BY CARY STEMLE
Some 15 hours after concluding an 85-61 rout of their bitter rivals from Jeffersonville, the New Albany Bulldogs were at Bankers Life Arena in Indianapolis to take on the Silver Creek Dragons.
The contest was part of a daylong series of games, at multiple sites, called Basketball Day Indiana, organized and broadcast by Fox Sports to highlight Hoosiers hoops at the high school, college and professional levels.
The New Albany team traveled to Indy right after the Jeff game to spend the night, but coach Jim Shannon said Silver Creek, coming off a 70-23 win over Eastern, looked fresher at the outset before falling 73-65.
It was my first time seeing the Creekers, who came in 9-2 and ranked 11th in Class 3A. The Dragons held their own for much of the game, thanks to sharp ball movement that led to prime shots. Silver Creek finished 24 of 42 from the field (57 percent), including 9-of-13 on three-pointers, and that displeased Jim Shannon, who thought his team was letting the Dragons move too freely. (Listen to the coach’s post-game comments.)
Shannon felt better about New Albany’s offensive effort — the Dogs shot 62 percent on 26-of-42 and got 35 points from Romeo Langford, 16 from Sean East and 8 apiece from Derrick Stevenson and Darin Starks.
Romeo Langford floats left and buries a 15-footer.
With the quick turnaround, two-hour drive and single-digit temperatures, a smaller-than-expected contingent of New Albany fans took up residence in the lower half of Bankers Life, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and site of New Albany’s 2016 4A state championship win over McCutcheon. The Dogs, of course, hope for a return trip in March.
Don’t be surprised to see Silver Creek there. The Dragons can play — junior guard Zane Gross, who pulls the trigger fast, led his team with 15 points, while freshmen Kooper Jacobi and Trey Kauffman scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Altogether, it was a fun game with a big-time atmosphere — bright lights, live TV and plenty of media. Langford donned headphones and sat with the Fox announcers for a post-game interview, stopped outside New Albany’s locker room for an interview with WTHR-TV’s Bob Kravitz, then sighed when Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel tracked him down in the locker room, where his teammates had stayed in uniform till their coach and star teammate returned to the fold, for one last interview.
All in a day’s work.
***
NEW ALBANY 73, SILVER CREEK 65
New Albany 22 15 23 13—73
Silver Creek 16 18 15 16—65
New Albany (10-1): Romeo Langford 12-20 7-10 35, Sean East 5-5 3-4 16, Derrick Stevenson 3-5 0-0 8, Julien Hunter 3-5 0-2 6, Trey Hourigan 0-2 0-0 0, Darin Starks 3-4 0-0 8, Chris Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Savion Southers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-42 10-16 73.
Silver Creek (9-3): Zane Gross 6-14 0-2 15, Jack Hawkins 1-6 2-2 5, Bennett Beyl 2-3 0-0 5, Sammy Barnett 2-2 0-0 5, Jacob Garrett 3-4 0-0 6, Ty Kessinger 1-1 2-2 5, Josh Landers 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Popp 0-1 0-0 0, Trey Kauffman 4-5 1-1 11, Kooper Jacobi 5-6 2-2 13. Totals 24-42 8-10 65.
3-point field goals: New Albany 11-16 (Langford 4-7, East 3-3, Stevenson 2-3, Starks 2-3); Silver Creek 9-13 (Gross 3-6, Hawkins 1-2, Beyl 1-1, Barnett 1-1, Kessinger 1-1, Kauffman 1-1, Jacobi 1-1).
Rebounds: New Albany 20 (Langford 7); Silver Creek 18 (Barnett 5).
Assists: New Albany 14 (East 5); Silver Creek 14 (Beyl 5).
Steals: New Albany 6 (Hunter 2); Silver Creek 5 (Gross 4).
Blocked shots: New Albany 3 (Hunter 2); Silver Creek 0.
Turnovers: New Albany 8, Silver Creek 9.
Team fouls: New Albany 11, Silver Creek 16.
