By GREG MENGELT
It will be a rare non-Mid-Southern Conference game between Silver Creek (3-4) and Scottsburg (6-2) in the second round of the Jefferson County Invitational Tournament at Madison on Thursday.
The Dragons and Warriors both lost in Wednesday’s opening round, setting up Thursday’s Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Day.
A very good Jay County (7-1) team sent Scottsburg into the consolation bracket with a 47-41 victory early Wednesday. The Patriots went on to beat Southwestern (6-2) 53-45 in the semifinal. Jay County will face Arsenal Tech (7-2) in the championship game Thursday evening.
Silver Creek shot poorly in a 69-57 loss against Class 2A No. 15 Southwestern. Branden Northern continued his hot start with 23 points.
Silver Creek beat the Warriors 94-46 on its way to its second straight state championship last season.
The winner between Silver Creek and Scottsburg will play either Madison (2-6) or Switzerland County (4-3) in the final round Thursday afternoon.
Henryville (2-6) will host Crothersville (1-4), Christian Academy (3-2) and Springs Valley (4-3) at the McKee Munk Invitational. The entire 4-team tournament will be played today with the host Hornets facing Crothersville at 10 a.m. and CAI battling the Blackhawks at 11:45 a.m. The winners will meet for the championship at 7:30 p.m.
In Friday’s only non-tournament game, Lanesville (0-7) looks for its first win when Perry Central (3-2) visits.
Crawford County visits Floyd Central in Thursday’s only girls’ game. Both teams are 4-9.
JEFFERSON COUNTY INVITATIONAL
At Madison
WEDNESDAY
FIRST ROUND
Southwestern 69, Silver Creek 57
Jay County 47, Scottsburg 41
Warren Central (Ky.) 84, Madison 31
Indianapolis Tech 81, Switzerland County 31
SECOND ROUND
Championship Bracket
Jay County 53, Southwestern 45
Tech 77, Warren Central 73
THURSDAY
Consolation Bracket
Silver Creek (3-4) vs. Scottsburg (6-2), 11 a.m.
Madison (2-6) vs. Switzerland County (4-3), 12:45 p.m.
Silver Creek/Scottsburg loser vs. Madison/Switzerland County loser, 2:30 p.m. (seventh-place game)
Southwestern (6-2) vs. Warren Central (Ky.) (5-1), 4:15 p.m. (third-place game)
Silver Creek/Scottsburg winner vs. Madison/Switzerland County winner, 6 p.m. (fifth-place game)
Championship Bracket
Tech (7-2) vs. Jay County (7-1), 7:45 p.m. (championship game)
GAME OF THE NIGHT
SILVER CREEK (3-4) VS. SCOTTSBURG (6-2)
• Time: 11 a.m.
• Event: Jefferson County Invitational, second round (consolation bracket).
• Location: Connor K. Salm Gymnasium, Madison H.S. (743 Clifty Dr., Madison)
• Coaches:
Silver Creek — Brandon Hoffman (204-76 in 12th season at Silver Creek)
Scottsburg — Eric Richardson (12-20 in second season at Scottsburg)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Silver Creek — No. 134, No. 33 Class 3A
Scottsburg — No. 43, No. 8 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
Silver Creek — Lost to Southwestern 69-57 (Jefferson County Invitation, first round, Dec. 22)
Scottsburg — Lost to Jay County 47-41 (Jefferson County Invitation, first round, Dec. 22)
• Last 20 years: Silver Creek 17-6. The Dragons have won 13 in a row over Scottsburg.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 12 — At Silver Creek 94, Scottsburg 46.
• News & notes: Branden Northern (23) and Zac Stricker (18) scored 41 of Silver Creek’s 57 points in Wednesday’s loss. … The Dragons shot just 38.7 percent from the field Wednesday, including 11 of 31 (35.5 percent) in the second half. … No Warriors scored in double figures in Wednesday’s loss to Jay County. Sophomore Kody Clancy had 9 points and senior Hayden Cutter 8 in the defeat. … Scottsburg and Silver Creek will meet again in an MSC contest on Feb. 11 in Scottsburg.
• Sagarin projection: Scottsburg by 11.
• Outlook: My tendency is to take Silver Creek, but maybe that’s just a habit of the past few years.
• Greg’s pick: Silver Creek 61, Scottsburg 60.
CROTHERSVILLE (1-4) AT HENRYVILLE (2-6)
• Time: 10 a.m.
• Event: McKee Munk Invitational, first round.
• Location: Furnish Gym, Henryville H.S. (213 N. Ferguson St., Henryville)
• Coaches:
Crothersville — Bryant Layman (1-4 in first season at Crothersville)
Henryville — Jared Hill (93-82 in eighth season at Henryville)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Crothersville — No. 394, No. 94 Class A
Henryville — No. 304, No. 72 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Crothersville — Lost at South Central 51-41 (Dec. 9)
Henryville — Lost to Orleans 43-29 (Dec. 18)
• Last 20 years: Henryville 17-8. The Hornets have won 9 of the last 10 vs. Crothersville.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 20 — At Henryville 76, Crothersville 51.
• News & notes: The winner of this game will face Christian Academy (3-2) or Springs Valley (4-3) in the tournament championship Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. The losers will play in the consolation game at 6 p.m. … Sam Guernsey led Henryville with 9 points in Saturday’s 14-point loss to Orleans.
• John Harrell prediction: Henryville 71, Crothersville 35.
• Sagarin projection: Henryville by 26.
• Outlook: The Hornets scheduled this tournament well for themselves.
• Greg’s pick: Henryville 58, Crothersville 40.
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (3-2) VS. SPRINGS VALLEY (4-3)
• Time: 11:45 a.m.
• Event: McKee Munk Invitational, first round.
• Location: Furnish Gym, Henryville H.S. (213 N. Ferguson St., Henryville)
• Coaches:
CAI — Hayden Casey (12-19 in second season at CAI)
Springs Valley — Jonathon Bowles (14-16 in second season at Springs Valley)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
CAI — No. 232, No. 29 Class A
Springs Valley — No. 187, No. 18 Class A
• Most recent game:
CAI — Defeated Charlestown 62-51 (Dec. 18)
Springs Valley — Lost to Loogootee 42-39 (Dec. 18)
• Last 20 years: 1-1.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 28, 2002 — Springs Valley 82, CAI 72.
• News & notes: The winner of this game will face host Henryville (2-6) or Crothersville (1-4) in the tournament championship Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. The losers will play in the consolation game at 6 p.m. … Freshman Joshua Renfro (18), senior Brady Dunn (17) and senior Myles Morgan (16) combined for 51 of CAI’s 62 points in Saturday’s 11-point win over Charlestown. … Next week CAI will play in the 8-team Southridge Winter Classic. The Warriors will battle Eastern Greene (1-7) in the first round on Dec. 28 and either Orleans (6-1) or Northeast Dubois (2-4) in the second round on Dec. 29. The tournament will conclude on Dec. 30 and Christian Academy will play South Central (1-5), North Knox (5-2), Princeton (3-4) or the host Raiders (3-4) at 2, 3:45, 5:30 or 7:45 p.m. … Springs Valley, the alma mater of Larry Bird, has a strong trio of seniors in Jrkonner Chase (16.1 points per game), Carter Crews (15.1) and Robin Dixon (9.7).
• John Harrell prediction: Springs Valley 62, CAI 56.
• Sagarin projection: Springs Valley by 4.
• Outlook: The Blackhawks are probably the favorite to win this tournament, but it should be a 3-team race.
• Greg’s pick: Springs Valley 68, CAI 63.
PERRY CENTRAL (3-2) AT LANESVILLE (0-7)
• Time: 8 p.m.
• Location: Lanesville H.S. (2725 Crestview Ave. NE, Lanesville)
• Coaches:
Perry Central — Jeff Litherland (3-2 in first season at Perry Central, 96-48 in seventh season overall)
Lanesville — Mikel Miller (287-216 in 22nd season at Lanesville)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Perry Central — No. 265, No. 64 Class 2A
Lanesville — No. 317, No. 57 Class A
• Most recent game:
Perry Central — Lost to Southridge 44-34 (Dec. 18)
Lanesville — Lost to Henryville 57-48 (Dec. 17)
• Last 20 years: Perry Central 11-9. The Commodores have won 2 of the last 3 in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 2 — Lanesville 55, at Perry Central 48.
• News & notes: Lanesville’s 0-7 start is its slowest start since the Eagles lost their first 11 games in 1995-96 under Jerry Reinhardt. … The Eagles will start the Edinburgh Classic against the host Lancers (7-0) at 2 p.m. on Dec. 28. Later that day, they’ll battle either North White (4-1) or Hagerstown (2-5) in either a tournament semifinal or the consolation bracket at 8 p.m. The final round will be played Dec. 29 at 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. … Senior forward Andy Bishop had a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Commodores’ 59-49 loss at Springs Valley on Dec. 19. Senior Cole Hess added 18 points and 6 boards.
• John Harrell prediction: Perry Central 53, Lanesville 49.
• Sagarin projection: Perry Central by 3.
• Outlook: Good chance for the Eagles to pick up their first win.
• Greg’s pick: Lanesville 63, Perry Central 61.
TODAY’S GIRLS’ GAME
THURSDAY
GAME OF THE NIGHT
CRAWFORD COUNTY (4-9) AT FLOYD CENTRAL (4-9)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Joe Hinton Court, Floyd Central H.S. (6575 Old Vincennes Rd., Floyds Knobs)
• Coaches:
Crawford County — Christopher Broughton (115-91 in ninth season at Crawford)
Floyd Central — Randy Gianfagna (24-56 in fourth season at Floyd)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Crawford County — No. 202, No. 44 Class 2A
Floyd Central — No. 143, No. 60 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Crawford County — Lost at Lanesville 57-24 (Dec. 16)
Floyd Central — Won at North Harrison 49-34 (Dec. 21)
• Last 20 years: Floyd Central 3-1. The Highlanders have won three in a row in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 15, 2020 — Floyd Central 44, at Crawford County 39.
• John Harrell prediction: Floyd Central 50, Crawford County 36.
• Sagarin projection: Floyd by 13.
• Outlook: The Highlanders could use some wins before a really tough stretch over their final eight games.
• Greg’s pick: Floyd Central 45, Crawford County 33.
