Sports Daily Digest December 27, 2024

UPDATE:  The Batesville Boys lost the opening game of The Batesville Invitational to Mount Vernon this morning, 82-58.
The second first-round game was won by Roncalli, 59-32.  That sets up a consolation matchup between Batesville and Columbus North this afternoon at 4.  We’ll broadcast that one starting at 3:45.  It will be followed by the championship game between Mount Vernon and Roncalli.

Edinburgh Boys Holiday Tournament
Alexandria defeats South Decatur 48-37 in first round.
Cougars playing Austin tonight in consolation bracket.

Ray Furney Boys Basketball Classic at Lawrenceburg
New Palestine beats Lawrenceburg 77-35 in first round pool play.
Tigers meet Castle tonight at 7 p.m.

Switzerland County Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament
East Central falls 67-46 to Class A ranked Hauser.
Jets meet Paoli tonight at 5 p.m.
Trojans played Hamilton Heights at 3 p.m.

Scores not available at publication time:
Oldenburg Boys Basketball at its own holiday tournament
Franklin County Boys Basketball at Mitchell Classic

Greenwood Girls Basketball Tournament
East Central beats the host school 62-35.
Lady Trojans face Yorktown at 8 p.m. in championship game.

Scottsburg Holiday Tournament
Scottsburg defeats Batesville 62-46.

Scores not available at publication time:
Franklin County girls basketball at Waldron Tournament.
JCD girls basketball at Richmond Tournament tonight.
North Decatur and South Decatur girls basketball at Hauser Tournament.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers got out to as much as a 22-7 lead on Oklahoma City last night at home, but they ended up allowing OKC to claw back and get a 120-114 win on Thursday. The loss snaps a five-game win streak for Indiana, who gave up 45 points to the Thunder’s Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. Indiana was led by Andrew Nembhard who scored 23 points. Pascal Siakam added 22 points of his own. The Pacers are 15-and-16 on the season now as they will head out to Boston for a back-to-back on the road with the Celtics.

STATEWIDE – Women’s college hoops will pick back up starting on Saturday. The Indiana Hoosiers will resume conference play as they host Wisconsin at 2-o-clock-eastern inside Assembly Hall. Indiana has won five straight games as they closed out non-conference play a few days ago. Meanwhile, on Sunday the 3rd-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will also resume conference play when they host Virginia. Notre Dame has also won five in a row.

STATEWIDE – Several men’s basketball schools continue to enjoy the holiday break. Indiana is looking for back-to-back victories. The 9-and-3 Hoosiers host Winthrop on Sunday afternoon. Purdue has dropped back-to-back games. The 8-and-4 Boilermakers host Toledo on Sunday night. Notre Dame is hoping to extend its winning streak to four games. The 7-and-5 Fighting Irish visit Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve. Butler is on a five-game losing streak. The 7-and-6 Bulldogs host Villanova on New Year’s Day.

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals made a statement in Week 16 with a victory over the Cleveland Browns, but the real challenge looms large this Saturday.  In a high-stakes Week 17 showdown, the Bengals welcome the Denver Broncos to Paycor Stadium in a game with major playoff implications. For Cincinnati, it’s a must-win scenario to keep postseason hopes alive. Denver, sitting at 9-6, has its own aspirations on the line. The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with a win, rebounding from last week’s Thursday night loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles. All eyes will be on Paycor Stadium as these two teams battle for their playoff dreams AT 4:30 p.m.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Indianapolis Colts once again find themselves in a need-to-win situation if they want to continue to have a shot at the playoffs. They will take on the New York Giants on Sunday at 1-o-clock-eastern. The Giants have won just two games all season. The Colts are two games behind the Chargers and the Broncos for the last Wild Card spot. Indy needs the Chargers to lose their remaining two games and the Colts need to win their last two games to gain that Wild Card spot.

BATESVILLE – We’ll have high school basketball this morning on The Sports Voice.  It’s the Batesville Boys Basketball Invitational.  The host team tips it off versus Mount Vernon at 10:00 a.m.  Then we’ll also broadcast either the consolation game at 4:00, or the championship contest at around 5:30 — whichever Batesville is in.