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University news – February 2

By
Staff Reports
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Huebel graduates from Evansville

Rebecca Huebel of Columbus graduated from University of Evansville during winter commencement ceremonies Dec. 17.

She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Students named to dean’s list

The following students were named to dean’s lists at their respective colleges:

Hope College in Holland, Michigan: Austin Huffer

University of Evansville: Mary Adelin Presto, Molly Mowrer, Kellie Garrison, Kacie Garrison, Rebecca Huebel, Nicholas Jones, all of Columbus; Samantha Knoy, Brownstown; Anna Rhoads, Nashville; and Sarah Stuckwisch, Seymour.

Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois: James D. McKain, Paris Crossing.

Ivy Tech initiative would put greenhouse on landfill-owned property

By
cjones
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Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus wants to build a greenhouse on the northwest side of Columbus near the county landfill to teach students about alternative farming.

The Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District is partnering with Ivy Tech on the project.

The greenhouse will be used for college and high school students to study hydroponics, aquaponics and to grow greenhouse crops. It will be no bigger than 40 feet by 120 feet.

A nearby pond to the northeast of the proposed greenhouse location could be used to raise fish and shrimp in the warmer months.

Ivy Tech received a conditional use permit and a variance from the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 27 to allow the structure to be built next to the Bartholomew County Landfill, using the landfill’s methane gas emissions as energy for the greenhouse.

The greenhouse is proposed for a property off of 25th Street about 2,500 feet east of County Road 500E in Clay Township.

The land is owned by the Bartholomew County Solid Waste District and would be leased by Ivy Tech for the greenhouse, said Matt John, agriculture program chair with Ivy Tech.

John said the idea for a greenhouse stemmed from a Cummins Inc. feasibility study of the landfill that found its gas emissions could be used for other purposes, including fueling an electric generator or produc-ing heat.

The Cummins report estimated the cost of pumping the gas out of the landfill to the west of the property where the proposed greenhouse would be built would cost about $45,000.

John said that study made it seem possible and feasible to move forward with the greenhouse.

“There’s been an increasing interest in offseason vegetable production. Indiana is pretty far behind the rest of the country in that concept,” he said. “This could become a valuable teaching tool.”

Classes of about 20 Ivy Tech students would be using the greenhouse, John said.

He’s also been in contact with several Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. teachers who are interested in bringing students to the greenhouse.

While John and Bartholomew County Solid Waste District manager Heather Siesel think the plan could take shape, several nearby residents said they had concerns.

George Hege, 10622 E. 25th St., said he liked the idea of a greenhouse but wasn’t sold on its proposed location which would be at the northwest end of his property.

Hege said he someday might want to build a house on the northwest side of his property and would not like to have to look at the greenhouse from his own backyard.

He also was worried that students who became familiar with the property would trespass there.

“I’m on board with them being able to do something there. I call it tainted ground. I think it’s a great idea, I just don’t think I want it right there,” he said.

Alice Brown, who lives north of the proposed site at 10433 E. County Road 200N, said she’s also worried about trespassing when the greenhouse and pond aren’t being used for educational purposes.

“There definitely is an issue with people wanting to use the pond for fishing,” she said.

“Some kids skipped school, came out on their four-wheelers and their pickup trucks.”

John said he plans to work with the concerned residents to make sure it doesn’t affect any of their properties.

He said Ivy Tech won’t be paying for the structure and that he plans to have an idea about the cost of the project in about a month.

Once he knows how much the project will cost, he will begin seeking grant money and donations to fund the greenhouse.

“I would love to see construction start by summer time,” he said.

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Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus is planning to build a greenhouse on property owned by the Bartholomew County Solid Waste District.

The property is located on 25th Street, about 2,500 feet east of County Road 500E in Clay Township.

The cost of the project and start date for construction have not been determined yet.

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Bull Dogs, Olympians girls teams draw sectional byes

By
Jay Heater
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When the brackets were announced Sunday for the first round of sectional girls basketball playoffs by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Columbus North and Columbus East were assigned an unusual task.

They get to watch.

Both the Bull Dogs and Olympians received a bye in the Class 4A Shelbyville Regional, which begins Feb. 10 as Shelbyville plays East Central and Bloomington North challenges cross-town rival Bloomington South.

Columbus North faces the Shelbyville-East Central winner at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 in the sectional semifinals while Columbus East meets the Bloomington South-Bloomington North victor at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13.

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The title game will be contested 7 p.m. Feb. 14.

Although the tournament bracket isn’t seeded, it would appear that Columbus North (21-1) and East Central (19-3) would be the class of the sectional and headed toward a semifinal clash. The Bull Dogs won the regular season match-up 65-52 on Dec. 11.

Bull Dogs coach Pat Mc-Kee said his team just needs to continue the momentum it has built from an excellent regular season.

“We are in a rhythm, and we have to continue that the best we can,” McKee said. “Of course, it is different in sense that during the regular season you can make a mistake and learn from it.

“You can’t do that in the sectional. That’s the nature of the beast.”

McKee said the Bull Dogs will do everything they can to extend their season.

“We want to keep this team together,” McKee said. “It’s a special thing. Every team is its own special entity, and you like to get it together as long as possible.”

Columbus East (9-11) likely will face Bloomington South (12-6) in the semifinal considering Bloomington North has had a bad year at 2-20.

The Olympians dropped a 71-60 decision to Bloomington South on Tuesday, but was behind only by a point in the fourth quarter.

“I think we will know more after we play our final regular-season games this week,” Columbus East coach Danny Brown said. “Our players have to first get through this grind that might make them mentally tougher.

“Then we will need to come up with a strategy for South. I know we had one of four best shooting games against them, and our worst defensive game.”

Brown said that his team will be a threat in the sectional. “We are not a bad basketball team,” he said. “We played a tough schedule.”

The other Bartholomew County team, Hauser, drew powerhouse Jac-Cen-Del in the first round of Class A Jac-Cen-Del Sectional play on Feb. 10. Hauser (10-12) lost to Jac-Cen-Del (18-2) 56-35 on Dec. 1. South Decatur faces the Hauser vs. Jac-Cen-Del winner Feb. 13.

The IHSAA drew pairings for the Indiana Girls Basketball State Tournament for the 40th time. A total of 398 teams will compete in four classes.

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Sectional matchups for local teams

Games 1, 2 Feb. 10

Games 3, 4 Feb. 13

Title games, Feb. 14

CLASS 4A

Shelbyville Sectional

Game 1: Shelbyville vs. East Central

Game 2: Bloomington North vs. Bloomington South

Game 3; Columbus North vs. winner of Game 1

Game 4: Columbus East vs. winner of Game 2

Title game: Winners of games 3, 4

Jeffersonville Sectional

Game 1: Bedford North Lawerence vs. New Albany

Game 2: Jennings County vs. Jeffersonville

Game 3: Seymour vs. Game 1 winner

Game 4: Floyd Central vs. Game 2 winner

Title game: Winners of Games 3, 4

CLASS 3A

Brown County Sectional

Game 1: Edgewood vs. Owen Valley

Game 2: West Vigo vs. Brown County

Game 3: Northview vs. Winner of Game 1

Game 4: Game 2 winner gets bye

Title Game: Winners of Games 3, 4

CLASS A

Jac-Cen-Del Sectional

Game 1: Shawe Memorial vs. Oldenburg Academy

Game 2: Jac-Cen-Del vs. Hauser

Game 3: Rising Sun vs. winner of Game 1

Game 4: South Decatur vs. winner of Game 2

Title Game: Winners of Games 3, 4

West Washington Sectional

Game 1: Medora vs. Orleans

Game 2: Springs Valley vs. West Washington

Game 3: Trinity Lutheran vs. Game 1 winner

Game 4: Crothersville vs. Game 2 winner

Title game: Winners of Games 3, 4

Morristown Sectional

(8 team sectional, dates TBA)

Game 1: Southwestern (Shelby) vs. Greenwood Christian

Game 2: Waldron vs. Indianapolis Lutheran

Game 3: Indianapolis Arlington vs. Morristown

Game 4: Edinburgh vs. Baptist Academy

Game 5: Winners of Games 1, 2

Game 6: Winners of Games 3, 4

Title game: Winners of Games 5, 6

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North standout hurt in crash

By
Julie McClure
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A Columbus North basketball player was seriously injured in an accident Sunday night near Taylorsville.

A Honda driven by Josh Speidel, 18, of Columbus, collided with another vehicle at U.S. 31 and Bear Lane about 7:04 p.m. Sunday. The Honda was struck in the driver’s side, and Speidel had to be extricated from the vehicle by German Township firefighters using the Jaws of Life, authorities said.

A passenger in Speidel’s car, Kaylee McCracken, 18, of Greenwood, was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital where she is being treated for minor injuries, according to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Speidel was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital and then transferred to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis. Sheriff deputies said Speidel suffered head and internal injuries.

The door and the roof of the Honda had to be cut off to extricate Speidel, according to sheriff deputies.

Deputies T.A. Smith and Leah Burton said the accident happened in front of Speedway at Bear lane.

Preliminary investigation indicates the southbound Chevy, driven by Janell Foley, 42, of Columbus, had just exited Interstate 65 and was traveling southbound when a Honda entered the roadway from a perimeter road on the west side of U.S. 31. Foley was treated and released at the scene, and her two sons, ages 9 and 14, were not injured.

Columbus North coach Jason Speer said he was on the way to the Indianapolis hospital to support Speidel’s family. Speidel, who has been recruited by Vermont, is averaging 25.6 points and 9.3 rebounds for Columbus North this season.

Candidate initiates phone poll

By
mbanta
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Mayoral candidate Jim Lienhoop is using a phone survey for his campaign intended to gauge how some Columbus residents are likely to vote.

Lienhoop said his campaign initiated the telephone poll on advice from Mark It Red, a conservative consulting firm from Lebanon, Indiana, that it hired based on advice from local state legislators and Indiana Republican Party Chairman Tim Berry.

The firm encouraged Lienhoop to take a poll seeing where he stands with people likely to vote in the May 5 Republican primary, a tool that was instrumental in helping the GOP gain supermajorities in the Indiana General Assembly, Lienhoop said.

Mark It Red then recommended using a Washington, D.C., area polling firm — referring to it as the best-qualified telephone polling vendor it had found — to conduct the Columbus phone survey, Lienhoop said.

Calls were made only to city residents who have voted Republican in the past two primary elections, he said.

Mayor Kristen Brown took to Facebook to criticize her challenger, saying the survey is “testing attack ads” against her and asking questions that make “unfair, negative insinuations.”

She said Thursday afternoon that she “absolutely won’t be doing any telemarketing surveying” as part of her campaign.

“I know what issues are important to the people of Columbus,” she said.“I’m very actively engaged. I have a good understanding of the people I serve.”

But while Brown took objection to the questions about her Facebook posts, she said Thursday the nature of the poll wasn’t her primary concern.

“My biggest concern is the lack of disclosure,” she said of the calls. “It’s confusing.”

Lienhoop said the telephone survey is geared at finding which issues that have arisen during the past three years are of greatest concern to likely voters, in addition to gathering data to gauge public opinion.

“We have been listening to people across the community who have indicated a lot of support,” he said.

“We’re trying to understand whether that translates into actual votes.”

The poll questions — which Lienhoop declined to divulge — aren’t intended to make any accusations, he said.

“I don’t think we asked anything that was unfair or untrue,” Lienhoop said. “It’s all fact-based.”

He said the campaign also specifically instructed the calling company to make sure it didn’t make repeated phone calls, as did a telephone poll conducted last year on behalf of Zack Ellison, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for House District 59.

After talking to campaign consultants, Lienhoop said it’s possible some households could have been called more than once if more than one Republican voter lived there.

But from talking to people who have been called and having received a call at home himself, it doesn’t appear the company is pestering people, he said.

Lienhoop offered his apologies to residents who feel they have been bombarded with calls.

Brown said she has received complaints from city residents, many of whom have been confused and upset because they think it’s the city conducting the survey.

Lienhoop has received at least one complaint as of Thursday afternoon, when a local resident and businesswoman of 47 years sent him an email after receiving a call from the polling company.

Christine Lemley, also known for being a co-founder of Interfaith Forum Columbus, criticized Lienhoop for conducting the “intrusive, divisive, underhanded” survey rather than attending to council matters.

Lemley, who described herself as a registered Democrat, said she voted for Mayor Brown in 2011 and is supporting her again.

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Mayoral candidate Jim Lienhoop’s campaign will use the information collected through a telephone survey to figure out “how to take our message to likely voters,” the at-large city councilman said.

Poll responses will be used to gauge public opinion and judge how people who have voted Republican in the past two primary elections are likely to vote May 5.

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Vote doesn’t break rules

By
mbanta
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Public officials running for office can vote on matters that benefit their campaign donors, according to the city’s ethics code.

City Attorney Jeff Logston said officials are not legally required to recuse themselves from votes that affect people who have contributed to their campaign.

That means Republican mayoral candidate and city council member Jim Lienhoop did not violate the city’s ethics policy when he voted Jan. 20 to support a recent tax abatement request for a company co-owned by a campaign contributor.

Lienhoop and the other five council members at the meeting unanimously passed an abatement for TechTop Realty LLC.

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The company is planning to invest $2 million to expand its warehouse in the Woodside Industrial Park.

It leases the 55,000-square foot warehouse to LHP Technologies and plans to add another 60,000 square feet of space.

The CEO of both companies is Columbus resident Ryan Hou, who donated $5,000 to Lienhoop’s campaign in November. Lienhoop is challenging Republican Mayor Kristen Brown for the Republican nomination for mayor in the May 5 primary.

Brown cited the Lienhoop donation when explaining why she is careful in what donations she accepts for her political campaign. With large donations, candidates run the risk of people thinking those donors are buying influence or favors, the mayor said.

She also mentioned it Thursday night on her personal Facebook page, writing that Lienhoop both motioned for and recommended the abatement, which she said saves TechTop $250,000 in taxes during a 10 year period.

Lienhoop said he voted on the requested abatement, which adds two jobs to a long-standing company, solely on its own merits. He led the motion and made the recommendation as a member of the Incentive Review Committee, which met just before the council meeting to discuss the requested abatement.

He said the request was just like any other abatement the council has approved, and that the company’s application contained nothing unusual or questionable.

Columbus is a small city in which candidates find supporters in a lot of different places — and people who want to donate to a campaign should be welcomed to, he said.

“I think the way this whole thing is supposed to work is through disclosure,” he said.

“The documents that are associated (with the abatement) are, I believe, open for inspection. And the campaign finance report that we file is also a public document.”

Political contributions are a form of free speech that shouldn’t be limited, Lienhoop said.

The city’s Code of Ethics was approved by the City Council in 2013. It is similar to the state’s code of ethics, but the Indiana State Ethics Commission, a five-member board that issues advisories based on state regulations, has no jurisdiction in Columbus, Indiana Inspector General Cynthia Carrasco said.

Under the city’s ethics code, officials cannot accept gifts or participate in discussions and votes on topics that may financially help or harm themselves, their employer or their family members, Logston said.

But campaign committees, which receive contributions from donors through a treasurer, are legally separate entities, Logston said.

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According to the code of ethics passed by Columbus city officials in 2013, councilmen should not knowingly solicit, accept or receive gifts or favors from people who have a business relationship with the council or who are seeking to influence their vote on any matter.

But political contributions that are legally reported are excluded from that restriction.

Councilmen are directed to recuse themselves from discussions and votes on any matter that would financially benefit themselves, an immediate family member, their company or any company with which they are seeking employment.

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Bull Frogs falter early, rebound to claim title

By
Ted Schultz
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When Columbus North was disqualified in the opening 200-yard medley relay Saturday afternoon, the Bull Frogs’ chances of defending their Conference Indiana title took a major hit.

No. 28 North was already going to have a huge meet to have a chance to upset No. 16 Bloomington South, and now, the Bull Frogs were spotting the Panthers 40 points at the beginning.

But then North coach Jim Sheridan gave his team a history lesson. He told the Bull Frogs about his 1999 squad that won a state championship after losing its medley relay team in the sectional.

Just as it did 15 years ago, North regrouped Saturday. The Bull Frogs took the lead midway through the meet and went on to win convincingly with 441 points to Bloomington South’s 367.

“When we lost the medley relay, I went around and reminded the guys, back in ’99, we lost our medley relay at sectional and won state by over 40 points,” Sheridan said. “There was nobody in that group that was saying ‘Oh, we should have been good.’ I said ‘Don’t be griping. Let’s get ready for the next race and start bringing it back.’”

And that started with freshman Michael Brinegar, who swam a meet-record 1 minute, 42.23 seconds to win the 200 freestyle and send North on its way to the lead.

“At first, we were a little bit doubtful, but then we realized that we still had a chance, so we went for it,” Brinegar said.

Brinegar came back later and broke meet and school records with a 4:31.93 in the 500 freestyle, unofficially the fastest time in the state this season.

“I was hoping to break those records,” Brinegar said. “Everyone else did really well, so that helped us win.”

“He’s only going to continue to get better,” Sheridan said. “He has swimming passion. He can do the relays, and as a freshman, there’s some tough doubles out there, but he’s ready for it.”

The Bull Frogs’ also got a win and a school record from sophomore Kaemon Jiles in the diving competition. Jiles a 436.15, breaking the 22-year-old record of 433.85 by Ryan Brand.

“All these mental blocks feel cleared,” Jiles said. “I feel like I can perform a lot better at sectional going into it knowing that everything is kind of lifted off my shoulders. Now the only thing I have to worry about is making it past that sectional cut and making it to state.”

North’s Matt Freudenthaler, Chase McQueen, Kevin Zhang and Brinegar won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:28.66. Freudenthaler, McQueen, Jared Imlay and Brinegar also took the 400 freestyle relay in 3:15.58 after Bloomington South was disqualified in that event.

But by that time, the Bull Frogs already had wrapped up the title.

“They stood up and kept the trophy here at home,” Sheridan said. “They did the work.”

McQueen also finished second in both the 50 freestyle (22.11) and 100 freestyle (48.56). Freudenthaler took second in the 100 butterfly (52.59) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:47.82).

Angel Torres Martinez was third in the 200 individual medley (2:05.54), Kevin Zhang finished third in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.53) and Imlay (4:58.03) and Thomas Goble (5:04.34) took third and fourth in the 500 freestyle.

“These guys stood up and did some racing, and they know they have more in the tank,” Sheridan said. “I’m very proud of them for doing the racing and getting after it. The passion that was shown on the deck today was, if we continue to show, we can make some noise at the top level of the state championships.”

With third title, East grad in rare company

By
Staff Reports
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Columbus resident Devin Gilpin was honored for his third consecutive United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) National Modified Championship at the series’ banquet Jan. 10 in Springfield, Illinois.

“It’s a pretty humbling experience,” said Gilpin, who began his Modified career in 2005 and has leaned on the support and help of his grandfather and crew chief, retired racer Don Fleetwood. “It was a great thrill for me to be a 24-year-old guy racing and running up and down the road with my grandfather as crew chief.”

Gilpin’s third championship puts him in an elite category among current and former Modified competitors as he joins Mike Harrison of Highland, Illinois, and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tennessee, as the division’s only three-time national champions and matches Owens, who has moved on from the Modified division to become one of the nation’s top dirt Late Model drivers, as the only drivers to win three consecutive titles.

“I’m proud to be one of only two drivers to three-peat a national championship,” said Gilpin, who plans to follow in the footsteps of Owens in making limited Late Model starts for Jim Beeman Motorsports of North Vernon in 2015. “To be at the same level as Jimmy Owens, that’s an accomplishment I’m extremely proud of.”

Since his streak of national titles in the Modified division began in 2012, the 2009 Columbus East High School graduate has racked up an impressive 100 feature victories over that time span.

Gilpin began his racing career in go-carts. In 2004 he ran the Rookie Class at Thunder Valley Raceway in Salem.

The next year he moved into the open-wheel modified division and, as they say, the rest is history.

Gilpin’s last three years of winning races harkens back to the early 1980s when National Dirt Late Model Hall-of-Famer Russ Petro of Columbus raced to 62 victories in a two-year span.

No one since then in the area has come close to what Gilpin has accomplished.

NASCAR driver and TV personality Kenny Wallace is a big fan of Gilpin’s.

“Devin Gilpin is a natural talent, he has dominated modified racing in the Midwest for the last three years,” Wallace said. “We both run the Impressive Race Car Chassis, and I get a lot of input from Devin when it comes to tracks we are both racing at. If he goes full-time Late Model racing in the future, I am sure it won’t be a matter of if but when he starts winning consistently with them.”

Gilpin is excited as he tries to continue that success.

“The last three years has been remarkable, to win as much as we have, and to race with the best-of-the-best in modified racing,” he said. “I am extremely proud of what my grandfather and I have accomplished. A lot of people don’t realize how much work it is to do on these cars on a weekly basis. I have to thank all of my pit crew, some are able to come and help once in a while, but they are a dedicated bunch.”

When asked if he will try for a four-peat, Gilpin was succinct. “It depends on how we start the season off in Florida, if we run well then we may take a shot at it, if not and we start winning in the Late Model, we may park the Modified and run the Late Model the rest of the season.”

Gilpin’s crew includes his grandfather, Colton and Chanler Fleetwood, Roy Gingery, Shane Brown, Cory Holman, Steve Bechelli and Shawn Gilpin. Gilpin will be joined by veteran crew chief, Troy Tabata of Clifford, on the Jim Beeman Motorsports Late Model Team in 2015.

Gilpin got a start on his 2015 racing season this week competing in events at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida. From there the team heads to North Florida Speedway in Lake City, Florida, Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida, and conclude its Speedweeks excursion at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida.

Local fans will have to wait until March 14 at Brownstown Speedway before seeing Gilpin in action. He plans to compete in both the Modified and Late Model Divisions that night. Then he will run in the $10,000-to-win Indiana Icebreaker for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series on March 21.

James Essex covers motorsports for The Republic. He can be reached at sports@therepublic.com.

VAULT TO TOP

By
Staff Reports
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Staff Reports

MERRILLVILLE — Columbus East put four gymnasts in the top nine of the all-around competition and came away with a victory in Saturday’s Merrillville Invitational.

The Olympians scored a 106.375 to win by a little more than a half-point. Merrillville finished second at 105.85.

Becca Bryan won the floor (9.4), finished second on the beam (8.625), tied for second on the vault (9.4) and took third on the bars (8.725) to finish second in the all-around (36.15). Adi Minor battled a cold to win the vault (9.6) and bars (9.55) and take third in the all-around (36.05).

Seena Greiwe finished fourth on the bars (8.625) and seventh in the all-around (34.025). Jaycie Jaggers was ninth in the all-around (33.25).

“It was a good performance,” East coach Nancy Kirshman said. “We had some falls on beam again. We came back in vaulting real well to end the meet. It wasn’t our best showing, but we weathered the storm, and we were excited to win.”

BOYS SWIMMING

East takes 4th in HHC

FLOYDS KNOBS — Columbus East had better than 90 percent personal-bests in finishing fourth in the Hoosier Hills Conference.

Floyd Central edged Jeffersonville 285-281 to win the title. Seymour finished third with 164, while the Olympians scored 143 to slip past Bedford North Lawrence (139), New Albany (136) and Jennings County (131).

“This is a team that is swimming way above what any one of them would have guessed they could do this year, and as they have success, they have worked harder, leading to more success,” East coach David Fribley said. “The Seymour (dual) meet caused them to refocus. They have been swimming up to their abilities ever since.”

East’s Cordell Glass finished second in the diving competition (402.30), and Jake Smith took second in the 100-yard freestyle (50.57 seconds) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:53.82). Sam Lewis, Charlie Rix, Joe Krause and Smith teamed to finish second in the 200 freestyle relay (1:34.07) and third in the 400 freestyle relay (3:30.36).

Jennings’ Lane Sawyer won the diving (436.80). Trever Wilson took second in both the 200 individual medley (2:01.98) and 100 breaststroke (1:01.15).

Jon Montgomery led Seymour with a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle (22.91) and a third in the 100 freestyle (50.79).

BOYS BASKETball

Eagles claim conference title

NASHVILLE — Brown County clinched at least a tie for the Western Indiana Conference with a 56-45 win over South Vermillion.

Collin Hoskins led the Eagles (10-5, 5-0) with 25 points. Austin Kritzer added 11, and Matt Adams had 10.

Jennings comes up short

BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington South jumped out to a 47-31 halftime lead and went on to hand Jennings County a 76-56 loss.

Dan Leach led Jennings (8-8) with 17 points. Ethan Jarvis added 16 points and six assists, and Tyler Vogel had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Lancers rout Chargers

EDINBURGH — Edinburgh jumped out to a 17-3 lead after one quarter and rolled to a 67-24 win against Baptist Academy.

Matt Heagy led the Lancers (10-7) with 23 points. Kyle Pendleton added 14.

Cougars roll over Rams

SEYMOUR — Trinity Lutheran put up at least 20 points in each of the first three quarters in an 82-64 win against Paoli.

Daniel Horton led the Cougars (14-4) with 23 points. Luke Stuckwisch added 19, and Toby VanLiew had 18.

Cardinals edge Crusaders

Columbus Christian battled back from a double-digit first half deficit to take a 48-45 lead after three quarters, but Washington Catholic recovered for a 74-70 win.

“Our effort wasn’t there tonight,” Columbus Christian coach Kevin Roth said. “We didn’t play with any kind of urgency. I don’t know if it was from the hard-fought game we had (Friday) night with Horizon (Christian), but our guys took Washington Catholic a little lightly.”

Josh Miracle led the Crusaders (15-5) with 20 points. Nick Bridgewater scored 12, while Adriane Polley added 11 and Chris Noblitt had 10.

GIRLS BASKETball

Royals ground Jets

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Hauser battled back from a 15-point first-quarter deficit to within four in the third and fourth quarters, but Eastern Hancock held on for a 48-33 Mid-Hoosier Conference win.

“My bench came in and played awesome and kept us in the game,” Hauser coach Brad Hamilton said. “We battled. The effort was there the whole game.”

The Jets (10-12, 4-4) lost their third starter in five weeks when Frances Shoaf suffered a concussion. Ellie Trotter scored 10 points to lead Hauser, which was victimized by 34 turnovers.

Eagles nip Wildcats

NASHVILLE — Brown County snapped a four-game losing streak with a 47-44 WIC win against South Vermillion.

Dakota Anderson led the Eagles (8-14, 3-3) with 15 points. Ryanne Smith added 12, and Ellie Pool had 11.

Braves down Cougars

TRAFALGAR — Indian Creek wrapped up a perfect season in the MHC with a 61-36 win against South Decatur.

Stacy Fox led the Cougars (5-13, 2-6) with 17 points. Megan Niese added 15.

Austin stops Seymour

SEYMOUR — Seymour saw its six-game winning streak come to an end with a 73-71 loss to Austin.

Emilee Pollmann led the Owls (17-5) with 29 points. Morgan Ritz added 14.

Trinity tops Crothersville

SEYMOUR — Trinity Lutheran had little trouble in a 56-40 win against Crothersville.

Maddie Roark led the Cougars (10-12) with 22 points. Hailley Peters and Sydney Stuckwisch each added 10.

Emotional Bull Dogs cruise on senior day

By
Staff Reports
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Ali Patberg, Debie Gedeon, Sheyanne Street, Hannah Poindexter and Sydney Patberg were all given standing ovations from the fans as each one of them left the court one at a time in the closing minutes of Columbus North’s 71-34 Conference Indiana girls basketball victory against Southport on senior day.

Those five Bull Dogs seniors were honored with a ceremony before the game. It was especially emotional for Ali Patberg, who was named a McDonald’s All-American on Wednesday, from holding back the tears in realizing that her high school career is almost coming to an end.

“It’s been rough thinking about it,” she said after leading North with 23 points. “I grew in this place and remember making my very first basket here. This whole community here has been great to me.

“I tried to contain my emotions as much as possible,” said North assistant coach Ron Patberg, who is Ali’s father. “She’s grown up in the gym her whole life. A lot of her success has to do with the people she surrounded herself with and has worked real hard to get where she is today.”

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Ali Patberg also said she appreciates her family and teammates for being there and making her the person she is.

“I think I have had the biggest support group anybody can ask for,” she said. “My family, friends and teammates have always had my back. That is why this moment is so hard for me because everyone here is like family to me.”

It was also bittersweet for Gedeon, who has been friends with Ali Patberg since they were 9 years old.

“There are a lot of memories that we have together from playing alongside each other for so long,” Gedeon said. “We are pretty much like sisters. We argue together like we’re sisters, but we also laugh together as well. We are realizing that we are coming to the end of the road playing together. It’s kind of rough, but in a way, it’s nice to remember everything that we have done together,” she said. “We both are competitive with each other and push each other to do better. She holds people to such high esteem and she really wants the best for everyone.”

“We all have been real close over the years and we have accomplished so much together,” Poindexter said. “It’s sad to see everyone go their separate ways after this year, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with another class rather than them. It’s been a great opportunity and a privilege to play with them.”

“It’s sad but I think the moment will really hit me tomorrow,” Street said. “We accomplished a lot over the years and we’re the last class on the team that went to state (in 2012).”

As for the game, the Cardinals (7-13, 2-5) did everything they could to contain Ali Patberg, but she easily broke through the defense and put up eight quick points for the Bull Dogs (21-1, 7-0).

Whenever Ali Patberg was double-teamed, other teammates were open for easy layins. Elle Williams was one Bull Dog that was very effective in the paint with Ali Patberg and Paige Littrell feeding her the ball inside. Williams finished with 19 points.

“Paige and I have been stepping up for the team recently,” Williams said. “I’ve gotten more confident throughout this season, and our chemistry together is only getting better with each game.”

North put away the game for good in the third quarter by outscoring Southport 24-3 to make it 64-19. Ali Patberg added another basket to start the fourth quarter before being taken out of the game.

“The accomplishments we had go to not only to the seniors, but to the entire team,” North coach Pat McKee said. “The last five years here, we had a remarkable group of players, and all the credit goes to them.”

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