lanesville 35
Springs Valley 48, South Central 46
Tecumseh 65, Perry Central 64
OHIO RIVER VALLEY CONFERENCE
Greensburg 54, South Ripley 42
Madison 65, Shawe Memorial 32
Southwestern 70, Scottsburg 60
Switzerland County 74, South Dearborn 60
INDEPENDENTS
Medora 67, Washington Catholic 58
Providence 57, Brownstown Central 55, OT

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
SEMISTATE SCORES
CLASS 4A
Crown Point: Homestead 63, Northridge 40
Richmond: Indianapolis Pike 52, Columbus North 49
CLASS 3A
Crown Point: South Bend St. Joseph 57, Heritage Christian 54
Jeffersonville: North Harrison 65, Danville 43
CLASS 2A
Logansport: Oak Hill 42, Central Noble 33
Richmond: Eastern 65, Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) 59
CLASS A
Logansport: Union City 69, Marquette Catholic 64, 2OT
Jeffersonville: Wood Memorial 59, Indianapolis Tindley 50

STATE FINALS
SATURDAY, FEB. 25
At Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Class A: Union City (24-4) vs. Wood Memorial (27-1), 10:30 a.m.
Class 2A: Oak Hill (27-1) vs. Eastern (22-7), 12:45 p.m.
Class 3A: South Bend St. Joseph (25-2) vs. North Harrison (27-2), 6 p.m.
Class 4A: Homestead (27-2) vs. Indianapolis Pike (24-3), 8:15 p.m.

FRIDAY
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
HOOSIER HILLS CONFERENCE
Batesville 61, Jennings County 53
Columbus East 54, Madison 52
Floyd Central 54, Jasper 52, OT
Jeffersonville 83, Louisville Ballard 64
New Albany 67, Bedford North Lawrence 55
Seymour 69, Austin 55
MID-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
Brownstown Central 69, Eastern 34
Clarksville 55, Borden 49
Providence 66, North Harrison 40
Salem 61, Charlestown 50
Seymour 69, Austin 55
Silver Creek 56, Corydon Central 39
SOUTHERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Clarksville 55, Borden 49
Henryville 53, West Washington 43
Lanesville 76, Crothersville 51
New Washington 64, South Central 44
PATOKA LAKE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Edgewood 72, Mitchell 38
Henryville 53, West Washington 43
Orleans 46, Shoals 39
Paoli 74, Perry Central 42
Springs Valley 71, Washington Catholic 44
OHIO RIVER VALLEY CONFERENCE
Rock Creek 52, Shawe Memorial 33
South Ripley 64, Rising Sun 39
Southwestern 46, Milan 41
Switzerland County 44, Jac-Cen-Del 24
INDEPENDENTS
Kentucky Country Day 77, Christian Academy of Indiana 73
Oldenburg Academy 68, Trinity Lutheran 28
Providence 66, North Harrison 40

Rock Creek 52, Shawe Memorial 33

FINAL HORN: Langford, Bulldogs keep home win streak alive in 76-72 OT win

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – Bulldog Nation took a huge collective sigh of relief Saturday night at The Doghouse.
Class 4A No. 3 New Albany rallied from a 12-point deficit to defeat Indianapolis Manual in overtime 76-72 to keep its long homecourt winning streak alive. It was the Bulldogs’ 29th consecutive win at the friendly confines of The Doghouse.
Five-star player Romeo Langford had another sensational performance. The New Albany junior swingman scored a game-high 40 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Langford shot 10-of-18 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 16-of-21 from the free-throw line. It was the third time this season Langford has scored at least 40 points.
Bulldog senior guard Isaac Hibbard tallied 16 points and teammate Sean East ended up with 13. East scored all of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Manual (14-6) took a 48-36 lead with 51.3 seconds left in the third period when senior guard Courvoisier McCauley converted a three-point play.
With the Redskins holding a 55-46 with more than six minutes remaining in regulation, East made a rare five-point play to pull the Bulldogs (20-3) within four points. East nailed a 3-pointer at 5:56 mark, then drew a foul shortly thereafter that put him at the line. The junior guard hit both free throws to cut the Manual lead to 55-51.
East gave New Albany a 57-56 lead with 3:23 remaining by swishing a free throw. The Redskins responded with four straight free throws to go up 60-57 with 1:15 left. But at the 59-second mark, Langford knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60. McCauley missed a desperation 3 at the buzzer to force overtime.
Langford took control of the game in the extra session. He scored the first five points of the overtime to give New Albany a 65-60 advantage. He began overtime with a baseline jumper, followed by a three-point play that included a dunk. Langford made a layup with less than two minutes left to put New Albany up 71-63.
Manual, though, did not go away quietly. Reserve guard Wilanta Hankston hit a 3 in the corner with seven seconds remaining to pull the Redskins within two at 74-72. But East sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 5.9 ticks left.
McCauley, who entered the game averaging about 27 points per game, wound up with 32 points and eight rebounds.
New Albany will host Bloomington North (12-8) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It will be the Bulldogs’ Senior Night.
Check Southern Indiana Preps later this weekend for a breakdown of New Albany’s overtime win over Indianapolis Manual on Saturday night.

NEW ALBANY 76, INDIANAPOLIS MANUAL 72, OT
Manual          12 19 20   9 12-72
New Albany  14 12 15 19 16-76
Manual (14-6): Courvoisier McCauley 32, Nathan Merriweather 11, Jaron Glenn 9, Cameron Sembly 9, Amari Evans 4, Jalen Johnson 4, Wilanta Hankston 3, Montez McNair 0, T.J. Waldon 0, Coadie Barnett 0.
New Albany (20-3): Romeo Langford 40, Isaac Hibbard 16, Sean East 13, Julien Hunter 3, Trey Hourigan 2, Derrick Stevenson 2, Marcus McGee 0, Savion Southers 0.
3-point field goals: Manual 7 (Merriweather 3, McCauley 2, Hankston 1, Sembly 1); New Albany 7 (Langford 4, Hibbard 2, East 1).
Rebounds: Manual 28 (McCauley 8); New Albany 29 (Langford 10).
Turnovers: Manual 15, New Albany 12.
Total fouls: Manual 28, New Albany 17.
Fouled out: Glenn, Johnson, McCauley, Merriweather; Hunter.

Junior varsity score: New Albany 69, Manual 26.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

FINAL HORN: Falkenstein scores career-high 41 in Jeff’s 83-64 win over Ballard

By KEVIN HARRIS
JEFFERSONVILLE – Junior forward Bailey Falkenstein scored a game- and career-high 41 points to lead host Jeffersonville to an 83-64 upset victory over Louisville Ballard on Friday night at Johnson Arena. The Bruins (22-6) are ranked sixth in Kentucky in the latest Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings. It was Senior Night at Jeff High.
Falkenstein became the fourth player in Red Devil history to score 40-plus points in a game. The other three Jeff players were 1971 Indiana Mr. Basketball Mike Flynn, Pete Obremskey and Dennis Coutee.
Falkenstein’s 41 points were the fourth-highest single-game scoring output in Jeff history. It was the seventh time in program history that a player has poured in at least 40 points. Flynn, who has the school’s single-game record with 51, scored 40 points or more four times in his Red Devil career from 1967-71.
Trailing 10-6 with 4:33 left in the first quarter, Jeff (14-8) closed out the stanza with a 17-0 run to go up 23-10 at the end of one.
Ballard answered with a 15-1 run to begin the second to take a 25-24 lead with 4:19 left in the first half. But the Red Devils responded with another 17-0 spurt to go up 41-25 at halftime.
The closest the Bruins got after that was 13 points at 49-36 with more than four minutes remaining in the third period. Jeff’s largest lead was 25 at 82-57 with 2:05 remaining in the fourth.
Red Devil senior Mike Minton scored 11 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Jeff freshman Jacob Jones registered 10 points. Rebounding-wise, Red Devil freshman forward Tre Coleman had a game-high seven rebounds. Falkenstein grabbed six boards.
Senior Clivonte Patterson led Ballard with 18 points and six rebounds. It was Jeff’s first victory over Ballard since the 2008-09 season.
Jeff, which has won six games in a row, will travel to Class 3A No. 9 Salem (18-2) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Check Southern Indiana Preps (southernindianapreps.southernindianapreps.com) later this weekend for a breakdown of Jeff’s stunning victory over Louisville Ballard.

JEFFERSONVILLE 83, LOUISVILLE BALLARD 64
Ballard          10 15 17 22-64
Jeff                23 18 19 23-83
Ballard (22-6): Clivonte Patterson 18, Jamil Wilson 13, Antoine Darby 11, Tyron Duncan 6, Orlando Higginbottom 5, Marshon Ford 3, Jackson Molsberger 3, Kereion Douglas 2, Alexander Holley 2, Tyrese Duncan 1, Tony Kose 0, Jaylen Price 0, Dorion Tisby 0, Delonta Wimberly 0.
Jeff (14-8): Bailey Falkenstein 41, Mike Minton 11, Jacob Jones 10, Tre Coleman 6, Gerrin Moore 6, Cam Northern 5, Joe LaGrange 4, Jailen Ernest 0, Gabe Gallahar 0, Taj Sanders 0, Drew Taylor 0, Antonio Thompson 0.
3-point field goals: Ballard 5 (Darby 1, Ford 1, Molsberger 1, Patterson 1, Wilson 1); Jeff 5 (Minton 3, Falkenstein 2).
Rebounds: Ballard 28 (Patterson 6); Jeff 31 (Coleman 7).
Turnovers: Ballard 16, Jeff 18.
Total fouls: Ballard 22, Jeff 19.
Fouled out: none.
Technical fouls: Patterson; Falkenstein.

Junior varsity score: Jeff 75, Ballard 62.

BOYS’ HOOPS: Bulldogs clinch share of HHC title with 67-55 win at BNL

By KEVIN HARRIS
BEDFORD – Class 4A No. 3 New Albany secured a share of its fourth consecutive Hoosier Hills Conference championship Friday night at BNL Fieldhouse, defeating Bedford North Lawrence 67-55.
The Bulldogs (19-3, 6-1 HHC) will clinch the HHC title outright for the fourth year in a row if Floyd County rival Floyd Central (17-3, 5-1) loses at Columbus East (9-12, 3-3) on Wednesday night.
“It’s nice to be able to say that you won the Hoosier Hills championship again this year,” New Albany head coach Jim Shannon said on his radio show on WXVW-1450 AM Saturday morning. “We were very excited about winning that (Friday) night.”
Junior standout Romeo Langford led New Albany with a game-high 36 points, shooting 12-of-25 from the field and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line, and 11 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 swingman also recorded five steals and four blocked shots.
Junior guard Sean East was the only other Bulldog to score in double figures with 13 points. East did not miss a shot in the game. He made all five of his field-goal attempts, both of his 3-point tries and each of his three foul shots. East also had three assists and two steals.
New Albany senior guard Isaac Hibbard recorded nine points and seven rebounds. Teammate Julien Hunter grabbed 11 boards to go along with his seven points. Hunter also had three blocked shots.
The Bulldogs were up by just five points at halftime, 29-24. But following an inspirational intermission speech from Shannon, New Albany outscored the Stars 23-6 in the third quarter to take a 52-30 lead. Bedford outscored the Bulldogs in the fourth 25-15.
Shannon mentioned on his radio show that he felt his players began the contest sluggish.
“We felt like we really didn’t have any energy in the first quarter. I had noticed it on a couple players’ faces when we warmed up. Certainly, as the game progressed, I just felt like we weren’t ready to play,” Shannon said. “I challenged them at halftime and really got on them hard about not being excited to win the conference. I just tried to get them to be in the moment and to understand that it’s a blessing to have the talent and have the opportunity to be a winning program and to play for championships.”
Sophomore McCall Ray was the Stars’ leading scorer with 16 points. Bedford freshman Brayton Bailey, the son of former BNL and Indiana University great Damon Bailey, had 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
New Albany will host Indianapolis Manual (14-5) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Bedford (8-15, 4-3) will entertain Corydon Central (7-14) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.

NEW ALBANY 67, BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 55
New Albany             13 16 23 15-67
Bedford NL             11 13   6 25-55
New Albany (19-3, 6-1 Hoosier Hills Conference): Romeo Langford 36, Sean East 13, Isaac Hibbard 9, Julien Hunter 7, Blake Murphy 2, Peyton Martin 0, Savion Southers 0, Derrick Stevenson 0.
Bedford NL (8-15, 4-3): McCall Ray 16, Brayton Bailey 10, Isaiah Stockman 8, Gaven Moore 7, Jathan Ritter 6, Alex McCutcheon 4, Drew Shoulfer 4.

3-point field goals: New Albany 4 (East 3, Langford 1); Bedford NL 5 (Ray 3, Ritter 2).

WRESTLING: Floyd’s Sellmer moves on to state quarterfinals

By KEVIN HARRIS
INDIANAPOLIS – Floyd Central junior Tristan Sellmer advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals in the IHSAA State Finals by winning his 138-pound opening-round match Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Sellmer (39-2) defeated Connersville junior Jacob Redd (29-11) in the first round by technical fall 19-2. Sellmer will face Portage junior Kris Rumph (34-4) in the quarterfinals Saturday morning. The semifinals will take place shortly after the quarterfinals Saturday, followed by the finals later that evening.
Highlander senior Bradley Philpot had his high school career come to an end in the first round of the 195-pound division. Philpot (35-5) fell by a 3-0 decision to Warren Central senior Tristen Tonte (37-1).

At 132 pounds, New Washington senior Noah Franklin suffered an opening-round loss to conclude his prep career. He lost by a 7-1 decision to Yorktown junior Christian Hunt (40-2). Franklin ended the season with a 40-5 record.

Friday, February 17, 2017

GIRLS’ HOOPS: Two Red Devils, two Bulldogs make All-HHC first team

By KEVIN HARRIS
JEFFERSONVILLE – Hoosier Hills Conference champion Jeffersonville and New Albany each have two players on this season’s All-HHC first team.
Red Devil senior guard Jhala Henry and Jeff junior guard Jacinta Gibson have both earned spots on the squad. They helped Jeff win the outright HHC title with a perfect 7-0 conference record. It was the Red Devils’ first outright HHC crown since their state championship season of 2011.
Jeff ended up with a 16-8 overall record as its season concluded with a 44-34 loss to Bedford North Lawrence in the Class 4A Floyd Central Sectional semifinals Feb. 3.
The Bulldogs’ two representatives on the All-Hoosier Hills first team are senior guard Marissa Jones and senior forward Chyna Anthony. Anthony has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball next season at NCAA Division I Northern Kentucky University.
Both players aided New Albany to a 15-7 overall mark and a third-place finish in the HHC standings with a 5-2 conference record. The Bulldogs’ campaign ended in the Class 4A Floyd Central Sectional semis Feb. 3 in a 59-47 setback to Jennings County.
The rest of the All-HHC first team includes Bedford’s Jorie Allen and Kennedy Bunch, Seymour’s Lauren James and Kayla Griffin, Jennings County’s Sidney Gerkin and Columbus East’s Britney Ballard.
Red Devil freshman forward Nan Garcia has earned a spot on the high honorable-mention list. Jeff senior forward Jaelyn Lee and New Albany junior forward Kelsy Taylor are honorable-mention selections along with Floyd Central’s Gracie Hale.
The Stars’ McKenzie Messmore joins Garcia on the high honorable-mention list. Other honorable-mention picks are Bedford’s Jacy Hughes, Columbus East’s Kristen Lyons, Jennings County’s Callie Wilder, Madison’s Hannah Imel and Seymour’s Makenna Fee.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: Red Devils win fifth straight, cruise past Panthers 82-52

By KEVIN HARRIS
JEFFERSONVILLE – Jeffersonville kept on rolling Tuesday night at Johnson Arena.
The Red Devils increased their winning streak to five games as they thumped Corydon Central 82-52. The five-game win streak is Jeff’s longest since it claimed 10 victories in a row toward the end of the 2012-13 season.
Four Jeff players scored in double figures, led by junior forward Bailey Falkenstein with 22 points. Falkenstein poured in 13 points in the third quarter, where the Red Devils (13-8) outscored the Panthers 24-11 to go up 65-36.
Also for Jeff, freshman forward Tre Coleman tallied 18 points and guards Jacob Jones and Joe LaGrange each scored 12. The Red Devils got off to a strong start, leading 19-8 at the end of the opening period. They led 41-25 at halftime.
The Panthers’ struggles continued. After starting the season 6-2, Corydon (7-13) has lost 11 of its last 12 contests. The Panthers currently have a five-game losing streak.
Senior Clayton Schreck was Corydon’s top scorer with 13 points. Teammates Alec Saulman and Joey Wiseman had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Jeff will host Louisville Ballard (22-5), which is ranked sixth in Kentucky in the latest Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings, at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It will be Senior Night at Jeff High.
The Panthers (1-7 Mid-Southern Conference) will travel to Silver Creek (12-8, 5-3 MSC) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

JEFFERSONVILLE 82, CORYDON CENTRAL 52
Corydon Cen.       8 17 11 16-52
Jeff                      19 22 24 17-82
Corydon (7-13): Clayton Schreck 13, Alec Saulman 12, Joey Wiseman 10, Braydon Beauchamp 9, Jacob Johnson 8.
Jeff (13-8): Bailey Falkenstein 22, Tre Coleman 18, Jacob Jones 12, Joe LaGrange 12, Mike Minton 7, Antonio Thompson 4, Drew Taylor 3, Cam Northern 2, Taj Sanders 2.
3-point field goals: Corydon 3 (Wiseman 3); Jeff 4 (LaGrange 2, Falkenstein 2).

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS: New Albany to sell tickets for BNL, Manual games

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – The New Albany High School athletic department will be selling tickets for this weekend’s games from 6-7 p.m. Thursday at the Vincennes Street entrance of The Doghouse.

The Bulldogs will travel to Bedford North Lawrence on Friday, then will host Indianapolis Manual on Saturday. Both games will tip off around 7:30 p.m.

Monday, February 13, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS BREAKDOWN: Red Devils keep rolling as they thump Jennings County 76-59

By KEVIN HARRIS
JEFFERSONVILLE – Jeffersonville has picked the ideal time to play some of its best basketball of the season.
The Red Devils extended their winning streak to a season-best four games with a resounding 76-59 victory over Hoosier Hills Conference foe Jennings County on Saturday night at Johnson Arena. The win streak comes a little more than two weeks before the start of the Class 4A Seymour Sectional.
Statistically speaking, a huge reason for Jeff’s win streak is its offense has gotten on a roll. The Red Devils (12-8, 3-4 HHC) have averaged 77 points per game in the last four contests. Prior to the win streak, Jeff lost four in a row when it scored 48.3 points a game during that skid.
As for second-year Red Devil head coach Joe Luce, he thinks why his team has a four-game win streak is it is closing out games stronger than it did during the four-game losing streak.
“We’re playing more consistent and finishing games. We’re playing the full 32 minutes. We’re playing more of a complete game,” Luce said.
Jeff was burning up the nets against the Panthers (13-7, 3-4). The Devils connected on an impressive 61.2 percent of their field-goal attempts (30-of-49) and had 11 players in the scoring column.
Junior forward Bailey Falkenstein paced Jeff with a game-high 20 points. Red Devil sophomore guard Joe LaGrange poured in 16.
“We were able to get great looks on the perimeter because we got good looks inside,” Luce said.
Jeff’s defense was just as good as its offense.
The Red Devils held the Panthers to 19-of-56 shooting (33.9 percent). Jennings County only had two players in double figures. Senior forward Tyler Vogel registered a team-high 14 points, while teammate Travis Wilson scored 10.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Falkenstein – Jeff’s leading scorer played just three quarters and got the most out of them.
Falkenstein shot 7-of-10 from the field and hit all six of his free throws. During Jeff’s four-game win streak, he has averaged 25.5 points per contest as he has scored at least 20 points in each of those four games. Falkenstein posted 34 points in the Red Devils’ 72-66 home win over Evansville Reitz on Friday.
“He played outstanding for three quarters,” Luce said.
KEY SEQUENCE: The Panthers got within five points at 23-18 at the 4:34 mark of the second quarter on a three-point play by sophomore Josh Pettit.
Jeff responded by reeling off 15 consecutive points to talk a 38-18 halftime lead. The Red Devils carried that momentum over into the start of the third by scoring nine of the period’s first 12 points to extend their advantage to 47-21.
From the point when Jeff was up 23-18 until the 47-21 advantage, the Red Devils outscored Jennings 24-3. The highest Jeff’s lead got was 65-31 at the conclusion of the third.
UNSUNG HERO: LaGrange – The 6-foot guard showed how talented of a shooter he is. LaGrange was 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. He connected on his last five field goals, three of which were 3-pointers.
“He continues to get better every game. He’s handling the ball well along with shooting it well,” Luce said.
An honorable-mention unsung hero for Jeff was freshman forward Tre Coleman with eight points and a game-high eight rebounds. Coleman also was one of a few Red Devil front-line players to hold down Vogel.
“He gets better every night,” Luce said. “He continues to improve and he’s becoming a good player for us.”
WHAT JEFF DID WELL: Saturday’s contest was one of the Red Devils’ best offensive displays of the season. That was definitely the case in the middle two quarters, where Jeff nailed 20 of its 27 field-goal attempts (74.1 percent) and shot 5-of-9 from behind the 3-point arc (55.6 percent).
The Red Devils’ defense was solid, especially on Vogel. Even though he got into double digits, the 6-6 Panther standout made only three of his 16 field-goal attempts. Plus, Jeff outrebounded a big Jennings County squad, 34-26.
AREA OF CONCERN FOR JEFF: Even though the Red Devils have won four in a row, you still must wonder how they will handle their win streak mentally.
The Devils should take care of Corydon Central on Tuesday at Johnson Arena, but they cannot afford to have a letdown in that game with tougher opponents coming up.
After their matchup with Corydon, Jeff has three challenging games, starting with perennial Louisville powerhouse Ballard next Friday at Johnson Arena. That will be followed by two road contests against a really good Salem team on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Class 4A No. 9 Castle on Friday, Feb. 24.
Can the Red Devils remain mentally focused during the final four games of the regular season and continue to build momentum toward the sectional? We’ll see.
NOTE: Prior to Saturday’s game, Jeff assistant coach and former Red Devil standout Joe Estes was honored for being named to the 2017 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Men’s Silver Anniversary team. Jeff High also honored two former Red Devils who have been selected to previous Silver Anniversary squads in Phil Caldwell and PK Falkenstein.
NEXT GAME: Home versus Corydon Central (7-12), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

JEFFERSONVILLE 76, JENNINGS COUNTY 59
Jennings Co.         10   8 13 28-59
Jeff                         17 21 27 11-76
Jennings County (13-7, 3-4 Hoosier Hills Conference): Tyler Vogel 14, Travis Wilson 10, Chase Ketcham 9, Cody Wilson 9, Josh Pettit 5, Bret Sawyer 4, Nick AmRhein 3, Calin Kinney 3, Gage Walters 2.
Jeff (12-8, 3-4): Bailey Falkenstein 20, Joe LaGrange 16, Tre Coleman 8, Mike Minton 6, Gerrin Moore 6, Gabe Gallahar 5, Jacob Jones 4, Cam Northern 4, Jailen Ernest 3, Drew Taylor 2, Antonio Thompson 2, Taj Sanders 0.
3-point field goals: Jennings County 7 (Ketcham 3, AmRhein 1, Kinney 1, C. Wilson 1, T. Wilson 1); Jeff 6 (LaGrange 4, Gallahar 1, Minton 1).
Rebounds: Jennings County 26 (Sawyer 8); Jeff 34 (Coleman 8).
Turnovers: Jennings County 13, Jeff 14.
Total fouls: Jennings County 16, Jeff 17.
Fouled out: none.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

BOYS’ HOOPS BREAKDOWN: Bulldogs back to normal in 77-48 victory over Central

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – It appears everything is back to normal for the New Albany Bulldogs.
On Saturday afternoon at The Doghouse, Romeo Langford scored a game-high 22 points in his second game back from a dislocated pinky finger to lead Class 4A No. 4 New Albany to a 77-48 victory over Evansville Central.
It was the Bulldogs’ second victory this past weekend as they knocked off Class 2A No. 1 Providence on Friday night at The Doghouse 55-40.
The wins over the rival Pioneers and the Bears over the weekend showed they had bounced back from their 52-46 loss at Hoosier Hills Conference rival Columbus East on Feb. 4. The Olympians’ setback was the second game Langford missed because of his injury.
Saturday’s triumph was the 10th time this season New Albany has prevailed by at least 20 points.
“I like the way the guys are playing right now. I thought we had a great weekend,” New Albany head coach Jim Shannon said. “I thought we got some really good play out of a lot of people.”
Langford was one of five Bulldogs to score in double figures. Junior guard Sean East tallied 18 points, while senior guard Isaac Hibbard and freshman forward Julien Hunter each had 11. New Albany sophomore guard Derrick Stevenson ended up with 10.
Langford played a major role in getting his teammates involved in the offense with six assists. He did an efficient job of getting the ball to the open man as he drew double- and triple-teams from Central (6-12).
“He creates so much for our other kids because defenders have to come and get him. We got everyone involved,” Shannon said.
Junior forward Joe Space led the Bears with 15 points and six rebounds. Teammate Collin Wedding chipped in 13 points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: East – Even though Langford had his usual sound performance, East remained hot with his shooting and gave Langford plenty of offensive support to turn the game into a blowout.
East shot 7-of-11 from the floor and knocked down 4-of-8 3-pointers. He has averaged 22.5 points in the last four games.
“He’s special. He’s playing really well right now,” Shannon said. “He’s playing great and I think that’s why we were able to win by the margin we did today.”
KEY SEQUENCE: Following a layup by sophomore guard Malcolm DePriest Jr. to pull Central within 23-16 early in the second quarter, New Albany went on a 23-7 run to go up 46-23 late in the stanza. Langford had eight points during that spurt.
The closest the Bears got after that was 16 points in the opening moments of the third.
UNSUNG HERO: Hunter – The son of former Bulldog standout Chad Hunter hit all five of his shots and made his only foul shot in scoring his 11 points. It was the latter of back-to-back solid performances for the freshman as he had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots versus Providence.
“He’s playing a lot better. Certainly, Hunter is playing really well right now,” Shannon said.
Honorable-mention players in this category were Stevenson with his 10 points and New Albany junior forward Blake Murphy grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Shannon praised Murphy for his effort.
WHAT NEW ALBANY DID WELL: The Bulldogs had balanced scoring and hot shooting. New Albany was 31-of-60 from the field (51.7 percent) and 9-of-29 from 3-point range (31 percent).
But the Bulldogs’ defensive performance made this game a rout.
New Albany forced Central into 19 turnovers, 12 coming in the first half. The Bears shot 17-of-38 from the floor (44.7 percent), including 6-of-19 in the second half (31.6 percent).
The Bulldogs applied lots of pressure in their full-court press and in the half-court, as they played man-to-man and utilized some trap. Their defense got the tempo in their favor after mainly playing a half-court game against Providence the night before.
“We wanted to get after them a little bit and get it into an up-tempo game, so we can get up some more shots after (Friday) night where we played at such a slow pace. We wanted to get up and down and have some fun,” Shannon said. “We wanted to force them into doing some things that they didn’t want to do. We gave up a lot of high-percentage 2-point shots. But if you’re going to pressure like that, you’re going to have to put up with a few layups.”
AREAS OF CONCERN FOR NEW ALBANY: Throughout the weekend, Langford tried to get comfortable shooting the ball with the wrap on his injured finger. But Shannon thinks after his star has a few practices under his belt, he will be OK.
“Overall, he was good. He didn’t shoot as well from the 3,” Shannon said about Langford’s play versus Central. “But I think when he gets back into practice next week and has three or four practices, I think he’ll be 100 percent next Friday. I really believe he’ll be fine.”
Despite reaching double digits, Hibbard had another off-night shooting the ball as he was 4-of-12. However, he did hit three 3-pointers.
NEXT GAME: At Bedford North Lawrence (8-14, 4-2 Hoosier Hills Conference), next Friday, 7:30 p.m. (Note: New Albany, which is 5-1 in the HHC, will clinch a share of the conference championship with a win.)

NEW ALBANY 77, EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 48
Ev. Central       14 13 11 10-48
New Albany     23 23 15 16-77
Evansville Central (6-12): Joe Space 15, Collin Wedding 13, Keon Jones 6, Jermiah Bradley 4, Zach Daugherty 4, Malcolm DePriest Jr. 4, Devon Mills 2, Cory Bosecker 0, Colton Glaser 0, Sam Kennedy 0, Nathan McVaigh 0, Mason White 0.
New Albany (18-3): Romeo Langford 22, Sean East 18, Isaac Hibbard 11, Julien Hunter 11, Derrick Stevenson 10, Savion Southers 5, Trey Hourigan 0, Peyton Martin 0, Blake Murphy 0, Seth Short 0.
3-point field goals: Central 1 (Space 1); New Albany 9 (East 4, Hibbard 3, Langford 1, Stevenson 1).
Rebounds: Central 27 (Daugherty 7); New Albany 25 (Murphy 6).
Turnovers: Central 19, New Albany 7.
Total fouls: Central 11, New Albany 16.
Fouled out: none.

Junior varsity score: New Albany 57, Central 45.

SOUTHERN INDIANA PREPS SCOREBOARD

SATURDAY
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
HOOSIER HILLS CONFERENCE
Columbus East 60, Franklin 45
Clarksville 54, Madison 36
Floyd Central 61, Evansville Harrison 56
Jeffersonville 76, Jennings County 59
New Albany 77, Evansville Central 48
MID-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
Clarksville 54, Madison 36
SOUTHERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Crawford County 60, Henryville 47
Rock Creek 77, Lanesville 65
PATOKA LAKE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Crawford County 60, Henryville 47
Edgewood 57, Orleans 32
Mitchell 52, Brown County 44
North Posey 61, Perry Central 48
West Washington 71, Washington Township 58
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES
Franklin County 53, Switzerland County 49
Rock Creek 77, Lanesville 65
Southwestern 64, Medora 36

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
REGIONAL SCORES
CLASS 4A
LAPORTE
SEMIFINALS
Northridge 59, Gary West 44
Merrillville 63, LaPorte 47
CHAMPIONSHIP
Northridge 55, Merrillville 45

KOKOMO
SEMIFINALS
Carmel 84, Carroll (Fort Wayne) 46
Homestead 52, Zionsville 38
CHAMPIONSHIP
Homestead 63, Carmel 59

DECATUR CENTRAL
SEMIFINALS
North Central (Indianapolis) 57, New Castle 49
Indianapolis Pike 58, Brownsburg 48
CHAMPIONSHIP
Indianapolis Pike 61, North Central (Indianapolis) 59, OT

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE
SEMIFINALS
Columbus North 66, Evansville Central 50
Bedford North Lawrence 53, Martinsville 36
CHAMPIONSHIP
Columbus North 49, Bedford North Lawrence 45

CLASS 3A
RENSSELAER CENTRAL
SEMIFINALS
Northwestern 67, Lighthouse CPA 41
South Bend St. Joseph 64, Andrean 44
CHAMPIONSHIP
South Bend St. Joseph 57, Northwestern 49

COLUMBIA CITY
SEMIFINALS
Heritage Christian 63, Norwell 46
Fort Wayne Concordia 65, Tippecanoe Valley 58
CHAMPIONSHIP
Heritage Christian 53, Fort Wayne Concordia 33

DANVILLE
SEMIFINALS
Indianapolis Attucks 62, Northview 50
Danville 61, Lebanon 51
CHAMPIONSHIP
Danville 62, Indianapolis Attucks 56, OT

CHARLESTOWN
SEMIFINALS
Vincennes Lincoln 52, Evansville Memorial 50
North Harrison 58, Rushville 44
CHAMPIONSHIP
North Harrison 61, Vincennes Lincoln 48

CLASS 2A
WINAMAC
SEMIFINALS
Delphi 44, Hammond Noll 38
Central Noble 34, South Adams 33
CHAMPIONSHIP
Central Noble 63, Delphi 40

EASTERN (GREENTOWN)
SEMIFINALS
Oak Hill 42, Carroll (Flora) 37
Monroe Central 44, Madison-Grant 40
CHAMPIONSHIP
Oak Hill 37, Monroe Central 31

SPEEDWAY
SEMIFINALS
Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) 49, Winchester 43
Eastern Hancock 54, South Putnam 42
CHAMPIONSHIP
Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) 52, Eastern Hancock 44

PAOLI
SEMIFINALS
South Ripley 51, Forest Park 41
Eastern 55, South Knox 42
CHAMPIONSHIP
Eastern 54, South Ripley 43

CLASS A
CASTON
SEMIFINALS
North White 46, Fort Wayne Blackhawk 41, OT
Marquette Catholic 42, Argos 25
CHAMPIONSHIP
Marquette Catholic 67, North White 26

TRI-CENTRAL
SEMIFINALS
Union City 53, Tri-Central 41
Riverton Parke 54, Southern Wells 37
CHAMPIONSHIP
Union City 59, Riverton Parke 39

SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)
SEMIFINALS
Jac-Cen-Del 51, Bloomfield 29
Indianapolis Tindley 67, Indianapolis Lutheran 55
CHAMPIONSHIP
Indianapolis Tindley 49, Jac-Cen-Del 47

SPRINGS VALLEY
SEMIFINALS
Vincennes Rivet 51, South Central 45
Wood Memorial 73, Crothersville 57
CHAMPIONSHIP
Wood Memorial 46, Vincennes Rivet 40

SEMISTATE PAIRINGS
(All times EDT)
CLASS 4A
Crown Point: Homestead (26-2) vs. Northridge (28-1), 3 p.m.
Richmond: Columbus North (21-7) vs. Indianapolis Pike (23-3), 3 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Crown Point: Heritage Christian (21-6) vs. South Bend St. Joseph (24-2), 1 p.m.
Jeffersonville: North Harrison (26-2) vs. Danville (18-10), 6 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Logansport: Oak Hill (26-1) vs. Central Noble (27-2), 6 p.m.
Richmond: Eastern (21-7) vs. Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) (16-9), 1 p.m.
CLASS A
Logansport: Union City (23-4) vs. Marquette Catholic (21-5), 4 p.m.

Jeffersonville: Wood Memorial (26-1) vs. Indianapolis Tindley (21-6), 4 p.m.

WRESTLING: Floyd’s Sellmer wins semistate title, advances to state

By KEVIN HARRIS
EVANSVILLE – Floyd Central junior Tristan Sellmer won the 138-pound championship at Saturday’s Evansville Reitz Semistate at the Ford Center. The title earned him a spot in the IHSAA State Finals next weekend at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Top four finishers in each weight class qualified for state.
Sellmer earned the title by winning a 3-2 decision over Columbus East sophomore Jake Schoenegge in the 138 final. Sellmer’s record is now 38-2.
Two other wrestlers from the Clark-Floyd area punched their tickets to state. Highlander senior Bradley Philpot (35-4) will join his teammate at Bankers Life Fieldhouse as he finished fourth at 195. New Washington senior Noah Franklin (40-4) placed fourth at 132 in collecting his state finals spot.
Jeffersonville and New Albany had no wrestlers earn state berths. Each team had four wrestlers reach the quarterfinals or ticket round, but none of those grapplers won during that round. Wrestlers who came out on top in their ticket-round match advanced to state.

The Red Devils’ four grapplers who did not make it out of the ticket round were Josh Cooper (152), Kameron Fuller (170), Josh McCorkle (220) and Nathan Long (285). The Bulldogs’ Dayton Hunter (106), Aaron Mosley (170), Jaden Sonner (182) and Deion Cooper (195) each lost during the ticket round.

GIRLS’ SWIMMING: Jeff’s Walker seventh in 500 free at state

By KEVIN HARRIS
INDIANAPOLIS – Jeffersonville junior Rachel Walker finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle final in the IHSAA State Finals on Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium on the IUPUI campus. Walker’s time was 4:59.64.
In Friday’s 500 freestyle preliminaries, Walker posted the fifth-fastest time in 4:56.78.
Walker also competed in the 200 freestyle consolation race Saturday. She finished 14th overall in the event in a time of 1:53.56.

Floyd Central junior Anya Davenport finished 30th in Saturday’s diving preliminaries with a score of 150.50. The top 20 finishers in the diving prelims advanced to Saturday’s semifinals.

FINAL HORN: Langford scores 22 to lead Bulldogs past Central 77-48

By KEVIN HARRIS
NEW ALBANY – Five New Albany players scored in double figures Saturday afternoon at The Doghouse in the Class 4A No. 4 Bulldogs’ 77-48 victory over Evansville Central.
In his second game back after missing two contests with a dislocated pinky finger, junior standout Romeo Langford led New Albany (18-3) with 22 points. Langford converted 9-of-19 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws.
Bulldog junior guard Sean East tallied 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. East was 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
Senior guard Isaac Hibbard and freshman forward Julien Hunter each scored 11 points for New Albany. Also for the Bulldogs, sophomore guard Derrick Stevenson registered 10 points and junior forward Blake Murphy grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Leading 23-16 early in the second quarter, New Albany went on an 11-5 run to go up 34-21. After a bucket by Bears junior Collin Wedding, the Bulldogs reeled off 12 unanswered points to extend their lead to 46-23 with more than a minute left in the first half.
Joe Space was the top scorer for Central (6-12) with 15 points, followed by Wedding with 13.
New Albany (5-1 Hoosier Hills Conference) will visit HHC foe Bedford North Lawrence (8-14, 4-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If the Bulldogs win, they will clinch at least a share of their fourth consecutive conference championship.
Check Southern Indiana Preps later this weekend for a breakdown of New Albany’s 77-48 blowout win over Evansville Central on Saturday afternoon.

NEW ALBANY 77, EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 48
Ev. Central       14 13 11 10-48
New Albany     23 23 15 16-77
Evansville Central (6-12): Joe Space 15, Collin Wedding 13, Keon Jones 6, Jermiah Bradley 4, Zach Daugherty 4, Malcolm DePriest Jr. 4, Devon Mills 2, Cory Bosecker 0, Colton Glaser 0, Sam Kennedy 0, Nathan McVaigh 0, Mason White 0.
New Albany (18-3): Romeo Langford 22, Sean East 18, Isaac Hibbard 11, Julien Hunter 11, Derrick Stevenson 10, Savion Southers 5, Trey Hourigan 0, Peyton Martin 0, Blake Murphy 0, Seth Short 0.
3-point field goals: Central 1 (Space 1); New Albany 9 (East 4, Hibbard 3, Langford 1, Stevenson 1).
Rebounds: Central 27 (Daugherty 7); New Albany 25 (Murphy 6).
Turnovers: Central 19, New Albany 7.
Total fouls: Central 11, New Albany 16.
Fouled out: none.
Junior varsity score: New Albany 57, Central 45.