By GREG MENGELT

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Silver Creek star Kooper Jacobi went scoreless Monday during Toledo’s matchup with Charlotte, but the Rockets improved to 5-1 on the season with a 98-86 triumph in the first game of the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in the Bahamas.

Jacobi — a freshman forward — went 0 for 2 and pulled down 4 boards in 17 minutes off the Toledo bench.

Three Rockets scored in double figures in the win. Junior forward Setric Millner Jr. led the team with 27 points. Millner’s previous season-high was 10 points in the Rockets’ season opening win over Valparaiso. Sophomore guard Ryan Rollins added 22 points and junior guard Rayj Dennis finished with 21. Dennis also had 9 rebounds.

Charlotte’s Clyde Trapp had a double-double of 24 points and 12 minutes for Charlotte, which lost for the first team following three wins to open the season.

The Rockets will meet Tulane (2-2) in the second round of the tournament Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The Green Wave moved on with a 90-87 overtime win over Drexel on Monday.

The entire tournament can be seen on flosports.com.

By GREG MENGELT

It’s been an interesting start to the season for both Silver Creek and Corydon.

Successful too.

The Dragons have begun defense of their Mid-Southern Conference and Class 3A state championships nicely. The Dragons are 5-0 with three wins against Class 4A teams — Jeffersonville, New Albany and Seymour. The Panthers came in with far fewer expectations than Silver Creek, but they’re 7-0 and beat Class 3A No. 2 Lanesville to win the Battle of the First Capitol a week ago.

The two teams meet tonight in a rare big Monday evening game.

The Dragons have stars all over the place. Kynidi Mason-Striverson is averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Emme Rooney is shooting over 50 percent from the floor and Sydney Sierota is a defensive disruptor. They present the biggest test yet for Corydon, which also has quality wins over Brownstown, Southridge and Paoli and has scored at least 44 points in all 7 games this season.

“Silver Creek is a great team and program,” Corydon coach Josh Conrad said. “They are well coached and have the talent that makes them dangerous in every aspect of the game.”

The Panthers also have a star. They have been led so far by Ava Weber, who is averaging 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.

“She has improved her passing this season, as well,” Conrad said of Weber, who has five or more assists in multiple games.

Silver Creek coach Scott Schoen is impressed with what he’s seen from Weber, a junior guard, and upstart Corydon.

“They have a young talent and are playing with a ton of confidence,” Schoen said. “We hope to shoot the ball well, play good defense and rebound the ball.”

Both coaches say this is the biggest game of the year so far for either team.

“Silver Creek and Salem are the measuring sticks in the MSC and really Class 3A,” Conrad said. “Their success the past few years is very impressive and where every program wants to be.”

Schoen said this is the first game that affects his team’s 2021-22 goals.

“This is a conference game and one of our goals is to win conference,” Schoen said. “Plus they’re a sectional opponent … so this is the most important game of the year.”

TODAY’S GAMES | MONDAY, NOV. 22

CORYDON (7-0, 1-0 MSC) AT SILVER CREEK (5-0, 0-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Silver Creek High School, Sellersburg.
• Coaches:
Corydon — Josh Conrad (17-11 in second season at Corydon, 136-104 in 11th season overall).
Silver Creek — Scott Schoen (160-108 in 12th season at Silver Creek and overall).
• Rankings:
Silver Creek — No. 12 IBCA (single class); No. 3 ICGSA (Class 3A).
• Most recent games:
Corydon — Defeated Paoli 74-44 (Nov. 16).
Silver Creek — Won at New Albany 64-39 (Nov. 19)
• Last 20 years: Jan. 5, 2021 — Silver Creek 59, at Corydon Central 45
• Most recent meeting: Corydon 19-10. Silver Creek has won four straight matchups against the Panthers.
• News and notes: This is just the second road game for Corydon. The Panthers won 74-26 at Perry Central on Nov. 9. … The Panthers are 7-0 for the first time since their 17-4 season in 2002-03 under Michael Uhl. … Corydon junior Ava Weber is averaging 21.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. She has scored 51 points in the last two games combined. … Kynidi Mason-Striverson scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the first half of the win over New Albany. … The Dragons outscored the Bulldogs 18-6. In the first quarter and 21-10 of the third quarter in the victory. … Silver Creek has started 5-0 for the third straight season. During last year’s state championship season, the Dragons began with 11 victories before falling at North Central. … This is the MSC opener for defending champion Silver Creek.
• Outlook: Again, Silver Creek gets a big test. Again, the defending state champs pass with flying colors.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Silver Creek 52, Corydon Central 45.
• Greg’s pick: Silver Creek 68, Corydon Central 55.

SHAWE MEMORIAL (3-2) AT BORDEN (3-2)
• Time: 6 p.m.
• Location: Borden Junior-Senior High School.
• Coaches:
Shawe Memorial — Terry King (18-44 in fourth season at Shawe, 81-95 overall).
Borden — Matt Vick (37-58 in fifth season at Borden and overall).
• Most recent games:
Shawe Memorial — Defeated Seven Oaks Classical 45-6 (Nov. 20).
Borden — Lost at Rock Creek 56-46 (Nov. 18).
• Last 20 years: Borden 13-7. The Braves have beaten Shawe the last two times they played, both in 2019-20.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 25, 2019 — Borden 53, Shawe 5.
• News and notes: Borden and Shawe did not play each other last year after facing each other four times in the previous three years. … Emily Cissell scored 40 of the Braves’ 61 points for the Hoosier Hills Hoops Performance of the Week in their win over Crothersville on Tuesday. … Saturday was Shawe’s first ever game against Seven Oaks Classical, a public charter school in Ellettsville that opened in 2016.
• Outlook: Should be a fourth with for Borden.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Borden 44, Shawe 30.
• Greg’s pick: Borden 49, Shawe 26.

ORLEANS (2-3) AT LANESVILLE (6-1)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Lanesville High School.
• Coaches:
Orleans — Jared Gilbert (59-60 in sixth season at Orleans and overall).
Lanesville — Angie Hinton (68-16 in fourth season at Lanesville, 241-89 in 15th season overall).
• Rankings:
Lanesville — No. 2 ICGSA (Class A).
• Most recent games:
Orleans — Lost at Bloomfield 40-29 (Nov. 19).
Lanesville — Won at West Washington 50-2 (Nov. 20).
• Last 20 years: Orleans 13-7. Lanesville has beaten the Bulldogs three straight times.
• Most recent meeting: Jan. 19, 2021 — Lanesville 67, at Orleans 33.
• News and notes: Lanesville gave up 11 points last week … combined in two games. Christian Academy managed 9 points on Thursday and West Washington — a team that had games of 62, 55 and 41 this season — to 2 points Saturday. … The Eagles have scored at least 72 points the last three times they faced Christian Academy. … Freshman forward Mylie Knight leads the Bulldogs in scoring (9.7 points per game) and rebounding (7.3 per game) this season. Senior guard Lily Saliba is the team’s leader in steals (4.3) and assists (3.7).
• Outlook: There was a time that a 7-1 start for Lanesville was unimaginable. No more.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Lanesville 55, Orleans 23.
• Greg’s pick: Lanesville 52, Orleans 30.

By GREG MENGELT

Seven months after winning a sectional championship, the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association ranked Jeffersonville No. 10 to start the 2021-22 basketball season.

The Red Devils, who went 15-7 last season, are the top-ranked team in the region. Rivals New Albany and Floyd Central both received votes from the coaches. The Bulldogs went 16-7 and won at Jeffersonville last January. The Highlanders were upset by the Red Devils in the sectional semifinals after going 13-5 in the regular season and beating Jeff 54-44 on Jan. 15.

Jeff, which should feature a strong mix of veterans and youth, is tied for 10th with Zionsville.

Four different teams received first-place votes from the coaches. Defending 4A state champion Carmel got six first-place votes and is No. 1, while Cathedral got the top vote from 10 pollsters and is No. 2. Homestead is No. 3 and got 3 first-place votes, Westfield is No. 4 (zero first-place votes) and Lawrence North, which comes in at No. 5, got the other top vote. Warren Central, Crispus Attucks, Fishers and Indianapolis Tech complete the top 9.

According to the pollsters, Jeff’s top competition in the region will be No. 15 Bloomington North and No. 19 Bloomington South. The other 4A regional teams that received votes were Center Grove and Evansville Reitz.

Defending Class 3A champion Silver Creek earned votes in the poll. Leo, which the Dragons beat for last year’s title, also received votes.

Semi-locally, Barr-Reeve, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Memorial, Heritage Hills, Linton-Stockton and Loogootee received votes.

The 2021-22 season officially begins Monday.

INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes)

1. Carmel (6), 2. Cathedral (10), 3. Homestead (3), 4. Westfield, 5. Lawrence North (1), 6. Warren Central, 7. Crispus Attucks, 8. Fishers, 9. Indianapolis Tech, 10t. Jeffersonville, 10t. Zionsville, 12. Brebeuf, 13. Ben Davis, 14. Gary West, 15. Bloomington North, 16. North Central, 17. Mishawaka Marian, 18. Mt. Vernon (Fortville), 19. Bloomington South, 20. Lawrence Central.

Others receiving votes: Barr-Reeve, Brownsburg, Center Grove, Central Noble, Chesterton, Connersville, Crown Point, Danville, Decatur Central, Eastside, Elkhart Central, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Reitz, Evansville Memorial, Floyd Central, Fort Wayne Blackhawk, Fort Wayne North, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne Snider, Gary 21st Century, Hammond, Heritage Hills, Huntington North, Kokomo, Lafayette Harrison, Lafayette Jeff, Leo, Linton-Stockton, Loogootee, McCutcheon, Michigan City, Munster, New Albany, Noblesville, NorthWood, Park Tudor, Penn, Pike, Plainfield, Silver Creek, South Bend Adams, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph’s, Southport, Sullivan, Tindley, Valparaiso.

By GREG MENGELT

Silver Creek girls’ team improved to 5-0 last week with three impressive wins. The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association pollsters awarded the Dragons.

The defending Class 3A state champions moved up two spots from No. 14 last week to No. 12 this week. The Dragons beat Charlestown 54-37, Jeffersonville 41-37 and New Albany 64-39 last week.

Silver Creek’s Mid-Southern rival, Salem (4-1), fell one spot to No. 20. The Lions rebounded from their first loss of the season for wins over Eastern (3-2) and Madison (3-3) last week. Salem beat rival Eastern 51-33 Friday then knocked off 60-46 Saturday.

After beating then-No. 4 North Central (4-2), Bedford North Lawrence (6-0) moved from No. 5 to No. 4 this week. Hoosier Hills rival Columbus East has moved seven spots from its pre-season ranking to No. 13. For some reason, Jennings County still hasn’t reached the top 20 despite a 24-point win over No. 20 Salem and a perfect 5-0 record. The Panthers did receive votes, so some coaches are paying attention.

Crown Point (5-0) remains at No. 1, garnering 18 of the coaches’ 20 first-place votes. No. 2 South Bend Washington (6-0), which Silver Creek beat last spring to win the Class 3A title, earned the other two first-place votes. Noblesville (5-0), BNL, Franklin (7-0), Fishers (5-0), Homestead (4-1), North Central, Zionsville (5-1) and Misahwaka Marian (4-1) round out the top 10.

INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes) Record
1. Crown Point (18) 5-0, 2. South Bend Washington (2) 6-0, 3. Noblesville 5-0, 4. Bedford North Lawrence 6-0, 5. Franklin 7-0, 6. Fisher 5-0, 7. Homestead 4-1, 8. North Central 4-2, 9. Zionsville 5-1, 10. Mishawaka Marian 4-1, 11. Penn 4-2, 12. Silver Creek 5-0, 13. Columbus East 5-1, 14. Westfield 3-2, 15. East Central 2-1, 16. Carmel 1-2, 17. Hamilton Southeastern 4-2, 18. Lake Central 4-1, 19. Lawrence North 4-3, 20. Salem 4-1.

Others receiving votes: Benton Central (5-0), Columbia City (5-0), Evansville Memorial (2-0), Fort Wayne Carroll (3-2), Fort Wayne Snider (2-2), Frankton (4-1), Garrett (4-1), Jac-Cen-Del (5-0), Jennings County (5-0), Linton-Stockton (5-1), Northridge (3-2), Norwell (5-1), Pioneer (4-0), South Central-Union Mills (5-0), Tecumseh (2-3), Triton Central (5-0), Twin Lakes (6-1), Valparaiso (6-0), Vincennes Rivet (3-0), Waldron (6-0), Warsaw (5-1).

NOTE: Records as of Sunday.

By GREG MENGELT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For the third straight game, Jake Heidbreder had a career high scoring night for Air Force.

The Falcons won their fourth straight game, 73-65 over Bethune-Cookman, to win Bracket 1 of the Sunshine Slam thanks in large part to Heidbreder’s 13 points and three rebounds.

Air Force (4-1) had four players in double figures, led by 22 from senior guard A.J. Walker, who also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Joseph Octave added 14 points and Heidbreder and freshman guard Eli Taylor both finished with 13. Taylor had four steals for the Falcons, who out-rebounded the Wildcats 29-20.

Heidbreder assisted on the game’s first basket, a 3-pointer by Octave. He then connected from deep to put the Falcons ahead 12-6 with 15:08 left in the first half. With his team trailing 41-39 at the break, Heidbreder made a pair of free throws to complete a 6-0 run that gave Air Force the lead.

Heidbreder turned an offensive rebound into a 3-point play with 12:04 left gave the Falcons a 54-46 lead. His 3-pointer with 9:03 remaining then put Air Force out in front 59-49. He went 1-for-2 at the line with 32 seconds left with the Falcons lead 72-61.

Bethune-Cookman (1-4) got 13 points from senior Dylan Robertson and freshman Mikey West in the loss.

Air Force will look to extend its winning streak to five games Wednesday when they host Denver. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

By GREG MENGELT

HIGH POINT, N.C. — William & Mary couldn’t hold on to a halftime lead despite 11 points from Langdon Hatton in an 82-76 loss to Howard on Sunday in the final round of the Legends Classic at High Point.

Hatton, a former North Harrison standout, was 4-for-6 from the floor, 3-for-4 at the foul line and also had three rebounds in 12 minutes off the William & Mary bench in the defeat, which drops the Tribe to 0-5 on the season.

Hatton got in the scoring column with a bucket in the paint with 12:23 to go in the first half. That put William & Mary ahead 19-14. His second basket, on an assist from Brandon Carroll, gave the Tribe 28-26 lead with 6:26 to go in the first half.

Moments after check in for the second half, Hatton made two free throws then extend William & Mary’s lead to 62-59. After this team fell behind, Hatton’s final basket gave the Tribe a 66-65 lead with 9:29 left.

The Bison outscored William & Mary 17-10 the rest of the way to improve to 4-2. Howard was led by Steve Settle’s 19 pants and seven boards.

William & Mary senior Quinn Blair had a career night with 22 points. He was 7-for-8 from the field, 2-for-3 behind the 3-point arc and 6-for-
6 at the foul line.

Hatton, Blair and the Tribe will look to pick up their first win of the season Wednesday when they go to Radford (1-4). That game is scheduled for 5 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN Plus.