By GREG MENGELT

1. Floyd Central (9-2, Last week: 1). The Highlanders had two easy wins against two good teams last week, solidifying its No. 1 status. This week: Hosts Jennings County (Friday).

2. North Harrison (8-3, 2). Even after a loss to Floyd, the Cougars are the clear MSC and sectional favorites. This week: At Lanesville (Friday), at Salem (Saturday).

3. Eastern (12-2, 3). The Musketeers finally lost but they played No. 2 North Harrison close. Eastern is legit. This week: Hosts Charlestown (Friday).

4. New Albany (6-5, 5). The Bulldogs’ record isn’t very good, but their resumé is pretty strong. This week: At Silver Creek (Friday), hosts Silver Creek (Saturday).

5. Silver Creek (6-7, 4). The teams that have beaten Silver Creek have a combined record of 42-20. This week: Hosts New Albany (Friday).

6. Scottsburg (8-5, 4). The Warriors have lost two in a row, but the losses were against No. 2 North Harrison and No. 4 New Albany. This week: Hosts Clarksville (Friday), at Seymour (Saturday).

7. Providence (8-3, 6). Three winnable home games should help the Pioneers get to double-digit wins before the end of January. This week: Hosts Crawford County (Tuesday), Hosts Henryville (Friday), hosts Rock Creek (Saturday).

8. Corydon Central (8-6, 8). Corydon has won six of its last seven. All those early losses seem like a distant memory for the Panthers. This week: Hosts Salem (Friday), hosts Charlestown (Saturday).

9. Rock Creek (5-5, 9). The Lions have a chance to move up a few spots with wins over Southwestern and Providence this week. This week: At Southwestern (Tuesday), at Providence (Friday).

10. Jeffersonville (2-7, 10). We’re going to take a wait-and-see approach to the Red Devils. This week: At North Oldham (Tuesday), hosts Columbus East (Friday).

11. Borden (9-5, 11). The Braves have been a little inconsistent, but teams won’t want to play them in March. This week: At Henryville (Saturday).

12. Christian Academy (6-7, 12). A lot of teams toward the bottom of the poll have shown flashes of good play but are inconsistent. CAI is one of those. This week: Hosts Paoli (Saturday).

13. Austin (3-8, NR). Austin’s been playing well lately. It finally paid off with a big win over Borden. This week: Hosts New Washington (Friday), hosts Southwestern (Saturday).

14. Charlestown (4-9, NR). The Pirates have been in and out of the poll. Win Friday or Saturday this week and their place will probably be permanent. This week: At Eastern (Friday), at Corydon Central (Saturday).

15. Henryville (4-7, 15): The Hornets move up thanks to others’ losses. This week: At Providence (Friday), hosts Borden (Saturday).

NOTE: The Hoosier Hills Hoops Power Poll is not only based upon which teams beat which teams but is a combination of play on the floor, how teams match up with their current class and what expectations are for a team’s postseason run.

By GREG MENGELT

1. Silver Creek (18-1, Last Week: No. 1). The Dragons were expected to be really good. They’ve far exceeded expectations. This week: Host Columbus North (Tuesday), hosts Eastern (Saturday).

2. Corydon Central (15-2, 2). The Panthers just keep winning, but they have been a little overshadowed by Silver Creek. This week: Hosts North Harrison (Tuesday), hosts Floyd Central (Saturday).

3. Lanesville (20-1, 3). No doubt about it. The Eagles have a legitimate shot at winning a Class A title. They may be the favorites, in fact. This week: Hosts Salem (Tuesday).

4. Charlestown (13-5, 4). Busy week for the Pirates, who have won three in a row against three good teams … all on the road. The top four of this poll is quite impressive. This week: Hosts New Albany (Tuesday), at Salem (Thursday), hosts Christian Academy (Saturday).

5. Salem (10-67, 6). The Lions are starting to get hot. The rest of their sectional field hates to see it. This week: At Lanesville (Tuesday), hosts Charlestown (Thursday), at Mitchell (Saturday).

6. Scottsburg (10-8, 5). Tough schedule for the Warriorettes down the stretch. Like, really tough. This week: Hosts Madison (Tuesday), at Eastern (Thursday).

7. Eastern (10-9, 7). Eastern has nine losses, including three in a row. But every single loss was forgivable. All nine teams are among the best in Southern Indiana. This week: Hosts Scottsburg (Thursday), at Silver Creek (Saturday).

8. Jeffersonville (7-7, 9). Awfully good performance Saturday in a 1-point loss to Salem considering how much time the Red Devils missed. This week: Hosts Seymour (Tuesday), at New Albany (Friday).

9. West Washington (11-5, 8). The Senators have a legit shot at winning 14 regular-season wins. Impressive after last year’s 8-15 season in the first season under Matthew Myers. This week: Hosts Paoli (Thursday), at Brownstown (Saturday).

10. Floyd Central (6-11, 10). The Highlanders have a real chance to get some momentum heading toward the postseason. This week: Hosts Borden (Monday), hosts Trinity Lutheran (Thursday), at Corydon Central (Saturday).

11. Austin (6-10, 12). The Eagles are starting to play well at the right time of the season. That’s a Jared Petersen specialty. This week: Hosts Crothersville (Tuesday), at New Washington (Thursday), hosts Orleans (Saturday).

12. North Harrison (9-8, 11). The Lady Cats have lost four straight since their upset of Salem. Losing one of their top players mid-season didn’t help. This week: At Corydon Central (Tuesday), hosts Evansville Memorial (Saturday).

13. Rock Creek (7-8, 13). How about playing Lanesville for a nice welcome back after 35 days off? Now the Lions play four games in six day. This week: Hosts Portland Christian (Ky.) (Monday), at Providence (Wednesday), at Triton Central (Friday), hosts South Spencer (Saturday).

14. Borden (10-7, 14). It’s been a great season in Borden. The Braves have already reached double-figure wins for the third straight year under Matt Vick. This week: At Floyd Central (Monday), at South Central (Tuesday), hosts Henryville (Thursday).

15. New Washington (9-8, 15). The Mustangs got a big win over Providence on Saturday for their fourth consecutive win. This week: Hosts Shawe (Tuesday), hosts Austin (Thursday), hosts South Central (Saturday).

NOTE: The Hoosier Hills Hoops Power Poll is not only based upon which teams beat which teams but is a combination of play on the floor, how teams match up with their current class and what expectations are for a team’s postseason run.

By GREG MENGELT

The Highlanders improved to 9-2 on the season and have won four in a row and six of their last seven games.

Floyd was the only team in the area to received votes. Potential regional opponents Bloomington North (10-3), Columbus North (9-5) and Terre Haute North (13-1) received votes.

In one of the most wide open seasons in memory, defending Class 4A state champion Carmel became the latest No. 1 team. The Greyhounds are 10-3 and received nine of the 20 first-place votes. No. 2 Chesterton (12-0) got the most with 10 and No. 6 Ben Davis (10-3) earned the other. Fishers (13-2) is No. 3, following by No. 4 Westfield (10-3) and No. 5 Zionsville (9-2).

INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes) Record
1. Carmel (9) 10-3, 2. Chesterton (10) 12-0, 3. Fishers 13-2, 4. Westfield 10-3, 5. Zionsville 9-2, 6. Ben Davis (1) 11-3, 7. Indianapolis Tech 12-2, 8t. North Central 10-3, 8t. Cathedral 10-4, 10. Valparaiso 13-2, 11. Homestead 10-5, 12. Brebeuf 9-3, 13. Penn 10-1, 14. Central Noble 15-0, 15. Pike 9-2, 16. Mishawaka Marian 10-2, 17. Fort Wayne Blackhawk 12-1, 18. Lawrence North 7-3, 19. Floyd Central 9-2, 20. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 9-2.
Others receiving votes (in alphabetical order): Anderson 10-2, Bloomington North 10-3, Chatard 12-0, Columbus North 9-5, Crispus Attucks 7-7, Culver Academy 7-2, Fort Wayne Snider 8-2, Glenn 12-0, Leo 8-2, Linton-Stockton 14-1, Monroe Central 11-0, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 9-2, New Castle 10-2, NorthWood 13-1, Terre Haute North 13-1, Warren Central 6-5.

NOTE: Records as of Sunday.

By GREG MENGELT

The defending Class 3A state champion Dragons, who are 18-1 and have won six in a row, were surpassed by North Centra (16-5l, which won at Ben Davis (11-7), at No. 10 Fishers (14-4) and at home against Center Grove (11-8) to move up one spot.

Homestead (17-2) remained No. 1 and received 17 of the 20 first-place votes. No. 2 Franklin (18-1) received the other three. Crown Point (15-2), South Bend Washington (18-2) and Bedford North Lawrence, the only team to beat Silver Creek, are the top five.

Lanesville was one of 36 teams to receive votes in the poll. The Eagles are 20-1 and are currently on a 16-game winning streak.

Regionally, Columbus East (15-3) moved up two spots after beating No. 5 BNL 58-51 on the road Tuesday. East Central (15-4) is No. 18. Evansville North (15-2), Jennings County (14-3) and Washington (17-3) received votes.

INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes) Record
1. Homestead (17) 17-1, 2. Franklin (3) 18-1, 3. Crown Point 15-2, 4. South Bend Washington 18-2, 5. Bedford North Lawrence 17-2, 6. Westfield 16-3, 7. Noblesville 15-4, 8. North Central 16-5, 9. Silver Creek 18-1, 10. Fishers 14-4, 11. Benton Central 21-0, 12. Fort Wayne Snider 13-3, 13. Zionsville 15-5, 14. Lake Central 17-3, 15. Columbus East 15-3, 16. Columbia City 17-1, 17. Garrett 20-1, 18. East Central 15-4, 19. Mishawaka Marian 15-5, 20. Carmel 12-6.
Others receiving votes (in alphabetical order): Ben Davis 11-7, Castle 14-4, Evansville North 15-2, Hamilton Southeastern 11-7, Jennings County 14-3, Lafayette Central Catholic 15-4, Lanesville 20-1, Northridge 16-4, Penn 14-6, South Central (Union Mills) 19-0, Tipton 16-3, Valparaiso 15-3, Waldron 18-1, Warsaw 14-5, Washington 17-3, Winchester 17-1.

NOTE: Records as of Sunday.

By GREG MENGELT

COLORADO SPRINGS — Former Floyd Central standout Jake Heidbreder outscored former Jeffersonville star Tre Coleman 8-3, but Coleman’s Nevada Wolf Pack won for the eighth time in 10 games, 75-68 at Clune Arena.

Inserted back into the starting lineup after coming off the bench the last few games, Coleman, a sophomore, went 1 for 4 from the field and 1 for 2 at the foul line for his three points. He also had three assists and a rebound in 30 minutes.

Heidbreder, a freshman at Air Force, had eight points and four rebounds in defeat. He was 3 for 8 from the field and made two of his seven 3-point attempts before fouling out.

Nevada junior guard Grant Sherfield led all scorers with 21 points. The Falcons were paced by senior guard A.J. Walker, who scored 18 points. Air Force has lost five of its last six games.

Air Force (8-6, 1-2) goes to Boise to face MWC-leading Boise State (12-4, 3-0) at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Nevada (8-6, 2-1 Mountain West) hosts Wyoming (12-2, 1-0) on Monday at 8 p.m. Coleman and the Wolf Pack can been seen on FS1.

By GREG MENGELT

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Josh Jefferson and the Middle Tennessee Raiders held Florida International to 13 of 57 shooting (22.8 percent) and cruised to a low-scoring 50-39 victory on Saturday at the Murphy Center.

Jefferson, a former New Albany star, finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal as the Raiders won their second straight game and improved to 11-6 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA play.

Middle Tennessee itself shot just 31.9 percent (15 of 47) in the win. The Raiders were led by senior guard Donovan Sims’ 14 points.

No FIU player scored more than seven points. The Panthers are now 10-7 overall but 0-4 in Conference USA. They’ve lost three consecutive games.

The Blue Raiders host Southern Miss next Saturday at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles are 5-10 overall and have lost eight of their last 10. The game can be seen on ESPN Plus.