New Albany and Jeffersonville have staged more classics in their long-running basketball series than anyone can count.
Here’s an argument for adding Friday’s regular-season renewal — Jeff won 59-52 in overtime at The Doghouse — to that illustrious list.
After all of the momentum shifts and adrenaline rushes you’d expect in a rivalry game, it reached epic status over the final 2:37 of regulation. Trailing by seven points after a basket by New Albany transfer Darin Starks, the Bulldogs clawed all the way back behind Tucker Biven’s basket and five free throws — the final three after Jeff’s Jacob Jones fouled him on a three-point attempt with 31 seconds left in regulation. (See a timeline of the comeback at the bottom of this story.)
Improbably, the Bulldogs then had a chance to win after an apparent Jeff turnover squirted toward New Albany’s end of the court. But with visions of a two-on-one fast break unfolding before his eyes, freshman Jackson Streander couldn’t quite corral the loose ball as he sprawled headlong in front of his team’s bench.
Jones’ three from the left wing clanged short at the buzzer.
All of this after Jeff clawed back from a 27-22 halftime deficit on the strength of a 16-7 third quarter and seemed to be in command.
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Jeff brought the more experienced team into the Doghouse. Led by senior Division I signees Tre Coleman (Nevada) and Jacob Jones (Wisconsin-Green Bay) and ranked in the pre-season Top 5, the 4A No. 18 Devils came in at only 7-4 with losses to 4A No. 1 Lawrence North, 3A No. 1 Silver Creek, 4A No. 12 Indianapolis Attucks and unranked Scott County (Ky.).
New Albany, on the other hand, starts three sophomores and two seniors, with a junior and freshman coming off the bench. Despite a couple quality wins, there was some question whether the Dogs could hang. But they raced to a fast start as Kaden Stanton buried a three and Julien Hunter scored on a goal-tending call against Coleman, and led by seven points late in the second before settling for the five-point lead at the break. Biven scored nine points in the half, Trey Hourigan added seven, and Jordan Thomas scrapped his way to six.
Jeff led 31-29 after a 9-0 run in the third, capped by Caleb Mason’s acrobatic layup. The sequence seemed consequential — as Mason writhed on the floor holding his wrist after making the shot, the action went the other way and Hourigan scored while drawing Coleman’s fourth foul. But Jeff weathered the storm to lead 38-34 after three quarters and looked to be in good shape until Biven’s closing flurry.
Both teams misfired early in the OT before Jeff scored six straight points. Hampered all night by foul problems, Coleman shed some frustrations with a powerful two-hand slam off a pass from Will Loving-Watts. Kobe Stoudemire followed with two free throws, Bryan Smithers scored, and New Albany never threatened again. Loving-Watts closed out the scoring with another dunk.
“Any road win is sweet,” Jeff coach Chris Moore said after his first game in the series. “We’re lucky to get out of here with a win. … I was proud of some of those guys. Tre Coleman gets in foul trouble, and guys who generally don’t play a lot of minutes came in and contributed. I told them to be ready. Jacob is having an unbelievable game, and fouls out. They found a way to finish and grind it out. I’m happy about that.”
Biven drives to the basket. 
New Albany’s Maddox Schmelz contests a shot by Jeff’s Will Loving-Watts.
“We were right there,” New Albany coach Jim Shannon said. “We had a steal and didn’t quite get it under control, or we could’ve put it away, maybe. That happens. We’re so young. We were so scrappy tonight, we played so hard.
“I thought they were so much quicker than us at most positions, if not all, so we had a really difficult time keeping them in front of us. Jones just broke us down no matter what we tried to do. He’s so good, and of course they’ve got other kids too, it’s not just him. So all in all, I’m not disappointed and I’m not discouraged, because I thought our kids played really hard and battled a really good team, one of the state’s finest.
“The ball bounces here or there a different way, maybe a couple free throws here or there, you never know what might happen. I give them credit, they made their free throws when they had to. We thought we were fouling the right people. And they made ‘em. Give them credit, too. It was a great game.
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Jeff and New Albany have squared off some 160 times, with the Dogs holding a slight series edge. The rivalry has been foundational to local lore since the horse-and-buggy era — who hasn’t heard about New Albany’s bulldog statue getting defaced during game week, fistfights in tavern parking lots, and other adult shenanigans. (The late Bob Kraft, my longtime neighbor and a NAHS grad, once told me he’d park four blocks away when New Albany visited the old Jeff Fieldhouse for fear of having his car vandalized!)
Things don’t seem quite so feverish today — in the smart phone age, what is? — but the Doghouse was largely full, and the pre-game atmosphere was buzzy as legendary superfans Gary “Cowboy” McCowan (Jeff) and Charlie Bond (New Albany) had a meeting of the minds at the Vincennes Street end of the gym.
The game itself was a rock fight, with the usual early shoving match, a little posturing (Jones preening toward the New Albany student section after burying a three), and some rubbing it in after the final buzzer (the Devils dancing on the Bulldog logo at midcourt, leaving coach Moore none too happy).
New Albany’s Maddox Schmelz had a nice cut under his eye. Jeff’s Mason looked to be in terrible pain after his fall but returned to the game, while his teammate Jones sat for a minute after tweaking his ankle during New Albany’s comeback. He returned and fouled out with 56 seconds in overtime after scoring a team-high 15 points.
Starks, who transferred to Jeff last season, made big plays and finished with 13 points.
“I’m happy for him,” Moore said. “Senior year, coming from New Albany, more than any of our other guys, probably, he wanted to get a win. He’s in the gym three days this week at 6 a.m. getting shots up. I told him just, hey, don’t put so much pressure on yourself coming in here. Trust your teammates, trust your brothers to be there for you. We’ll all ride this thing out one possession at a time. We were lucky to get out with the win.”
Shannon expected a big effort from Jeff. “I tried to tell our guys, when we were older a few years ago, and Jones and those guys were younger, we were putting it to them pretty good. I think they feel like it’s their turn because they’re older now. Coleman’s a senior, Jones is a senior. Those guys, they want it, and I don’t blame them.”
Now, of course, talk turns to the post-season. It’ll be here before we know it.
“That’s a good team, that’s a damn good team,” Moore said. “Chances are we’ll see them again.”
“I think the sectional goes through (Jeff), Shannon said. “Floyd might have something to say about that, but I think Jeff’s the team you’ve gotta beat.”
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TIMELINE OF NEW ALBANY’S FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACK
2:37
Darin Starks’ driving basket makes it 50-43, Jeff.
Time out, New Albany.
2:35
Jones picks up his second foul.
New Albany misses a 3-pointer and a 2-pointer.
1:50
Jeff’s Jacob Jones misses a fast-break basket and comes up limping.
New Albany’s Kaden Stanton called for his fourth foul.
1:25
New Albany’s Tucker Biven scores on a left-side drive. Jeff 50, New Albany 45.
1:15
Stanton fouls out.
Jeff’s Caleb Mason misses the front end of a one-and-one.
1:06
Biven drains two bonus free throws. Jeff 50, New Albany 47.
Time out, Jeff.
52.7
Jeff’s Starks is called for traveling.
Time out, New Albany.
31.0
Jones fouls Biven on a three-point try.
Biven sinks two free throws.
Time out, Jeff.
Biven makes his third free throw.
6.2
Jeff nearly turns the ball over but New Albany can’t gain control on a potential two-on-one fast break.
4.2
Jones comes up short on a three-point attempt, sending the game into overtime.
BOX SCORE
JEFFERSONVILLE 14 8 16 12 9—59
NEW ALBANY 16 11 7 16 2—52
Jeffersonville (8-4, 2-0): Tre Coleman 11, Will Lovings-Watts 13, Darin Starks 13, Caleb Mason 2, Jacob Jones 15, Kobe Stoudemire 2, Bryan Smithers 3.
New Albany (6-5, 1-2): Kaden Stanton 3, Tucker Biven 19, Julien Hunter 2, Trey Hourigan 16, Jordan Thomas 10, Jackson Streander 2.
3-point field goals: Jeffersonville 2 (Coleman, Jones); New Albany 3 (Biven, Hourigan, Stanton).
Junior varsity: Jeffersonville 45-33
