By GREG MENGELT

The second-ranked Eagles are now 7-1 away from home and have won 11 games in row.

Lanesville (15-1) led 17-4 at the end of the first quarter and outscored the Highlanders 28-18 after halftime.

Freshman Hadley Crosier finished with 22 points, 7 deflections, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the win. She was 8 for 8 at the foul line.

The Eagles will look to make it 12 straight wins Tuesday when they host rival South Central (1-10) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

By GREG MENGELT

It’s a small slate Tuesday, but there are some good games and a couple of really interesting games.

In the Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Night, a pair of 6-3 teams meet in Hanover when Providence visits Southwestern. The game should set the tone for the sectional with the winner grabbing the mantle of sectional favorite.

Providence comes in having lost three of its last five, including a 51-39 defeat at Silver Creek in the championship game of the Silver Creek Holiday Tournament, while the Rebels have lost three of their last four after a 5-0 start.

In other action, two .500 teams meet when Rock Creek (4-4) goes to Corydon Central (5-5) to face a Panther team that recently captured the Perry-Spencer Holiday Tournament title.

Also, sectional rivals New Washington (2-7) and Christian Academy (5-5) will battle in New Wash and 6-3 Borden visits 5-3 Madison Shawe.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
PROVIDENCE (6-3) AT SOUTHWESTERN (6-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Delbert O. King Gymnasium, Southwestern H.S. (167 S. Main Cross St., Hanover)
• Coaches:
Providence — Ryan Miller (36-19 in third at Providence)
Southwestern — Zac Nussbaum (31-11 in third season at Southwestern)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Providence — No. 135, No. 21 Class 2A
Southwestern — No. 76, No. 7 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Providence — Lost at Silver Creek 51-39 (Dec. 29)
Southwestern — Lost to Warren Central (Ky.) 85-63 (Dec. 23)
• Last 20 years: Southwestern 3-1.
• Most recent meeting: March 6, 2021 — Southwestern 74, Providence 51 (Class 2A Southwestern Sectional championship)
• News & notes: Both teams have been in the AP poll most of the season, but both dropped out this week. … The Rebels and Pioneers played twice last season with Southwestern winning both contests by a combined 31 points. … The two teams have met in each of the last two postseasons with each team winning a game.
• John Harrell prediction: Southwestern 60, Providence 50.
• Sagarin projection: Southwestern by 10.
• Outlook: We fully expect the Pioneers to bounce back from the loss to Silver Creek.
• Greg’s pick: Providence 59, Southwestern 55.

ROCK CREEK (4-4) AT CORYDON CENTRAL (5-5)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Corydon Central H.S. (375 Country Club Rd., Corydon)
• Coaches:
Rock Creek — Chris Brown (352-285 in 26th season at Rock Creek)
Corydon Central — Joseph Hinton (26-31 in third season at Corydon)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Rock Creek — No. 199, No. 19 Class A
Corydon Central — No. 153, No. 40 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
Rock Creek — Lost to South Knox 47-39 (Dec. 30)
Corydon Central — Defeated Heritage Hills 65-57 (Dec. 29)
• Last 20 years: 1-1.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 5, 2021 — At Rock Creek 75, Corydon Central 68.
• News & notes: Corydon won three straight games to win the Perry-Spencer Invitational. The run has gotten the Panthers back to .500 after a 2-5 start to the season. … Rock Creek has lost three straight, all against Class 3A and 2A competition at the Daviess County Invitational.
• John Harrell prediction: Corydon Central by 10.
• Sagarin projection: Corydon Central 58, Rock Creek 49.
• Outlook: Corydon Central is on a roll and it will stay that way.
• Greg’s pick: Corydon Central 61, Rock Creek 45.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (5-5) AT NEW WASHINGTON (2-7)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: James Matthews Gymnasium (a.k.a. The Jim), New Washington H.S. (226 N. Highway 62, New Washington)
• Coaches:
CAI — Hayden Casey (14-22 in second season at CAI)
New Washington — Kyle Brown (11-22 in second season at New Wash)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
CAI — No. 243, No. 31 Class A
New Washington — No. 357, No. 70 Class A
• Most recent game:
CAI — Lost at Southridge 57-50 (Dec. 30)
New Washington — Lost to South Ripley 63-29 (Dec. 30)
• Last 20 years: CAI 19-8. The Warriors have won four straight vs. New Wash.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 5, 2020 — At CAI 60, New Washington 48.
• John Harrell prediction: CAI 65, New Washington 47.
• Sagarin projection: CAI by 14.
• Outlook: It’s been a struggle of late for New Wash, while CAI has proven it is significantly improved over last season.
• Greg’s pick: Christian Academy 63, New Washington 53.

BORDEN (6-3) AT SHAWE MEMORIAL (5-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Father Hilary Menny Gymnasium, Shawe H.S. (201 West State Street, Madison)
• Coaches:
Borden — Doc Nash (210-152 in 16th season at Borden)
Shawe — Dan Hambrick (15-36 in third season at Shawe)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Borden — No. 184, No. 16 Class A
Shawe — No. 374, No. 80 Class A
• Most recent game:
Borden — Defeated Crothersville 75-40 (Dec. 30)
Shawe — Won at Crothersville 57-52, OT (Dec. 27)
• Last 20 years: Shawe 7-4.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 27, 2019 — At Shawe 76, Borden 63.
• John Harrell prediction: Borden 69, Shawe 40.
• Sagarin projection: Borden by 24.
• Outlook: The records are similar. The resumes are not.
• Greg’s pick: Borden 70, Shawe 45.

By GREG MENGELT

It’s been a wild season for New Albany’s girls.

The 5-11 Bulldogs started the season 3-0 and 4-1 but has since dropped 10 of their last 11 games. Injuries crept up, and of course, there’s the Covid problem that everyone’s having.

The Bulldogs look to snap their current 3-game losing streak Tuesday when they host Eastern in the Hoosier Hills Hoops Girls’ Basketball Game of the Day.

The Musketeers are 9-6 but have lost three of their last four, including a 39-point loss Monday at East to kick off the 2022 portion of their schedule. Eastern is 8-1 against Class 2A and Class A teams and 1-5 against 3A & 4A competition.

“Our numbers are pretty low right now but we are looking forward to seeing how some of our other players step up and take advantage of the opportunity to get some more quality minutes,” New Albany second-year head coach Shelby Gliebe said. “This game will be a good test for us.”

With the shorter rosters than usual, this will be a varsity-only event and will tip off at 6 p.m.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
EASTERN (9-6) AT NEW ALBANY (5-11)
• Time: 6 p.m.
• Location: Doghouse, New Albany H.S. (1020 Vincennes Street, New Albany)
• Coaches:
Eastern — Michael McBride (228-121 in 15th season at Eastern)
New Albany — Shelby Gliebe (11-27 in second season at New Albany, 15-46 in third season overall)
• Rankings:
Eastern — No. 15 ICGSA (Class 2A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Eastern — No. 97, No. 17 Class 2A
New Albany — No. 143, No. 59 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Eastern — Lost at Columbus East 78-39 (Jan. 3)
New Albany — Lost at Evansville Memorial 54-28 (Dec. 30)
• Last 20 years: New Albany 4-3. Eastern has won two of the last three meetings vs. the Bulldogs.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 25, 2020 — At Eastern 55, New Albany 38.
• News & notes: This is a varsity-only event, scheduled for 6 p.m. … New Albany is 1-10 in its last 11 games. …
• John Harrell prediction: Eastern 46, New Albany 44.
• Sagarin projection: Eastern by 2.
• Outlook: Tough turnaround for Eastern after playing Seymour — another HHC team — on the road last night.
• Greg’s pick: New Albany 47, Eastern 44.

SOUTH CENTRAL (1-10, 1-2 SAC) AT LANESVILLE (15-1, 3-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Lanesville H.S. (2725 Crestview Ave. NE, Lanesville)
• Coaches:
South Central — Lynne Thomas (4-44 in third season at South Central)
Lanesville — Angie Hinton (77-16 in fourth season at Lanesville, 250-89 in 15th season overall)
• Rankings:
Lanesville — No. 2 ICGSA (Class A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
South Central — No. 375, No. 84 Class A
Lanesville — No. 50, No. 2 Class A
• Most recent game:
South Central — Lost to Christian Academy 44-28 (Dec. 29)
Lanesville — Won at Floyd Central 49-32 (Dec. 30)
• Last 20 years: South Central 33-4. Lanesville has won the last three rivalry games against the Rebels.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 5, 2021 — Lanesville 90, at South Central 25.
• News & notes: Lanesville will clinch a share of the SAC title with a win tonight. … Hinton won her career 250th game with the Eagles’ win at Floyd Central on Thursday.
• John Harrell prediction: Lanesville 86, South Central 13.
• Sagarin projection: Lanesville by 69.
• Outlook: It’ll be one-sided.
• Greg’s pick: Lanesville 68, South Central 18.

SCOTTSBURG (9-7) AT SEYMOUR (8-6)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Shoals H.S. Auxiliary Gym (7900 US Hwy. 50, Shoals)
• Coaches:
Scottsburg — Carrie Daniels (17-22 in second season at Scottsburg, 120-78 in seventh season overall)
Seymour — Jason Longmeier (120-98 in 10th season at Seymour, 154-148 in 14th season overall)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Scottsburg — No. 96, No. 28 Class 3A
Seymour — No. 103, No. 50 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Scottsburg — Lost to Chatard 43-36 (Dec. 29)
Seymour — Defeated Rushville 53-46 (Dec. 23)
• Last 20 years: Seymour 12-5.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 5, 2021 — Seymour 54, at Scottsburg 51.
• News & notes: The Warriorettes have alternated wins and losses since Nov. 26. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. … Seymour has a current winning streak of three games. Earlier in the season, the Owls went on a 5-game winning streak. They’ve also had losing streaks of 2 and 4.
• John Harrell prediction: Seymour 50, Scottsburg 49.
• Sagarin projection: Seymour by 3.
• Outlook: This could go either way, but Seymour is a tough place for visitors to win.
• Greg’s pick: Seymour 51, Scottsburg 50 (For the record, we make our picks before looking at John Harrell’s prediction).

AUSTIN (5-8) AT CRAWFORD COUNTY (5-10)
• Time: 6 p.m.
• Location: Ron Ferguson Gymnasium, Crawford County H.S. (1130 South State Road 66, Marengo)
• Coaches:
Austin — Jared Petersen (236-172 in 17th season at Austin)
Crawford County — Christopher Broughton (116-92 in ninth season at Crawford)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Austin — No. 195, No. 42 Class 2A
Crawford County — No. 202, No. 46 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Austin — Won at Borden 59-37 (Dec. 28)
Crawford County — Won at Henryville 52-20 (Dec. 28)
• Last 20 years: Crawford County 5-1. The Wolfpack have won five straight against Austin.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 2, 2021 — Crawford County 48, Austin 37 (Class 2A Eastern Sectional, first round).
• News & notes: After a 1-7 start, Austin has won four of its last five games. Crawford started the season 0-7 but has since won five of its last eight.
• John Harrell prediction: Crawford County 45, Austin 42.
• Sagarin projection: Crawford County by 3.
• Outlook: Both teams have been playing their best basketball of late, but Austin has proven it can beat decent teams on the road.
• Greg’s pick: Austin 48, Crawford County 40.

HENRYVILLE (5-8, 1-1) AT CROTHERSVILLE (2-7, 0-2)
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Crothersville H.S. (109 S. Preston St., Crothersville)
• Coaches:
Henryville — Tuesday Guernsey (20-35 in third season at Henryville)
Crothersville — Kevin Hensley (115-166 in 13th season at Crothersville)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Henryville — No. 335, No. 84 Class 2A
Crothersville — No. 364, No. 79 Class A
• Most recent game:
Henryville — Lost to Crawford County 52-20 (Dec. 28)
Crothersville — Lost at South Central 51-41 (Dec. 9)
• Last 20 years: Henryville 14-8.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 14, 2020 — At Henryville 37, Crothersville 36.
• News & notes: Henryville’s 3-game winning streak was snapped last Tuesday by Crawford County. … The Tigers haven’t played in almost a month. Their last game was Dec. 9.
• John Harrell prediction: Henryville 45, Crothersville 38.
• Sagarin projection: Henryville by 14.
• Outlook: Even on the road, the Hornets should get their second conference win of the season.
• Greg’s pick: Henryville 49, Crothersville 34.

SALEM (8-4) AT VINCENNES RIVET (11-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Holscher Gymnasium (210 Barnett St., Vincennes)
• Coaches:
Salem — Jerry Hickey (145-69 in ninth season at Salem)
Rivet — Rick Marshall (96-22 in fifth season at Rivet, 462-122 in 25th season overall)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Salem — No. 63, No. 16 Class 3A
Rivet — No. 99, No. 7 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Salem — Defeated New Albany 64-55 (Dec. 22)
Rivet — Defeated Jasper 51-42 (Dec. 29)
• Last 20 years: No meetings.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 5, 2021 — At Salem 86, Jeffersonville 38.
• John Harrell prediction: Salem 50, Rivet 44.
• Sagarin projection: Salem by 4.
• Outlook: Salem scrambled to get a new opponent and found a good one. Long drive but good competition.
• Greg’s pick: Salem 59, Rivet 54.

By GREG MENGELT

There’s a rare Monday game and it’s a good one. Two ranked teams — Eastern (9-5) and Columbus East (11-3) — will battle at the Orange Pit in Columbus.

Eastern is No. 15 in the latest Class 2A Indiana Girls Coaches Association poll, while East is No. 11 in Class 4A and No. 17 in the single-class Indiana Basketball Coaches Association poll.

Both teams have lost two of their last three games going into the contest.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
EASTERN (9-5) AT COLUMBUS EAST (11-3)
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Location: The Orange Pit, East H.S. (230 S. Marr Rd., Columbus)
• Coaches:
Eastern — Michael McBride (228-120 in 15th season at Eastern)
East — Danny Brown (285-154 in 19th season at East, 343-182 in 23rd season overall)
• Rankings:
Eastern — No. 15 AP (Class 2A).
East — No. 17 IBCA (single class); No. 11 ICGSA (Class 4A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Eastern — No. 102, No. 17 Class 2A
East — No. 17, No. 15 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Eastern — Lost to Corydon Central 57-40 (Niehaus Lumber Classic, final round, Dec. 29)
East — Lost to Zionsville 76-59 (Dec. 29)
• Last 20 years: East 2-0.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 4, 2021 — At Columbus East 42, Eastern 30.
• News & notes: Eastern went 1-2 at the tournament in Vincennes. Before the loss to conference-rival Corydon, the Musketeers lost to Evansville Mater Dei 49-43 and beat the host Patriots 38-29. … The Olympians started the season 10-1 but suffered losses to Ben Davis (74-53) and Zionsville (76-59) in the last two weeks.
• John Harrell prediction: East 60, Eastern 36.
• Sagarin projection: East by 26.
• Outlook: Eastern’s defense is too good to get beat too badly … even on the road.
• Greg’s pick: East 51, Eastern 39.

By GREG MENGELT

There wasn’t much action locally in the latest Indiana Basketball Coaches Association poll, which was released Sunday.

Floyd Central (6-2) received votes after going 1-1 last week. The Highlanders defeated Avon and took a 3-point loss against No. 19 Pike (5-1) at an invitational in Indy.

Regionally, Bloomington North (7-3), Bloomington South (7-4), Evansville Reitz (5-1) and Linton-Stockton (10-1) received votes in the single-class poll.

Things have been interesting at the top of the poll all season. No different this week after previous-No. 1 Zionsville (8-1) suffered its first loss of the season. Carmel (8-2) is the new No. 1 and received half of the 20 first-place votes. The defending state champion Greyhounds started the season 2-2, fell completely out of the poll, has won six straight and is now back on top.

Fishers (11-1) got seven first-place votes and is No. 2. The top three are all from Hamilton County with Westfield (6-2) coming in at No. 3. Zionsville fell to No. 3 and got three first-place votes.

Chesterton (9-0), Cathedral (7-3), Brebeuf (8-1), Homestead (8-4), Valparaiso (9-2) and Tech (9-2) round out the top 10. Tech won the Jefferson County Invitational in Madison last week and Cathedral visits New Albany (4-4) on Saturday.

INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes) Record
1. Carmel (10) 8-2, 2. Fishers (7) 11-1, 3. Westfield 6-2, 4. Zionsville (3) 8-1, 5. Chesterton 9-0, 6. Cathedral 7-3, 7. Brebeuf 8-1, 8. Homestead 8-4, 9. Valparaiso 9-2, 10. Indianapolis Tech 9-2, 11. Ben Davis 6-2, 12. Lawrence North 5-2, 13. Mishawaka Marian 8-1, Penn 7-0, 15. North Central 6-2, 16. Central Noble 9-0, 17. Terre Haute North 11-0, 18. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 6-1, 19. Pike 5-1, 20. Fort Wayne Blackhawk 9-0.
Others receiving votes: Anderson 5-2, Bloomfield 9-1, Bloomington North 7-3, Bloomington South 7-4, Carroll (Flora) 8-0, Connersville 9-3, Evansville Reitz 5-1, Floyd Central 6-2, Goshen 7-1, Lafayette Jefferson 9-1, Leo 6-1, Linton-Stockton 10-1, Monroe Central 8-0, NorthWood 10-1, Tindley 4-3, Warren Central 5-4.

NOTE: Records as of Sunday.

By GREG MENGELT

With chaos at the top of the poll, Silver Creek remained steady in the latest single-class Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Poll, released Sunday.

The 15-1 Dragons are No. 10 for the third straight week after winning the Vincennes Invitational with a pair of easy wins against Franklin Central and the host Alices. Silver Creek hosts rival Salem on Saturday. The two programs have dominated the Mid-Southern Conference in the last half-decade.

Lanesville was the only other local team to receive votes in the poll. The Eagles, who were No. 2 in the last Class A poll, are 15-1 and riding an 11-game winning streak heading into Tuesday’s rivalry game against South Central (1-10).

Homestead is No. 1 but not by much. Five different teams received No. 1 votes after the top team in the poll has lost the last two weeks. Homestead got three of the 20 first-place votes, No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence (15-1) got four, No. 3 Crown Point (13-2) got the most with eight, No. 4 Franklin garnered four and No. 6 Noblesville got one. South Bend Washington is No. 5.

Regionally, sectional rivals East Central (11-3) Columbus East (11-3) are Nos. 16 and 17, respectively. Jennings County, Evansville North and Washington received votes.

INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes) Record
1. Homestead (3) 12-1, 2. Bedford North Lawrence (4) 15-1, 3. Crown Point (8) 13-2, 4. Franklin (4) 17-1, 5. South Bend Washington 15-2, 6. Noblesville (1) 14-3, 7. Westfield 13-3, 8. Fishers 12-3, 9. North Central 13.4, 10. Silver Creek 15-1, 11. Lake Central 13-3, 12. Benton Central 17-0, 13. Mishawaka Marian 13-3, 14. Columbia City 14-0, 15. Fort Wayne Snider 10-2, 16. East Central 11-3, 17. Columbus East 11-3, 18. Zionsville 11-5, 19. Valparaiso 12-3, 20. Garrett 14-1.
Others receiving votes: Ben Davis 10-5, Carmel 8-6, Evansville North 10-2, Fairfield 13-1, Fort Wayne Northrop 7-3, Hamilton Southeastern 10-6, Jac-Cen-Del 12-3, Jennings County 11-3, Lafayette Central Catholic 12-3, Lanesville 15-1, Northridge 14-3, Penn 10-6, Triton Central 14-2, Waldron 14-1, Warren Central 7-7, Warsaw 11-5, Washington 13-3, Winchester 14-1.

NOTE: Records as of Sunday.