Pirates come on late in 
title game to win 
North Harrison Sectional 30

    The Charlestown Pirates won the North Harrison Class 3A Sectional 30 Saturday night, after downing Silver Creek by a score of 63-57. The 20-3 Pirates earned the right to play 20-1 Evansville Memorial in the 10 a.m. game at the Washington Regional Saturday, March 8.
    It was hardly a foregone conclusion, as the Dragons led the Pirates 48-46 headed into the 4th quarter of play. The Pirates went inside and rode the shoulders of their big front line in the victory.
    The Pirates previously won the Class 3A sectional at North Harrison in 2000, and have won 14 straight.
Final Game-
Charlestown 63, 
Silver Creek 57-
In only his second year of being a head coach, Sean Smith has tasted the waters of being a sectional winning coach. He is happier with how his team fared, naturally.
    “I’m so proud of these young men,” said Smith after the game, as the Charlestown players and fans were celebrating on the North Harrison floor. “We traveled all summer, and played something like 40 games this past summer, trying to get ready for this season. And, they were all so committed all for an unknown (outcome).”
    He added, “They wanted it so bad they worked for it.”
    They almost didn’t get the win in the title game. They trailed Silver Creek for most of the 2nd half, and were down 46-39 after the Dragons’ Nick Townsend hit two straight treys, at 3:43 and 3:01.
    The Pirates called a 30 second time out with 2:58 in the 3rd quarter, and thanks to key free throws from Bowman Thrasher and Zach Merschbrock, as well as a big three by Charlestown’s Chad Brady; Silver Creek led only 48-46 after three periods.
    “Merschbrock and Thrasher, they’re just horses in there,” marveled Silver Creek varsity assistant coach Brandon Hoffman. “And, I thought we did a pretty good job on them.”
    Hoffman added, “Their (Charlestown) strengths are their big guys. We thought if we could contain them, we had a chance.”
    The Dragons still led 53-50 over the Pirates with as little as 5:29 left in the game, but Clayton Merschbrock had perhaps the biggest play of his career, when he was sent back into the game with just over 30 seconds left, and promptly stole the ball and scored a lay up. The play gave the Pirates a 60-57 lead, and just seconds later, the Dragons’ Spencer Robinson missed a shot from the wing. 
    Zach Merschbrock rounded out the scoring for the Pirates with three free throws in the final 20 seconds of the game.
    Thrasher and Merschbrock were supposed to do all of the things that gave the Pirates the win, too.
    Smith pointed out that Silver Creek’s defense was collapsing on Zach Merschbrock, so they had to go inside to bowman Thrasher, and Smith was happy with how Thrasher acquitted himself under the pressure.
    “Bowman (Thrasher) went strong and got some fouls on it,” Smith explained. Also, Nick Townsend of the Creekers fouled out of the game with five personal fouls, and his absence helped the Pirates. 
    Up until the final moments of the game, it didn’t look so rosy from the perspective of the Charlestown bench. Smith said he saw some negativity and arguing going on between players, and sums it up to an untypical night for his team.
    “Things are usually going positive,” said Smith. “We finally were able to come through at the right time.”
    For his team’s part, Hoffman was more than happy with the way his Dragons played. 
    “I thought we played well,” Hoffman said. “We left it on the floor, and that’s all you can ask. We had four great seniors, and you feel bad for them.”
Semi Finals-
Charlestown 85, 
Crawford County 68
    Despite being hounded by triangle and two and box and one defenses most of the night, Zach Merschbrock still managed to score 13 points. Twin brother Clayton Merschbrock took up a lot of the slack, and led all scorers with 21 points.
    “I thought he did a nice job,” said Charlestown coach Sean Smith of Clayton Merschbrock. “He trusts his team mates.”
    Charlestown led Crawford County 21-15 after a lone period of play, and the snowball got bigger in favor of Charlestown throughout the 2nd quarter.
    Two free throws after a technical foul was called on Crawford County coach Mike Brown gave Charlestown a 33-17 lead, and a barrage of Pirate buckets gave them a 40-24 lead with less than 30 seconds left in the 1st half. Charlestown’s Chad Brady hit a pair of deuces to close out the half, and give Charlestown a 44-24 lead.
    Jonathon Bowles hit a basket for the Wolfpack to start the 2nd half, but an 8-0 run by Charlestown prompted the Wolfpack to call a full time out at 5:23 in the 3rd quarter.
    The Wolfpack outscored Charlestown 19-16 the rest of the 3rd, but Charlestown still led 68-45 headed into the 4th period.
    Charlestown hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Silver Creek 54, 
Corydon 43
    It was easily the most exciting shot in the entire sectional, at least going by improbability.
    At the end of the 3rd quarter of the second semi final game Friday night in Ramsey, Corydon freshman Brandon Dunaway dropped in a half court bomb with no time left on the clock. Corydon then closed to within 33-24 with that spectacular 3 pointer, but as Silver Creek Coach John Bradley pointed out after the game, “Our kids came over and kind of put down their heads, and I said, ‘Look at the scoreboard!’”
    Spencer Robinson then hit three straight free throws to give the Dragons a 36-24 lead, early in the 4th.
    A 9-0 run by the Panthers got Corydon within 36-33, but the Dragons answered with a 4-0 flurry of their own, to go back up 40-33.
    The Dragons connected on 15 of 21 free throws, with Corydon hitting on 11 of 18. For Silver Creek, Spencer Robinson was 5 of 7, Justin Kight was 4 of 6, and Michael Bradley was 4 of 4.
    Bradley said his team is full of role players, and he was glad to see them fulfill their roles so well.
    “We’ve got some kids who didn’t do what they normally do in a game (as far as their performances), but they came out ready to play,” said Bradley.
First Round-
Silver Creek 63,
Mitchell 57
    Spencer Robinson’s 22 points helped Silver Creek get past the Mitchell Bluejackets in this first round game on Wednesday, February 27.
    The Dragons jumped out to a 13-0 lead before Mitchell could put any points on the board. After being down 13-0, the Bluejackets outscored the Creekers 8-2 to pull to within 15-8 in the 1st quarter (3:56). By 2:37 in the period, the Bluejackets were within 18-12 of the Dragons.
    After the slow start, Mitchell trailed Silver Creek by only 20-17 heading into the 2nd quarter.
    Silver Creek coach John Bradley said he knew the initial 13-0 lead of his team wouldn’t hold forever.
    “We knew after we got that lead, that it was like fool’s gold,” Bradley said. “I’m glad for the start, but we knew Mitchell would come back. They’re too good a basketball team, and too well coached.”
    With just under four minutes left in the 1st half, Mitchell was within a point of Silver Creek (23-22), but went on an 8-3 flurry to lead 31-25 with 2:08 in the half.
    Dwayne Eubanks’ lone free throw with 22.6 seconds in the 1st half tied the score at 31-all.
    Austin Caudell and Zach Kern helped to propel Mitchell to a lead throughout the early stages of the 3rd quarter, but the Creekers tied things up with the Bluejackets at 42 with just under a half of the 3rd period to play.
    Silver Creek managed to hold off the Bluejackets with timely scoring throughout the 4th quarter.
    The game would have been easier for Silver Creek if not for the size and physicality of the Bluejackets’ players. This led to problems trying to rebound consistently on the part of Silver Creek.
    “We really struggled with rebounding all night long,” said Bradley. “We just found ourselves out of position on the boards all night long.”
    “They’re physical,” said Bradley of Mitchell. “My kids shied away from that. I hope they learned a valuable lesson.”
Corydon 52,
North Harrison 42
    Corydon was clinging to a 34-33 lead with 5:38 left in the game, after North Harrison’s Maverick Becht scored.
    Dylan Harl scored a three for the Panthers right after Becht scored, to pull the Panthers ahead 37-33, and the Cougars then proceeded to miss a pair of free throws a half minute later.
    Corydon then went on a 7-0 run to run up their advantage to 44-33, thanks to the Panthers’ Calvin Saulman, who had an old fashioned three point play and four consecutive free throws in the burst of scoring.
    The two teams traded scoring over the next few minutes, and saw Corydon 45-38, after a North Harrison three point play from Becht.
    The Panthers hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
    Corydon coach Jamie Kolkmeier gave North Harrison credit for the closeness of the score in the 2nd half.
    “They made a nice comeback there a couple of times,” said Kolkmeier of North Harrison. “They fought back. I thought we played the whole game very hurriedly offensively. We hurried everything.”
    While he gave North Harrison credit for staying in the game, Kolkmeier thought his team could have put the game more out of reach for the Cougars.
    “It seemed like on (at least two) occasions we had a chance to put the game away in the second half, and didn’t get it done. We had droughts where we didn’t score many points.”
    North Harrison coach Chris Martin was disappointed to see his team lose the game, and lamented the lack of outside shooting from his team.
    “We had trouble getting loose for outside shots, and that makes it difficult. We just couldn’t get a couple of buckets and spread it out to the perimeter,” said Martin.
    North Harrison struggled in the 2007 part of the season this year, and won no games. But in 2008, they won five games, and ended the season at 5-17.
    The Cougars will lose Cody Johnson, Jordan Byrne, Jim Bob Schuler, David Geswein, and Italian foreign exchange student Marcello Guidetti to graduation in 2008, but Martin thinks that the Cougars will have a chance to be successful in the 2008-09 season, if they work in the offseason.
    “We’ll see how hard they work this summer,” said Martin. “If they put the time in, they have a chance to be decent. If they don’t, then it’s going to be another long year.”
    “Most of these kids seem like they want to put the time in.”
Charlestown 63,
Salem 59 (2 O.T.)
    The game saw 11 ties throughout, but the most important tie was the 44-all tie at the end of regulation.
    The 44-all score then sent the game into the 1st of two overtimes. The Charlestown Pirates ended up winning the game after hitting 6 of 8 free throw attempts in the 2nd overtime period.
    Salem had gone ahead briefly at 44-41 after a deuce at the minute mark, but after a time out with 54 seconds left in regulation; Zach Merschbrock broke loose for a three point basket to put Charlestown in a 44-44 tie.
    Charlestown usually scores more from the inside than they did against Salem, but Charlestown coach Sean Smith gave Salem credit for at least some of the trouble.
    “They really made it tough on us to score inside tonight,” said Smith. “They had a great game plan.”
    Smith said he challenged his team to come up with a way to win the game. “I just looked them in the eye. They knew they’d shot themselves in the foot, and I told them, we were going to win the game. We were going to suck it up, and find a way to win. That’s what champions do, find a way to win.”
    Salem coach Hank Weedin thought that the over the back calls were called a called too much in favor of Charlestown. “That didn’t help us,” said Weedin.

     A Block Watch meeting for the 3^rd district is scheduled for Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Arts & Enrichment Center located at 999 Water Street in Charlestown.
    A Block Watch for the 1^st District is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 at 11 a.m. The meeting will be held at Trinity Family Fellowship Church located at 1376 Market Street in Charlestown.
    Charlestown Mayor Bob Hall, 3^rd District Councilman Scott McKechnie (for the 3^rd District meeting), 1^st District Councilman Jeff Aaron (for the 1^st District meeting) along with Charlestown Assistant Chief of Police Keith McDonald will be hosting the program for the districts.
    Citizens of these districts are invited and encouraged to attend their district Block Watch meeting.
    For more information please call 256-3422, extension 311.

    The Pirates of Charlestown captured the Class 3A Sectional 30 at North Harrison last Saturday night by defeating Mid Southern Conference rival Silver Creek.
    The game gave the fans all they could handle as the teams battled from buzzer to buzzer. When the last buzzer sounded the scoreboard read Charlestown- 63, Silver Creek- 57.
    This was the first Sectional crown for the Pirates of Charlestown since 2000 when they also took home the North Harrison Sectional crown. Charlestown now has nine Sectional crowns.
    The road Charlestown traveled to the Sectional championship included a 63-59, double overtime win over rival Salem in the opening round and a 85-68 win over Crawford County.
    Championship t-shirts will be on sale Wednesday and Thursday in the high school cafeteria during lunch blocks. The shirts will be royal blue 2008 Mid Southern Conference and Sectional champion t-shirts. The shirts will be available for $10. They will also be available Thursday night between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. Shirts may still be available Friday around 10 a.m. during the CHS pep rally in Bill Dunn Sports Arena.
    The Sectional championship gives Charlestown the right to play in the Class 3A Regional to be held at Washington High School this Saturday, March 8.
    The No. 10 Pirates (20-3) will face No. 1 Evansville Memorial (20-1) at 10 a.m. The second game of the morning session will pit No. 4 Washington (19-2) against No. 2 Edgewood (23-2). The championship game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip.
    Regional tickets are now on sale at Charlestown High School. Ticket prices are $6 per session, available at the door only or $9 for both sessions now available at Charlestown High School Athletic Office. Tickets will be on sale at the Athletic Office Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
    Directions to Washington High School from Charlestown High School: Turn right onto Market Street then turn left onto IN-403. Travel 5.5 miles before turning left onto US-31/North Indiana Avenue for .7 mile. Take Charlestown Road to I-265. Merge onto I-64 W/US-150 W/IN-62 W toward St. Louis. Merge onto US-150 W via Exit 119 toward Greenville/Paoli for 37.6 miles. Turn left onto US-150/E Main Street/IN-56 for .1 mile. Enter next roundabout and take third exit onto US-150 for 22.3 miles. Turn left onto US-150/US-50 E for 20 miles. Turn right onto National Highway E/Old US-50 E for 2.1 miles. Turn right onto 7^th Street SE for .4 mile then turn left onto Walnut Street E. Washington High School is located at 608 E. Walnut Street in Washington. The estimated travel time is 2 hours and 10 minutes and approximately 102 miles.

     Psi Iota xi is a philanthropic sorority that is dedicated to promoting art, literature and music and aiding in the field of speech and hearing. The Alpha Theta Chapter in Charlestown has been active since 1923 and has contributed thousands of dollars to local charities and community groups. It raises money through the sale of flowers (geraniums, mums and poinsettias) and cheese balls. All philanthropic funds raised during the year are disbursed to organizations in the community advocating one of its charitable interest or other worthy projects.
   In an effort to consider causes from any aspects of the community, they have developed an application process. Groups or charitable organizations that have a project that might benefit from Psi Ote funds, are invited to complete an application for submission.
   The following organizations received the 2007 Philanthropic Funds: Charlestown Public Library, Charlestown High Media, New Washington Jr/Sr High School Media, Pleasant Ridge Elementary Media, Jonathan Jennings Elementary Media and Greater Clark County Schools English as a Second Language in Charlestown, Charlestown High/Middle Choral, Charlestown High Band, Destination Imagination, Jonathan Jennings Speech, Pleasant Ridge Speech, Charlestown Civic Center, Charlestown Beautification Light Pole Project and Rose Island Playhouse. Total funds distributed this year were $2,475. Psi Otes also gave two scholarships last year to graduating seniors: Meredith Hall and Lindsey Davis.
   If you would like more information regarding how to become a member of the organization or are interested in applying for the Philanthropic Funds for 2008 please contact President Marianne Smith at 256-5591 or Vice President Joetta Wahl at 256-9370.