By GREG MENGELT

FLORENCE, Ala. — Bellarmine went on a 17-10 run in the first nine minutes of the second half to pull away for a big Atlantic Sun victory, 75-69 at North Alabama on Saturday at Flowers Hall.

The Knights, who improve to 15-11 overall and 9-3 in the A-Sun, are now tied with Jacksonville State atop the West Division. The Gamecocks suffered a 72-62 loss at Central Arkansas on Saturday.

Senior guard CJ Fleming (Cincinnati) led Bellarmine with 24 points in the win. He went 6 for 12 from the field, made three of his seven 3-point attempts and was 9 for 12 from the free throw line. Senior guard Dylan Penn (Evansville/Memorial) contributed 15 points, eight assists, two steals and two assists.

Former Providence star Juston Betz (New Albany) went 2 for 4 from the field — all four attempts from behind the arc — for seven points. The senior also had nine rebounds.

Senior guard C.J. Brim scored 18 points to pace the Lions, who fall to 9-16 overall and 2-10 in the league play with their fourth straight defeat.

Bellarmine will stay on the road Wednesday when it travels to Central Arkansas (8-16, 5-6). Tip is schedule for 8 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN Plus.

By GREG MENGELT

The Rockets are now 20-5 overall and 12-2 in the MAC, tied atop the standings with rival Ohio.

Jacobi, who helped lead Silver Creek to pair of state championships, scored two points, had two rebounds and a steal in 10 minutes off the Toledo bench Saturday. He made his only field goal attempt.

Three Rockets scored at least 20 points in the win. Junior guard RayJ Dennis and senior guard Ryan Rollins scored 22 apiece and junior forward JT Shumate added 20. Dennis also had eight rebounds and eight assists in the win.

Northern Illinois sophomore guard Keshawn Williams (19) and junior guard Kaleb Thornton (18) combined for 37 of the Huskies’ 72 points.

The Rockets host Kent State in a big MAC contest Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Golden Flashes (15-9, 10-4), who have won six games in a row, trailed Toledo by two games in the standings. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

By GREG MENGELT

Heidbreder, a Floyds Knobs resident and former Floyd Central star, went 5 for 9 from the field and reached double-figure scoring for the four time in his last seven games.

A.J. Walker finished with 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting to lead Air Force (10-13, 3-9 MWC).

San Diego State (15-6, 7-3), which is considered on the NCAA Tournament bubble, went on a 17-4 run early in the second half to turn a 39-36 halftime lead into a 56-40 advantage with 10:43 remaining. Seniors Nathan Mensah and Mat Bradley combined for 27 points for the Aztecs. Mensah had 14 points and six rebounds, while Bradley finished with 13 points, five boards and five assists.

Air Force will look to end its 5-game losing streak when it hosts Boise State (19-5, 10-1) on Tuesday. Heidbreder and the Falcons can be seen taking on the first-place Broncos on FS1 at 10 p.m.

By GREG MENGELT

NEW ALBANY — IU Southeast won its seventh straight game Saturday, 100-58 over St. Mary-of-the-Woods, to get back to .500 for the first time since its second game of the season.

The Grenadiers are now 14-14 overall and 11-5 — good for third place — in the River States Conference.

IU Southeast, which led 50-18 at halftime, had five players score in double figures. Junior Glenn Hill Jr. (Louisville/Southern) led the way with 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He also had five rebounds, three steals and three assists. Junior Ahmad Price (Louisville/Valley), senior guard Jared Osborne (Mt. Washington, Ky./Bullitt East), Gabriel Casillas Cruz (Puerto Rico) and former Clarksville standout Jaren Starks each scored 13. Starks, who played 14 minutes off the IUS bench, was 5 for 9 with three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Sophomore guard Elkin Ramirez (Indianapolis/Providence Cristo Rey) led St. Mary-of-the-Woods (3-23, 0-15) with 33 points.

The Grenadiers will try to make it eight in a row Tuesday when they visit IU East (13-14, 8-7). Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

By GREG MENGELT

The Dragons knocked off Rushville 48-44 and upstart Gibson Southern 53-39 to advance to next Saturday’s one-game semistate at Jeffersonville. Fourth-ranked Silver Creek (25-2), which won its fourth and fifth games in a row Saturday, will face Chatard (18-10), which knocked off Tri-West and Indian Creek to win the regional at Greencastle.

Top-ranked South Bend Washington (25-3), which the Dragons beat in last year’s state championship, and No. 2 Garrett (27-1) will battle for the northern semistate Saturday at LaPorte.

“I can’t be more proud of these kids,” Silver Creek coach Scott Schoen said. “They’re winners and we’re going to semistate. I can’t believe this.”

The Dragons have equaled last year’s win total and that’s a bit of a surprise. Silver Creek lost six players to graduation of last year’s championship squad.

“At the beginning of the year, we didn’t know our potential,” Silver Creek senior Kynidi Mason-Striverson said. “We just knew we loved each other. I love these girls with everything in me. Only a small amount of people really believed in us. Just our inner circle believed in us, but we pulled through.”

After struggling to put away Rushville (17-10), the Dragons from the second quarter in the championship. Gibson Southern, which beat Vincennes (17-9) in Saturday’s first final, went on a 5-0 fourth-quarter run to get within 44-37 with 3:29 remaining. The Dragons responded by scoring the game’s final nine points.

Lacey Tingle started the rally with a layup and Reese Decker put in a miss Silver Creek miss to make it 48-39 with 2:12 left.

Mason-Striverson said she never doubted her Dragons would finish off the Titans.

“Honestly, I didn’t think from our experiences … we’ve been put in so many of these situations to be able to know how to handle it,” she said.

Emme Rooney and Mason-Striverson made clutch free throws in the final minute and 34 seconds and Tingle extinguished any Gibson Southern hope with a steal and a basket with 35 seconds to go.

“Big time players make big time plays in big time games and I think that’s what we did,” Schoen said.

Mason-Striverson, who scored 24 points in the semifinal win over Rushville, struggled early in the title game but her teammates picked her up. Rooney nailed a big 3 to make it 6-3. After the Titans regained the lead at 7-6, the Dragons went on a 6-1 run to end the first period. Tingle and Meridith Wilkinson scored on putbacks to give Creek a 12-8 lead after one period.

The Dragons held the Titans to just three field goals in the opening 8 minutes.

“One of the main goals we set coming into a game is to hold (the opponent) to eight points (in the first quarter),” Rooney said. “We held them to exactly eights points in the first quarter, so I think our defense is what propelled us to the victory tonight.”

After the Titans score the first seven points of the second quarter, Rooney scored back-to-back baskets to give the Dragons the lead for good at 17-15 with 4:05 left in the second period. Rooney, a senior, finished 4 for 9 and had 11 points in the win. She scored seven points before Mason-Striverson scored her first basket.

“Emme’s my right hand man,” Mason-Striverson said. “I was so proud of her. She put it in another gear that I knew she had in her. She knew I was struggling and she had my back 100 percent. If she’s struggling, I have her back 100 percent. I never doubt her. I’m super proud of the way she stepped up in those minutes.”

Mason-Striverson finally got untracked and nailed back-to-back 3s to help Silver Creek go into the half ahead 23-15.

“We know Kynidi has the capability to score 25 on any given night. She’s just that type of player,” Rooney said. “But most championship teams have multiple championship-type players. I think it was really good for all of us to step up our scoring.

Silver Creek took control in the third quarter. The Dragons opened the half on a 7-3 run that put them in the lead 30-18 with 4:53 on the clock in the third. Creek had its biggest lead at 36-24 after Decker got a steal and passed the ball ahead to Tingle for a fastbreak layup.

The Dragons’ defense wouldn’t allow a comeback. Gibson Southern shot just 35.7 percent from the field (13 for 33) and committed 21 turnovers. Silver Creek had 15 steals, led by three apiece from Mason-Striverson, Decker and Rooney.

“I thought we did a good job of making every catch, every shot a tough one for them,” Schoen said.

CLASS 3A CHARLESTOWN REGIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP
SILVER CREEK 53, GIBSON SOUTHERN 39
Gibson Southern (19-8): Ally Malone 1-5 1-2 3, Alexis Tucker 1-5 3-4 5, Gabby Spink 2-4 1-3 5, Nola Ravellette 1-2 0-2 3, Alex Holmes 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor Hart 2-7 0-0 5, Chloey Graham 5-9 3-6 15. Totals 13-33 8-17 39.
Silver Creek (25-2): Kynidi Mason-Striverson 3-10 6-8 14, Sydney Sirota 0-6 6-8 6, Reese Decker 1-3 0-0 2, Lacey Tingle 7-12 2-5 16, Emme Rooney 4-9 2-3 11, Merideth Wilkerson 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 17-43 16-24 53.
3-point field goals: Gibson Southern 5-17 (Graham 2-5, Ravellette 1-1, Holmes 1-1, Hart 1-5, Malone 0-3, Spink 0-1); Silver Creek 3-10 (Mason-Striverson 2-3, Rooney 1-4, Sierota 0-1, Tingle 0-1, Wilkerson 0-1).
Rebounds: Gibson Southern 27 (Malone 6, Graham 6); Silver Creek 30 (Mason-Striverson 7, Tingle 7).
Assists: Gibson Southern 7 (Malone 3); Silver Creek 10 (Sierota 5).
Steals: Gibson Southern 3 (Malone, Tucker, Graham); Silver Creek 15 (Mason-Striverson 3, Decker 3, Rooney 3).
Blocks: Gibson Southern 3 (Malone 2); Silver Creek 2 (Tingle 2).
Turnovers: Gibson Southern 21, Silver Creek 14.
Personal fouls: Gibson Southern 18, Silver Creek 16.
Fouled out: Malone, Tucker.

SEMIFINALS
SILVER CREEK 48, RUSHVILLE 44
Silver Creek 10 11 12 15—48
Rushville 8 9 17 10—44
Silver Creek (24-2): Mason-Striverson 7-15 5-5 24, Hallie Foley 0-2 0-0 0, Sierota 3-5 1-3 7, Decker 0-2 2-2 2, Tingle 1-8 1-2 3, Rooney 4-10 0-0 10, Wilkerson 1-4 0-2 2. Totals 16-46 9-14 48.
Rushville (17-10): Briley Munchel 1-7 0-0 2, Lexi Morris 4-6 3-5 11, Sophia Dora 4-9 2-2 12, Annika Marlow 2-6 0-0 5, Annebella Gossett 4-6 0-0 10, Leonie Boyer 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 17-39 5-7 44.
3-point field goals: Silver Creek 7-24 (Mason-Striverson 5-9, Rooney 2-7, Foley 0-2, Sierota 0-1, Decker 0-2, Tingle 0-3); Rushville 5-16 (Dora 2-5, Gossett 2-4, Marlow 1-4, Munchel 0-2, Morris 0-1).
Rebounds: Silver Creek 27 (Mason-Striverson 6); Rushville 30 (Dota 10).
Assists: Silver Creek 10 (Sierota 4, Rooney 4); Rushville 11 (Munchel 4, Dora 4).
Steals: Silver Creek 8 (Sierota 3, Tingle 3); Rushville 5 (Marlow 2).
Blocks: Silver Creek 1 (Tingle); Rushville 0.
Turnovers: Silver Creek 11, Rushville 16.
Personal fouls: Silver Creek 13, Rushville 14.
Fouled out: Tingle, Morris.

By GREG MENGELT

Silver Creek’s Brandon Hoffman and New Albany’s Jim Shannon have both won state championships in the last six years. They’ve combined for 20 sectional championships and over 800 wins.

Shannon and Hoffman know winning. But this year has been different. Silver Creek entered the season as the reigning Class 3A state champions for the last three years. New Albany has 22 straight winning seasons under Shannon, but the Bulldogs are hovering around .500 at 9-8 after Saturday’s 51-36 loss at Providence.

Silver Creek (8-10) had lost five of its last six until Friday’s 2-point win over Scottsburg. Earlier in the week, the Dragons were beaten 75-47 by Floyd Central.

“It’s been a gauntlet of a schedule this week,” Hoffman said of Floyd Central on Wednesday, Scottsburg on Friday and now New Albany. “That’s three really good teams.”

The Dragons got 20 points from senior Branden Northern in Friday’s 46-44 Mid-Southern Conference victory. Shannon says slowing Northern will be the key Saturday.

“It starts with the best player in Southern Indiana,” Shannon said. “Branden Northern is special. I think he has a very good chance of being an Indiana All-Star.”

Shannon understands Silver Creek will is dangerous in spite of losing a pair of Indiana All-Stars — Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is now at Purdue, and Kooper Jacobi, who is playing significant minutes at Toledo — after last year’s championship squad.

“They’ve struggled a little bit, but they’re a very dangerous team,” Shannon said of the Dragons. “They’re obviously very well coached. They’ve won two state championship and they probably would’ve won three in a row. They lost some great players, a couple of Indiana All-Stars, but they’re still a capable team.”

New Albany star senior Tucker Biven had just four points in Friday’s loss. Josten Carter led the Bulldogs with nine points in the low-scoring affair.

“First of all, it starts with Tucker, who it’s been a blessing to coach against,” Hoffman said. “He’s someone who’s a baseball player and still loves basketball. It’s hard not to love his passion and he’s accomplished a lot in career. … Carter is one of the most improved players in the state. He’s so athletic and so good when he gets to his left. That’s a good 1-2 punch, and when they shoot well, they’re really tough to beat.”

NOTE: Saturday’s Game of the Day will be played at 4:30 p.m. due to Silver Creek’s girls playing in the Charlestown Regional on Saturday evening.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
NEW ALBANY AT SILVER CREEK
• Time: 4:30 p.m.
• Location: Silver Creek H.S. (557 Renz Ave., Sellersburg)
• Records:
New Albany 9-8. The Bulldogs have lost three of their last four games.
Silver Creek 8-10. The Dragons have lost three of their last four games.
• Coaches:
New Albany — Jim Shannon (438-135 in 24th season at New Albany, 603-274 in 38th season overall)
Silver Creek — Brandon Hoffman (209-83 in 12th season at Silver Creek)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
New Albany — No. 67, No. 44 Class 4A
Silver Creek — No. 155, No. 43 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
New Albany — Lost at Providence 51-36 (Feb. 11)
Silver Creek — Won at Scottsburg 46-44 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: New Albany 18-2. Silver Creek has won two of the last three vs. the Bulldogs.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 22, 2021 — At New Albany 81, Silver Creek 72.
• John Harrell prediction: New Albany 58, Silver Creek 55.
• Sagarin projection: New Albany by 6.
• Outlook: Man, this one’s tough. Until Friday, New Albany had been pretty consistent lately. I think the Bulldogs get a tough road win.
• Greg’s pick: New Albany 53, Silver Creek 52.

JEFFERSONVILLE AT JENNINGS COUNTY
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Charles Hurley Gymnasium, Jennings County H.S. (800 W. Walnut St., North Vernon)
• Records:
Jeffersonville 5-8, 2-2 HHC. The Red Devils have won three games in a row.
Jennings County 11-6, 2-3 HHC. The Panthers have lost three of their last four games.
• Coaches:
Jeffersonville — Andrew Grantz (20-15 in second season at Jeff, 108-57 in seventh season overall)
Jennings County — Josh Land (63-75 in sixth season at Jennings)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Jeffersonville — No. 108, No. 63 Class 4A
Jennings County — No. 37, No. 28 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Jeffersonville — Defeated Bedford North Lawrence (Feb. 10)
Jennings County — Lost at Columbus East 59-55 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: Jeffersonville 20-5. The Red Devils have an 8-game winning streak in the series.
• Most recent meeting: March 2, 2021 — Jeffersonville 57, Jennings County 39 (Class 4A Seymour Sectional first round)
• John Harrell prediction: Jennings by 13.
• Sagarin projection: Jennings County 63, Jeffersonville 53.
• Outlook: So Jennings has now beaten New Albany and went to overtime with Floyd Central but lost to Columbus East. This kind of depends on which version of these teams show up.
• Greg’s pick: Jennings County 58, Jeffersonville 51.

SCOTTSBURG AT SALEM
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Brooks Memorial Gymnasium, Salem H.S. (700 N. Harrison St., Salem)
• Records:
Scottsburg 9-8, 4-3 MSC. The Warriors have lost three in a row and five of their last six.
Salem 4-12, 0-4 MSC. The Lions have lost five in a row.
• Coaches:
Scottsburg — Eric Richardson (15-26 in second season at Scottsburg)
Salem — Duane Malloy (4-12 in first season at Salem)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Scottsburg — No. 117, No. 31 Class 3A
Salem — No. 332, No. 88 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
Scottsburg — Lost to Silver Creek 46-44 (Feb. 11)
Salem — Lost to Clarksville 59-56 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: Salem 14-12. Scottsburg has won the last two games in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 15, 20221 — At Scottsburg 56, Salem 52.
• John Harrell prediction: Scottsburg 70, Salem 42.
• Sagarin projection: Scottsburg by 22.
• Outlook: The Warriors suffered a tough loss Friday. They’ll break even this weekend.
• Greg’s pick: Scottsburg 65, Salem 44.

HIGHLANDS LATIN (KY.) AT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Christian Academy of Indiana (1000 Academy Dr., New Albany)
• Records:
Highlands Latin 9-14. The Highlanders have won five of their last six games.
Christian Academy 8-11. The Warriors have won their last two games.
• Coaches:
Highlands Latin — Anthony Schnell (coaching record unavailable)
Christian Academy — Hayden Case (17-28 in second season at CAI)
• Most recent game:
Highlands Latin — Lost to Henry County 74-69 (Feb. 11)
Christian Academy — Defeated Trinity Lutheran 53-32 (Feb. 10)
• Last 20 years: First meeting.
• Outlook: The Highlanders aren’t a pushover, but CAI should win its third straight. Three of Latin’s 14 losses were by forfeit.
• Greg’s pick: Christian Academy 73, Highlands Latin 64.

SWITZERLAND COUNTY AT HENRYVILLE
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Furnish Gym, Henryville H.S. (213 N. Ferguson St., Henryville)
• Records:
Switzerland County 8-10. The Pacers have won their last two games and three of their last four.
Henryville 5-12. The Hornets have lost five of their last six games.
• Coaches:
Switzerland County — Travis Wrightsman (11-31 in second season at SwitzCo, 275-190 in 19th season overall)
Henryville — Jared Hill (96-88 in eighth season at Henryville)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Switzerland County — No. 295, No. 69 Class 2A
Henryville — No. 298, No. 71 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Switzerland County — Won at Shawe 63-27 (Feb. 11)
Henryville — Defeated South Central 53-38 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: Switzerland County 1-0.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 13, 2021 — Henryville 56, at Switzerland County 32.
• John Harrell prediction: Henryville 54, Switzerland County 51.
• Sagarin projection: Henryville by 4.
• Outlook: It’ll be close, but I have a feeling the Hornets are the better team here.
• Greg’s pick: Henryville 44, Springs Valley 40.

NEW WASHINGTON AT SPRINGS VALLEY
• Time: 2:30 p.m.
• Location: Springs Valley H.S. (326 S. Larry Bird Blvd., French Lick)
• Records:
New Washington 5-12. The Mustangs have won two of their last three games.
Springs Valley 14-3. The Blackhawks have won 10 straight.
• Coaches:
New Washington — Kyle Brown (14-27 in second season at New Wash)
Springs Valley — Jonathon Bowles (24-16 in second season at Springs Valley)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
New Washington — No. 344, No. 65 Class A
Springs Valley — No. 191, No. 19 Class A
• Most recent game:
New Washington — Lost to Lanesville 38-34 (Feb. 11)
Springs Valley — Won at White River Valley 77-67 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: Springs Valley 7-1.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 2, 2021 — At Springs Valley 64, New Washington 50.
• News & notes: Spings Valley has already surpassed last year’s win total of 10. The 13 wins is their most since going 17-7 in 2018-19.
• John Harrell prediction: Springs Valley 67, New Washington 43.
• Sagarin projection: Springs Valley by 26.
• Outlook: After picking against Springs Valley a couple times this season, I’ve learned my lesson.
• Greg’s pick: Springs Valley 69, New Washington 51.

CANNELTON AT SOUTH CENTRAL
• Time: 2:30 p.m.
• Location: South Central H.S. Main Gym (6675 E. Hwy. 11 S.E., Elizabeth)
• Records:
Cannelton 3-16. The Bulldogs have lost three games in a row.
South Central 6-11. The Rebels have lost their last two games.
• Coaches:
Cannelton — Chris Melton (10-29 in second season at Cannelton)
South Central — Greg Robinson (179-179 in 16th season at South Central, 201-242 in 20th season overall)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Cannelton — No. 397, No. 97 Class A
South Central — No. 306, No. 54 Class A
• Most recent game:
Cannelton — Lost to Wood Memorial 54-38 (Feb. 11)
South Central — Lost at Henryville 53-38 (Feb. 11)
• Last 20 years: South Central 18-0.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 13, 2021 — South Central 74, Cannelton 64.
• News & notes: The Rebels won just two games last year. One of those wins was a 10-point victory at Cannelton.
• John Harrell prediction: South Central 70, Cannelton 31.
• Sagarin projection: South Central by 34.
• Outlook: South Central is significantly better.
• Greg’s pick: South Central 66, Cannelton 33.