By GREG MENGELT

Noel helped the Lions beat Scottsburg 71-59 on Tuesday before winning 38-37 at Jeffersonville on Thursday. In the two wins, Noel had 53 points and 13 rebounds.

In the win over Scottsburg, she finished with 37 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. She was 10 for 20 from the field, including 8 of 11 from behind the 3-point arc, and 9 of 10 at the foul line. Against Jeff, Noel had a game-high 16 points, four rebounds and a blocked shots.

Noel and the Lions host Charlestown (14-5) in a big sectional preview game Thursday evening.

By GREG MENGELT

The 19th-ranked Highlanders, who have been No. 1 in the Hoosier Hills Hoops Power Poll almost the entire season, had two of their biggest wins of the season last weekend.

On Friday, Floyd (9-2) crushed rival Jeffersonville 58-34 to send the Red Devils to their sixth loss in their last eight games. Jeff was the preseason No. 1 team in the power poll. The Highlanders avenged last year’s triple-overtime loss to the Red Devils in the sectional semifinals.

On Saturday, Floyd took out North Harrison (8-3) — the No. 2 team in the power poll — with a 58-43 victory. The Highlanders, who host Jennings County (10-3) on Friday, have won four games in a row.

By GREG MENGELT

This year, Salem has seven losses. Unfortunately for the rest of Southern Indiana, they’re starting to find their stride.

Last week, Salem (10-7) beat Scottsburg 71-59 on Tuesday and Jeffersonville 38-37 on Thursday to earn the Hoosier Hills Hoops Team of the Week honor.

“We had a good week with two hard fought victories against Scottsburg and Jeffersonville,” Salem coach Jerry Hickey said. “We are missing senior guard Macie Tomlinson, who is out with an injury, so we have had numerous players step up in her absence.

Natalie Noel — the Hoosier Hills Hoops Player of the Week — scored 37 points in the win over Scottsburg, while Abigail Ratts had 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Already without Tomlinson, the Lions overcame a mid-game injury to Kaylea Klingsmith in the victory over Jeff.

Noel finished with 16 points, Ratts had eight and Kendall Hickey contributed six in the win. Sidney Brown controlled the tempo of the game and had zero turnovers and senior Natalie Dean made a key basket and key free throws down the stretch.

“It was a total team effort,” Hickey said.

The Lions host Charlestown (14-5) on Thursday in their penultimate conference game.

By GREG MENGELT

Wernert finished the contest with 25 points, nine rebounds, six steals and five assists as Lanesville won for the 14th straight time. Its winning streak is now 17.

Wernert and the Eagles (21-1) have 10 days off before going to Scottsburg (10-8) on Jan. 28 for their regular-season finale.

WEEK’S TOP SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCES
• Ashlin Owen, Christian Academy: The senior led the Warriors with 15 points in Thursday’s 42-24 win over Clarksville.
• Paige Robinson, Borden: Robinson scored 14 points and hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer as the Braves beat Orelans 43-42 on Thursday evening. Robinson also finished with five assists, three steals and three rebounds in the win.

By GREG MENGELT

The Pioneers defeated the Devils 48-45 Friday with a strong defensive effort and some timely baskets. Their first win at Jeffersonville since 2008 is the Hoosier Hills Hoops Win of the Week.

It’s Providence’s second straight win over Jeff overall.

“We were very pleased with our boys effort and execution of the gameplan for a complete game,” Providence’s third-year coach Ryan Miller said. “We have let a few big games get away from us this season, which continue to motivate us to improve. It was great to see the boys grow up some and finish out the game better. All of our assistant coaches prepared the team well. The players trusted in each other, played as one unit on both ends of the floor. They communicated and played with a sense of urgency on defense and the boards, and they valued and shared the ball on offense. Those were our keys to the game.”

The Red Devils are now 2-7 but it’s a Jeff team that had huge expectations coming into the season. Jeff still believes it can overcome the early stumbles and have postseason success, like it did last year when it won a sectional title after six regular-season losses.

“This is a very talented Jeffersonville team with a good coaching staff,” Miller said. “We recognize that Jeff is finally getting their full team back for this season and coming off a pause, both of which are challenges. However, they can be a top tier team that competes to repeat a 4A sectional title. We respect how good they can be, so feel very fortunate to get this win.”

The 10-3 Pioneers, who beat Crawford County 56-18 on Tuesday night, hosts Henryville (4-7) win Friday and Rock Creek (5-5) on Saturday this week.

“Hopefully our boys continue to gain belief in their potential and understand what is required of them to play and win at a high level, namely extreme communication and a sense of urgency, along with confidence and trust in each other to let the ball find the open man. We need to build off the positives, stay hungry and improve so we can reach our goals,” Miller said.

By GREG MENGELT

The Eagles are currently 7-10 and they’ve already suffered a 7-game losing streak, but they’ve been good of late.

Last Thursday, Austin won 59-42 at North Harrison (9-8) for its first Mid-Southern Conference win of the season. The victory is also the Hoosier Hills Hoops Win of the Week.

Austin, which has won five of its last eight games overall, goes to New Washington (9-8) on Thursday.