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 (5-0, Last Week: No. 1). Beating Charlestown, Jeffersonville and New Albany in successive games is a great week for any program.

2. Salem (4-1, 2). The Lions bounced back from their first loss with a nice 14-point win over Madison.

3. Corydon (7-0, 4). Seven wins in seven games. The Panthers simply had to move up in the poll.

4. Jeffersonville (5-2, 5). Jeff started 5-0. After two losses, now we know, the Red Devils are good.

5. Lanesville (6-1, 6). Lanesville surrendered 11 points in two games last week. That’s some serious defense no matter the opponent.

6. Charlestown (3). Charlestown’s loss to Silver Creek was far from devastating, but the Pirates moved down three spots due to the success of other teams.

7. New Albany (4-2, 7). The Bulldogs are only two wins shy of last year’s win total.

8. North Harrison (4-2, 8). Strong week for North Harrison with wins over Crawford County and Scottsburg.

9. Eastern (3-2, 9). Both losses have come against top-four MSC team. The three wins are by an average of 25 points per game.

10. Scottsburg (3-2, 10). The Warriorettes suffered a tough loss to North Harrison. That’s certainly no reason for them to fall in our poll.

11. New Washington (2-3, 11). The Mustangs are a few points from being 4-1. It will be interesting to track their progress this season.

12. Floyd Central (2-3, 12). So far, the Highlanders have dominated the bad teams and struggled against the good teams. How will they stack up against Eastern and Madison this week?

13. West Washington (4-2, 13). The Senators scored two points against Lanesville. We had to drop them a couple spots. They’re probably good enough to ascend.

14. Rock Creek (3-2, NR). Welcome to the Power Poll, Rock Creek. The Lions have three wins this season after three total over the last two.

15. Austin (1-4, 14). The Eagles have lost four straight by double digits since opening with a win over Madison.

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

BOSTON — A night after knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers, Romeo Langford and the Boston Celtics won for the seventh time in 10 games with a 111-105 “trap game” victory over Oklahoma City at the T.D. Center.

In the victory, Langford scored two points in eight minutes played. He made his only field goal attempt, which came with 2:41 left in the first period and put the Celtics ahead 21-15.

The Celtics led 58-45 at the half and held a 15-point lead through three quarters, thanks in large part to Jayson Tatum’s 33-point performance. Tatum, who has scored 30-plus points in three straight games, also had eight rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots and a steal. He went 11-for-22 from the floor and made six of his 12 3-point attempts.

Dennis Schroder added 29 points and six assists for Boston, which had 28 assists on its 41 baskets.

No Thunder player had more than 16 points. That was from third-year Luguentz Dort. The Oklahoma City bench outscored the Celtics’ 38-18.

The Celtics, who went over .500 for the first time this season with the victory, hosts Houston (1-15) Monday before hosting the Brooklyn Nets (12-5), who are currently the top team in the Eastern Conference, Wednesday night on ESPN.

By GREG MENGELT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Air Force freshman Jake Heidbreder has scored season and career highs in each of his past two games. On Saturday, the former Floyd Central star scored 11 points as the Falcons won their third straight game, 72-53 over Holy Cross.

Heidbreder went 5-fo- 8 from the floor and finished with 11 points. He also had two steals, a rebound and an assist as Air Force improved to 3-1 on the season.

Heidbreder got the scoring started Saturday with a layup four seconds into the contest. His second layup, with 6:36 to go in the first half, put the Falcons ahead 19-14. Back-to-back Heidbreder buckets, including a 3-point play, gave Air Force a 40-27 lead with 13:19 remaining. His final basket came with 2:21 left and gave increased the Air Force margin to 67-49.

The game was part of the Sunshine Slam at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. The tournament continues today when the Falcons battle host Bethune-Cookman (1-3) at 12:30 p.m. Heidbreder and his teammates can be seen on flosports.com.

Senior guard A.J. Walker had a big game for Air Force. His 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals led the way for the Falcons, held the Crusaders to 37.5 percent from the floor (18-of-48).

Holy Cross (1-3), which missed all eight of its 3-point attempts, was led by 15 points from freshman guard Kyrell Luc.

By GREG MENGELT

HIGH POINT, N.C. — William & Mary freshman Langdon Hatton had four points, three rebounds and a steal off the Tribe bench but it wasn’t enough in a 77-59 loss to Georgia State in the first game of the Legends Classic at High Point.

Hatton, a North Harrison graduate, went 2-for-5 from the floor and pulled down two offensive boards for the Tribe, who have dropped their first four games.

With William & Mary trailing 41-19, Hatton scored his first basket with 3:15 remaining in the first half. With 12:25 left to go in the game, Hatton rebounded his own miss for his second bucket. That pulled the Tribe to within 62-42.

Georgia State senior guard Kane Wiliams led all scorers with 23 points. He also had nine rebounds and six assists as the Panthers improved to 3-1 on the season.

Wililam & Mary, which got 16 points fro sophomore guard Connor Kochera and 14 from sophomore forward Ben Wight, hopes to get win No. 1 today when they face Howard (3-2) at 5 p.m. back at Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena. Hatton and the Tribe can be seen on ESPN Plus.

By GREG MENGELT

OWENSBORO, Ky. — Host Brescia pulled away for a 74-66 win over IU Southeast on Saturday.

The Grenadiers, who shot just 43.4 percent from the floor (23 of 53) and made just two of their 15 3-point attempts (13.3 percent), are now 1-7 on the season.

Senior Jared Osborne and junior Glenn Hill Jr. had co-game highs with 21 points apiece. Osborne was 9-for-13 from the field and Hill went 6-for-11. Gabriel Casillas Cruz came off the bench for 11 points. Casillas Cruz went 4-for-4 from the team. The trio was 19-for-28 from the floor, while the rest of the team went 4-for-25.

Ricky Shuford led the way for the Bearcats with 18 points. Brescia, which made 12 of its 13 free throw attempts, is now 2-3 on the year.

IUS will seek its second win of the season Tuesday when it hosts Midway (3-3). The game can be seen at IUSathletics.com.

By GREG MENGELT

On Friday, Jeffersonville suffered its first loss of the season, but the Red Devils also showed they can compete with one of Southern Indiana’s top teams.

Jeffersonville (5-1) lost 41-37 to defending Class 3A state champion Silver Creek (4-0) on Friday. The Devils led in the third quarter and never fell more than four points behind the Dragons in the final period, according to the News and Tribune’s game report.

“I thought we came to play,” Jeff coach Missy Voyles told Winstead. “We weren’t intimidated. We came out and played aggressively.”

Speaking of coming to play, Jeffersonville’s opponent on Saturday did as well Friday. The fourth-ranked Bedford North Lawrence Stars (5-0) overcame a double-digit deficit and knocked off No. 3 North Central (4-1) 54-51 on Friday evening.

The Stars have won 10 straight Hoosier Hills Conference contests and beat Jeffersonville twice last season by an aggregate 136-73 score, but the 2021-22 Red Devils appears to be a different squad. Its 5-1 start equals its best since its state championship season of 2011.

The Stars are 17-2 against the Red Devils since 2011 and have had unblemished conference records — and two state championships — in the last 10 years.

BNL’s last conference loss came last January at Columbus East. The defending HHC champion Oympians (5-1), who are currently ranked 20th in the IBCA Coaches’ Poll, appear to be the top threat to BNL in the HHC race. East already has wins over Bloomington South and East Central and its lone loss came against Class 4A No. 10 Fishers, which remains unbeaten at 5-0.

Jennings County has made its intentions to compete for the conference championship known early in the season. The Panthers are 4-0 and coming off blowout wins over Mid-Southern Conference powers Charlestown (3-2) and Salem (3-1).

At 4-2, New Albany is obviously much improved from last year’s 6-16 squad. However, the Bulldogs appear to be the best of the also-ran teams in the HHC. Unless something shocking happens, Floyd Central and Seymour don’t appear to be contenders. Although no team in the HHC appears to be a pushover. Any of the three could have a say in the race with upsets of one of the conference favorites.

So it appears the most recent conference champions — BNL and East — are the favorite again. Jennings, which hasn’t won an HHC title since 2002, is also a serious contenders.

If Jeff continues to play well above expectation, as it has so far, and pulls off an upset tonight at the BNL Fieldhouse, the Red Devils will certainly join that conversation.

HHC KEY GAMES
• Jeffersonville at Bedford North Lawrence, Nov. 20
• Jeffersonville at Jennings County, Nov. 23
• BNL at Jennings County, Nov. 30
• Jeffersonville at Floyd Central, Dec. 4
• Jeffersonville at Columbus East, Dec. 11
• BNL at New Albany, Jan. 4
• New Albany at Floyd Central, Jan. 8
• Columbus East at BNL, Jan. 11
• Columbus East at Jennings County, Jan. 20
• Jeffersonville at New Albany, Jan. 21

HOOSIER HILLS HOOPS
HHC PROJECTIONS
1. Bedford North Lawrence
2. Jennings County
3. Jeffersonville
4. Columbus East
5. New Albany
6. Seymour
7. Floyd Central

GAME OF THE WEEK
SATURDAY, NOV. 20
JEFFERSONVILLE (5-1, 0-0 HHC) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (5-0, 0-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: BNL Fieldhouse, Bedford.
• Coaches:
Jeffersonville — Missy Voyoles (11-13 in second season at Jeff, 281-127 in 18th season overall).
BNL — Jeff Allen (160-34 in eighth season at BNL and overall).
• Rankings:
BNL — No. 5 (IBCA); No. 4 Class 4 (ICGSA).
• Most recent game:
Jeffersonville — Lost at Silver Creek 41-37 (Nov. 19).
BNL — Won at North Central 54-51.
• Last 20 years: BNL 18-16. The Stars have won 17 of the last 19 meetings.
• Most recent meeting: Feb. 2, 2021 — BNL 62, Jeff 36 (Class 4A New Albany Sectional semifinal).
• News and notes: Jeff is 5-1 for the second time since winning the Class 4A state title in 2011. … The Red Devils led 9-2 early and outscored Silver Creek 17-10 in the third quarter Friday to pull even with the Dragons at 32-apiece. … Cadence Singleton led the Red Devils with 13 points in Friday’s loss. … Sophomore Chloe Spreen (20.5) and junior Karsyn Norman (13.8) scored more than 34 of the Stars’ 58.5 points per game so far this season. Norman scored nine straight points in the fourth quarter of the Stars’ win over North Central on Friday. … BNL outscored the Panthers 16-7 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback win.
• Outlook: No matter who wins, this is an excellent measuring stick weekend for the Red Devils. They hung tough with Silver Creek on Friday. Expect that same against BNL tonight.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: BNL 60, Jeffersonville 31.
• Greg’s pick: BNL 63, Jeffersonville 52.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (0-4) AT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN (0-5)
• Time: 1 p.m.
• Location: 2565 Villa Avenue, Indianapolis.
• Coaches:
Christian Academy — Carson Casey (8-40 in third season at CAI and overall).
Central Christian — Phillip Johnson (9-19 in second season at Central Christian and overall).
• Most recent game:
Christian Academy — Lost at Lanesville 72-9 (Nov. 18).
Central Christian — Lost to Anderson Prep Academy 44-21 (Nov. 19).
• Last 20 years: First meeting between the two schools.
• News and notes: Christian Academy is currently riding a six-game losing streak, dating back to last January. … Central Christian has played basketball since 2000. Its first full season was 2008-09. … The Chargers have had two winning seasons, four double-digit win season and have never won a sectional game. … Central Christian’s leader is sophomore Trinity Foerster, who averages 6.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.
• Outlook: CAI is in desperate need of a win and a win the Warriors shall get.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: CAI 50, Central Christian 21.
• Greg’s pick: CAI 30, Central Christian 23.

ROCK CREEK (3-1) AT SPRINGS VALLEY (3-1)
• Time: 1:30 p.m.
• Location: Springs Valley High School, French Lick.
• Coaches:
Rock Creek — Sara Nord (5-10 in second season at Rock Creek and overall).
Springs Valley — Marty Niehaus (63-36 in fifth season at Springs Valley, 435-224 in 30th season overall).
• Most recent game:
Rock Creek — Defeated Borden 56-46 (Nov. 18).
Springs Valley — Won at North Daviess 41-30.
• Last 20 years: Springs Valley 17-0.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 23, 2019 …
• News and notes: The two teams did not meet last year for the first time in 18 years. … Rock Creek’s 3-1 start is its best in program history. … Neveah McWilliams made four 3-pointers and led the Lions with 16 points in Rock Creek’s 44-30 win over Clarksville on Tuesday. Ryleigh Newton added 10. … Niehaus is fifth among active Indiana girls’ basketball coaches with 435 wins between Forest Park and Springs Valley. He has 430 more wins than Nord, 2000 Indiana Miss Basketball. … Springs Valley has started no worse than 3-1 through four games in six of the past seven years. … The Blackhawks’ last sectional title came in 2015-16 when they started their season 25-0.
• Outlook: Don’t look now, the Lions are 3-1 and coming off wins over Clarksville and Borden. They’re one point from being unbeaten. A win today and the Lions are looking at a potential .500 season or better for the first time since 2005.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Springs Valley 46, Rock Creek 39.
• Greg’s pick: Rock Creek 55, Springs Valley 51.

SILVER CREEK (4-0) AT NEW ALBANY (4-2)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Doghouse, New Albany.
• Coaches:
Silver Creek — Scott Schoen (159-108 in 12th season at Silver Creek and overall).
New Albany — Shelby Gliebe (10-18 in second season at New Albany, 14-37 in third season overall).
• Rankings:
Silver Creek — No. 14 IBCA (single class); No. 3 ICGSA (Class 3A).
• Most recent game:
Silver Creek — Defeated Jeffersonville 41-37 (Nov. 19).
New Albany — Lost to Columbus North 59-47 (Nov. 18).
• Last 20 years: New Albany 5-3. Silver Creek has beaten the Bulldogs three years in a row.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 14, 2020 — At Silver Creek 75, New Albany 36.
• News and notes: Through six games, New Albany is just two wins away from last year’s win total. Last year the Bulldogs started just 2-7. … Seniors Maleea Roland (16.2) and Taylor Treat (13.4) combine to average 29.6 points per game. That’s over 50 percent of the Bulldogs’ points. … Silver Creek ranks 37th in the state at 60 points per game offensively. … With a win tonight, the Dragons would be 5-0 through five games for the third straight year.
• Outlook: New Albany is better than expected. If the Bulldogs’ 4-1 start wasn’t proof enough, the Bulldogs played North tough on Thursday. Still, expect the Dragons to remain unbeaten.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Silver Creek 54, New Albany 41.
• Greg’s pick: Silver Creek 63, New Albany 49.

NORTH HARRISON (3-2, 1-1 MSC) AT SCOTTSBURG (3-1, 0-0)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Charles E. Meyer Gymnasium, Scottsburg.
• Coaches:
North Harrison — Jamie Kolkmeier (15-8 in second season at North Harrison and overall).
Scottsburg — Carrie Daniels (11-16 in second season at Scottsburg, 114-72 in seventh season overall).
• Most recent game:
North Harrison — Defeated Crawford County 56-46 (Nov. 13).
Scottsburg — Defeated Floyd Central 41-23 (Nov. 18)
• Last 20 years: Scottsburg 14-13. North Harrison has won the last eight in the series.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 21, 2020 — At North Harrison 58, Scottsburg 55.
• News and notes: Ali Saunders and Diana Burgher, both seniors, were honored Wednesday night after receiving statewide recognition last season. Saunders was named All-State and ICGSA Underclass Supreme 15 and Burgher was All-MSC. … Scottsburg is on its first 3-game winning streak since January 2019 when it beat Connersville, Southwestern, Seymour and Clarksville in successive games.
• Outlook: This is probably the most interesting game of the day. Both teams appear to be competing to finish in the top half of the MSC and it could go either way.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Scottsburg 49, North Harrison 39.
• Greg’s pick: North Harrison 56, Scottsburg 53.

CHARLESTOWN (3-2) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (0-3)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: South Central Main Gym, Elizabeth.
• Coaches:
Charlestown — Scott Matthews (69-54 in sixth season at Charlestown and overall).
South Central — Lynne Thomas (3-37 in third season at South Central and overall).
• Most recent game:
Charlestown — Lost at Silver Creek 54-37 (Nov. 17).
South Central — Lost to South Spencer 70-39 (Nov. 13).
• Last 20 years: Charlestown 7-4. The Pirates have a 6-game winning streak against South Central.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 23, 2019 — Charlestown 77, at South Central 41.
• News and notes: The two teams didn’t play last year for the first time since 2013-14. … It’s been a full week since the Rebels’ last game. … The Rebels have started 0-3 for the fourth straight season. … The Pirates were outscored 16-4 in the first quarter and 12-4 in the second quarter of their loss to Silver Creek. … Tatum McFarland led Charlestown with 11 points in the loss.
• Outlook: This one could get ugly fast.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Charlestown 75, South Central 15.
• Greg’s pick: Charlestown 63, South Central 21.

LANESVILLE (5-1) AT WEST WASHINGTON (4-1)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Tower Gymnasium, Campbellsburg.
• Coaches:
Lanesville — Angie Hinton (67-16 in fourth season at Lanesville, 240-89 in 15th season overall).
West Washington — Matthew Myers (12-16 in second season at West Washington and overall).
• Rankings:
Lanesville — No. 2 ICGSA (Class A).
• Most recent game:
Lanesville — Defeated Christian Academy 72-9 (Nov. 18).
West Washington — Defeated Christian Academy 62-25 (Nov. 16).
• Last 20 years: Lanesville 13-7. The Eagles have defeated West Washington the past two seasons.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 21, 2020 — At Lanesville 79, West Washington 33.
• News and notes: Both teams’ last games were wins over Christian Academy. … Both teams rank in the top 23 in the state in defensive scoring. Lanesville is surrendering just 27.83 points per game, while the Senators give up 29.6. … Five different Eagles are scoring at least 6 points per game, led by junior Linzie Wernert, who averages 13.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. … Madison Brown scored 26 points in the win over CAI. She outscored the Warriors on her own, 26-25.
• Outlook: West Washington has been impressive early in the season, but it’ll be a surprise if the Senators keeps up with Lanesville.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Lanesville 49, West Washignton 27.
• Greg’s pick: Lanesville 57, West Washington 32.

MADISON (3-2) AT SALEM (3-1)
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Brooks Memorial Gymnasium, Salem.
• Coaches:
Madison — Sonja Bowyer (40-37 in fourth season at Madison and overall).
Salem — Jerry Hickey (140-66 in ninth season at Salem and overall).
• Rankings:
Salem — No. 19 IBCA (single class); No. 5 ICGSA (Class 3A).
• Most recent game:
Madison — Won at South Dearborn 51-39 (Nov. 16).
Salem — Defeated Eastern 51-33 (Nov. 19).
• Last 20 years: Madison 14-9. Salem has beaten the Cubs four straight times.
• Most recent meeting: Nov. 20, 2020 — Salem 65, at Madison 48.
• News and notes: Salem rebounded from its first loss of the season against Jennings County to defeat rival Eastern by 18 points in conference opener. … Madison has won three straight since starting the season 0-2. … The Cubs scored the first 18 points of the game in their 53-27 win over Switzerland County on Nov. 12.
• Outlook: Madison should give the Lions a bit of a test … at least for a while.
• JohnHarrell.net prediction: Salem 62, Madison 35.
• Greg’s pick: Salem 67, Madison 48.