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Bloomington North Girls Basketball falls in first Game of sectional tournament
Columbus East dominated Bloomington North 80-42 in the first game of the Class 4A Girls Basketball Sectional Tournament Tuesday Night at Bloomington North. Sage Stahl scored 34 points pulled down 10 rebounds and had 10 steals to lead Columbus East. The Olympians were 29-53 from the field and 18-21 from the free throw line. Columbus East is 18-8 on the season and will face Martinsville 7-14 on Friday in the first semifinal at 6pm. Bloomington North ends the year at 9-14. The Cougars were led in scoring by Mia Robbenolt with 16 points and rebounds. Mallory Barrow added 9 points as the Cougars were 15-32 from the field, 6-13 from the three-point line and 6-12 at the free throw line. The Cougars committed 30 turnovers. In Game 2 East Central beat Columbus North 41-38. East Central improves to 20-4 and will face Bloomington South 5-18 in the second semifinal Friday Night at 7:30pm. Columbus North ends the year at 14-9.
In Class 3A at Northview Brownstown Central beat Owen Valley 46-30. Brownstown Central improves to 14-11 and will play West Vigo 10-13 in the first semifinal Friday night at 6 PM. Owen Valley ends the season at 10-15. Tonight at 6pmBrown County 3-18 takes on host Northview 19-4 followed by Edgewood 18-4 taking on 6-16 South Vermillion at 7:30pmwith the winners to meet Friday in the Second Semifinal at 7:30pm.
In Class 1A at Clay City the Host Eels knocked off Shakamak 46-39. Clay City improves to 3-20 on the season and will play Bloomfield 10-11 in the first semifinal on Friday Night at 6pm. Shakamak ends the season at 10-12. North Central (Farmersburg) 17-6 takes on Lighthouse Christian 6-12 at 6pmthis evening followed by White River Valley 6-15 taking on Eminence 12-7 at 7:30pmwith the winners to meet Friday at 7:30pm.
Indiana Football Running Backs Coach Deland McCullough Leaving for Notre Dame
Indiana Running Back’s Coach Deland McCullough is leaving Indiana to take the same position at Notre Dame under new Head Coach Marcus Freeman. McCullough was hired back on at Indiana in February prior to the 2021 season. He previously had spent 2011-2016 with the Hoosiers coaching the likes of Tevin Coleman, Jordan Howard, and Ronald Jones among others. McCullough spent 2017 with USC, and 2018-2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
His departure immediately brings his son’s futures into question but they have already been answered just hours after it was announced the father was leaving IU. 2023 four-star defensive back and Indiana commit Daeh McCullough and 2022 four-star linebacker and Indiana signee Dasan McCullough have followed their father wherever he has gone along with their older brother Deland McCullough II who transferred in from Miami Ohio. The three brothers have announced they are staying committed to the Hoosier. Dasan McCullough specifically de-committed from Ohio State and turned down offers from Alabama, LSU, and Georgia to play for his father at Indiana. He is already enrolled at Indiana. He is rated No. 60 overall in the 2022 class and the No. 6 outside linebacker. Deland McCullough was also crucial in landing commitments from four-star running back Gi’Bran Payne, and three-star running back Jaylin Lucas, three-star running back in the 2022 class. Tom Allen will have to replace yet another coach, and he may also lose some serious talent off his roster.
Mackenzie Holmes and Trayce Jackson-Davis Named to Late Wooden Award Watch Lists
Indiana University Basketball Players Mackenzie Holmes and Trayce Jackson-Davis have been named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 watch lists. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2021-22 season thus far, the list comprises of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor.
Holmes is Indiana’s leading scorer this season, averaging 17.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and shooting 61.5 percent from the floor in 14 games. The Gorham, Maine native leads the way with three double-doubles this season and has 3-point range to her game by shooting 45.5 percent on the season. She was named a preseason All-Big Ten selection, The Athletic Preseason All-American honorable mention, Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list and Wooden Award midseason top 25 honoree. She has been sidelined for Indiana’s last two games with a knee injury.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2022 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.
Jackson-Davis, The All-American from Center Grove is one of two players in the Big Ten since 1992 to average at least 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest in a single season. He joins Chris Webber (Michigan) on the exclusive list. He is one of three players (Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren) to be named to both the Late Season Top 20 Watch List and the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, which was announced January 27th.
The Big Ten leads all conferences with seven selections on the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, followed by the Pac-12 with three selections, the Big 12, SEC, and WCC with two selections each, and the ACC, Big East, Mountain West, and Summit with one selection apiece.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2022 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.
The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.
Wooden Award Presented by Wendy’s 2021-22 Late Season Top 20
| Name | School | Conference | Height | Class | Position |
| Shakira Austin | Mississippi | SEC | 6-5 | Sr. | C |
| Kierstan Bell | Florida Gulf Coast | ASUN | 6-1 | Jr. | G |
| Aliyah Boston* | South Carolina | SEC | 6-5 | Jr. | F |
| Cameron Brink | Stanford | Pac-12 | 6-4 | Soph | F |
| Caitlin Clark | Iowa | Big Ten | 6-0 | Soph | G |
| Elissa Cunane | NC State | ACC | 6-5 | Sr. | C |
| Destanni Henderson | South Carolina | SEC | 5-7 | Sr. | G |
| Naz Hillmon | Michigan | Big Ten | 6-2 | Sr. | F |
| Mackenzie Holmes | Indiana | Big Ten | 6-3 | Jr. | F |
| Jordan Horston | Tennessee | SEC | 6-2 | Jr. | G |
| Rhyne Howard* | Kentucky | SEC | 6-2 | Sr. | G |
| Ashley Joens | Iowa State | Big 12 | 6-1 | Sr. | G/F |
Wooden Award 2021-22 Late Season Top 20
Max Abrams, Jr., Oral Roberts
Ochai Agbaji, Sr., Kansas
James Akinjo, Sr., Baylor
Paolo Banchero, Fr., Duke
Kofi Cockburn*, Jr., Illinois
Johnny Davis, So., Wisconsin
Zach Edey, So., Purdue
Collin Gillespie, Sr., Villanova
Chet Holmgren, Fr., Gonzaga
Jaden Ivey, So., Purdue
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jr., Indiana
Johnny Juzang, Jr., UCLA
E.J. Liddell, Jr., Ohio State
Bennedict Mathurin, So., Arizona
Isaiah Mobley, Jr., USC
Keegan Murray, So., Iowa
David Roddy, Jr., Colorado State
Jabari Smith, Fr., Auburn
Drew Timme, Jr., Gonzaga
Oscar Tshiebwe, Jr., Kentucky
* indicates player selected as 2021 Wooden Award All American
Ball State Men’s Volleyball Upsets Number 1 Hawai’i in Five Sets
The crowd was electric as the No. 10 Ball State men’s volleyball team stunned No. 1 Hawai’i for a second time in a matter of three days. Graduate senior setter Quinn Isaacson served an ace for match point in the Cardinals’ five-set (25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 22-25, 15-11) thriller over the Rainbow Warriors Monday night in Worthen Arena. With the win, Ball State remains undefeated with an unblemished 5-0 mark, while Hawai’i drops to 4-2 on the season.
The rematch against Hawai’i and Ball State was close from start to finish, consisting of 28 ties and four lead changes. At first, the Cardinals carried their momentum from Saturday’s night’s 3-0 sweep into the contest against the Rainbow Warriors as Ball State took the first set in dominating fashion, 25-18, after hitting .750% off 20 swings. The tides then turned in the second frame as Hawai’i and Ball State played neck-and-neck. The Rainbow Warriors prevailed late to take set two from the Cardinals, 25-22. In the third frame, Ball State and Hawai’i continued to trade points back and forth. Finally, graduate senior outside attacker Angelos Mandilaris kill made it 26-25, and then a Hawai’i hitting error put the Cardinals back atop of the Rainbow Warriors, 2-1.
The fourth set mimicked the previous two with the Rainbow Warriors taking a late edge to send the match into a fifth frame, 25-22. Although the fifth set started off close, Ball State went up 4-3 after senior outside attacker Kaleb Jenness kill. The Cardinals remained in control the rest of the way with some key plays and strong serves from Isaacson down the stretch. For the match, Mandilaris registered a career best 25 kills off 45 attacks for a .422 hitting percentage. Jenness had a season high 20 kills and true freshman middle blocker Vanis Buckholz finished the night with 13. Isaacson helped guide the offense by dishing out 65 assists with only two errors while also adding a team-high 15 digs defensively. He also finished the night with five service aces.
The Ball State men’s volleyball team will travel for the first time this season when it heads to #9 BYU This Friday and Saturday for 9pm first serves.
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