Local Sports Headlines: June 27, 2022

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Local-Sports.png

Cin City Buccaneers beat Indiana Cutters 20-2
The Cin City Buccaneers beat the Indiana Cutters 20-2 in a Blue-Collar Football League matchup at Martinsville HS Saturday Night. The game was scoreless after the first quarter when the Buccaneers scored with 1:24 left before halftime on a 20-yard touchdown pass with extra point no good to make it 6-0. The Cutters only scored of night game when on a first and 10 at Buccaneers own 1 yard line. Dontae Hart sacked the Buccaneers quarterback for the second time in the game, this time it was in the end zone for a safety to make it 6-2 with 1:07 left in the third quarter. Hart also blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter. The Buccaneers scored on touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to make the final score 20-2.

The Cutters Defense had an Interception by Isaiah Moore and Laz Bolton had a fumble recovery. Jaden Evans, Travis Griffey had sacks. The Cutters Offense had a rough night with quarterbacks Travis Griffey and Kenny Martin combining to throw Six Interceptions. Griffey had a fumble and Dre Adkins missed a field goal attempt. The Cutters are 2-2 on the season and will be back in action July 9th when they travel to face the Columbus Gladiators in Columbus Ohio.

Indiana Men’s Basketball to host North Carolina in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
The Indiana University men’s basketball team, currently ranked 14th in ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25, will host 2022 national runner up North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Tar Heels are rated #1 in the same poll. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 30. ESPN presents the event. Dates, times and network designations will be announced at a later date.
 
“I’m really excited for our program and fans to have a matchup like this next season at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall,” said second year IU Coach Mike Woodson said in Press Release. “It doesn’t get any better than two iconic programs playing on the biggest stage.”
 
IU returns four starters from last year’s 21-14 NCAA Tournament squad including All-Big Ten seniors Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Xavier Johnson. UNC also returns four starters from a team which finished 29-10 and advanced to the national title game where it fell to Kansas. Incidentally, the Hoosiers will face the Jayhawks Dec. 17 in Lawrence.
 
This will be the fifth meeting in the Challenge between the two teams and the 16th overall. IU is 3-1 in the Challenge against UNC with wins in Bloomington in 2012 and 2016 and in Chapel Hill in 2001. UNC won in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in 2004. The teams also have met three times in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers won the NCAA Championship game in Philadelphia in 1981, knocked off the No. 1 Tar Heels in the 1984 Sweet Sixteen in Atlanta and saw UNC do the same to IU in the 2016 Sweet Sixteen in Philadelphia. Indiana leads the all-time series 9-6.

IU is 8-13 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge… they have played the last two years on the road and lost by a combined four points in overtime at Florida State in 2020 and at Syracuse in double overtime in 2021… All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis averaged 28.0 points and 16.5 rebounds in those two games… IU has faced a nationally ranked opponent in eight of its last 10 Challenge games… IU last took on the No. 1 team in the country in this event in 2017 when it hosted Duke… IU was the No. 1 team in the nation when it beat UNC at home in 2012… UNC was ranked No. 3 when the Hoosiers won their last meeting in 2016… Bloomington native Sean May is an assistant coach for the Tar Heels and is the son of former IU National Player of the Year (1976) Scott May, one of Mike Woodson’s closest friends… Woodson and UNC Coach Hubert Davis are two of seven former NBA players who are coaching at their alma mater in Division I… Woodson was an assistant to his mentor, former Tar Heel Larry Brown on the 2004 World Champion Detroit Pistons… IU senior Miller Kopp was the roommate of Tar Heel transfer Pete Nance when they played together at Northwestern.

 Indiana University Women’s Basketball announces team center renovation
Indiana University Athletics is excited to announce that a renovation of the women’s basketball’s team center in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is well underway. This project has been made possible by Women’s Excellence; an initiative dedicated to elevating IU’s 13 women’s varsity programs.

The much-needed renovation of the game day locker room, located in the northwest corner of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, is critical in keeping the Hoosiers at the top of the Big Ten standings. The successful completion of this project will assist with our recruiting efforts while also providing our student-athletes with a gameday space that is in line with other Top 25 caliber programs. This space will include:

  • Locker room
  • Team lounge
  • Training room
  • Coaches meeting room

The program has elevated itself into the national spotlight over the last three seasons and has seven-straight 20-win seasons, led by ninth year head coach Teri Moren Under Moren’s direction, Indiana has made four NCAA Tournaments including an Elite Eight appearance in 2021 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2022. During her tenure in Bloomington, the Hoosiers hold an 81.4 winning percentage on its home court. They’ve spent the last 46 weeks, dating back to the 2019-20 season, in the Associated Press Top 25. Highlighting the roster for the upcoming 2022-23 season are a pair of All-Americans in Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes.

Indiana Athletics is committed to women’s basketball’s future success and this project being completed by the start of the 2022-23 season. A variety of naming opportunities are still available, along with the chance to name individual lockers. Thanks to a generous donation from the Courtney Cox Cole family, the locker room will be renamed in her honor. A two-sport athlete at Indiana from 1990-93, Cox was a part of the 1991 NWIT runner-up team and played in 53 games over her career, making 22 starts. She was the team’s second leading scorer as a freshman where she averaged 9.1 points (254 points) and was a 1991 Academic All-Big Ten selection.
 
Following the team’s NWIT run, she ended her basketball career to focus on golf. A standout on the course, the Noblesville, Ind. native made the NCAA Tournament twice with the program in 1992 and 1993. Cole was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, three-time All-Big Ten honoree and two-time NGCA Scholar Athlete. In addition, she played in 103 career rounds for the Hoosiers, finishing with a stroke average of 78.94.

Three Indiana HS Players selected in NBA Draft
Three Players from the State of Indiana were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft last Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York. Purdue Shooting Guard Jaden Ivey was taken with the 5th pick by the Detroit Pistons. Ivey played two seasons at Purdue and is the son of Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Coach Nielle Ivey. Ivey is from South Bend and played three years at Mishawaka Marian before playing is final season at La Porte La Lumiere.

Jake La Ravia from Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis was selected 19th overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. La Ravia originally committed to Southern Illinois Edwardsville out of high school but a coaching change re opened his recruiting and he played at Indiana State for his first two seasons. La Ravia played the 2021-22 season at Wake Forest averaging 14.6 points per game before entering the NBA Draft.

Blake Wesley a combo guard from Notre Dame was selected with the 25th pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Wesley played just one season for the Irish after being named 2021 Indiana All Star for South Bend Riley HS. Wesley averaged 14.4 points a game. 23 Indiana High School Players have been drafted in the first round in the last 22 years.

The Indiana Pacers Selected Arizona Sophomore Bennedict Mathurin with the 6th overall pick. Mathurin is 6-5 Shooting Guard/Small Forward who averaged 17.7 points and played and started in all 37 games for the Wildcats last season. The Pacers started off the second round by drafting Gonzaga Senior Andrew Nembhard with the 31st overall pick. Nembhard played two seasons at Florida before transferring to Gonzaga for two seasons. He Averaged 10 points per game and started 115 out of 131 career games. Kendall Brown was selected with 48th pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then traded to the Pacers. Brown is 6-8 from Baylor who played and started all 34 games for the Bears averaging 9.7 Points Per Game. The Pacers Selected French Point Guard Hugo Besson who played the Australian National Basketball League with the 58th and final selection in the draft who had his rights traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Indianapolis Indians Coverage

Indians Beat Memphis 6-2

The Indianapolis Indians Beat Memphis 6-2In Front of 9,352 Fans at Victory Field in Downtown Indianapolis Sunday Afternoon. The Indians are 35-35 on the season as Memphis falls to 41-31. The Indians had 11 hits while Memphis had 9 and neither team committed an error in the game. The teams split the six-game series as the Indians won Last Tuesday and Wednesday with the Redbirds winning Thursday,11-8 on Friday and 6-5 Saturday Night.

Alec Burleson hit a two-run home to Center Field as the Redbirds scored in the top of the first to make it 2-0. The Indians scored in the bottom of the 2nd as Jamie Thomas grounded out to the pitcher and Ji-hawn Bae scored to make it 2-1. In the Bottom of the third inning Yoshi Tsutsugo scored Kevin Newman on a sacrifice fly to left field as the Indians tied the game 2-2. The Indians took the lead in the bottom of third when Ji-hawn Bae singled to right field to drive in Ben Gamel.  Mason Martin hit a solo home run to right field in the Bottom of the seventh as the Indians led 4-2. In the bottom of eighth inning. Travis Swaggerty hit a two-run homer to right center with Bae on board to make it 6-2.  The Indians are on the road tomorrow night to face the Nashville Sounds in a six-game series.

For more local news . . .
Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson here