By GREG MENGELT

TERRE HAUTE — Behind the play of Ty Houston and Matt Munoz, Hanover picked up a big Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference road win Wednesday, 73-66 at Rose-Hulman.

The loss was Rose-Hulman’s second this season and its first conference defeat. The Panthers and Fightin’ Engineers are now tied at 3-1 in the league standings. Hanover’s victory at Hulbert Arena makes Defiance (Ohio) the league’s only unbeaten team. Defiance beat the Panthers 74-73 on Saturday. That’s the Panthers’ only loss of the season to date.

Houston, a junior forward from Union, Ky., had a game-high and season-high 25 points to lead all scorers. He was 7 for 13 from the field, 5 of 9 from the 3-point line and made six of his eight free throw attempts. Houston had a double-double with 10 rebounds and also had a pair of assists.

Munoz, a sophomore from Indianapolis (Southport), went 9 for 12 from the field and contributed 21 points, 6 rebounds, an assist and a steal to the victory.

New Albany graduate Isaac Hibbard (senior guard) and sophomore guard Max Greenmoyer (Zionsville/University) scored 8 points apiece. Hibbard had a game-high 9 assists to go along with 5 rebounds. Former Christian Academy standout Noah Williams finished with 5 points off the Panther bench.

Hanover jumped out to an early 14-5 lead following a Greenmoyer jumper with 14:36 left in the first half. The Engineers countered with an 18-5 run to go up 23-19. Munoz put Hanover ahead 30-29 with a jumper with 3:33 before the break. Rose-Hulman closed the half on a modest 6-2 spurt to lead 35-32 at the half.

The Engineers went ahead 47-38 early in the second half before the Panthers made their move. A 12-2 run — capped by a Williams 3-pointer — gave Hanover a 50-49 lead with 12:34 remaining. The Panthers led the rest of the way but needed clutch free throws from Williams and Houston to close out the win.

Hanover (6-1) was 13 for 26 from the field in the first half and 13 for 26 in the second half. Led by Hibbard’s 9, the Panthers assisted on 16 of 26 baskets.

Sophomore forward Dillon Duff (Fort Wayne/Snider) led a balanced Rose-Hulman attack with 15 points. Samvit Ram (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Max Chaplin (Carmel/Brebeuf) finished with 11 apiece in the loss.

The Panthers go to Kalamazoo (Mich.) for a non-conference game Monday. The Hornets are 3-6 and have lost three of their last four.

By GREG MENGELT

OXFORD, Miss. — In a defensive struggle, Mississippi pulled away from Josh Jefferson and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 62-52 Wednesday at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.

In the loss, Jefferson had 8 points — the most by any Middle Tennessee (8-3) starter — to go along with 4 points, 3 assists and a steal. The former New Albany star and Green Bay transfer was 3 for 4 inside the 3-point arc but missed all 6 of his 3-point attempts in the loss.

The Middle Tennessee bench outscored its starters 28-26. Freshman guard Teafale Lenard led the Raiders with 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Sophomore guard Camryn Weston added 9 points for Middle Tennessee, which shot just 34.9 percent (22 of 63) from the field and made just 3 of its 27 3-pointers (11.1 percent) in the loss.

Even with the poor shooting, the Blue Raiders led 16-15 with 6:21 left in the first half and trailed just 27-24 at halftime. Middle Tennessee never led in the second half but a Lenard dunk with 7:42 left got the Raiders within 50-46.

Ole Miss (7-3) was led by a pair of 12-points scorers — senior center Nysier Brooks and freshman guard Daeshun Ruffin. The Rebels shot just 36.7 percent (22 of 60) and were just 5 of 21 from deep (23.8 percent). They forced 17 Middle Tennessee turnovers. The Raiders held Mississippi stars Jarkel Joiner and Jaemyn Brakefield to just 19 points combined.

Jefferson and the Blue Raiders look to return home — and to their winning ways — Sunday when they host Coastal Carolina (6-3) at 3 p.m. at the Murphy Center. The Chanticleers have won four of their last five, including a 34-point win over South Carolina on Dec. 1.

By GREG MENGELT

Hill (Louisville/Southern), senior guard Jared Osborne (Mt. Washington, Ky./Bullitt East) and junior guard Anthony Wales Jr. (Louisville/Mineral Area) combined for 53 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists and all three shot 50 percent or better in the home win.

Hill was 7 for 12 from the field and made both of his 3-point attempts in the final 20 minutes. IUS is now 3-3 in the River States Conference.

The Grenadiers led 26-2 before the Might Oaks (1-12, 1-4) scored the first five points of the second half to take a 30-26 lead. A layup by sophomore forward Richard Lang (Indianapolis/Central State) gave IU Southeast the lead and started an 8-1 run that ended with a Hill 3-pointer.

The Oaks kept the game close but Hill scored four consecutive points to give the Grenadiers a 56-49 lead with 5:26 left. An Osborne layup a minute later made it 58-49 and Oakland City got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

IU Southeast scored 45 points after halftime.

Oakland City, which has now lost 10 straight games, was led by junior forward Allen Sims (Euclid, Ohio) and senior center Nathaniel Schmittler (Albion, Ill.) with 15 points apiece.

IUS has 15 days off before coming back after Christmas to face Bethel (7-6) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 29. The Pilots have lost three of their last four, including a 106-79 defeat at the hands of Judson last Saturday. It’s the Grenadiers’ final game of 2021.

By GREG MENGELT

Very quietly the Charlestown Pirates are 8-2. They’re not just 8-2. They’re a very good 8-2.

Charlestown’s only losses have come at Jennings County — and the Pirates were right there against one of the area’s top 4A teams — and against defending Class 3A state champion Silver Creek.

It was the Silver Creek loss that kind of quieted the talk about the Pirates’ excellent start. Charlestown coach Scott Matthews said his young team was “intimated” by a Silver Creek team that got “right up in our butts.”

That’s why playing a Jeffersonville team that also has the ability to get into teams defensively will be a good test for the Pirates, Matthews said.

“I really like our ball club. The Jeff game will be good fo us,” he said of Tuesday’s Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Night. “One hurdle we’ve got to get over is being able to handle defensive pressure. It’s what Silver Creek did to us and what Jeff’s going to do (Tuesday). Any other style I think we can handle. That’s why we schedule teams like Jeff.”

Matthews feels like his team is just a bit behind Silver Creek, Salem and Corydon Central at this point in the season, but he believes his team can get to that level.

“We’re close but we still have some ground to cover,” he said. “Jeffersonville will be a really good test just because of the athleticism they put on the table.”

TUESDAY’S GIRLS’ GAMES
GAME OF THE NIGHT
CHARLESTOWN (8-2) AT JEFFERSONVILLE (7-5)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: William S. Johnson Arena, Jeffersonville H.S. (2315 Allison Ln., Jeffersonville)
• Coaches:
Charlestown — Scott Matthews (74-54 in sixth season at Charlestown)
Jeffersonville — Missy Voyles (13-17 in second season at Jeff, 283-131 in 18th season overall)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Charlestown — No. 73, No. 19 Class 3A
Jeffersonville — No. 69, No. 44 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Charlestown — Defeated Henryville 72-19 (Dec. 9)
Jeffersonville — Lost at Columbus East (Dec. 11)
• Last 20 years: Jeffersonville 8-2. The Red Devils have a 4-game winning streak against Charlestown.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 16 — Jeffersonville 51, at Charlestown 38.
• News & notes: Demaria King was named the WPMQ Defensive Player of the Game following the Pirates’ win over Scottsburg. Kennedy Coleman scored 17 points and Tatum McFarland had 16 for Charlestown in the victory. … Charlestown will play twice on Tuesday, Dec. 28 in the first day of the Cheatham Classic at Meyer Gym. The Pirates will face Chatard (3-5) at 10 a.m. then against Lawrenceburg (8-4) at 1:30 p.m. Charlestown will face either East Central (6-1), Bloomington South (1-9) or the host Warriorettes (7-4) in the final round of Dec. 29. … Elle Marble and Cadence Singleton scored 14 points apiece in Jeff’s loss at East on Saturday. … The Red Devils allowed the Olympians to score at least 18 points in all four quarters of the HHC matchup.
• John Harrell prediction: Jeffersonville 46, Charlestown 45.
• Sagarin projection: Jeff by 5.
• Outlook: Harrell and Sagarin like Jeff, but don’t be surprised if the Pirates win this one … even at Johnson Arena. (Either way, this promises to be a very competitive game.)
• Greg’s pick: Charlestown 53, Jeffersonville 48.

SCOTTSBURG (7-4, 2-3 MSC) AT SILVER CREEK (11-0, 3-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Silver Creek H.S. (557 Renz Ave., Sellersburg)
• Coaches:
Scottsburg — Carrie Daniels (15-19 in second season at Scottsburg, 118-75 in seventh season overall)
Silver Creek — Scott Schoen (166-108 in 12th season at Silver Creek)
• Rankings:
Silver Creek — No. 9 IBCA (single class); No. 2 AP (Class 3A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Scottsburg — No. 110, No. 30 Class 3A
Silver Creek — No. 26, No. 6 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
Scottsburg — Won at New Albany 66-57 (Dec. 9)
Silver Creek — Defeated Louisville Central 66-49 (Dec. 11)
• Last 20 years: Scottsburg 16-7. Silver Creek has beaten 2 the Warriorettes the last two times they’ve played.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 15, 2020 — Silver Creek 47, at Scottsburg 35.
• News & notes: The Wariorettes outscored New Albany 23-7 in the third quarter Thursday to turn a 34-26 halftime deficit into a 49-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. … Scottsburg will play twice on Tuesday, Dec. 28 in the first day of the Cheatham Classic at Meyer Gym. The Warriorettes will face a very good East Central (6-1) team at 11:45 a.m. before closing the day with a 6:45 p.m. tilt with Bloomington South (1-9). Scottsburg will face either Lawrenceburg (8-4), Chatard (3-5) or Charlestown (8-2) in the final round of Dec. 29. … Silver Creek has the longest winning streak in the state at 21 games. Class 3A No. 10 Edgewood and Class 3A No. 4 Benton Central are tied for the second-longest at 11. … The Dragons had four players in double figures — Kynidi Mason-Striverson and Sydney Sierota with 18 apiece, Lacey Tingle with 15 and Emme Rooney with 11 in the Dragons’ win over Central. … Creek outscored the Yellow Jackets 21-5 in the second quarter to take control en course to its 21st straight win.
• John Harrell prediction: Silver Creek 61, Scottsburg 38.
• Sagarin projection: Scottsburg by 19.
• Outlook: The Warriorettes will definitely cause a problem, but Silver Creek should prevail once again.
• Greg’s pick: Silver Creek 65, Scottsburg 50.

CORYDON CENTRAL (11-1) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (1-6)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: South Central H.S. Main Gym (6675 E. Hwy. 11 S.E., Elizabeth)
• Coaches:
Corydon Central — Josh Conrad (21-12 in second season at Corydon, 140-105 in 11th season overall)
South Central — Lynne Thomas (4-40 in third season at South Central)
• Rankings:
Corydon Central — No. 14 AP (Class 3A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Corydon Central — No. 63, No. 14 Class 3A
South Central — No. 376, No. 83 Class A
• Most recent game:
Corydon Central — Defeated Salem 48-44 (Dec. 10)
South Central — Defeated Crothersville 51-41 (Dec. 9)
• Last 20 years: Corydon Central 16-4. The Panthers have won 4 straight in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 20, 2020 — At Corydon Central 73, South Central 23.
• News & notes: The Panthers shot 50 percent from the field (17 of 34) and made 9 of their 14 free throws in their big 4-point MSC win over Salem on Friday. … Corydon had four players with at least eight points in the victory over the Lions — Freshman Josie Vaughn led the way with 15, junior Bailey Orme had 11, sophomore Jaiden Cantrell finished with 9 and junior Ava Weber had 8 in the win. … Kendall Kiper scored 12 of the Rebels’ 25 points in Tuesday’s loss at Providence.
• John Harrell prediction: Corydon Central 79, South Central 13.
• Sagarin projection: Corydon Central by 57.
• Outlook: When you’re as good as South Central was for so many years, it leads to a tougher schedule than is needed or wanted for later teams. This one isn’t going to be pretty.
• Greg’s pick: Corydon 67, South Central 22.

AUSTIN (2-8) AT PROVIDENCE (2-8)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Larkin Center, Our Lady of Providence (707 Providence Way, Clarksville)
• Coaches:
Austin — Jared Petersen (233-172 in 17th season at Austin)
Providence — Brad Burden (161-156 in 14th season at Providence)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Austin — No. 228, No. 54 Class 2A
Providence — No. 314, No. 78 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Austin — Lost to Brownstown 44-28 (Dec. 11)
Providence — Lost at Borden 30-25 (Dec. 11)
• Last 20 years: Austin 17-8. The Eagles have won 3 of the last 4 against Providence.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 15, 2020 — At Austin 56, Providence 32.
• News & notes: The two head coaches have 394 wins between them in 29-plus combined seasons as their programs’ head coach. They’ve also won 44 tournament games, 8 sectionals and 5 regionals combined. … The Pioneers were within a point of Borden at the end of three quarters in their 5-point loss Saturday. Erica Voelker led Providence with 9 points.
• John Harrell prediction: Austin 46, Providence 34.
• Sagarin projection: Austin by 11.
• Outlook: We think Austin has the better team, but these teams’ results are a little hard to read.
• Greg’s pick: Austin 48, Providence 41.

CLARKSVILLE (2-9) AT PAOLI (5-5)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Paoli H.S. (501 Elm St., Paoli)
• Coaches:
Clarksville — Amanda Carmichael (10-25 in second season at Clarksville, 70-119 in ninth season overall)
Paoli — Donavan Crews (15-11 in second season at Paoli)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Clarksville — No. 372, No. 96 Class 2A
Paoli — No. 172, No. 37 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Clarksville — Lost at Rock Creek 46-24 (Dec. 9)
Paoli — Won at Orleans 61-18 (Dec. 9)
• Last 20 years: Paoli 4-1. The Rams have won the last 4 vs. Clarksville.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 10, 2015 — Paoli 76, Clarksville 31 (Class 2A Paoli Sectional first round)
• News & notes: The Generals and Rams haven’t played in the regular season since 2006 in the Henryville Tipoff Tournament.
• John Harrell prediction: Paoli 64, Clarksville 17.
• Sagarin projection: Paoli by 46.
• Outlook: The Rams are pretty good and should win going away.
• Greg’s pick: Paoli 54, Clarksville 25.

WEST WASHINGTON (6-4) AT ORLEANS (2-8)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Orleans H.S. (200 W. Wilson St., Orleans)
• Coaches:
West Washington — Matthew Myers (14-19 in second season at West Washington)
Orleans — Jared Gilbert (59-65 in sixth season at Orleans)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
West Washington — No. 287, No. 47 Class A
Orleans — No. 321, No. 61 Class A
• Most recent game:
West Washington — Lost at Eastern 52-15 (Dec. 9)
Orleans — Lost to Paoli 61-18 (Dec. 9)
• Last 20 years: Orleans 15-8. West Washington has won 5 of their last 6 showdowns with the Bulldogs.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 15, 2020 — Orleans 46, at West Washington 35.
• John Harrell prediction: West Washington 38,Orleans 36.
• Sagarin projection: West Washington by 1.
• Outlook: West Washington is better, but it’s never easy to win games on the road.
• Greg’s pick: West Washington 42, Orleans 35.

TODAY’S BOYS GAMES
GAME OF THE NIGHT
SOUTHWESTERN (4-0) AT CLARKSVILLE (2-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Borden Junior-Senior H.S. (301 West St., Borden)
• Coaches:
Southwestern — Zac Nussbaum (29-8 in third season at Southwestern)
Clarksville — Kyle Hankins (2-3 in first season at Borden)
• Rankings:
Southwestern — No. 16 AP (Class 2A).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Southwestern — No. 68, No. 7 Class 2A
Clarksville — No. 271, No. 65 Class 2A
• Most recent game:
Southwestern — Defeated Batesville 68-52 (Dec. 11)
Clarksville — Lost to Eastern 84-57 (Dec. 11)
• Last 20 years: Clarksville 12-8. Southwestern has won the last 4 vs. the Generals.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 9 — At Southwestern 61, Clarksville 55.
• News & notes: Senior Dakota Capps scored 29 of Clarksville’s 57 points in Saturday’s 27-point home loss to Eastern. … The Generals surrendered 70 points through three quarters to the Musketeers. … Parker Davis had an incredible night on Dec. 3 against Shawe when the Rebels won 83-36. Davis finished with 18 points — on 8 of 9 shooting — and 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He followed that performance with 26 points (on 9 of 12 shooting), 7 rebounds and 2 assists in the Rebels’ 16-point win over Batesville on Dec. 11. … Four player scored at least 8 points in the Rebels’ 50-31 win over East on Dec. 4. Mitch Mingione led the way with 14.
• John Harrell prediction: Southwestern 69, Clarksville 45.
• Sagarin projection: Southwestern by 19.
• Outlook: Don’t be surprised if Clarksville give the unbeaten Rebels is a pretty big test.
• Greg’s pick: Southwestern 67, Clarksville 63.

NEW WASHINGTON (1-1) AT SALEM (1-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Brooks Memorial Gymnasium, Salem H.S. (700 N. Harrison St., Salem)
• Coaches:
New Washington — Kyle Brown (10-16 in second season at New Washington)
Salem — Duane Malloy (1-3 in first season at Salem)
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
New Washington — No. 312, No. 58 Class A 47
Salem — No. 291, No. 80 Class 3A
• Most recent game:
New Washington — Won at Shawe 57-45 (Nov. 27)
Salem — Lost at Mitchell 75-63 (Dec. 11)
• Last 20 years: Salem 2-1.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 15, 2020 — At New Washington 53, Salem 52 (OT).
• News & notes: New Washington’s game against Christian Academy has been rescheduled for Jan. 4 and its game against Rock Creek has been rescheduled to Jan. 15.
• John Harrell prediction: Salem 55, New Washington 48.
• Sagarin projection: Salem by 8.
• Outlook: This New Wash team is going to keep getting better and better. That might include a big road win Tuesday.
• Greg’s pick: New Washington 53, Salem 48.

By GREG MENGELT

Eastern senior Cade Jones isn’t only the Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Player of the Week, he arguably had the best week any player in the 5-county area has had early in the year.

On Friday, Jones put his name in the ring for the honor with a 16-point, 6-rebound, 2-assist performance. He only played three quarters because Jones and the 4-1 Musketeers were up so big in the 56-24 victory.

On Saturday, Jones made the Player of the Week Award a 1-man race. No runner-up. No honorable mention. (Some of the top players of the week were honored in the single-game Performance of the Week category.) In Eastern’s 84-57 win over Clarksville. Jones finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Again, he only played three quarters.

“Cade has a knack for scoring,” Eastern second-year coach Chandler Prible said. “He can score at all three levels and requires opponents to key in on him each and every night. He’s consistent and puts a lot of work into his game to play at a high level on a nightly basis.”

Jones averaged 28 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists for the week. He was 19 for 38 from the field (50 percent) and made 9 of his 15 3-point attempts (60a percent) for the week. He was also 9 for 10 from the foul line.

By GREG MENGELT

Freshman Elle Richardson has made quite a splash for the legendary Scottsburg Warriorettes.

Richardson averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 assists as Scottsburg went 1-1 to become the Hoosier Hills Hoops Girls’ Basketball Player of the Week.

Richardson started the week with a 22-point, 5-rebound, 3-assist outing against Charlestown. She was 8 for 10 from the field in Thursday’s 44-36 defeat.

In Saturday’s 66-57 win over New Albany, Richardson finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. She went 6 for 6 from the line down the stretch to help the Warriorettes hold off the Bulldogs.

“Ellie continues to improve and play with confidence,” Scottsburg coach Carrie Daniels said. “We are asking a lot of her, but she is one of those players that is very capable. Ellie runs the point for us, at times is asked to guard the opposing team’s best player and we need her to score. She also does a great job of helping lead our team vocally.”

Richardson and the Warriorettes go to Silver Creek on Tuesday for a big Mid-Southern Conference contest.

WEEK’S TOP PERFORMERS
• Hadley Crosier, Lanesville: The freshman guard had 12 points, 7 assists, 7 steals and 3 rebounds in the win over in the Eagles’ 59-16 SAC victory over Borden and 13 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in the Eagles’ 59-16 SAC victory over Borden on Saturday.
• Josie Vaughn, Corydon Central: Vaughn had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists as the Panthers defeated Austin 58-37 then put up a 15-point, 5-steal, 4-assist stat line in Corydon’s 48-44 MSC victory over Salem.
• Linzie Wernert, Lanesville: Lanesville’s junior forward had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in Thursday’s win over Paoli then had a 17-point, 6-steal, 5-rebound outing as the Eagles beat Borden. She was 7 for 11 from the field in Saturday’s conference victory.