Greene County Hoosier Hysteria is here
With Linton-Stockton and Eastern Greene both completing historic football seasons, basketball season has finally arrived in Greene County.
Eastern Greene kicked off the area basketball scene with a thrilling, come-from-behind 62-59 win at Owen Valley November 24. White River Valley lost a four-pointer, 57-53 to North Knox at Switz City.
Bloomfield and Linton-Stockton each hosted four-team tournaments to open their respective seasons Saturday. The Cardinals defeated Owen Valley 41-34 in the championship game of its classic and the Miners handed Cloverdale a 63-49 loss in the championship of the J7 Sports Grille Shootout at Linton.
Shakamak got off to a good start winning 60-45 at South Vermillion Saturday night.
I have assigned preliminary rankings for each team based on last year's records, returning players and early results.
1) Bloomfield, 2) Linton-Stockton, 3) Eastern Greene, 4) Shakamak and 5) White River Valley.
Those are preliminary rankings only, subject to change as the season progresses.
Both Bloomfield and Linton-Stockton won their season-opening tournaments convincingly.
Bloomfield might well be the team to beat in the area - at least on paper. The Cardinals lost just two players from last season's 13-10 team. That team lost by a single point to Clay City in the sectional championship. The Eels took Class A state champion Barr-Reeve to the wire, losing by two in the semistate.
The Cardinals return depth, experience and height.
Bloomfield will be the area's tallest team with 6-7 Brandon Van Sant in the middle and 6-4 Eli Combs on the wing. The Cards will get shooting from Luke Vandeventer and all-around play from Chris Gilmore.
Coach Matt Britton expects to have seven or eight players who can score. And Bloomfield has always excelled at controlling the tempo of the game.
Bloomfield and Linton-Stockton are again expected to battle it out for Greene County basketball supremacy as they did last year.
The Miners and Cardinals split in the 2014-15 season. Linton-Stockton defeated Bloomfield 43-37 in the opening round of the Greene County Invitational. The Miners went on to win the GCI championship.
The Cardinals exacted revenge 10 days later, winning 32-29 at Linton.
Linton-Stockton will be smaller out of necessity with 6-9 Austin Robertson having graduated.
But with four starters returning - the Dieball brothers Joe and Josh, Jacob Clothier and Pierce Jackson- coach Joey Hart will have plenty to work with.
With eight players from the Class A State Finalist football team on the roster the Miners will bring a physical style of play to the court.
Linton-Stockton once again will be known for playing tough, physical defense. Cloverdale coach Patrick Rady called the Miners "One of the best defensive teams in the state."
The Miners will have an abundance of depth. As many as 11 or 12 players are likely to see varsity action this season.
Last year's team finished 22-7, losing to Park Tudor in the semistate.
Eastern Greene has looked impressive in two early road wins against Owen Valley and North Central. And a couple of players have turned in stellar performances thus far.
Trevor Yoho dominated inside with 17 points in the Thunderbirds' come-from-behind win at Owen Valley. Nathan Eckerle put up 32 in a 63-46 win at North Central.
This year's team will have to replace the scoring of Cam Creager, who averaged over 18 points per game. And coach Jon Neill will not look to just one player to replace those points.
Colden Roberts provides a steady floor presence. And with athletes like Jeff Graham and Caleb Hamilton on board the T-Birds will be competitive.
Eastern Greene finished 9-14 last season with a first-round exit in the Class 2A sectional.
The Thunderbirds will put points on the scoreboard. Can they match the Cardinals and the Miners defensively?
Shakamak figures to be improved this season, the first under new coach J.B. Neill.
Two new faces bring the Lakers some much-needed height, something they haven't had in the recent past.
Braden Scott returns to the basketball court after sitting out a season ago to concentrate on baseball. The year off paid dividends for Scott on the baseball diamond. The Laker hurler earned a scholarship to pitch for Marshall University.
Foreign exchange student Mathias Caucheteur also joins the Shakamak program. Caucheteur played for a club team in his native Belgium and is fundamentally sound according to Neill.
Scott at 6-4 and the 6-5 Caucheteur should provide immediate help on the boards, a Laker deficiency last season.
Junior guard Tanner Yeryar is a proven scorer. Yeryar is a dependable outside shooter who can also get to the rim. He scored 26 in the season debut at South Vermillion.
Junior forward Parker Green has started off-and-on since his freshman season. The addition of Scott and Caucheteur allows Green to move out of the post to his more natural forward position.
Shakamak is coming off 5-18 and 4-16 seasons. The Lakers must prove themselves against the likes of Bloomfield, Linton and Eastern to be considered contenders in the sectional and the Greene County Invitational.
White River Valley faces a steep uphill climb.
The Wolverines finished 4-20, beating Shakamak twice and Eminence twice.
Coach Joe Pigg must also replace center Jon Koenig, one of the area's best.
The Cornelius brothers backcourt tandem, senior Hunter and sophomore Brayton returns. The brother duo has seemingly limitless range from beyond the arc. Both are capable ball handlers and defenders.
Sophomore Jarrett Rose has sprouted to 6-4 and will attempt to fill the void in the middle left by Koenig's departure. Senior Tyler York will also help in the frontcourt.
It's too early to make sectional predictions. But with defending Class A WRV Sectional champion Clay City losing its top six players, Bloomfield has to like its position.
The Class 2A North Knox sectional figures to be competitive. Defending Class A state champ Barr-Reeve joins the field, moving up due to the IHSAA tournament success factor. A quality South Knox squad will also compete with the Miners and Thunderbirds at North Knox.
Good luck to all the area basketball teams in the 2015-16 season.
Terry Schwinghammer is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 847-4487, ext. 27. He can also be reached via email at tschwing32@yahoo.com.
Posting a comment requires free registration:
- If you already have an account, follow this link to login
- Otherwise, follow this link to register