Blue-Chip All-conference selections were announced recently for Boys Basketball. This year, they included three-time honorees; senior Hagen Knepp of Barr-Reeve, junior Peyton Bledsoe of Loogootee, and senior Holtman Doades of North Knox. Junior Dakota Candler of South Knox is a two-time honoree. There was a three-way tie for first place with Barr-Reeve, Loogootee, and South Knox all having 7-1 conference records. Three conference records were set this year including: individual three pointers in a game – Barr-Reeve’s Kayden Graber with 10; team three pointers in a game – Loogootee with 15; and team defensive average – South Knox with 30.75. There is one sad note for the first time in the history of the Blue Chip Conference. No boys basketball team won a sectional snapping a fifty-three year streak of at least one sectional championship for Blue Chip Conference teams.
Congratulations to Kencia Lavasseur, Washington Girls Basketball Stand Out, who signed her letter of intent to play college basketball at Roosevelt University in Chicago next year. Lavasseur scored over 1000 points in her four years at Washington, and led the Hatchets to many great seasons. Congrats Kencia!
Boys Basketball Regionals are set for this weekend:
At Loogootee, North Daviess will play Edinburgh at 10am tomorrow, while Springs Valley faces Borden in game two. North Daviess will have a community pep rally for the team today at 2:00 pm in the high school gym at North Daviess.
At Washington, Evansville Bosse will face Lawrenceburg in game one while Sullivan faces off with North Harrison in game two.
Indiana overcame a 17-point deficit and stormed back to beat Michigan Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers trailed 60-43 at the midway point of the second half and rattled off a 28-4 run to take a seven point lead. Michigan cut it back to two in the final minute, but IU closed out the program’s largest comeback in postseason history. The Hoosiers’ tenacious defense held the Wolverines without a field goal for over 11 minutes. Trayce Jackson-Davis bounced back after a poor first half and scored 19 of his 24 points after half time. Jackson-Davis added eight rebounds and four blocks and helped hold Hunter Dickinson to two points in the second half. Xavier Johnson overcame foul trouble and had 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists. It was the first time Indiana beat Michigan since 2016. The Hoosiers advanced to play top-seeded Illinois Friday morning at 11:30 Eastern. IU might already be in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, but a win over the Fighting Illini would almost guarantee a spot in The Big Dance.
Purdue will play Penn State Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions dominated in the second half to come back and upset sixth-seeded Ohio State 71-68 Thursday night. The third-seeded Boilermakers are 25-6 and ranked ninth nationally. Penn State is the 11th seed and has won two games in two days to improve to 14-16. The Nittany Lions are coached by former Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry. In one previous matchup, the Boilers beat Penn State by seven on the road in January. The Boilermakers and Nittany Lions tip off at approximately 9 p.m. Eastern Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The winner will play either Wisconsin or Michigan State in the semifinals Saturday.
Virginia Tech beat Notre Dame 87-80 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Hokies shot 57 percent from the field, and made eight straight free throws in the final minute to upset the second-seeded Fighting Irish. Notre Dame never got within a possession in the second half and trailed by four with 48 seconds to go. Prentiss Hubb knocked down 8-of-12 3-pointers to lead Notre Dame with 23 points, and Cormac Ryan added 20. Nate Laszewski (Luh-SHEV-ski) had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Fighting Irish fell to 22-10, and will await their NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday.
Providence defeated Butler 65-61 in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The Bulldogs led for much of the second half, but former IU guard Al Durham knocked in a go-ahead 3-pointer for top-seeded Providence with 43 seconds left. Butler’s season ends at 14-19, the program’s most losses since 1990. Chuck Harris led the Dawgs with 14 points, and Bryce Golden added 13. Bo Hodges had 10 points and 15 rebounds. The game included 11 ties and 12 lead changes. Butler shot 3-for-19 on 3-pointers and just 36 percent overall, as the Bulldogs failed to make it to the Big East semifinals for the second time ever.
The Baseball lockout ended yesterday. Reds CEO Bob Castelleni issued a statment yesterday saying this, “On behalf of the entire Reds organization, we are excited to start the 2022 season on April 7. And we cannot wait to welcome our fans to Great American Ball Park for the Reds’ Home Opener on April 12, when we will celebrate with all the traditions and fun that make Opening Day in Cincinnati the greatest day in all of baseball.” You can follow Reds Baseball again this season on the General 95.9 / 101.3 / and AM 1580.
