By GREG MENGELT

Even if they wouldn’t admit it, the New Washington Mustangs surely have December 18 circled in red markers on the copies of their schedules.

Not that every game isn’t important, but Lanesville is currently the local Class A team by which all others measure their success. Not only are the Eagles the 3-time reigning Southern Athletic Conference champions, they’re also now ranked No. 1 in all of Class A.

If New Wash wants conference and postseason success, it’s likely to go through Lanesville. For now, however, New Washington’s job is to stay alive in the Southern Athletic Conference, which means winning every game until the Dec. 18 showdown with the Eagles.

Today, New Wash (3-3), which has won three of its last four games, goes to Borden for its SAC opener and the Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Night. If New Wash isn’t the top challenger to Lanesville, perhaps it’s the Braves. Borden is currently 4-2 and has won four of its last five. That includes a 61-44 win over Crothersville in its conference opener and a 43-31 triumph over Madison Shawe last Monday.

In other local action girls’ basketball action, North Harrison (5-3) hosts Jasper (1-3) and Providence (0-5) travels to Christian Academy (2-6).

TODAY’S GAMES | TUESDAY, NOV. 30

GAME OF THE NIGHT
NEW WASHINGTON (3-3, 0-0 SAC) AT BORDEN (4-2, 1-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Borden Junior-Senior High School.
• Coaches:
New Washington — Kirsti Holloway (58-86 in seventh season at New Wash).
Borden — Matt Vick (38-58 in fifth season at Borden).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
New Washington — No. 197 overall, No. 24 Class A.
Borden — No. 322, No. 63 Class A.
• Most recent game:
New Washington — Won at Milan 75-31 (Nov. 27)
Borden — Defeated Shawe 43-31 (Nov. 22).
• Last 20 years: New Washington 19-10. The Mustangs have defeated Borden 7 straight times.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 5 — New Washington 47, Borden 45 (New Washington Sectional semifinal).
• John Harrell prediction: New Washington 56, Borden 32.
• Sagarin projection: New Washington by 19.
• Outlook: The winner takes the mantle as Lanesville’s top conference and sectional competition.
• Greg’s pick: New Washington 53, Borden 33.

PROVIDENCE (0-5) AT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (2-6)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Christian Academy of Indiana
• Coaches:
Providence — Brad Burden (159-153 in 14th season at Providence).
Christian Academy — Carson Casey (10-41 in third season at CAI).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Providence — No. 343 overall, No. 87 Class 2A.
Christian Academy — No. 367, No. 77 Class A.
• Most recent game:
Providence — Lost to Trinity Lutheran 60-37 (Nov. 23).
Christian Academy — Defeated Bloomington Lighthouse 43-11 (Nov. 27).
• Last 20 years: Providence 15-0.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 19, 2020 — At Providence 43, Christian Academy 11.
• John Harrell prediction: Providence 42, Christian Academy 33.
• Sagarin projection: Providence by 6.
• Outlook: The Pioneers’ decades-long winning streak is on the line in a game that could go either way.
• Greg’s pick: Providence 39, Christian Academy 36.

JASPER (1-3) AT NORTH HARRISON (5-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: North Harrison H.S., Ramsey.
• Coaches:
Jasper — Jessica Mehringer (44-45 in fifth season at Jasper).
North Harrison — Jamie Kolkmeier (17-9 in second season at North Harrison).
• Computer-based Sagarin Ratings:
Jasper — No. 294, No. 92 Class 4A.
North Harrison — No. 110 overall, No. 28 Class 3A.
• Most recent game:
Jasper — Lost to Evansville Memorial 64-12 (Nov. 20).
North Harrison — Defeated Heritage Hills 65-59 (Nov. 27).
• Last 20 years: North Harrison 12-7. The Lady Cats have beaten Jasper 7 meetings in a row.
• Most recent meeting: Dec. 3, 2019 — At North Harrison 62, Jasper 51.
• John Harrell prediction: North Harrison 58, Jasper 29.
• Sagarin projection: North Harrison by 31.
• Outlook: North Harrison has quietly been quite good, including recent wins over Scottsburg and Heritage Hills.
• Greg’s pick: North Harrison 50, Jasper 35.

By GREG MENGELT

Clarksville’s Dakota Capps had a strong first week of his senior year.

Capps averaged 27 points to earn the Hoosier Hills Hoops Player of the Week award as the Generals went 1-1 last week.

First, Capps opened the season with 22 points, helping the Generals hang tough in a 48-45 loss to New Albany. On Saturday, Capps went for a career-high 32 points in Clarksville’s 67-52 win over Christian Academy.

Caps scored 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter of the win.

“Dakota, he was just Dakota,” first-year Clarksville coach Kyle Hankins told News and Tribune sports editor Josh Cook. “He’s a special player. He was getting in the middle and finding guys. But then when we needed him to take over, he took the game over.”

Capps averaged 18 points and nearly 5 rebounds and 5 assists as a junior last year.

Capps and the Generals are off until Saturday when they host Crawford County. The Wolfpack are 0-2 after losses to Forest Park and South Central.

By GREG MENGELT

Linzie Wernert continued her strong junior season with a pair of big performances as top-ranked Lanesville improved to 8-1 on the season.

In a 57-20 win over Orleans on Monday, Wernert had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 8 deflections, 4 steals and 3 assists. On Saturday, the 5-foot-9 Wernert scored 18 points in 20 minutes again in a 60-21 victory against Orleans. She also produced 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as the Eagles won their fourth straight game.

Through 8 games, Wernert was averaging 15.4 points, 9.6 assists, 3.3 assists and 3 steals per contest.

Wernert and the Eagles are back in action Thursday when they host Henryville in their 2021-22 Southern Athletic Conference debut.

By GREG MENGELT

With Kooper Jacobi and Trey Kaufman now on Division I rosters, it was assumed Branden Northern would take over the major scoring role for the 2-time defending Class 3A state champion Silver Creek Dragons.

Northern didn’t disappoint in his debut. The Silver Creek senior had 31 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Dragons to a 69-57 win over Columbus East last Wednesday. Northern, a Division I recruit, hit six 3-pointers in the victory.

Northern and the Dragons host Charlestown on Tuesday. Varsity tipoff is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.

WEEK’S TOP PERFORMANCES

Tucker Biven, New Albany: Biven started his 2021-22 season with a 19-point performance as the Bulldogs defeated Clarksville 48-45 on Wednesday.

Hayden Cutter, Scottsburg: Cutter finished with 30 points as Scottsburg knocked off county-rival Austin 74-43 on Wednesday.

Jake Helton, Charlestown: Helton scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter of the Pirates’ 44-43 win over New Washington on Tuesday. Helton putback with 8.5 seconds left was the game-winner.

Cade Jones, Eastern: Janes finished with 30 points as the Musketeers opened their season with a 70-56 win over Borden.

Ladarius Wallace, Rock Creek: Wallace helped lead the Lions to a 57-38 win at Henryville with his game-high 19 points on Tuesday.

By GREG MENGELT

New Washington sophomore Kaidin James had a big night Saturday in the Mustangs’ 75-31 victory against Milan.

James put up 28 points on 10 of 18 shooting in the victory. She was also 8 for 10 at the foul line and pulled down 5 boards for New Wash, which improved to 3-3 with the win.

James and the Mustangs are at Borden tonight for their Southern Athletic Conference opener.

WEEK’S TOP PERFORMANCES

Hylton Brumley, Lanesville: The Eagle freshman had 17 points, 2 steals and 5 deflections in Monday’s 57-20 win over Orleans.

Emma Campbell, Lanesville: Campbell put up 13 points, connecting on 3 of her 6 3-point attempts, in the Eagles’ 60-21 triumph over Perry Central on Saturday.

Emily Cissell, Borden: On the heels of her school-record 40-point performance against Crothersville, Cissell put up 28 points in the Braves’ 43-31 win over Shawe Memorial. Cissell went 9 for 23 from the field, including 5 of 13 from the 3-point line, and made 3 of her 5 3-point attempts. Cissell also had 3 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist as Borden improved to 4-2.

Dahja Gaines, Clarksville: In the Generals’ first game in 11 days, Gaines scored 21 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, swiped 3 steals and handed out a pair of assists in Saturday’s 42-26 win over Bloomington Lighthouse. Gaines was 8 of 17 from the field and 5 of 9 from the foul line.

Nora Gibson, Floyd Central: Gibson finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 deflections and an assists in the Highlanders’ 41-33 loss to Eastern on Wednesday.

Keegan Kaiser, Floyd Central: Kaiser put up 14 points to go along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 deflections in the Highlanders loss to Eastern.

Elle Marble, Jeffersonville: Marble had 11 points and 7 rebounds in the Red Devils’ 50-32 loss at Jennings County. “Elle is a strong offensive player and is developing into a more well-rounded player as she focuses on being a better defensive player and rebounder,” Jeff coach Missy Voyles said.

Ashlin Owen, Christian Academy: Owen scored 13 points and made all of her free throw attempts in the Warriors’ 48-43 overtime loss to Rock Creek. She also scored 10 points in CAI’s win over Bloomington Lighthouse. “She handled the ball well and was able to consistently get to the rim all week,” Christian Academy coach Carson Casey said.

Meredith Wilkinson, Silver Creek: Wilkinson went 5 for 6 from the floor and scored 18 points in the Dragons’ 72-44 win over North Harrison on Wednesday. Wilkinson also had 7 boards as Silver Creek improved to 7-0 on the season. “Meredith has stepped up and is playing a vital role in our early-season success,” Dragons coach Scott Schoen said.

By GREG MENGELT

RAMSEY — North Harrison began its season with a pair of wins, defeating South Central 59-45 in its season opener before a big 39-25 victory over Heritage Hills on Saturday.

Heritage Hills was coming off a 19-4 season in which it won a sectional championship. It’s just the second time in the last six years that the Cougars won their first two games of the season. The two victories, particularly the win over Heritage Hills, makes North Harrison the Hoosier Hills Hoops Team of the Week.

North Harrison forced 18 Patriot turnovers and had just six of its own in the win over Heritage Hills.

“We had some really great hustle plays that helped us build up the double-digit lead in the second half,” North Harrison coach Lou Lefevre said.

Logan McIntire, a University of Evansville recruit, led the Cougars with 12 points and 8 rebounds. McIntire hit a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter when the Cougars extended their 14-12 halftime lead to 31-20 going into the fourth quarter. Brody Fessel had 8 points and 6 offensive rebounds, Kaleb Kellems finished with 6 points and 7 board sand Sawyer Wetzel contributed 6 points to the triumph.

The Cougars host rival Corydon Central on Friday.