South Ripley came from behind to defeat Southwestern (Hanover) 59-51 in Class 2A Sectional 45 semifinal action on the Raiders home court, as you heard last night on the Sports Voice. The Rebels led 11-1 after 1 quarter and 26-16 at the half, but the Raiders outscored Southwestern 42-25 in the second half to pull out the victory. Kaiya Rinear led South Ripley with 21 points, followed by Claire Samples with 13 and Aubrey Werner with 12. The Raiders move on to tonight’s sectional championship game against #10 Brownstown Central at 6:30 with a record of 14-9.
In the second half of the semifinal doubleheader heard last night on the Sports Voice, South Decatur dumped Waldron 52-28 in Class 1A Sectional 59 at Southwestern (Shelby). The win by the 14-11 Cougars sets up this year’s third installment of the Civil War. In the opener at Southwestern (Shelby), North Decatur rallied to beat Morristown 63-60 in overtime. The Chargers improve to 17-8 and will face county rival South Decatur in tonight’s title game at 7:00. We’ll have it for you on the Sports Voice with pregame coverage starting at 6:30.
Also in Class 1A, #8 Oldenburg eliminated Milan 59-26 at Hauser. The Twisters take a 20-4 record into tonight’s championship game at 7 against Shawe Memorial. The Hilltoppers knocked off Jac-Cen-Del 62-39.
In other girls sectional semis involving area teams, Jennings County got past Batesville 55-54 in Class 3A Sectional 29 at Lawrenceburg. A three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining lifted the Panthers to the win. Alyson Peters led the Bulldogs with 16 points. Batesville’s season ends at 16-9…In the nightcap at Lawrenceburg. top-ranked Greensburg rolled over South Dearborn 62-24 to stay perfect at 23-0. The Pirates will meet Jennings County for the title tonight at 7…And East Central eliminated Franklin Community 51-38 in Class 4A Sectional 14 at Columbus North. The Trojans take on the host Bull Dogs for the championship tonight at 7:30.
In the lone boys hoops contest on the local schedule last night, Franklin County beat Talawanda from nearby Oxford, Ohio 45-29.
Batesville entertains Madison in a boys basketball Saturday matinee on the Sports Voice. Coverage begins around 1:15 on 103.9 FM, wrbiradio.com and the WRBI app.
Best of luck to area athletes taking part in today’s IHSAA wrestling regional at Richmond. Individual wrestlers from Batesville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, and Milan look to extend their seasons.
In college basketball, seventh ranked Purdue hammered the USC Trojans 90-72 at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers improve to 19-5 overall and sit atop the Big Ten standings at 11-2 in conference play.
The Indiana Hoosiers, dealing with the expected departure of head coach Mike Woodson at the end of the season and a four game losing streak, take on #24 Michigan this afternoon at Assembly Hall. Tipoff is at 1:00.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles meet in Super Bowl LIX tomorrow evening. Kickoff in New Orleans is at 6:30. The Chiefs are looking to become the first team to win three straight Vince Lombardi trophies while the Eagles hope to avenge their loss to KC in the Super Bowl two years ago.
