The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/103825
B-1 Wednesday, January 16, 2013 E-Mail Sports Items to: sports@pressdispatch.net Sports Tidbits From the Mini Mac By Mike Johansen W ell, the college football season is over now and the media has crowned Alabama as the National Champion. I know my relatives in Texas, as well as myself, would like to see what Alabama does against Texas A&M a second time. A&M was the only team to beat Bama and it came in November. A&M won 6 straight to end the season and 11 of its final 12 games. They had a mid-season loss to LSU (24-19) and a season opening loss to Florida (20-17). But their record to end the season suggests they are of national championship caliber. Georgia deserves a chance for the playoffs and so does Oregon and a few others fit in there. My contention is that an 8 or 16 teams national championship playoff system would be much better. That is one sports observation for the new year. Much like the big show at the end of the NCAA Basketball season is a great way to end that sport, it would be also better for football to end that way. Look at the crowd and media attention it gets, I think football should be the same. ******* I am heartened by the beginning of the basketball season with the teams I love to watch doing quite well. Missouri has only lost three times, Indiana and Arizona once and Kentucky has lost four times and I hope many more. Like football, basketball has many teams that start off rough and mature by the end of the season. I think that Duke, Arizona, Missouri, Indiana and a few others will be there at the end of the season as well and give us another really good show in the NCAA Tournament. I also will not sell short Michigan, Louisville or quite a few others including unmentionables like Kansas. Unmentionable because any Missouri fan really dislikes Kansas. There are a few others that could contend for that national championship come tournament time in March. ******** Some people are mourning the loss of the team state wrestling tournament, I am not one of those, but do not stand against it either. I don't know if it was financially viable or not. That could be one reason it has gone by the wayside. I have noticed a few other states are cutting down what they offer as far as state tournaments and the number of classes. Arizona has cut its classes from six or seven to four with a few modifications for certain sports. I am sure some of the minor sports could suffer even more streamlining, which is more unfair to the smaller schools in each division. However, finances are a big determining factor for state tournaments and playoffs. If the economy holds and interest in high school sports picks up some, everything will be okay. However, there are a lot of competing things in sports and entertainment that take the dollar away from high school sports. It is important for us, as fans, to support the high school teams if we can. I know that those dollars from admission to high school sports go to first pay for game help, but more importantly go for uniforms and other needs of each team. So attendance is important to high school sports as it is for all other sports venues. I would like to see at least two classes for wrestling, but that is not forthcoming for that sport, cross country, track and field and a couple of others because the finances are not there. It takes both corporate money and gate receipts to make things go. ******* It sure turned winter cold this week, although we have not had the temperatures dip as low as they have in past years—yet. I am glad the snow came for the water tables to be improved, but I am also glad it is now gone. I really do not mind snow, but ice is another story. It can snow all it wants as long as the ice storms stay away from here. The older you get the more careful you have to be and being out on ice is a tough situation. Be careful this winter and do not slip and hurt yourself. I am trying to make sure I don't do that. ******* "He will rule from sea to sea Continued on page 2 Lady Chargers trip up Loogootee Go cold against Jasper and the Lady Vikings By Mike Johansen The week of girls basketball started out with a solid performance by the Pike Central Lady Chargers but it ended with a tough loss to Jasper and another loss to North Posey. The week started on a bright note for the Lady Chargers as they took care of business and downed the Loogootee Lady Lions 55-16 at home last Tuesday, Jan. 8. Coach Randy Graham said he was proud of the girls for taking care of business in the final three quarters of the game after a slow start. The Lady Lions opened the game with the first basket 1:40 into the game. The Lady Chargers answered right away on a jump shot by Michal Ashby from the three point range. The two teams traded possessions and Pike Central was the first to break through again with a free throw by Ashby at the 4:03 mark. Samantha Halbrader added a basket with 3:02 left in the quarter for a 6-2 lead. But, the Lady Chargers offense went silent for the rest of the quarter. The Lady Lions made two free throws a minute later and scored on a short shot with 16 seconds left in the quarter. Pike Central closed the quarter with four turnovers and four missed shots. Rachel Roettger hit the first two points of the second quarter just 20 seconds into the period. Jordan Like followed with two free throws a minute later and then added a short shot and a free throw with six minutes to play in the half for a 13-6 lead. Like canned another shot rebounding a missed field goal try at the 5:26 mark for a 15-6 edge. The Lady Lions made a basket, but Pike Central answered right away with a field goal by Emily Howes, another shot by Lindsey Catt and an inside shot by Like off a feed pass from Catt for a 21-8 lead with 2:40 to play in the half. The Lady Lions scored on a Continued on page 10 NETedition Exclusive video Samantha Halbrader battles with two Loogootee players for control of a rebound during a Lady Chargers varsity win last week. PC boys can't hold on to the ball By Mike Johansen It was not the ending to a hard week of practice that the Pike Central Chargers wanted as they lost a hard fought battle at Heritage Hills on Friday night and were never really in the game losing at Jasper on Saturday night. Friday's game came down to the final quarter as the Chargers could never quite get a full comeback going against Heritage Hills and suffered a 61-48 loss on the road in Pocket Athletic Conference play. After falling behind 15-6 in the opening quarter Saturday night at Jasper, the Chargers never recovered and dropped a 54-36 decision to a possible Sectional foe. PC Head Coach John Mokris was not pleased with the overall effort and noted they will have to find some answers for both teams before Sectional play at the end of February. "Turnovers were a problem and a lot of individualism was another problem this past weekend," said Coach Mokris. "We did a lot of things we have not done in at least four games and they were not good things. Saturday night we had 13 turnovers in the first half and that really hurt us and we had 20 against Heritage Hills and that is a big problem. We had too many self inflicted turnovers. I knew it was going to be a tough weekend no matter what. We ground it out last night (against Heritage Hills), we played pretty solid. Tonight was very disappointing, we had too NETedition Exclusive video Trevor Claridge, 30, slaps the ball away from a Heritage Hills varsity player during Friday night's PAC game on the road. Dustin Meny, 24, and Chris Downey, 13, are ready to help. many careless turnovers. I wanted to come out (Saturday) and play hard like we did last night and it never happened. I knew they were going to beat on us physically, they are strong. We are going to have to find some way to beat those guys if we draw them in the tournament." The Chargers had a tough end to the first quarter Friday night in the 61-48 loss to PAC foe Heritage Hills. Kegan Aldridge canned the first shot for the Chargers for a 2-2 tie. Two free throws by Tyler Garland tied the game at four and Garland made a basket for a 6-6 tie. Aldridge made a jumper for an 8-6 PC lead and followed it with another basket for a 10-6 margin over the Patriots with 3:34 to play. The Patriots responded with 13 straight points to pull ahead 1910 with a minute left to play in the opening period. The Chargers had the only basket in the final minute as Aldridge hit one after a Heritage Hills turnover. After a Heritage Hills basket, Garrett Elliott canned a jumper. The Patriots responded again ,and Elliott answered with two free throws for a 16-23 score. A three by Aldridge cut the difference to four points, 19-23. Jasper completed a three point play and scored another field goal to open up a nine point lead. Pike Central closed the half with a basket from Trevor Claridge off a feed pass from Shaine Eck and a basket by Aldridge to trail 28-23 at the half. PC had an 11-9 edge in the third period. The Chargers started off the second half with a good run on baskets by Aldridge and Elliott and a three by Garland gave the Chargers a 30-28 lead. Heritage Hills responded with a five point run to regain the lead. Aldridge had a three point play with 4:23 remaining in the third frame for a 33-33 tie. Jasper scored a basket, but Chris Downey hit an inside shot off a pass from Dustin Meny. Heritage Hills made another basket and Aldridge responded with a bucket off a pass from Eck for a 3737 score. The Patriots had the final two baskets of the third period to regain the lead 41-37. PC had a 1413 edge in the period. The Patriots stretched the lead to six points off two Pike Central turnovers to start the final period before Downey made a shot with 6:32 remaining for a 39-43 count. Continued on Page B3