The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Falcons to join Mid-State; defeat Cards

2/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY NATHAN PACE Southport forward Jahmyr Johnson goes high to corral a rebound against Perry Meridian.
By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

On the day before last week’s Battle of Perry Township boys basketball game, Perry Meridian acknowledged that the Falcons would leave Conference Indiana and become members of the Mid-State Conference beginning with the 2018-19 school year.

The Mid-State league becomes eight members with Perry Meridian, Decatur Central, Franklin, Greenwood, Martinsville, Mooresville, Plainfield and Whiteland. 

“This presents new opportunities for our athletes and teams,” Perry Meridian athletic director Doug Schornick said in an exclusive interview with The Southsider Voice. “We’ll be working with each conference for a smooth transition.”

PM’s departure leaves Southport, Franklin Central, Bloomington North and South, Terre Haute North and South and Columbus North in Conference Indiana.

This is the second shakeup in Conference Indiana since 2013, when Lawrence Central and Pike bolted to join the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference with former MIC members Terre Haute South and North joining Conference Indiana.

“We leave the conference knowing that we had great success and that our teams were competitive,” Schornick said. “We had many great battles with teams in the conference.”

Schornick and Southport athletic director Pete Hubert said that the Falcons’ departure would not diminish the township rivalry.

Perry Meridian expects to open its on-campus football stadium Aug. 18, with the Cardinals no longer sharing Perry Stadium, which already has been renamed Cardinal Stadium.

Latest battle
The Feb. 2 contest between the boys basketball teams at Southport Fieldhouse proved to be one of the Southside’s most competitive games this season even with the squads’ combined records of 8-21.

The Falcons were in control most of the game and never let Southport get closer than five points (54-49) in the second half to win 78-68. 

Falcons senior TJ Comer sparked the Falcons with 19 first-half points and a 41-36 halftime lead; sophomore Semaj Danley II scored 10 of his 16 game points in the second half.

“This is huge; the first time in my four years that we beat them,” said Comer, who scored a game-high 24 points. “I just wanted to give my team a boost so we could win. My guys battled and played hard all the way.”

The Comer-Danley duo came through mostly when the Cardinals tried to close. They each scored after the Cardinals cut the lead to 37-34 in the second quarter. In the second half Danley went back door to increase the lead to 58-50 and later provided the Falcons with their biggest lead, 66-53.

The Falcons stood 6-10 after the win but had lost six games by a total of 16 points.

“You could easily flip-flop our record,” Perry Meridian coach Brent Keck said. “The kids have played hard all season. This (game) was the best the kids have shot – we put the ball in the basket. I’m really happy for the kids; I hope this is a shot in the arm for us.”

Southport cut the lead to 72-66 with two minutes left in the game but PM senior Nate Mills hit two free throws.
Southport coach Kyle Simpson said, “This was a good township rival game tonight. Their senior guys played like senior guys and that was the difference in the game.”

The Cardinals reached the semistate last year and have not recovered from graduation losses that included 6-10 Indiana All-Star Joey Brunk.

Southport’s youth movement is underway.

“Like I said at the start of the season, next year becomes this year,” Simpson said. ‘For us it’s a matter of learning now so that way we don’t have to learn next year. They’re getting the experience now.”

Freshman guard Ryan Lezon scored 12 points and 6-7 sophomore Chaz Hinds scored 10 points.
​
“The first half of the season was tough mentally, but they’re learning,” Simpson observed. “When they saw they could compete they gained some confidence. They’re a fun group to coach … we’ll be fine.”
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

ads@southsidervoice.com | news@southsidervoice.com
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.