By GREG MENGELT

It’s been a long road to get to this point. For Jeffersonville and New Albany, the road has often been bumpy.

New Albany enters the contest at 10-8. Not a bad season by any measure, but not what Bulldogs fans have gotten used to.

For Jeff, it’s been even stranger. The Red Devils started 2-8 before winning three of their last four. Having a complete roster available has been a rarity. It’s been together less than three weeks, in fact.

But this is Jeff-New Albany. Or New Albany-Jeff, depending on your geography. One of the most historic and competitive series in Indiana high school basketball history.

Neither team seems able to pull away in the series. The Devils won three in a row before New Albany ended the streak with a 49-37 win at Johnson Arena. Jeff won the sectional two months later.

“This game is always huge because it only comes around one time a year,” said New Albany coach Jim Shannon said, who has a 21-14 record all time vs. the Devils. “This one basically is the regular-season rivalry game that everybody looks forward to, for bragging rights, until maybe next year until we play in the sectional.

“Any time the Red Devils are playing Bulldogs, throw the records out the window,” said Jeff head coach Andrew Grantz, who’s 2-1 against the Bulldogs as the Red Devils head coach and 2-4 overall against Shannon.

The circumstances of this year’s rivalry game are odd. The postponement, the rare 15-17 combined record, playing in the middle of the week. It’s been a strange year in Southern Indiana basketball.

But this does seem like it’s going to be a good one. It has all the makings of being a classic.

“Both teams are going to bring their best, no matter what the circumstances are,” Grantz said. It’s going to be a hard-fought game to very end.”

“There’s no question that this being February — and really the middle of February — with the sectional two weeks away, that’s something neither of us is used to,” Shannon said. “We’re not used to playing arguably our biggest rival — one of the best rivalries in the state — this close to the tournament. Neither of us is vying for the Hoosier Hills championship, but both teams are trying to get ready for the tournament. We want to go into the tournament on a roll, playing our best basketball. Both of us want to do that.”

Jeff has won three of its last four games after finally getting some practices together as a complete unit.

“For us, right now where we’re at, it’s important have whole group together and just play,” Grantz said. “Last week was our first week with our entire team together since November.”

No conference team played championship Floyd Central (16-2) tougher than Jennings County (12-6) did. In fact, the Panthers went to overtime with Floyd in a 67-58 defeat in the Knobs on Jan. 21. In the last couple week, both Jeff and New Albany have lost to the Panthers, but both had a chance in 3-point losses on Jennings’ home court.

“My hope is we can put it together in hyper-speed to catch up with everyone else,” Grantz said. “I feel like we’re heading in right direction. We’re starting to come together as team. The effort has been better. It was a good effort at Jennings County.”

“They lost to Jennings by three (Saturday). We went to Jennings and got beat by three (on Feb. 2),” Shannon said. “I think both of us are starting to play pretty well.”

GAME OF THE NIGHT
JEFFERSONVILLE AT NEW ALBANY
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: The Doghouse, New Albany H.S. (1020 Vincennes Street, New Albany)
• Records:
Jeffersonville 5-9, 2-3 HHC. The Red Devils have won three of their last four games.
New Albany 10-8, 2-2 HHC. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three but has lost three of their last five.
• Coaches:
Jeffersonville — Andrew Grantz (20-16 in second season at Jeffersonville, 108-58 in seventh season overall)
New Albany — Jim Shannon (439-135 in 24th season at New Albany, 604-274 in 38th season overall)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Jeffersonville — No. 102, No. 60 Class 4A
New Albany — No. 88, No. 54 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Jeffersonville — Lost at Jennings County 91-88 (Feb. 12)
New Albany — Won at Silver Creek 69-58 (Feb. 12)
• Last 20 years: New Albany 20-10. Jeffersonville has won three of the last four rivalry games vs. the Bulldogs.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 8, 2021 — New Albany 49, at Jeffersonville 37.
• News & notes: Jeffersonville leads the all-time series 82-80; The Bulldogs still have a chance to finish second to rival Floyd Central by beating Jeff on Wednesday,
• John Harrell prediction: New Albany 57, Jeffersonville 54.
• Sagarin projection: New Albany by 7.
• Outlook: I’m taking the Bulldogs at home, but I don’t feel comfortable with it. This could go either way. It’s that close. It’s one of those games that whichever team has the better night wins the game. This could be a classic.
• Greg’s pick: New Albany 61, Jeffersonville 60.

By GREG MENGELT

With just over a week to go in the regular season, it’s a packed schedule Tuesday night with several intriguing matchups.

The Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Game of the Night, for example, features two teams with state championship expectations. Host Floyd Central (16-2) is ranked sixth in the state, while the Braves (16-3) enter the contest at No. 11 in 3A. The Highlanders have won 11 in a row, Brownstown has won four straight.

Another big game is at Rock Creek, where Class 2A No. 13 Eastern (14-3) will play the host Lions (9-7) in a game that features two teams that will probably be sectional favorites starting two weeks from Tuesday.

Christian Academy (9-11) and Corydon Central (13-6) won’t be sectional favorites but both will be serious contenders. The Warriors are on a 3-game winning steak. The Panthers streak is currently at seven games.

Henryville (6-12) and New Washington (5-13) are essentially playing for second place in the Southern Athletic Conference. Borden has already won the league title, but the Hornets and Mustangs are playing for more than just conference placement. Both teams have been playing well and are in sectionals with no dominant favorites.

Silver Creek (8-11) goes to Austin (4-12) for a mid-week Mid-Southern Conference contest, Class 3A No. 13 North Harrison (13-3) hosts Clarksville (5-13), Scottsburg (10-8) hosts South Central (7-11), Borden (12-5) hosts Crawford County (2-16) and West Washington (6-11) goes to Orleans (14-5) for a Patoka Lakes Conference game on a busy Tuesday night.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL AT FLOYD CENTRAL
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Joe Hinton Court, Floyd Central H.S. (6575 Old Vincennes Rd., Floyds Knobs)
• Records:
Brownstown Central 16-3. The Braves have won four games in a row and eight of their last nine.
Floyd Central 16-2. The Highlanders have won 11 straight and 13 of 14.
• Coaches:
Brownstown — Dave Benter (419-156 in 24th season at Brownstown)
Floyd Central — Todd Sturgeon (138-42 in eighth season at Floyd)
• Rankings:
Brownstown — No. 11 AP (Class 3A).
Floyd Central — No. 6 IBCA (single class); No. 11 AP (Class 4A).
• Most recent game:
Brownstown — Defeated Bedford North Lawrence 70-59 (Feb. 11)
Floyd Central — Won at Madison 67-28 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: Floyd Central 5-4. The Highlanders have a 5-game winning streak vs. Brownstown.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 18, 2021 — At Floyd Central 68, Brownstown 34.
• Outlook: Three weeks from now when there’s only 16 teams left in the entire state, these could be two of them.
• Greg’s pick: Floyd Central 67, Brownstown 55.

EASTERN AT ROCK CREEK
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Rock Creek Academy/Restoration Christian Church (8000 Diefenbach Ln., Sellersburg)
• Records:
Eastern 14-3. The Musketeers have won three of their last four games.
Rock Creek 9-7. The Lions have won their last two and four of their last five.
• Coaches:
Eastern — Chandler Prible (26-16 in second season at Eastern)
Rock Creek — Chris Brown (357-288 in 26th season at Rock Creek)
• Rankings:
Eastern — No. 13 AP (Class 2A).
• Most recent game:
Eastern — Lost to Corydon Central 46-42 (Feb. 11)
Rock Creek — Defeated Portland Christian (Ky.) 84-38 (Feb. 10)
• Last 20 years: First meeting.
• News & notes: The Lions’ game against Highlands Latin (Ky.), which was scheduled for Monday, was canceled.
• Outlook: Like Brownstown-Floyd, this could very well be two sectional champions in a couple weeks.
• Greg’s pick: Eastern 64, Rock Creek 56.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY AT CORYDON CENTRAL
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Corydon Central H.S. (375 Country Club Rd., Corydon)
• Records:
Christian Academy 9-11. The Warriors have won three games in a row.
Corydon Central 13-6. The Panthers have won seven straight and 11 of their last 12.
• Coaches:
Christian Academy — Hayden Casey (18-28 in second season at CAI)
Corydon Central — Joseph Hinton (34-32 in third season at Corydon)
• Most recent game:
Christian Academy — Defeated Highlands Latin (Ky.) 57-33 (Feb. 12)
Corydon Central — Won at Eastern 46-42 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: Corydon 1-0.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 26, 2021 — Corydon Central 58, Christian Academy 46.
• Outlook: Corydon could go into the postseason on a 10-game winning streak and having a 14-1 record since Dec. 28.
• Greg’s pick: Corydon Central 70, Christian Academy 53.

HENRYVILLE AT NEW WASHINGTON
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: James Matthews Gymnasium (a.k.a. The Jim), New Washington H.S. (226 N. Highway 62, New Washington)
• Records:
Henryville 6-12, 2-1 SAC. The Hornets have won their last two games.
New Washington 5-13, 1-2 SAC. The Mustangs have lost their last two games and three of their last five.
• Coaches:
Henryville — Jared Hill (97-88 in eighth season at Henryville)
New Washington — Kyle Brown (14-28 in second season at New Wash)
• Most recent game:
Henryville — Defeated Switzerland County 47-37 (Feb. 12)
New Washington — Lost at Springs Valley 78-69 (Feb. 12)
• News & notes: Henryville can clinch second place in the SAC with a win. New Wash can finish as high as second if it wins. Borden has already clinch the league championship.
• Outlook: Both teams have had some positive results lately, but I really like the way Jared Hill has the Hornets playing.
• Greg’s pick: Henryville 49, New Washington 46.

SILVER CREEK AT AUSTIN
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Rigel Gymnasium (401 S. Hwy. 31, Austin)
• Records:
Silver Creek 8-11, 2-3 MSC. The Dragons have lost three of their last four games.
Austin, 4-12, 1-6 MSC. The Eagles have lost their last three games.
• Coaches:
Silver Creek — Brandon Hoffman (209-84 in 12th season at 12th)
Austin — Randy Edwards (39-74 in fifth season at Austin)
• Most recent game:
Silver Creek — Lost to New Albany 69-58 (Feb. 12)
Austin — Lost at Charlestown 78-61 (Feb. 11)
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 24, 2021 — At Silver Creek 87, Austin 51.
• Outlook: Is this where Silver Creek starts to gain some momentum?
• Greg’s pick: Silver Creek 83, Austin 63.

CLARKSVILLE AT NORTH HARRISON
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: North Harrison H.S. (1070 Hwy. 64 N.W., Ramsey)
• Records:
Clarksville 5-13. The Generals have lost seven of their last eight games.
North Harrison 13-3. The Cougars have won five straight and nine of their last 10.
• Coaches:
Clarksville — Kyle Hankins (5-13 in first season at Clarksville)
North Harrison — Lou Lefevre (49-13 in third season at North Harrison, 314-93 in 18th season overall)
• Rankings:
North Harrison — No. 13 AP (Class 3A).
• Most recent game:
Clarksville — Won at Salem 59-56 (Feb. 11)
North Harrison — Defeated Crawford County 67-22 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: 10-10. North Harrison has won the last two meetings against Clarksville.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 17, 2021 — North Harrison 48, at Clarksville 30.
• Outlook: Why is it North Harrison’s 13-3 season has seemed so quiet despite the Cougars probably being the area’s best chance of making a trip to Indy for the state finals?
• Greg’s pick: North Harrison 67, Clarksville 30.

SOUTH CENTRAL AT CHARLESTOWN
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Charlestown Sports Arena (1 Pirate Place, Charlestown)
• Records:
South Central 7-11. The Rebels have won three of their last five games.
Charlestown 6-13. The Pirates have lost two of their last three.
• Coaches:
South Central — Greg Robinson (180-179 in 16th season at South Central, 202-242 in 20th season overall)
Charlestown — Matt Lynch (6-13 in first season at Charlestown, 75-63 in sixth season overall)
• Most recent game:
South Central — Defeated Cannelton 66-23 (Feb. 12)
Charlestown — Defeated Austin 78-61 (Feb. 11)
• Outlook: Almost a season in, it’s pretty obvious Lynch is the right guy to get the Pirates turned around.
• Greg’s pick: Charlestown 54, South Central 46.

PAOLI AT SCOTTSBURG
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Charles E. Meyer Gymnasium (1 Jim Barley Way, Scottsburg)
• Records:
Paoli 10-7. The Rams have won three games in a row.
Scottsburg 10-8. The Warriors have lost three of their last four.
• Coaches:
Paoli — Dusty Cole (153-75 in 10th season at Paoli)
Scottsburg — Eric Richardson (16-26 in second season at Scottsburg)
• Most recent game:
Paoli — Defeated Orleans 55-48 (Feb. 11)
Scottsburg — Won at Salem (Feb. 12)
• Outlook: Scottsburg has Paoli, Southwestern, Jennings, Mitchell and Rock Creek left in the regular season. That’s a tough stretch but also a chance for the Warriors to get some really good wins heading into the postseason.
• Greg’s pick: Scottsburg 56, Paoli 51.

CRAWFORD COUNTY AT BORDEN
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Borden Junior-Senior H.S. (301 West St., Borden)
• Records:
Crawford County 2-16. The Wolfpack have lost three straight games.
Borden 12-5. The Braves have won three in a row.
• Coaches:
Crawford County — Jerry Hanger Jr. (5-33 in second season at Crawford)
Borden — Doc Nash (216-154 in 16th season at Borden)
• Most recent game:
Crawford County — Lost at North Harrison 67-22 (Feb. 11)
Borden — Defeated West Washington 56-47 (Feb. 10)
• Outlook: Predictably, Nash has Borden playing well heading into March.
• Greg’s pick: Borden 61, Crawford County 51.

WEST WASHINGTON AT ORLEANS
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Orleans H.S. (200 W. Wilson St., Orleans)
• Records:
West Washington 6-11, 1-3 PLAC. The Senators have won two of their last three and four of their last six.
Orleans 14-5, 4-1 PLAC. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three but have lost three of their last five.
• Coaches:
West Washington — Clayton Sullivan (45-47 in fourth season at West Washington)
Orleans — Tom Bradley (354-196 in 23rd season at Orleans)
• Rankings:
Orleans — No. 12 AP (Class A).
• Most recent game:
West Washington — Defeated Crothersville 69-45 (Feb. 11)
Orleans — Won at Edgewood 54-36 (Feb. 12)
• News & notes: The Bulldogs can win the PLAC with a win Tuesday. A loss opens the door for Springs Valley, which would clinch a tie for the league title with a West Washington win, plus Perry Central, Mitchell and Paoli, who would all need to run the table to claim a piece of the championship.
• Outlook: The Senators have been playing well, but getting a win at Orleans in the middle of the week is an awfully tough task.
• Greg’s pick: Orleans 64, West Washington 50.

By GREG MENGELT

For the second time in three weeks, Corydon Central is the Hoosier Hills Hoops Team of the Week.

The Panthers won their sixth and seventh straight games and moved up to third place in the Mid-Southern Conference standings with a pair of conference road wins.

Corydon, which is 11-1 in its last 12 games, won at Austin (4-12) by an 89-71 margin on Friday then defeated Class 2A No. 13 Eastern (14-3) on Saturday.

“Our guys have started to figure things out, especially since Christmas break,” Corydon’s third-year head coach Joseph Hinton said.

Junior wing Anthony Martin earned the Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Player of the Week honor by putting up 33 points and 10 rebounds against Austin and 11 points in the low-scoring win over Eastern. Junior enter Austin Vaughn had 21 points and 10 boards against Austin and 13 points against the Musketeers. Senior Bryce Weber added 11 and junior Tyler Fessel eight to help the Panthers end Eastern’s 3-game winning streak.

“We have several guys who can score in double figures, which makes us hard to guard,” Hinton said.

The Panthers (13-6) hosts Christian Academy (9-11) on Tuesday and 2-time defending state champion Silver Creek (8-11) on Friday before closing the regular season next Tuesday at Harrison County-rival South Central (7-11).

“We want to be playing our best basketball possible at the end of the season,” Hinton said. “Our guys are ready for the tournament. We’ve been underdogs all season. We’ll probably be underdogs again and that’s okay. Tournament time anything can happen.”

By GREG MENGELT

Providence beat New Albany for just the fourth time in 22 years on Friday. However, it was the Pioneers’ second win over their rivals in three years.

“We have a great deal of respect for New Albany’s team and program,” said Providence head coach Ryan Miller, who’s now 2-1 against the Bulldogs since taking over for Sean Smith in 2019. “We knew we would have to play well. Quite honestly, we needed to perform much better than our previous games over the last few weeks. Fortunately, our boys were focused, they executed the game plan and played a complete game on both ends of the floor.”

The Pioneers, who are now 14-4 on the season following their third straight win, were led junior Casey Kaelin’s 14-point, 5-rebound, 2-steal performance. Seniors Grant Williams and Max Beatty each had nine points and senior guard Tyler Simmons contributed eight points and four boards for the Pioneers, who earned the Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Win of the Week award.

“We had several players step up and make big plays on both ends of the floor,” Miller said. “It was a solid team performance with many contributors. We appreciate those games. It was good to see improvement in not only our level of play but also in our understanding for what is required to finish games. We took a step in the right direction with our execution and in making good decisions and smart plays. We were proud of our boys in that regard and we know that must continue for us to improve and reach our potential down the final stretch of regular and post season play.”

Miller said he was impressed by the backing both teams received Friday at the Larkin Center.

“On another note, we greatly appreciated the tremendous fan support by our Providence community,” Miller said. “New Albany had a good turnout, too, which made for a fun Indiana high school basketball environment. Thanks to all of those who showed up to support their team.”

Providence hosts Class 3A No. 13 North Harrison (13-3) on Friday.

By GREG MENGELT

Despite playing with a hip injury — and missing a couple days of practice because of it — New Albany senior Josten Carter had one of his best performances of the season, lifting the Bulldogs’ 69-58 win at Silver Creek on Saturday afternoon.

Carter finished with a game-high 26 points and put the Bulldogs ahead for good when he missed a free throw, rebounded his own miss and converted a 3-point play to put the Bulldogs ahead 51-49 in his Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Performance of the Week.

Carter scored 12 points in the second quarter when the Bulldogs held a 22-11 advantage against the 2-time defending state champion Dragons.

“He got going,” Silver Creek coach Brandon Hoffman told the News and Tribune. “He’s a handful when he starts going downhill … with his length and the way he can change directions. He was really good tonight.”

Carter and the 10-8 Bulldogs hosts arch-rival Jeffersonville (5-9) on Wednesday evening.

WEEK’S TOP PERFORMANCES
• Dakota Capps, Clarksville: The Generals senior put up 15 points as the Generals knocked off Salem 59-56 on Friday.
• Hayden Cutter, Scottsburg: The Warriors senior forward had a game-high 22 points in Saturday’s 80-47 win at Salem.
• Jake Helton, Charlestown: Helton put up 25 points on 9 of 13 shooting, including making five of his seven 3-point attempts in the Pirates’ 78-61 win over Austin on Friday. Helton also had five assists, five rebounds and three steals in the victory.
• Cade Jones, Eastern: The senior guard had 20 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in the Musketeers’ 46-42 loss to Corydon Central on Friday.
• Mason Jones, Borden: Jones had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the Braves’ 56-47 triumph over West Washington on Thursday.
• Casey Kaelin, Providence: Kaelin finished with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal and played stellar defense as the Pioneers knocked off New Albany 51-36 on Friday. “He stepped up to make some key plays both early and late in the game,” Providence head coach Ryan Miller said.
• Will Lovings-Watts, Jeffersonville: Lovings-Watts scored 20 points and hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer in the Red Devils’ 44-42 win over BNL on Thursday.
• Brady Moore, Floyd Central: Moore scored a game-high 18 points as the Highlanders blew past Madison 67-28 on Friday evening.
• Kasym Nash, Borden: Nash knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points, five rebounds and a steal in the Braves’ win over West Washington.
• Ethan Oakley, North Harrison: Oakley had a huge night Saturday in the Cougars’ 67-22 win over Crawford County with 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
• Zach Stricker, Silver Creek: The senior forward went 7 for 12 from the field, including 4 of 6 from behind the 3-point arc, for 20 points in the Dragons’ 69-58 loss to New Albany on Saturday. He also had three rebounds.
• Austin Vaughn, Corydon Central: Vaughn, a junior, had 21 points, 10 rebounds and an assist in the Panthers’ 89-71 win at Austin on Thursday.

By GREG MENGELT

Silver Creek senior Kynidi Mason-Striverson had a brilliant performance Saturday at Charlestown in a 48-44 semifinal win over Rushville. She went a little cold in the championship game, but she was still a major contributor in the Dragons winning their second straight regional championship.

In the early round, Mason-Striverson scored half of the Dragons’ 24 points, going 7 for 15 from the field, 5 of 9 from behind the 3-point stripe and 5 for 5 at the free throw line. She also led Silver Creek (25-2) with six rebounds.

Mason-Striverson was just 3 for 10 in the 53-39 championship game win over Gibson Southern, but she was 6 for 8 at the foul line and finished with 14 points. Again, the Evansville commit led her team in rebounds with seven and in steal with three.

Mason-Striverson and the senior-oriented Dragons will face Chatard (18-10) in this Saturday’s Class 3A semistate at Jeffersonville. The defending state champions will look to make it back-to-back trips to the state finals when they face the Trojans at 3 p.m. at Johnson Arena.