Hancock County’s own Final Four
Among area officials who participated in the Daily Reporter’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four prediction contest, only four local notables were perfect.
Bobby Cox (IHSAA commissioner), Jeannine Gray (Stillinger Family Funeral Home), Mike Low (Forty Financial) and Dave Scott (Hancock County Visitors Bureau) correctly guessed that Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Michigan State would make it all the way through the field of 68 to Indianapolis this week for the Final Four.
Low, though, stands alone in one regard. He believes Wisconsin will win the national title, while Cox, Gray and Scott (and nearly all of the predictors) have Kentucky claiming the championship.
On the other end of the spectrum, NineStar Connect’s David Spencer was the lone local celebrity to go 0-for-4 on his Final Four picks, which consisted of Purdue, Villanova, Arizona and Gonzaga.
“Here is the irony,” Spencer, a Purdue alum, explained with a smile. “I’ve wanted Kentucky to win the whole thing so we can stop hearing that IU was the last team to go undefeated and win it all.”
Practices free for public at Lucas Oil Stadium
Prior to the NCAA Final Four semifinals on Saturday, the teams will participate Friday in practices that are free and open to the public at Lucas Oil Stadium. The full schedule:
11 a.m.: Special Performance by Austin Mahone
Noon to 4 p.m.: Final Four teams practice; Michigan State, noon to 12:50; Duke, 1 to 1:50; Wisconsin, 2 to 2:50; Kentucky, 3 to 3:50
4:30 p.m.: Reese’s College All-Star Game
Royals swim club seeking members
An informational meeting about the new Eastern Hancock Aquatics Club will be conducted Thursday at 6 p.m. in the high school pool area. All abilities, ages and grade levels are welcome. Contact Eastern Hancock varsity coach Derek McCormick for more information, or if unable to attend, at [email protected].
City Securities Hall of Fame Classic field set
The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame announced the fields for the 2015 City Securities Hall of Fame Classic tournaments Monday. The dates and matchups for the event, which will be conducted at New Castle Fieldhouse, are:
Girls
Dec. 29
11 a.m.: Noblesville vs. Benton Central
To follow: Princeton vs. Lebanon
6 p.m.: Consolation game
To follow: Championship game
Boys
Dec. 30
11 a.m.: Lawrence Central vs. McCutcheon
To follow: Carroll (FW) vs. Martinsville
6 p.m.: Consolation game
To follow: Championship game
The event will be conducted for the 32nd time for girls, and it will be the 39th edition for the boys.
The girls’ tournament has included 18 teams that went on to win a state championship that season, including 11 state champions and five state runner-up teams in the past 13 years alone. The 2014 Girls Classic champion, Heritage Christian, became the eighth team in history to win the Classic and an IHSAA class championship in the same season with their Class 2A championship March 7.
On the boys side, 13 participating teams have gone on to win their state championship, with five more finishing as state runner-up that season.
Prep Calendar
Today
Track: Mt. Vernon at Fishers, 5 p.m.
Thursday
Softball: New Palestine at New Castle, 5:30 p.m.
Friday
Baseball: Pendleton Heights at Greenfield-Central (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Saturday
Baseball: Delta at New Palestine (DH), 10 a.m.; Yorktown at Mt. Vernon (DH), 11 a.m.
Monday
Baseball: Martinsville at New Palestine, 5:30 p.m.; Greenfield-Central at Lawrence North, 5:30 p.m.
Softball: Speedway at Greenfield-Central, 5:30 p.m.
Golf: Greenfield-Central at Eastern Hancock, 4:30 p.m.
