BY MIKE RILEY
SELLERSBURG — It’ll be the favorites meeting tonight in the championship game of the Silver Creek Holiday Tournament as both came away with decisive first-round victories on Monday.
Providence opened the evening with a 56-35 win over Clarksville, while Silver Creek fully took advantage of its home-court surroundings with a 59-38 victory over Charlestown.
SILVER CREEK-CHARLESTOWN
The Dragons (7-1) had posted a 58-43 victory against the Pirates on Nov. 29 at Bill Dunn Sports Arena.
A 15-point lead came more quickly this time, as Silver Creek scored the first 12 points of the contest to lead 14-2 after one quarter. The margin ballooned to 23-6 with 2:53 left in the first half.
After a Charlestown timeout, the turnovers piled up for Silver Creek. That led to an 11-2 run by the Pirates, who closed to within 25-17 at intermission.
Steven Coyne, who came off the bench to spark the Pirates (0-7) with eight first-half points, scored the first basket of the second half to help Charlestown pull to within six points.
But the Dragons came out breathing fire.
They hit their first seven shots, five by Spencer Robinson, to build the advantage to as many as 23 points. Silver Creek shot a blistering 14-of-20 from the field after halftime and 25-of-51 for the game.
“The second quarter was our demise,” said Silver Creek coach John Bradley. “We had a big lead and got careless with our ballhandling and shot selection. I don’t know if it was a lack of concentration or if it just came too easy for us.
“I got after them at halftime and I don’t know if it was the examples that I gave them or if they decided to go back to work.”
Robinson led Silver Creek with a game-high 25 points. Will McCall posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds as Silver Creek dominated the boards, 40-23.
“Spencer Robinson had a great shooting night, McCall and (Nick) Townsend rebounded well and altered some shots and Michael Bradley had seven assists,” Bradley said.
Entering the tournament looking for his team’s first win of the season and dealing with injuries, Charlestown coach Sean Smith decided to shuffle his lineup somewhat. Look for more changes in the future.
“We came out like a deer in the headlights tonight. I can’t explain it,” Smith said. “Usually we come out and battle early, play well and then struggle at the end. Robinson had a great game for them tonight. He’s a great player.
“I’m not going to make excuses. We fought back. Coyne gave us a great lift off the bench. He’s showed me that he’s ready to play at the varsity level. I’m going to find five to seven guys who are going to play with passion and give it everything they’ve got.”
Chad Brady, coming off the bench in his first game back following an ankle injury, added 10 points for the Pirates.
Charlestown will face Clarksville in the consolation game. The two have already met this season with the Generals pulling out a 69-68 home-court victory on Dec. 12.
“We didn’t come here to play in the consolation game, but that’s how it ended up,” Smith said. “Give Silver Creek credit. Robinson had a great game tonight. With him and Townsend, they have two great players. But we’ll find out a lot about our character Tuesday. Both teams will be hungry for a win.”
“So far, my guys have played better than my expectations,” Bradley said. “We’re moving the ball well, taking good shots and playing quality defense. There are a lot of things we can improve on, but they’ve exceeded my expectations so far.”
PROVIDENCE-CLARKSVILLE
The Pioneers (6-1) ran off to a 16-5 lead and were never seriously threatened.
Trailing 32-19 at halftime, Clarksville did pull as close as 35-27 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jon Bramer, who led the Generals (3-4) with 12 points.
Providence answered Bramer with an 11-0 run, eventually building the lead to as many as 23 points.
The Pioneers placed three in double figures, led by David Schellenberger with 17 points. Tucker Coots added 14 points and Nick Koetter scored 11. Robert Noe added 10 points for the Generals.
Providence coach Lou Lefevre and his team remained in the locker room between games and were unavailable for comment. Providence and Clarksville will meet again at Providence on Friday, Jan. 9.
SILVER CREEK 14 11 19 15—59
CHARLESTOWN 2 15 11 10—38
Silver Creek (7-1) — Eckert 6, McCall 10, Townsend 5, Robinson 25, Bradley 5, Jackson 8, Bonniville 0, Everage 0, Coats 0, Meyer 0.
Charlestown (0-7) — Lloyd 3, J. Williams 3, B. Williams 0, Crenshaw 6, King 0, Brady 10, Poteet 0, Vest 0, Coyne 16, Wyatt 0, Shepherd 0, Hayes 0, Hall 0.
Three-point field goals — Silver Creek 3 (Robinson 2, Bradley); Charlestown 1 (Brady).
Rebounds — Silver Creek 40 (McCall 13); Charlestown 23 ( Lloyd 7).
Turnovers — Silver Creek 13; Charlestown 13.
PROVIDENCE 17 15 10 14—56
CLARKSVILLE 7 12 8 8—35
Providence (6-1) — Coots 14, A.J. Schmidt 4, Very 2, J. Koetter 5, Boone 0, N. Koetter 11, Dixon 0, Schellenberger 17, Griffith 1, Wethington 2.
Clarksville (3-4) — Merchant 2, Masters 7, Noe 10, Bowens 4, Bramer 12, Edelen 0.
