By GREG MENGELT
CLARKSVILLE — Silver Creek scored seven points in the final minute of the first half to turn a 19-18 deficit into a 25-18 lead.
The Dragons rode that momentum to a 58-40 Mid-Southern Conference win and a 3-0 start to the season.
Silver Creek led 13-11 at the end of the first period, but a Drew Farney bucket — on a steal and assist from freshman Aidan McEwen — gave the Generals a 7-4 run and an 18-17 lead.
With 1:13 to play in the half, Cody Jackson hit a 19-footer to give Silver Creek the lead back. With 38 seconds to play, Caleb Sprigler hit the first of two free throws. When he missed the second, Jackson got the offensive rebound and found a wide-open Michael Bradley, who hit a 3-pointer for a 22-17 advantage. On the ensuing play, Bradley knocked the ball away from a General and raced the other way for a layup and a 25-18 halftime lead.
“We made a nice spurt there, and we were able to carry that into the second half,” Silver Creek coach John Bradley said.
Despite trailing by only seven points at halftime, Clarksville coach Scott Matthews said the final 38 seconds were the key to the Dragons’ win.
“That was it. That was the ball game,” Matthew said. “It basically dictated the game, not so much physically, more mentally.”
Jackson scored the first five points of the second half to complete a 12-0 run. The Silver Creek senior had seven of Silver Creek’s 13 points in the first quarter, had 11 of its 25 at halftime and scored 21 of the Dragons’ first 41 points.
“Jackson shot the ball extremely well,” John Bradley said. “The kids did a great job of finding him when he was open. He’s a tremendous shooter. He had a bad start against Henryville (in the opener), but the past two games, he’s played really well. He’s hard to guard and he opens up things for other people.”
Jackson didn’t score in the fourth quarter, but still finished with 21 points — on 9-of-14 shooting — and had six rebounds, two of which were offensive.
Silver Creek’s other seniors also contribuned to the win. Jack Eckert had 11 points, a team-high seven rebounds and five assists. Bradley also had five assists and added 10 points and three rebounds. Center Anthony Everage struggled with foul trouble for most of the game and still finished with six points, two rebounds and three steals.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the season,” John Bradley said of the 3-0 start. “We lost a lot of talent. Our seniors were role players last year. This year, they’ve played with a lot of energy and really played well.”
For Clarksville, McEwen and junior Cory Brown had nine points apiece. McEwen had a solid all-around game with a game-high eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Brown had seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot.
Ryan Masters scored eight points, six of which came in the first two minutes. Greg St. Clair and Farney had six apiece.
The Genenerals also had 19 turnovers, 18 of which came in the first three quarters.
“We did a lot of things well,” Matthews said. “I felt that when we got the ball into the half-court, we got layups. The problem is, we didn’t get into the half-court offense enough. Any time, you play Silver Creek, especially early in the season, they scramble and chase you. We have to make better basketball decisions in the backcourt. Our minds are still going to fast.”
The Dragons put their unbeaten mark on the line tonight against Floyd Central, which is opening its season on Saturday.
Clarksville is off until next Friday when it goes to Charlestown. The Pirates are 2-1 after a 65-51 win over Scottsburg on Friday.
SILVER CREEK 13 12 23 10—58
CLARKSVILLE 11 7 11 11—40
Silver Creek (3-0) — Sprigler 1, Schroeder 2, Hawn 3, Eckert 11, Everage 6, Jackson 21, Hoke 2.
Clarksville (2-1) — St. Clair 6, Masters 8, Brown 9, Farney 6, Carver 2, McEwen 9.
3-point field goals — Silver Creek 6 (Jackson 3, Bradley 2, Hawn); Clarksville 1 (St. Clair).
Rebounds — Silver Creek 27 (Eckert 7); Clarksville 22 (McEwen 8).
Turnovers — Silver Creek 13, Clarksville 19.
