Jim’s Journal, February 12th, 2024

It was a thrilling overall sports weekend, and we hope you enjoyed all the local action right here!!

In our Saturday high school basketball triple-header, Batesville and East Central led off with an incredible regular-season boys’ battle, the Bulldogs having to rally in the 4th quarter to force overtime, and finally prevail 64-62, for their 14th win of the season.

Then there were the girls’ regional title games.  The 21 & 4 Greensburg Pirates, who’d been ranked in Class 3A’s statewide top 6 all season, took on the 21 & 4 Warriors of Scottsburg, in Charlestown.  The Pirates led by 4 at the half, but got outscored by 16 in the 3rd quarter.  In the 4th period, Greensburg couldn’t get any closer to the Warriors than 7 points.  Scottsburg advances to semi-state with the win, 62-51.  The Pirates conclude their season 21 & 5, but as both EIAC and sectional champions.

In Class 2A at West Washington, North Decatur’s Chargers fell behind early, but kept battling.  In the game’s final few moments against Linton-Stockton’s Miners, the Chargers made a 6-point run that brought them very close, within 5 points, but there just weren’t quite enough seconds left on the clock.  The Miners went on to the win, 37-30.  North Decatur’s girls’ hoops year ends at 18 & 7, and of course they’d also won their sectional, and finished 6 & 0 to win the Mid-Hoosier Conference.

It was finally the Class 1A Jac-Cen-Del Eagles, who prevailed in another low-scoring girls’ contest.  They were led by Kelsey Borgman and Julia Meyer with 10 points each, for their 21st victory of the season over the Eminence Eels Saturday, 34-25.  The win sends JCD into Semi-State, where the one thing we know is some Eagles will win, because Jac-Cen-Del will face the defending 1A champions, the Eagles from Lanesville.  JCD’s now 21 & 5 on the season, Lanesville 26 & 1, and you can count on hearing all the action of their matchup live Saturday morning, tipping at 10:00 from New Albany, with our pregame coverage around 9:40, right here on WRBIRadio.com, on the radio at 103.9 FM, and on the new WRBI app.  It can be downloaded now, from either Google Play or the App Store.

More high school action, this on the mat, over the weekend—  Batesville’s in the state wrestling finals for the first time in 31 years, since 1993.  Bulldog junior Max Amberger should be congratulated.  He placed 4th at 285 pounds in Semi-State at New Castle, beating his first 2 opponents to lock in and advance.  Max’s record for the season is a stunning 40 wins, against only 4 losses.  And it’s a great year for Bulldog wrestling overall– they put a total of 5 men in Semi-State for the first time in school history.

Men’s college basketball over the weekend—  The Number 5 Houston Cougars topped Cincinnati by 5, 67-62…  Second-ranked Purdue outran the Hoosiers 79-59…  Number 19 Creighton beat Xavier 78-71…  Ohio State needed overtime to get by Maryland 79-75… Texas State knocked off Ball State 68-60… Indiana State slipped past Missouri State 73-71, and Butler edged Providence 75-72.

Saturday, the Pacers beat the Knicks 125-111 in New York–  tonight they’re in Charlotte to face the Hornets.