St. Louis split with Franklin County in boys middle school basketball last night. The host 7th grade Cardinals came away with a 32-30 win over the Wildcats. Nicholas Lieland led the way for St. Louis with 14 points, and Nathaniel Fuentes added 10. The Cardinals have won five in a row and are now 5-3 on the season…Franklin County won the 8th grade contest 54-22. Cam Walke paced St. Louis with 15 points.
Batesville hosts Connersville in girls high school basketball tonight, weather permitting. WRBI coverage begins around 6:30…In other games involving area teams, Class 4A #13 East Central entertains Columbus North; Franklin County visits North Decatur; Class 3A #3 Greensburg is home against South Dearborn; South Ripley welcomes in Shawe Memorial; and South Decatur plays host to Hauser.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 17 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals will take place Sunday, December 28, at 1 p.m., the NFL announced on Wednesday. The game will be the second-to-last regular season contest at Paycor Stadium this season, followed by Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns. Week 18’s day and time are still to be determined.
Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard was a full participant in the team’s practice on Wednesday as he prepares to start this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Leonard was cleared to return to practice after sustaining a knee injury last week against Jacksonville…
Phillip Rivers practiced for the first time with the Colts since signing to the practice squad on Wednesday. The 44-year-old grandfather has come out of retirement to help Indianapolis, which is extremely slim at the quarterback spot due to Leonard’s knee problem and Daniel Jones’ season-ending injury. Rivers said the Colts reached out to him and said the prospect of playing again excited him.
In college basketball, the #6 Purdue Boilermakers took a Big Ten win in a big way last night in West Lafayette. They crushed Minnesota 85-57, thanks to a 22-0 run to start the second half. Purdue only led 35-32 during the halftime period. Braden Smith had 15 points and 12 assists while Trey Kaufman-Renn added 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win. The Boilers are 9-1 and will face Marquette on Saturday.
Indiana Hoosier football players continue to receive recognition. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year on Wednesday. Mendoza is also the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. The 13-0 Hoosiers are the top team in the College Football Playoff and will take on either 8th-seed Oklahoma or #9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
