By GREG MENGELT

A lot of coaches would be searching for answering after losing his season opener. Not Hayden Casey.

Casey liked his Warriors’ effort in their season-opening loss to Clarksville.

“Overall, I was happy with our performance in our opener,” the second-year CAI general said. “Opening at Clarksville against a great team and against one of the better players we’ll play all year in Dakota Capps was a tough test for our guys, but there were still a lot of positives to take away. Our guys battled and played hard the entire game and the things that we noticed during the game or that I’ve already seen on film that we need to fix to be better are things we definitely can correct.”

Casey did see one thing his team needs to correct. It’s the same thing most coaches are dealing with early in the season.

“We’ll have to do a better job with shot selection,” Casey said. “We have a lot of great shooters and I’m never going to tell great shooters to not shoot open shots, but the next level for us is realizing what’s a good shot and then what’s a great shot.”

Casey and his Warriors won’t have much time. They go to Kentucky on Monday to face Portland Christian in the Hoosier Hills Hoops Game of the Night.

It is the season opener for the Eagles and it is the first time CAI and Portland Christian have played. The Eagles’ top three scorers are gone from last year. Senior Owen Sees, who averaged 11.4 points last year, is expected to be their leading returning player.

“There’s only so much you can learn and gather from film from last season and it also looks like they have a new coach this year, so we’ll have to see,” Casey said. “With all that and adding in that this will be the first time we’ve played them, we’ll have to learn and adjust quickly after the ball is tipped.”

Casey said he’s looking forward to what his team can accomplish in 2021-22 after last year’s 9-17 record in his first leading the program.

“We have a great mix of experience and very young talent that have been working hard and have been coachable every day to get better and come together to play as the best team we can be,” he said. “We still have to figure some things out and it could take a while to do that. We have a ways to go to be the best team we can be, but that’s encouraging in a way because this group can be a very good team if we end up playing our best.”

TODAY’S GAME | MONDAY, NOV. 29

GAME OF THE NIGHT
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (0-1) AT PORTLAND CHRISTIAN (KY.) (0-0)
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Location: Fellowship Church, Louisville.
• Coaches:
CAI — Hayden Casey (9-17 in second season at CAI).
Portland Christian — Mike Tucker (no record information available).
• Most recent game:
CAI — Lost at Clarksville 67-52 (Nov. 27).
Portland Christian — Lost at St. Francis (Ky.) 82-74 (March 15).
• Last 20 years: 3-3. The last meeting between the programs was almost 15 years ago.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 2, 2007 — Portland Christian 61, Christian Academy 56.
• News and notes: After being tied 26-26 at halftime, Christian Academy was outscored 22-9 in the third quarter by Clarksville. … Brady Dunn (21) and Joshua Renfro (18) combined for 39 of the Warriors’ 52 points in the loss at Clarksville. … This is the season opener for Portland Christian, which has one senior — Keaton Hall — on its roster. … The Eagles went 10-17 last year, finishing 15th in the Region 7 standings.
• Outlook: What to expect from Portland Christian is a mystery to Casey and a mystery to us, so we’ll take the Warriors.
• Greg’s pick: CAI 65, Portland Christian 56.

By GREG MENGELT

TORONTO — Romeo Langford scored 5 points and his Boston Celtics went back over .500 with a 109-97 road win in Toronto on Sunday evening.

The victory, in which Boston held the Raptors to 35 of 93 shooting (37.6 percent), snapped a modest 2-game losing streak for the Celtics.

Langford, a former New Albany and Indiana University star, went 1 for 5 from the field, but he made both of his free throw attempts and pulled down a season-high 8 rebounds 26 minutes off the Boston bench. The Celtics bench outscored Toronto’s 32-13 behind Jason Richardson’s 18 point, Enes Kanter’s 9 and Langford’s 5.

Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 21 points. Al Horford finished with 17, Jaylen Brown 16 and Grant Williams 15. Jayson Tatum, who’s averaging 24.3 points per game, had a rare cold shooting night with 8 points on 2 of 16 from the floor.

Horford had a game-high 11 boards and Kanter had 10.

Toronto led 26-24 when Langford hit his only field goal — a 3-pointer — with 28.4 left to go in the first period. The Celtics went on an 8-0 run to start the second and held a 54-51 advantage at the half.

The Raptors took a 71-70 lead on Fred Van Vleet’s 3 with 5:09 left in the third, but Boston closed the period on a 10-5 run to lead by 4 through three quarters.

The Celtics had a 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter before a Williams-led 9-0 run finished off Toronto.

The Raptors (9-12) were led by VanVleet, who had a game-best 27 points. He was 5 for 10 behind the 3-point line.

Langford and the Celtics look to go two games over .500 for the first time this season Wednesday when they host rival Philadelphia. That game can be seen on NBA TV.

By GREG MENGELT

LOUISVILLE — A pair of Southern Indiana stars had big games and Bellarmine crushed Division III Franklin 75-37 on Sunday.

Curt Hopf, freshman from Barr-Reeve, led the Knights with 14 points and senior Juston Betz, a Providence graduate, was the game’s most effective player with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 28 minutes. Betz was 5 for 5 from the field and had a pair of offensive boards for Bellarmine, which led 41-21 at the break. B

Franklin (2-2) led 6-2 early, but a Garrett Tipton jumper — on a Betz assist — gave the Knights an 11-8 lead, it was a lead they’d never relinquish. Betz’s basket in the lane made it 43-21 early in the second half. His layup with 5:21 remaining put Bellarmine up 35 points.

Tipton, a junior, added 11 points and senior C.J. Fleming finished with 10 for Bellarmine, which shot 61.3 percent from the field in the first half and 56.5 percent for the game. The Knights out-rebounded the Grizzlies 41-27 and force 18 Franklin turnovers.

Sophomore TJ Deere had 9 points to lead Franklin.

The Knights continue their tough early schedule Tuesday when they go to Morgantown, W.V., to take on 5-1 West Virginia, which is coached by Bobby Huggins and his 900 career wins. The game can been seen on ESPN Plus or Big XII Now.

By GREG MENGELT

The Hoosier Hills Hoops Boys’ Power Poll is a weekly feature each Sunday, ranking the top girls’ teams in Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Scott and Washington counties.

1. Silver Creek (1-0). The defending state champions will stay No. 1 until they lose … or one of the teams below would have to do something very special to displace the Dragons. Next week: Host Charlestown (Tuesday), at Columbus North (Friday).

2. Jeffersonville (0-0). It’s a guess that the Red Devils are going to be the area’s top 4A team, since the Red Devils haven’t played yet. Next week: At Evansville North (Friday), vs. TBA at Charlestown (Saturday).

3. Floyd Central (0-0). If Jeff isn’t the area’s best 4A team, it will probably be Floyd. Next week: At Meade County (Ky.) Tuesday, vs. Evansville Harrison (Saturday at University of Southern Indiana).

4. New Albany (1-1). The Bulldogs went 1-1 last week with a win over Clarksville and the loss coming against a strong Bloomington South squad. Next week: Host Evansville Harrison (Friday), host Zionsville (Saturday).

5. North Harrison (2-0). The Cougars allowed just 70 points in two games to open the season. Yeah, Lou Lefevre can still coach. Next week: Host Corydon Central (Friday).

6. Providence (1-0). Tell City isn’t great, but a 48-point win to open the season is even more than we were expecting of the Pioneers. Next week: At Austin (Friday), at Borden (Saturday).

7. Scottsburg (1-0). This may be too high for a team that won 6 games last year. We’ll find out this week. Next week: Host Eastern (Tuesday), at Charlestown (Friday).

8. Eastern (1-0). This may be too low for a team with pretty high expectations. Again, we’ll find out Tuesday. Next week: At Scottsburg (Tuesday), host West Washington (Friday).

9. Charlestown (1-0). Congrats to Matt Lynch on his first win at Charlestown. There’ll be many more. Next week: At Silver Creek (Tuesday), host Scottsburg (Friday), host Holy Cross (Ky.) (Saturday).

10. New Washington (1-1). The Mustangs have a talented roster. More will be learned about them next weekend when they face a pair of sectional foes. Next week: Host Rock Creek (Friday) and Christian Academy (Saturday).

11. Rock Creek (1-0). A 19-point win at Henryville is an excellent way to start a season. Next week: At New Washington (Friday), at New Washington (Saturday).

12. Corydon (1-1). After the first week, we’re expecting the Panthers’ first winning season since 2014-15. Next week: At North Harrison (Friday), hosts Madison (Saturday).

13. Clarksville (1-1). It appears Kyle Hankins has Clarksville headed in a positive direction. Next week: Host Crawford County (Saturday).

14. Borden (1-1). Except for the second half against Eastern, it was a pretty good start to the season for the Braves. Next week: At Lanesville (Friday), host Providence (Saturday).

15. South Central (1-1). Looks like the Rebels, who won two games last year, stack up pretty well against their local rivals. Next week: At Holy Cross (Ky.) (Tuesday).

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 Hoosier Hills Hoops Girls’ Power Poll is a weekly feature each Sunday, ranking the top girls’ teams in Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Scott and Washington counties.

1. Silver Creek (7-0, Last Week: No. 1). The Dragons are the easy No. 1 so far. Next week: vs. Bowling Green (Friday at Owensboro, Ky.), vs. Evansville North (Saturday at University of Southern Indiana).

2. Salem (4-2, 2). Again, not going to move the Lions down because of losses to teams like Jennings County and Brownsburg. Next week: At Paoli (Thursday).

3. Corydon (8-1, 3). I don’t think anyone expected the Panthers to be 8-1 through 9 games. Next week: At Scottsburg (Thursday).

4. Jeffersonville (5-3, 4). Road losses at Silver Creek, Bedford North Lawrence and Jennings County have no effect on the Red Devils’ place in this poll. Next week: At Lawrenceburg (Wednesday), at Floyd Central (Saturday).

5. Lanesville (8-1, 5). Lanesville is No. 1 in Class A but No. 5 in the HHH Power Poll. Next week: Host Henryville (Thursday).

6. Charlestown (4-2, 6). The Pirates didn’t play this week. All they did in their last contest was win by 65 points. Next week: Host Austin (Wednesday), at New Washington (Saturday).

7. North Harrison (5-3, 8). The Lady Cats have a great chance to move up in the poll this week. Next week: Host Jasper (Tuesday), at New Albany (Thursday), vs. Gibson Southern (Saturday at University of Southern Indiana).

8. Eastern (4-2, 9). Eastern won a road game against a pretty good Hoosier Hills Conference opponent. That’s a good week for any Mid-Southern Conference program. Next week: Host Providence (Tuesday), at Brownstown Central (Saturday).

9. Scottsburg (5-2, 10). Scottsburg should probably be higher in this poll. They definitely will with wins this week. Next week: Host Corydon Central (Thursday), at Trinity Lutheran (Saturday).

10. New Albany (4-4, 7). The Bulldogs are on a 3-game losing streak after playing 3 pretty good teams. Next week: Host North Harrison (Thursday), host Bedford North Lawrence (Saturday).

11. New Washington (3-3, 11). The Mustangs don’t appear to be on Lanesville’s level, but they’re certainly the sectional’s second-best team. Next week: At Borden (Monday), hosts Rock Creek (Thursday), hosts Charlestown (Saturday).

12. Floyd Central (2-4, 12). A tough schedule is making wins tough to come by. Next week: Hosts Madison (Wednesday), hosts Jeffersonville (Saturday).

13. West Washington (5-2, 13). We want to move the Senators up, but even at 5-2, that 50-2 loss against Lanesville makes us hesitate. Next week: Hosts Mitchell (Thursday).

14. Rock Creek (4-2, 14). An OT win over CAI gives the Lions more wins this year than the last two years combined. Next week: Hosts Louisville Collegiate (Tuesday), at North Daviess Tournament (Saturday).

15. Henryville (2-3, 14). It’s been 2 weeks since the Hornets last played. Other teams losing move the Hornets back into the poll. Next week: At Lanesville (Thursday), at Paoli (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

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Langdon Hatton scored 10 points — his third straight double-digit performance — and William & Mary scored a 87-50 victory over Division III Mary Baldwin on Saturday at Kaplan Arena.

Hatton, a freshman, went 4 for 10 from the field and 2 for 2 from the free throw line in the win. The former North Harrison star also had 6 rebounds, an assist and a block in 19 minutes off the William & Mary bench.

Hatton’s first basket came with 6:10 left in the first half and pulled the Tribe even at 25-apiece. Hatton then scored 8 points in the second half, helping William & Mary outscore the Fighting Squirrels 43-18 in the second half.

Sophomore Ben Wight was William & Mary’s lead with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Sophomore Connor Kochera added 18 points, 7 assists and 5 boards. Freshman Vernon Fraley led the Squirrels with 14 points.

The Tribe (1-6) go to Navy for a mid-week contest Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Midshipmen are 5-2 and opened the season with a 66-58 win over 2019 national champion Virginia. Hatton and the Tribe can be watched at ESPN Plus against Navy.