The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1349176
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, March 10, 2021 B-1 SPORTS Submit sports items: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: sports@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg PIKE CENTRAL'S SEASON ENDS WITH LOSS TO VINCENNES IN SECTIONAL www.UebelhorGM.com • Jasper • 1-800-937-8721 Swimmers post two wins apiece By James Capozella Pike Central Middle School swim teams posted 14 firsts on their way to wins over the Tell City Marksmen and the For- est Park Rangers this past Tuesday at Tell City. The girls banked 121 points to Tell City Junior High (89) and Forest Park (25). The boys won with 122 points to Tell City's 102 and Forest Park's 55. Xander Parker, Ty De- Coursey, Awstyn Luff and all three boys' relays took blue ribbons in the triangle meet. Ethan Mann, Andrew John- son, Jacoby Smith and Xan- der Parker combined for the 200 free relay win (2:16.14), with Jaden Nolan, Tyler Col- lins, Carter Blackwell and Blaine Barnett third (2:47.91). DeCoursey, Mann, Luff and Johnson took the 200 med- ley relay in 2:25, and Barnett, Parker, Smith and Blackwell were third (2:47.67). Luff, Smith, DeCoursey and Ja- cob Pauw teamed for a win in the 400 free relay, clocking 5:02.27. Nolan, Johnson, Bar- nett and Blackwell were DQ'd. Parker won the 100 free in 1:12.67 and the one-meter diving with a 61.60 score. Luff won the 50 fly in 32.01, with Jacoby Smith third (38.73). Luff was leading the 100 IM, but was disqualified. Team- mate Jaden Nolan placed fifth in 1:42.48. DeCoursey was first in the 50 free, clocking 33.11, and Blackwell was third in 40.38. Pauw was second in the 50 back (41.78) and DeCoursey third (42.96). Mann was sec- ond in the 50 breast (41.48) and Johnson fourth. Pauw al- so took third in the 200 free with a time of 2:56.34, with Mann fifth. GIRLS WIN TWO RELAYS AND FIVE INDIVIDUALS Jackie Berry and Xavery Weisman each grabbed two individual wins, and Kayleigh Byrd won the diving with 63.15 points. Berry took first in the 50 back (38.11), with Easton Bailey third (47.48). Berry also won the 50 free event (32.94) and Bailey Rain- ey was second. Weisman was first in the 50 breast (42.99) and Bailey Rainey was sec- ond. Weisman also won the 100 IM in 1:19.54 and Alexis Oswalt was second in 1:27.59. Oswalt took second in the 50 fly (40.55) and Byrd was DQ'd. Kelsea Query was sec- ond in the 100 free (1:22.31) and Eli Readle was fifth. Que- ry was fourth in the 200 free. Berry, Weisman, Oswalt and Byrd teamed for first in the 200 medley (2:34.73), and the team of Easton Bailey, Ky- lie Mann, Bailey Rainey and Elie Readle were DQ'd. Os- walt, Byrd, Berry and Weis- man won the 400 free relay (5:24.67), and Meyer, Query, Readle and Bailey were third. Bailey, Rainey, Meyer and Readle took second in the 200 free relay in 3:03.92, and Lind- sey Woods, Nevaeh McGuire, Ellen Worley and Christina Wetzel placed fourth. By Andy Heuring A slow start to the second quarter against Vincennes ended Pike Cen- tral's season as they fell 48 -36 in their sectional opener. Pike Central went more than five minutes without scoring at the beginning of the sec- ond quarter. Freshman Julian Gish had a hot hand early, scoring five first-quar- ter points. His offensive surge helped the Chargers to a 7-5 lead with 30 seconds left in the quarter. "I thought we really outplayed them in the first quarter," said Char- ger Head Coach Hunter Elliott. "We had a two-point lead with 30 seconds to go and we held the ball for one shot. We had a bad turnover that gave them a bucket and we definite- ly lost the momentum," said Elliott. Vincennes had seven of their eight first-quarter points from their inside out combination of Ethan Bushey on the outside and Julias Hardiman on the inside. Bushey knocked down one of his three three-pointers while Hardiman, a burly 6'2", banged away inside for four points. They lead the Alices, as both ended up with 13 points each. "Coming into the game, I knew the physicality of Vincennes and how we handled it was going to be a big thing," said Elliott. Pike Central didn't score in the first five and a half minutes of the second quarter. By the time senior Sean Hanselman scored on a transi- tion bucket with 3:30 left in the quar- ter, Pike Central was down 16 -9. "I thought we were being kind of passive," said Elliott. He said "They ( Vincennes) were being very phys- ical. That was the difference. They were bumping us off screens and pushing out on our cuts. We just weren't strong enough to push through that. . . Youth plays into that," said Elliott, as most of the time, Pike Central had three players who were either freshmen or sophomores on the floor. Senior Ethan Gorby took a charge on the defensive end and then scored on a short jumper to cut the lead to 16 -11. Pike Central never got closer than five after that. On the next possession, Vin- cennes' Ethan Bushey hit his second three-pointer of the game to make it 19 -11 with 2:10 left in the half. Trailing 19 -13, Pike Central had a chance to cut it back to six points as Gish got a steal, drove in and pulled Xavery Weisman took first in the 100 individual medley, with teammate Alexis Oswald second in the tri-meet with Tell City and Forest Park. Kelsea Query swam the 200 free and then took second in the 100 free at Tell City. Photos contributed. Awstyn Luff swam the fly leg of the winning 200 medley relay at Tell City. Avian cholera outbreak in Patoka River NWR By Janice Barniak US Fish and Wildlife service staff at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge reported an out- break of avian cholera in snow geese last week at Cane Ridge. While avian cholera poses min- imal risks to humans and the poultry industry—and is unre- lated to avian influenza or "bird flu" — hunters, photographers and birdwatchers can help mon- itor the spread locally. This is the second avian chol- era event in Gibson County in the last few years, affecting 176 snow geese since January, though it's common among wild birds, said Mitch Marcus, Fish and Wildlife Health Supervisor with the Indi- ana Department of Natural Re- sources. Because tens of thou- sands of waterfowl spend winter in this part of the state, the per- centage of disease overall is low. "Typically when there are an- imal health concerns, there are human health concerns," said Marcus. "Fortunately only snow geese are affected, no other spe- cies. I don't know of any infor- mation that tracks the bacteria; they could pick it up anywhere in the environment, but we hav- en't seen it anywhere else in In- diana yet." A fter the die-off of geese, the refuge director collected sam- ples to determine the cause of death, alerting biologists at the DNR, which has increased sur- veillance and is monitoring the event. The disease spreads through bird-to-bird contact, when birds eat food and water containing the bacteria or when birds scav- enge infected carcasses. Infect- ed birds die quickly, but locals seeing lethargic, abnormal be- havior or birds that have died can report the events online at on.in.gov/sickwildlife, where they'll be able to enter a location. Hunters are encouraged to take precautions with their gear and consumption by disinfect- ing decoys and waders, among other gear, with warm soapy water. They should use gloves when cleaning birds they've hunted, and avoid eating, drink- ing or smoking while cleaning See SECTIONAL on page 2 See CHOLER A on page 2 Charger senior Sean Hanselman goes inside past the Vincennes defense for a score during sec- tional play this past Friday night. Hanselman and Julian Gish led the Chargers with 10 points each.