By GREG MENGELT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Freshman Langdon Hatton tied a career-high with 17 points at Navy, but his Williams & Mary Tribe took a 75-56 defeat Wednesday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis.

Hatton, a 6-foot-10 forward from North Harrison, went 7 for 17 from the field, including connecting on one of his two 3-point attempts, and made both of his free throws. Hatton, who is averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in his collegiate debut, had three rebounds and a steal for the Tribe, who shot just 36.5 percent from the field (19 of 52) and made just 5 of 18 shots behind the 3-point arc (27.8 percent).

Freshman guard Tyler Rice added 16 points and sophomore forward Ben Wight had 12 points and 13 boards for William & Mary.

“There are a lot of positives we can build off,” William & Mary coach Dane Fischer said. “I thought Ben Wight and Langdon Hatton playing together was a really good look for us and helped establish ourselves down low.”

Navy (6-2), which was led by 16 points from senior John Carter Jr., outscored the Tribe 39-26 in the second half. The Midshipmen bench outscored William & Mary’s 28-1.

William & Mary (1-7) goes to Davidson (5-2) in search of Win No. 2 Saturday. The Wildcats have won four straight, including a 75-68 win at Charlotte on Tuesday. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Hatton and the Tribe can be seen on ESPN Plus.

By GREG MENGELT

HANOVER — Hanover forced 21 turnovers and held Anderson to 27.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line for a 67-52 victory in both teams’ Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener Wednesday evening at John Collier Arena.

Hanover improved 4-0 on the season.

Hanover shot 53.7 percent from the field (29 of 54) — 62.5 percent in the second half — and made four of its five 3-point attempts in the second half of the victory. Sophomore forward Matt Munoz (Southport) led the efficient Panther offense with a 9-for-10, 23-point outing. Munoz made all three of his 3-point shots and both of his free throws.

Junior forward Jack Wininger (North Daviess) was 5 for 5 from the floor for 11 points. He connected on his only 3-point attempt.

New Albany graduate Isaac Hibbard finished with 7 points. The Hanover senior was 3 of 8 from the field and 1 of 4 from the foul line. Former Christian Academy star Noah Williams, also a senior, contributed 4 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes off the Panther bench.

Hanover scored the game’s first seven points but went cold and let the Ravens get within a point at 18-17 with 5:55 to go in the half. The Panthers closed the half on a 12-7 run for a 30-24 halftime edge.

A Munoz layup with 15 minutes left gave the Panthers their largest lead at 39-29, but the Ravens answered with a 10-2 run to get within 2 points with 13:06 remaining. A Hibbard layup at the 9:04 mark stretched the lead back to 5 before Williams scored in the paint to give the Panthers a 52-45 edge with 8:14 left. Although Anderson kept the game close most of the way, Winninger essentially put the game away with a 3-pointer that gave the Panthers a 60-49 lead with 4:15 left.

Senior Maurice Knight (Frankton) had a game-high 21 points for Anderson, which won had won four of its five games coming into Wednesday’s contest.

Hanover hosts Bluffton on Saturday in its next HCAC contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Collier Arena.

By GREG MENGELT

It hasn’t always been pretty for Floyd Central in 2021-22. Although the Highlanders have been consistently strong the defensive end of the floor, they have struggled to score at times.

Floyd (2-4) hosts Madison (4-3) in Wednesday’s Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Night. The Cubs started 0-2 but have won four of their last five, including a 69-28 victory over county-rival Southwestern (2-5) the day before Thanksgiving.

After putting up 71 points against Evansville Harrison in a 43-point win, the Highlanders have scored 56 points in their last two games combined against two of the top teams from a very strong Mid-Southern Conference.

Floyd Central coach Randy Gianfagna has liked his team’s effort so far. What he would like to see now is four consistent quarters from his team.

“Our team is getting better each day,” said the veteran coach, who is in his fourth season as the Highlander girls’ head coach. “We are working to put together a complete 32 (minute) game. We play well in stretches but have a quarter that puts us in a hole we have to dig out of.”

GAME OF THE NIGHT
MADISON (4-3) AT FLOYD CENTRAL (2-4)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Floyd Central H.S., Floyds Knobs.
• Coaches:
Madison — Sonja Bowyer (4-38 in fourth season at Madison).
Floyd Central — Randy Gianfagna (22-51 in fourth season at Floyd Central).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Madison — No. 164, No. 49 Class 3A
Floyd Central — No. 152, No. 65 Class 4A
• Most recent game:
Madison — Won at Southwestern 69-28 (Nov. 24).
Floyd Central — Lost to Eastern 41-33 (Nov. 24).
• Last 20 years: 10-10. Madison has won the last four games vs. the Highlanders.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 5, 2020 — At Madison 43, Floyd Central 23..
• News and notes: The Highlanders are 2-4 but have outscored their opponents 249-243 this season.
• John Harrell prediction: Floyd Central 48, Madison 40.
• Sagarin projection: Floyd Central by 6.
• Outlook: This is one of those games that truly could go either way, but we like the way the Cubs have played of late.
• Greg’s pick: Madison 42, Floyd Central 38.

AUSTIN (1-5, 0-2 MSC) AT CHARLESTOWN (4-2, 1-1)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Charlestown Sports Arena.
• Coaches:
Austin — Jared Petersen (232-169 in 17th season at Austin).
Charlestown — Scott Matthews (70-54 in sixth season at Charlestown).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Austin — No. 258, No. 65 Class 2A.
Charlestown — No. 62, No. 13 Class 3A.
• Most recent game:
Austin — Lost to Scottsburg 52-31 (Nov. 23).
Charlestown — Won at South Central 74-9 (Nov. 20).
• Last 20 years: Charlestown 13-12. The Pirates have won the last four against Austin.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 2, 2020 — Charlestown 74, at Austin 45.
• News and notes: Austin has lost five straight since opening the season with a 7-point win over Madison. … Charlestown coach Scott Matthews coached the Austin boys from 2000-2004.
• Outlook: Charlestown is being severely overlooked regionally and statewide … probably because of the one-sided loss to Silver Creek. Of course, the Dragons do that to almost everyone they face. This is a very good Pirate team.
• John Harrell prediction: Charlestown 61, Austin 26.
• Sagarin projection: Charlestown by 34.
• Greg’s pick: Charlestown 65, Austin 40.

By GREG MENGELT

RENO, Nev. — Tre Coleman and the Nevada Wolfpack won their third straight game — 79-66 over visiting Pepperdine — to improve to .500 for just the second time this season.

Coleman, a Jeffersonville graduate and Nevada sophomore, contributed 5 points, 4 rebounds and a steal to the Wolfpack victory. He went 2 for 8 from the floor, including 1 for 4 from behind the 3-point line.

Coleman’s layup with 8:56 to go in the first quarter tied the game at 17-aside. After Pepperdine’s Houston Mallette scored 5 straight points to put the Waves up 22-17, Coleman knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 2.

That started an 18-10 run that gave the Pack a 79-66 at the break. Nevada (4-4) started the second half with a 28-14 spurt that essentially put the Waves away. The closest Pepperdine (2-7) got the rest of the way was 9 points.

Nevada’s starting guards — junior Grant Sherfield (24) and senior Desmond Cambridge Jr. (21) — combined for 45 of the Wolfpack’s 79 points. Sherfield had 10 rebounds to go with his game-high 24 points. Junior Warren Washington added 13 points and 8 boards for Nevada, which goes to North Texas (3-3) on Saturday afternoon. The Mean Green are coming off an upset of Drake in Orlando.

Pepperdine’s leading scorer was freshman Mike Mitchell, who finished with 12 points. The Waves have lost five in a row.

By GREG MENGELT

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Bellarmine led 12-11 early against host West Virginia, but the Mountaineers pulled away for a 74-55 win over the Knights at WVU Coliseum on Tuesday evening.

The Knights stayed within 37-30 at halftime before West Virginia’s early second-half spurt put Bellarmine (2-6) away. Bellarmine has now faced No. 2 Purdue, No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 5 UCLA and now 6-1 West Virginia early in its second Division I season.

Providence graduate and Bellarmine senior Juston Betz finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and a steal in the loss, which ended the Knights’ 2-game winning streak. Betz was 5 for 11 from the field and 3 of his 7 rebounds were on the offensive end.

Bellarmine was led by Dylan Penn. The senior guard from Evansville scored 16 points, one of four Knights to score at least 10 points. Freshman Curt Hopf of Barr-Reeve finished with 12 points and Betz and senior C.J. Fleming had 10 apiece.

West Virginia’s Taz Sherman led all scorers with 18 points. The Mountaineer bench outscored Bellarmine’s 28-7.

The Knights will face three non-Division I teams the next three games. They host Defiance (1-4) at 3 p.m. Sunday. That game will be played at Freedom Hall and can be seen on ESPN Plus.

By GREG MENGELT

There’s been one Mid-Southern Conference game already, but the MSC really gets underway tonight.

Defending champion Silver Creek (1-0) hosts a talented Charlestown (1-0) team tonight. Both are coming off wins, but it’s the Dragons who are the conference favorites. The Dragons opened the season with a 69-57 win over Columbus East (0-2), while the Pirates held off rival New Washington (1-1) for a 44-43 victory in Matt Lynch’s debut on the Charlestown bench.

It will be the same case in Scottsburg, where a couple teams coming off impressive wins — and a pair of teams garnering some preseason buzz. The 1-0 Warriors opened their season with a 31-point conference win over rival Austin. Eastern (1-0) pulled away late to win at Borden, 70-56. Both teams should be contenders to Silver Creek’s throne at this point, so this should be viewed as an elimination game of sorts.

In the other MSC game Tuesday, Salem continues to bounce back from last year’s 4-18 season when the Lions host Brownstown Central (0-0) in the Braves’ season opener. Salem began its season with a 46-45 win at rival West Washington in coach Duane Malloy debut. The Lions lost at home to West Washington last season, so it appears Salem should be improved under Malloy.

In perhaps the area’s most compelling game Tuesday, Floyd Central goes to Meade County. It’s the season opener for both teams. The Highlanders are expected to be one of the area’s top teams and perhaps one of the state’s top teams in 2021-22.

South Central (1-1), which is coming off a big 57-48 win over Crawford County, heads across the rival to take on Holy Cross. It’s the first game of the season for the Cougars, who also go to Charlestown on Saturday and to Rock Creek on Dec. 17.

TODAY’S GAMES | TUESDAY, NOV. 30

GAME OF THE NIGHT
CHARLESTOWN (1-0, 0-0 MSC) AT SILVER CREEK (1-0, 0-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Silver Creek H.S., Sellersburg.
• Coaches:
Charlestown — Matt Lynch (1-0 in first season at Charlestown, 70-50 sixth season overall).
Silver Creek — Brandon Hoffman (202-73 in 12th season at Silver Creek).
• Rankings:
Silver Creek — Received votes in the IBCA poll.
• Most recent game:
Charlestown — Won at New Washington 44-43 (Nov. 23).
Silver Creek — Defeated Columbus East 69-57 (Nov. 24).
• Last 20 years: Silver Creek 29-8. The Dragons have won 7 in a row in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 1, 2020 — Silver Creek 78, at Charlestown 31.
• Outlook: Charlestown is probably better than last year and the Dragons probably aren’t as good as last year, but the Pirates had a whole lot of ground to make up.
• Greg’s pick: Silver Creek 79, Charlestown 58.

EASTERN (1-0, 0-0 MSC) AT SCOTTSBURG (1-0, 1-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Charles E. Meyer Gymnasium, Scottsburg.
• Coaches:
Eastern — Chandler Prible (13-13 in second season at Eastern).
Scottsburg — Eric Richardson (7-18 in second season at Scottsburg).
• Most recent game:
Eastern — Won at Borden 70-56 (Nov. 23).
Scottsburg — Defeated Austin 74-43 (Nov. 24).
• Last 20 years: Scottsburg 16-3.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 1, 2020 — At Eastern 69, Scottsburg 58.
• Outlook: This looks like a true tossup, so we’ll go with the Warriors at home.
• Greg’s pick: Scottsburg 68, Eastern 67.

SALEM (1-0, 0-0 MSC) AT BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (0-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Brownstown Central H.S., Brownstown.
• Coaches:
Salem — Duane Malloy (1-0 in first season at Salem).
Brownstown Central — Dave Benter (403-153 in 24th season at Brownstown).
• Most recent game:
Salem — Won at West Washington 46-45 (Nov. 24).
Brownstown Central — Lost to Northview 54-52 (Owen Valley Sectional semifinal, March 5).
• Last 20 years: Brownstown 19-5. The Braves have won 6 of the last 7 against Salem.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 1, 2020 — Brownstown Central 73, at Salem 49.
• Outlook: The hope for Salem fans should be to narrow last year’s 24-point gap between the programs.
• Greg’s pick: Brownstown 77, Salem 55.

FLOYD CENTRAL (0-0) AT MEADE COUNTY (KY.) (0-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Meade County H.S., Brandenburg, Ky.
• Coaches:
Floyd Central — Todd Sturgeon (122-40 in eighth season at Floyd).
Meade County — Jason Tripure (no records available).
• Rankings:
Floyd Central — Received votes in the IBCA poll.
• Most recent game:
Floyd Central — Lost to Jeffersonville 66-64, 3 OT (Seymour Sectional semifinal, March 5).
Meade County — Lost to Owensboro Catholic 63-57 (Regional 3 Championship, March 22).
• Last 20 years: Meade County 4-3.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 4, 2020 — At Floyd Central 68, Meade County 42.
• News & Notes: This is the first game of the season for both teams. Floyd Central went 13-6 last year, while Meade County went 9-11 overall and 7-4 in Kentucky’s Region 3.
• Outlook: Meade County’s top players graduated, so the Highlanders should cruise to a win in their opener.
• Greg’s pick: Floyd Central 75, Meade County 60.

SOUTH CENTRAL (1-1) AT HOLY CROSS (KY.) (0-0)
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Location: Holy Cross High School, Shively, Ky.
• Coaches:
South Central — Greg Robinson (174-169 in 16th season at South Central, 196-232 in 20th season overall).
Holy Cross — Jody A. Thornsberry (no record information available).
• Most recent game:
South Central — Won at Crawford County
Holy Cross — Lost to Beth Haven 69-55 (21st District, March 17).
• Last 20 years: 1-1.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 23 — Holy Cross 79, at South Central 50.
• News & Notes: This is the season opener for Holy Cross, which went 14-9 last year, including 5-5 in Kentucky’s Region 6.
• Outlook: We’re not going to predict a South Central victory, but if the Rebels win this game — coupled with the win at Crawford County — it would be a very good sign for the direction of the program.
• Greg’s pick: Holy Cross 64, South Central 55.