North’s Cougars and Martinsville’s Artesians might not all have known till now, but Friday night they will play for “The John Harrell Mythical Traveling Trophy.”
John Harrell — the man, the legend and, indeed, the myth — is the celebrated former Herald-Times executive sports editor who maintains a terrific Indiana high school basketball and football web site (indianahsbasketball.homestead.com) that includes game scores stretching back to 1993.
Utilizing said scores, Harrell created a traveling trophy along the lines of The Greene County Keg. A team winning the trophy retains it until sustaining a defeat, with the other team then absconding with it. Mythically, of course.
Martinsville currently “possesses” what we shall now dub “The Harrell” by virtue of its Dec. 10 victory over previous trophy-holder Center Grove, and the Artesians have retained control through subsequent wins over Indian Creek, Bedford North Lawrence and Decatur Central.
Glancing back to the start of the 2006-07, when Lawrence North held The Harrell, it seems the trophy has “exchanged hands” 31 times in the past five years and 20 schools have possessed it over that span, some obviously more than once. Those schools, in order, are:
Lawrence North, Arlington, Northwest, Cathedral, Roncalli, Brebeuf, Carmel, Warren Central, Pike, Indianapolis North Central, Marion, Kokomo, Noblesville, Avon, Hamilton Southeastern, Center Grove, Franklin Central, Bedford North Lawrence, Bloomington North and Martinsville.
Hamilton Southeastern currently has the girls’ trophy.
North’s Cougars gained the boys’ Harrell Nov. 26 by beating BNL, then lost it Dec. 3 at Center Grove, with Martinsville then subsequently dispossessing the Trojans.
At some juncture, perhaps some physical manifestation of The Harrell can emerge, when it will be more than a cyber-trophy. This columnist would happily entertain suggestions.
“It’s neat, something really neat to follow,” North coach Andy Hodson said Wednesday when noting The Harrell is at stake Friday. “I can, and do, spend hours on John’s site. It’s a great site for fans, but also for coaches. I look at it about every day to check how other teams are doing and where I should go scout.
“I’d be really pleased if we can go up to Martinsville — which has as good a team as any on our schedule — and just get a ‘W.’ But if we get the trophy, too, so much the better.”
The Barn Burner Trophy
Another fantastic web locale for Hoosier Hysteria fans is Leigh Evans’ Hickory Husker site (hickoryhusker.rivals.com). And as is the case with Harrell’s site, it features traveling trophies for both boys and girls, in this case called “The Barn Burner Trophy.”
Valparaiso currently has the boys’ Barn Burner, which has had 74 different title holders back through the 1997-98 season. The girls’ Barn Burner now overlaps The Harrell, with Hamilton Southeastern having both.
Horne out for the season
Edgewood officials have confirmed that senior forward Jared Horne will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a knee injury in Saturday’s win at South Putnam.
An off-season injury to his other knee had sidelined Horne till January of his junior season, but he then emerged as a force, and was Edgewood’s top returning scorer and rebounder heading into the current campaign. He was coming off a superb 18-point, 13-board performance in Friday’s win at South Vermillion before the most recent misfortune struck. He was shooting .515 from the field while averaging 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds this season for Edgewood, which plays Friday at South.
Eastern’s Yoho honored
Eastern Greene standout J.T. Yoho was one of nine players recognized in the IBCA/Pacers-Fever Players of the Week program for their performances from Jan. 2-7.
Yoho is the boys’ District 3 honoree after leading Eastern Greene (9-1) to the championship of the Greene County Invitational. The 6-foot-6 forward had 74 points and 22 rebounds in wins over Linton, North Central and Shakamak.
Also honored from District 2 was Indiana University recruit Jeremy Hallowell from Lawrence Central, who averaged 37 points per game in helping the Bears split two games. He scored 38 points in an 84-76 loss to Bowman Academy and 36 in a 74-60 win over Columbus North.
TOP PERFORMERS
KEATON HENDRICKS, South: The sophom*ore standout had his second straight game of 9-for-16 shooting from the field and hit all six of his free throws for 26 points to help the Panthers survive in Tuesday’s 56-54 win at Columbus East, after having scored 22 in Friday’s big win at North.
JOHN ASHCRAFT, White River Valley: Hit 10 of 15 shots from the field while scoring 22 of his team’s 33 points in the Greene County Invitational Tournament semifinal loss to Shakamak, then added 16 points as the Wolverines won Saturday’s third-place game over North Central (Farmersburg) to improve to 8-2 on the season.
DESS FOURGEROUSSE, Linton: Poured in 32 points for the Miners’ 98-46 romp over Union (Dugger) in Thursday’s Greene County tourney play.
BY THE NUMBERS
1: Point scored by host South Putnam in the first quarter in Edgewood's 45-33 win Saturday.
2: Points in the second quarter for South during Tuesday’s 56-54 win at Columbus East, after the Panthers scored 22 in the first quarter.
4: Three-pointers from Owen Valley senior Kaleb Oldham in his first career start, part of a 16-point night Friday against Northview.
MARK THE CALENDAR
FRIDAY: Edgewood at South. The concluding regular-season matchup of Monroe County schools.
FRIDAY: North at Martinsville. The Cougars face a big bounce-back test after the loss to South by facing an 8-1 Martinsville team on the road.
SATURDAY: Martinsville at Eastern Greene. The Artesians and Thunderbirds both lost their season-openers and neither has lost since. Last season, EG won by a point in overtime at Martinsville.
