By GREG MENGELT

New Washington couldn’t have asked for a better time of the season to get hot. The Mustangs have won seven of their last eight games and will be heavily favored in their final in Wednesday’s Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Night at home against South Central (1-12).

New Wash beat Crothersville 70-19 on Tuesday, improving its record to 11-9.

The Mustangs (11-9) also got a favorable draw in the sectional (which they host), with second-ranked Lanesville (21-1) on the other side of the draw. It looks like New Wash could be headed for at least a 14-win season, which would be its best since going 20-3 and winning a sectional title in 2012-13.

“I am thankful for the growth we have seen in our players from the beginning of the season up to this point,” New Wash head coach Kirsti Holloway said. “We have had to overcome adversity in various ways, just like most teams are experiencing, whether it be illness or injury so it has been good so see us improve despite all those obstacles.”

Last week, the Mustangs beat 15-win South Spencer (15-5) and led Class 4A Jeffersonville (9-7) at halftime at Matthews Gym.

“We have a really strong schedule that has hopefully prepared us to peak at just the right time,” Holloway said.

Kaidin James and Grace Ellison has gotten most of the headlines for New Wash, but Holloway said senior Emma DeCamp has been a difference-maker for the Mustangs.

“Emma DeCamp is a leader, both on and off the court, that doesn’t always get recognized because she doesn’t have outstanding statistics in any one category,” Holloway said. “She is typically one of the smallest players on the floor, but the effort she puts in day-in and day-out, whether practice or a game, exhibits the greatest fight I could ask for in any player. She’s the player who gets the 50/50 balls, takes the charge, boxes out every possession, is assigned the challenging defensive assignment, a true Glue Girl because I never wonder what Emma is going to bring to the team. She’s that consistent and rock solid.”

Holloway said she appreciates the support the Mustangs have gotten — and will continue to get in the sectional — from the New Washington community.

“We are thankful for the support of our Mustang fan base who come and encourage without fail,” she said. “New Washington is such a special place to me because we have so much alumni involvement in our program. Everyone wants to see each other be successful and there’s a camaraderie that is hard to find. There’s no place like Mustang Country.”

GAME OF THE NIGHT
SOUTH CENTRAL 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:
South Central 1-12, 1-3 SAC. The Rebels have lost six in a row.
New Washington 12-9, 2-2 SAC. The Mustangs have won seven of their last eight games.
• Coaches:
South Central — Lynne Thomas (4-46 in third season at South Central)
New Washington — Kirsti Holloway (67-92 in seventh season at New Wash)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
South Central — No. 377, No. 83 Class A
New Washington — No. 209, No. 24 Class A
• Most recent game:
South Central — Lost to Borden 53-41 (Jan. 18)
New Washington — Won at Crothersville 70-19 (Jan. 25)
• Last 20 years: South Central 24-14. New Washington has won the last five in the SAC rivaly.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 23, 2021 — New Washington 66, at South Central 29.
• John Harrell prediction: New Washington 66, South Central 22.
• Sagarin projection: New Wash by 42.
• Outlook: South Central seems to be showing pretty rapid improvement, but New Wash is much better at this point.
• Greg’s pick: New Washington 55, South Central 23.

By GREG MENGELT

TOLEDO, Ohio — Former Silver Creek star Kooper Jacobi scored six points and his Toledo Rockets improved to 8-1 with an 86-75 victory over visiting Buffalo at Savage Arena on Tuesday to remain in the top spot in the Mid-America Conference with just over a month to play in the regular season.

Jacobi went 2 for 3 from the field and 2 for 4 at the free throw line for his six points. He also had three rebounds to help Toledo win its seventh straight game. The defending MAC regular-season champion Rockets are now 16-4.

Sophomore guard Ryan Rollins led all scorers with 25 points. He was one of four Rockets in double figures. Buffalo (10-7, 4-3) star senior Jeenathan Williams went for 24 points as the Bulls had their 4-game winning streak snapped.

Toledo hosts Akron (12-5, 5-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. Toledo’s rivals have won three games in a row and sit in third place in the MAC standings. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

By GREG MENGELT

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Senior forward John Meeks scored with 1 second left to help the College of Charleston hold off visiting William & Mary 74-73 at TD Arena on Tuesday evening.

Sophomore forward Ben Wight gave William & Mary a lead with 9 seconds left before Meeks’ heroics helped the Cougars improve to 10-8 overall and 2-4 in the Colonial. The Tribe have lost four of their last five and are now 4-16 on the season, 3-4 in the CAA.

Langdon Hatton, a freshman from North Harrison, went 1 for 4 from the field for two points in the loss. The Tribe were led by senior guard Brandon Carroll’s 16-point, 9-rebound, 6-steal, 5-block performance. Carroll missed a shot at the buzzer that would’ve given the William & Mary the win.

Charleston freshman guard Reyne Smith scored 25 points to lead all scorers.

Hatton and the Tribe are back in action Thursday at Elon. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Then they play Elon again — this time at home — on Saturday.

By GREG MENGELT

North Harrison senior Logan McIntire was nearly perfect as the Cougars went 2-0 with victories over Lanesville and Salem last weekend.

McIntire finished with 48 points, going 20 of 24 from the field to earn the Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Player of the Week award.

McIntire finished with 27 points in a 61-22 North Harrison win Friday over Lanesville (4-12). He backed that up with a 21-point performance in the Cougars’ 77-31 win at Salem (4-9) on Saturday.

McIntire and the Cougars (10-3) host West Washington (4-9) on Friday and go to Madison (5-7) on Saturday this week.

By GREG MENGELT

Corydon Central’s Ava Weber continued her dominating season in the Panthers’ wins over rivals North Harrison and Floyd Central last week, making her the Hoosier Hills Hoops’ Girls’ Player of the Week for the second time.

In Tuesday’s 53-23 win over North Harrison, Weber nearly outscored the Lady Cats by herself, finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four steals. In Saturday’s 68-65 overtime win over Floyd Central, Weber went 7 for 8 from the field for 29 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.

With 48 points last week, Weber moved into third place on the Panthers’ all-time scoring list. Weber and the 18-2 Panthers go to Crawford County (9-11) on Thursday and Madison (10-7) on Friday to complete their history regular season.

LAST WEEK’S TOP PERFORMERS
• Kaidin James, New Washington: James averaged 17.7 points, five rebounds, three steals and 2.3 assists as the Mustangs went 2-1 last week with wins over Shawe and South Spencer and Saturday’s loss to Jeffersonville.
• Keegan Kaiser, Floyd Central: The Highlander senior averaged 20 points, five assists, three steals and 1.5 rebounds as Floyd went 1-2 with a win over Borden and heartbreaking losses to Trinity Lutheran and Corydon Central.
• Samara Miller, Floyd Central: Miller, a freshman, averaged 11 points, 2.5 rebounds, two assists and a steal for the Highlanders last week.
• Ashlin Owen, Christian Academy: Owen was the Warriors’ leading scorer with 18 points as CAI went winless in road games against Springs Valley, Charlestown and Trinity Lutheran.

By GREG MENGELT

Borden clinched its first Southern Athletic Conference championship since 2015 with a 51-45 win at Henryville on Saturday.

The Braves trailed the Hornets by double-digits with under 2 minutes left and rallied to complete the conference slate unbeaten and earn the Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Team of the Week honor.

“I’m so proud of my kids. It’s the first time in their career they’ve won something that means something,” Borden coach Doc Nash told the News and Tribune. “We talked all week about winning, about being champions — doing uncommon things that common people won’t do. I’m glad that their efforts are finally paying off.”

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Braves were 4-0 in conference play, having beaten Lanesville, South Central, Crothersville and New Washington … all by at least 15 points.

“The conference championship is great for our program,” said Nash, who led the Braves to the 2013 Class A state title. “It is a goal of ours each year. Hopefully we continue to build on it as a team and carry the momentum into the postseason.”

Sterling Mikel led the Braves with 20 points, going 8 for 11 from the field. Kasym Nash was 5 for 10 and finished with 18 points and Mason Jones contributed 10 points to the victory. Mikel hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:06 left.

Borden (10-5) hosts Class No. 11 Orleans (12-2) on Friday and sectional-rival Christian Academy (6-8) on Saturday.