By GREG MENGELT
Currently, Rock Creek (6-6) unofficially has that title after early wins over Christian Academy on Dec. 10 and Borden on Jan. 8. Saturday’s win at Providence helped solidify it.
The Lions’ opponent Tuesday, South Central (4-9), has lost to Borden and CAI but beat Lanesville on Jan. 7. So while not a top contender at this point, the young Rebels still believe by the end of the year they’ll be in the mix.
“It’s a sectional opponent and is a measuring stick for what we have to improve on going forward,” said South Central veteran coach Greg Robinson, who will earn his 200th career coaching win with the Rebels’ next victory. “It is also the start of a 3-game week not unlike sectional week could be. So we look at this week as a dress rehearsal for March.”
South Central has a couple of impressive performances this season, including wins at Crawford County, Mitchell and Southridge. But the Rebels have also been on the wrong end of some inexplicable scores, like a 32-point defeat at Christian Academy and a recent 17-point defeat at West Washington.
Of course, those games were on the road. The Rebels have won their last two games in Elizabeth.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a season with lots of ups and downs,” Robinson said. “We are a very young team and are learning and getting better each day. That has been, and still is, our main focus.”
Rock Creek has five players averaging at least 8.3 points and features one of the biggest frontcourts in all of Class A.
“Rock Creek is a very good and well-coached team,” said Robinson, who believes the Lions are one of the best five teams South Central will play this season. “They have played a very tough schedule. They have great size, a great point guard, a couple of good shooters and a solid bench.”
Sophomore Christian Kiper and freshman Cole Thomas combine to average 25.4 points per game, while junior Ty Jones leads contributes 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals per contest.
“We’ve got two solid scorers in Christian Kiper and Cole Thomas and we ask a lot out of them,” Robinson said. “Also, Ty Jones has taken up the leadership role and has done a great job for us defensively as well.”
GAME OF THE NIGHT
ROCK CREEK AT SOUTH CENTRAL
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: South Central H.S. Main Gym (6675 E. Hwy. 11 S.E., Elizabeth)
• Records:
Rock Creek 6-6. The Lions have won two of their last three.
South Central 4-8. The Rebels have won two of their last three.
• Coaches:
Rock Creek — Chris Brown (354-287 season at Rock Creek)
South Central — Greg Robinson (177-176 in 16th season at South Central, 199-239 in 20th season overall)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Rock Creek — No. 190, No. 18 Class A
South Central — No. 318, No. 59 Class A
• Most recent game:
Rock Creek — Won at Providence 71-64 (Jan. 22)
South Central — Lost at West Washington 52-35 (Jan. 11)
• Last 20 years: 12-12. South Central has won five of the last six vs. Rock Creek.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 26, 2021 — At Rock Creek 82, South Central 35.
• News & notes: The Rebels’ next win will be the 200th in Robinson’s career between Shakamak and South Central. Earlier in the season, Brown won his 350th game and now stands at 354.
• John Harrell prediction: Rock Creek 59, South Central 45.
• Sagarin projection: Rock Creek by 13.
• Outlook: Again, these are two teams that believe they can win a sectional title in March. This one will go a long way toward determining who the sectional favorite is.
• Greg’s pick: Rock Creek 59, South Central 51.
NEW WASHINGTON AT SOUTHWESTERN
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Delbert O. King Gymnasium, Southwestern H.S. (167 S. Main Cross St., Hanover)
• Records:
New Washington 3-10. The Mustangs have lost seven of their last eight.
Southwestern 9-5. The Rebels have won three of their last four.
• Coaches:
New Washington — Kyle Brown (12-25 in second season at New Washington)
Southwestern — Zac Nussbaum (34-13 in third season at Southwestern)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
New Washington — No. 358, No. 70 Class A
Southwestern — No. 102, No. 11 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
New Washington — Won at Oldenburg Academy 59-53 (Jan. 21)
Southwestern — Defeated Rock Creek 71-56 (Jan. 21)
• Last 20 years: Southwestern 15-7. The Rebels have won four in a row over New Wash.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 11, 2020 — Southwestern 97, at New Washington 28.
• John Harrell prediction: Southwestern 74, New Washington 38.
• Sagarin projection: Southwestern by 36.
• Outlook: Southwestern is probably going to win, but the idea of a 36-point margin in this one is nonsense.
• Greg’s pick: Southwestern 64, New Washington 52.
AUSTIN AT BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Brownstown Central H.S. (500 N. Elm St., Brownstown)
• Records:
Austin 3-8, 0-3 MSC. The Eagles have lost three of their last four.
Brownstown 11-2, 4-0 MSC. The Braves are currently on a 3-game winning streak.
• Coaches:
Austin — Randy Edwards (38-70 in fifth season at Austin)
Brownstown — Dave Benter (414-155 in 24th season at Brownstown)
• Rankings:
Brownstown — No. 8 AP (Class 3A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Austin — No. 267, No. 60 Class 2A
Brownstown — No. 49, No. 10 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
Austin — Defeated Clarksville 60-50 (Jan. 15)
Brownstown — Defeated Greensburg 61-48 (Jan. 21)
• Last 20 years: Brownstown 19-5. The Braves have won 12 straight in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 26, 2021 — Brownstown 60, at Austin 56.
• News & notes: At 4-0, Brownstown is the only remaining unbeaten team in the Mid-Southern Conference. The Braves have a game lead over second-place North Harrison in the standings. Every other MSC team has at least two conference losses.
• John Harrell prediction: Brownstown 74, Austin 48.
• Sagarin projection: Brownstown by 29.
• Outlook: The Braves still have conference games at Corydon and at Pekin, so the conference championship is far from assured. In order to win it, they have to beat teams like Austin and Charlestown. (Again, the 29 points projected by Sagarin seems ridiculous.)
• Greg’s pick: Brownstown 67, Austin 52.
SPRINGS VALLEY AT WEST WASHINGTON
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Tower Gymnasium, West Washington H.S. (8028 W. Batt Rd., Campbellsburg)
• Records:
Springs Valley 10-3, 3-2 PLAC. The Blackhawks have won six in a row.
West Washington 4-9, 0-2 PLAC. The Senators have won their last two games.
• Coaches:
Springs Valley — Jonathon Bowles (20-16 in second season at Springs Valley)
West Washington — Clayton Sullivan (43-45 in fourth season at West Washington)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Springs Valley — No. 196, No. 20 Class A
West Washington — No. 318, No. 58 Class A
• Most recent game:
Springs Valley — Won at Northeast Dubois 64-58 (Jan. 22)
West Washington — Won at Medora 60-34 (Jan. 18)
• Last 20 years: West Washington 15-10. Springs Valley has won four of the last five in the rivalry.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 15, 2021 — At Springs Valley 66, West Washington 57.
• John Harrell prediction: Springs Valley 60, West Washington 47.
• Sagarin projection: Springs Valley by 12.
• Outlook: Really wanted to take an upset here, but it seems Springs Valley is the real deal.
• Greg’s pick: Springs Valley 65, West Washington 59.
