Published: November 10, 2009 12:06 am         

Ramblin' Reck: Prep, college basketball starts to take over as football season comes to an end

It’s another big week for sports in the area.

High school and college basketball teams begin the season while Indiana State plays its final football game of the season.

And three high school football teams still are alive in the postseason in Indiana and Illinois.

Fountain Central is at Linton for a Class A regional game in Indiana while Casey and Marshall vie in a Class 2A quarterfinal contest in Illinois.

The 9-3 Miners have beaten two teams that defeated them during the season and now will try to hand Fountain Central its first defeat and gain a spot in the semistate.

Casey and Marshall began the season against each other, with the Warriors winning, and the season will end for one of the Clark County teams this week.

Coaches and players were thinking about the possible matchup last week but focused on tough second-round games and came up with some impressive victories. The undefeated Warriors thumped Red Bud 42-7 and Marshall shut out Williamsville 16-0.

You can bet the stands and sidelines will be filled with fans from both schools for Saturday’s game that begins at 1:30 p.m CST in Casey. It should be a good one.

North Putnam almost gained the Class 2A regionals but lost 7-6 to undefeated Monrovia. Coach Greg Barrett and his Cougars have had another super season.

Three Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference teams are in the Class 4A Elite Eight. This week, Carmel is at Fort Wayne Snider, Warren Central at Brownsburg and Center Grove at home against Floyd Central.

In a 4A sectional championship game, Evansville Reitz was an impressive 42-6 winner over Jasper, which was undefeated going into the game and had not allowed a point in the tournament.

In Illinois, Robinson again finished in the top 10 in cross country competition. Congrats.

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• Titles decided — Volleyball titles were decided in Indiana prep action last week and will be decided this week in Illinois.

Recapping Indiana finals:

• 4A — Muncie Central defeated Center Grove 25-22, 25-21, 27-25, and bested Elkhart Memorial 25-19, 25-23, 25-16, in the championship to finish 35-4 for the season. Center Grove lost in three games for the first time this season.

• 3A — Brebeuf defeated Yorktown 25-21, 14-25, 25-15, 25-21, for the title.

• 2A — Muncie Burris defeated Southwood 25-9, 25-8, 25-16, for a 40-0 record and its 13th consecutive title.

• 1A — Michigan City Marquette defeated Barr-Reeve 22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-6, and then defeated Wes-Del 25-18, 25-10, 23-25, 25-19 for its sixth consecutive title.

In Illinois, Cumberland has reached the finals in Class 1A while Effingham St. Anthony lost to Carlinville in the Super Sectional.

• • •

• Tom-Cattin’ It — Two North Central of Sullivan County athletes say they will compete at the collegiate level at Indiana State.

Senior Shelby Higginbottom will compete in track and cross country while junior Megan Stone will compete in softball. Stone also plays basketball and volleyball at North Central but was sidelined by injury in volleyball this year.

• “When The Game Was Ours” is a book written by Jackie McMullen and features the careers of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Both were interviewed by Conan O’Brien last week. Johnson was in the studios and Bird spoke by a hookup from Indianapolis.

In the course of the discussion, LB again said he felt bad about not winning the NCAA championship for Indiana State and Terre Haute, noting it probably was the only time the school and city would have a team in the Final Four.

• Former Indiana State cager Marico Stinson was a key player in Kentucky Wesleyan’s 55-52 victory over Evansville in men’s basketball exhibition play.

He had a game-high 19 points for the Panthers and scored eight straight points in the second half to erase the Aces’ only two leads.

• And congrats to Steve Englehart and Rose-Hulman football for another winning season.



Tom Reck may be contacted by telephone at (812) 232-3231, by email at tm_reck@yahoo.com or by mail at 4284 South 5th Street, Apt. 3, Terre Haute, In 47802.