By GREG MENGELT
1. Floyd Central (9-2, Last week: 1). The Highlanders had two easy wins against two good teams last week, solidifying its No. 1 status. This week: Hosts Jennings County (Friday).
2. North Harrison (8-3, 2). Even after a loss to Floyd, the Cougars are the clear MSC and sectional favorites. This week: At Lanesville (Friday), at Salem (Saturday).
3. Eastern (12-2, 3). The Musketeers finally lost but they played No. 2 North Harrison close. Eastern is legit. This week: Hosts Charlestown (Friday).
4. New Albany (6-5, 5). The Bulldogs’ record isn’t very good, but their resumé is pretty strong. This week: At Silver Creek (Friday), hosts Silver Creek (Saturday).
5. Silver Creek (6-7, 4). The teams that have beaten Silver Creek have a combined record of 42-20. This week: Hosts New Albany (Friday).
6. Scottsburg (8-5, 4). The Warriors have lost two in a row, but the losses were against No. 2 North Harrison and No. 4 New Albany. This week: Hosts Clarksville (Friday), at Seymour (Saturday).
7. Providence (8-3, 6). Three winnable home games should help the Pioneers get to double-digit wins before the end of January. This week: Hosts Crawford County (Tuesday), Hosts Henryville (Friday), hosts Rock Creek (Saturday).
8. Corydon Central (8-6, 8). Corydon has won six of its last seven. All those early losses seem like a distant memory for the Panthers. This week: Hosts Salem (Friday), hosts Charlestown (Saturday).
9. Rock Creek (5-5, 9). The Lions have a chance to move up a few spots with wins over Southwestern and Providence this week. This week: At Southwestern (Tuesday), at Providence (Friday).
10. Jeffersonville (2-7, 10). We’re going to take a wait-and-see approach to the Red Devils. This week: At North Oldham (Tuesday), hosts Columbus East (Friday).
11. Borden (9-5, 11). The Braves have been a little inconsistent, but teams won’t want to play them in March. This week: At Henryville (Saturday).
12. Christian Academy (6-7, 12). A lot of teams toward the bottom of the poll have shown flashes of good play but are inconsistent. CAI is one of those. This week: Hosts Paoli (Saturday).
13. Austin (3-8, NR). Austin’s been playing well lately. It finally paid off with a big win over Borden. This week: Hosts New Washington (Friday), hosts Southwestern (Saturday).
14. Charlestown (4-9, NR). The Pirates have been in and out of the poll. Win Friday or Saturday this week and their place will probably be permanent. This week: At Eastern (Friday), at Corydon Central (Saturday).
15. Henryville (4-7, 15): The Hornets move up thanks to others’ losses. This week: At Providence (Friday), hosts Borden (Saturday).
NOTE: The Hoosier Hills Hoops Power Poll is not only based upon which teams beat which teams but is a combination of play on the floor, how teams match up with their current class and what expectations are for a team’s postseason run.
