THE DISH: Bulldogs on doorstep of perfection ... again

By MATT CRESS

Bulldogs on doorstep of perfection ... again



In their infinite wisdom, local basketball observers have been asking a silly question lately — what’s wrong with New Albany?

People seem to think there is a problem with the 18-0 Bulldogs. Yeah, the very same team riding a 41-game regular-season winning streak, including 21 straight Hoosier Hills Conference victories. Oh, they are outscoring opponents 73-51 this year.

So while no one has come close to solving the New Albany riddle outside the postseason, recent results have given these critics some (weak) ammunition.

The Bulldogs struggled a bit in dispatching Jennings County a couple of weeks ago. It took them some time to get going against Evansville Central, and they needed a while to pull away from a Bedford North Lawrence team that threw everything it had at them — freshly-printed T-shirts given away free to fans, a capacity crowd at Stars Fieldhouse and even an appearance by Damon Bailey that inspires the 10-year-old boy in us all.

New Albany is finally at the tipping point where we expect miracles every time it steps on the court. People are always looking for something new, and just winning doesn’t seem to be enough any longer. We want to see the Bulldogs unleash their devastating potential on every opponent before the opening tip.

What we need to keep in mind is that it gets tough, all that success.

When I was a kid, I was the unquestioned master of Nintendo. But all the winning got a little old after a while. I used to blindfold myself when I played Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. I played Super Mario Brothers 3 with my hands tied behind my back.

It doesn’t mean something was wrong with me. It’s just that even the intoxication of winning, as great as it is, can lose its luster after a while.

All New Albany is about is winning. If that’s not enough for you, perhaps a new hobby is in order. Nintendo, perhaps.



FRIDAY

• New Albany 74, Bloomington North 60: This is the game where the Bulldogs’ addiction to victory nets them another perfect regular season. People keep saying maybe it would be good for them to lose, but it’s just not in the cards. Oh, and that’s stupid.

• Salem 70, Borden 58: Great test for the Braves heading into what should be one of the best sectionals in the state, and not just in Class A. Luckily, they won’t see anyone as red hot as the Lions (16-1 since Dec. 6) in the postseason.

• Floyd Central 58, Charlestown 50: A rough season for the Pirates mercifully comes to an end. Truthfully, Charlestown isn’t nearly as bad as its record indicates. Its record, however, is a bigger disaster than Charlestown being down to one liquor store. Especially when the Pirates are struggling like this.

Floyd should be extra motivated for this one. A win here would put it at 10-10, the school’s best record since the 2003-04 season.

• Henryville 56, Clarksville 54: Jekyll-and-Hyde Henryville is back on the winning track at the best possible time, getting healthy and consistent just before the sectional. Hornet coach Perry Hunter kind of has that mad scientist look anyway, so I’m sure he’ll cook up something to take away the Generals’ superior inside game.

Clarksville is struggling, but could still be dangerous in what’s shaping up to be a tasty Class 2A sectional. Henryville beat the Generals’ first sectional opponent — West Washington — so this will tell us a lot about Clarksville’s chances of advancing.

• Jeffersonville 66, Anderson Highland 64: I don’t pretend to know anything about Anderson Highland. I do, however, know a lot about the movie “Highlander,” which was awesome because Christopher Lambert was heavily involved.

Other than that, I’m pretty blank. I can’t even find the Highlands in Louisville. I don’t know the difference between Hikes Point and Brown Station Way. That’s why I stay at home most of the time, usually watching “Highlander” on DVD. It all has to mean something.

• Providence 52, New Washington 45: Despite his best job of spinning the truth, I’m not convinced Providence is in the free fall that coach Lou Lefevre seems to think it is.

All the Pioneers have done is win 15 games, take a 15-4 Jeff team to three overtimes, go 6-0 against larger Class 3A schools and find a cure for the common cold.

But like New Albany, Pioneer fans are going to get too accustomed to these rather routine winning seasons eventually. And no one demands more than Lefevre.

It’s been a tough 2009 for New Wash, which is better than a 12-9 record. Still, the Mustangs will finish with their best mark since 2001 and will be a dark (er...blue) horse in the crowded sectional field.

Get it? A Mustang is a horse. Dark horse? Anyone? Bueller?

• Seymour 62, Silver Creek 61: Weird season in Sellersburg, but I have to say something.

If you are one of the people who participated in an online poll about the skill level of one of the Dragons’ players, if you have ever talked bad about the game of a high-school student on a message board or if you are one of those mutants who speculates endlessly about the behind-the-scenes action of a public school basketball program, you should be banned from the local hoops scene. Maybe even shot.

That’s the problem with the Internet — they’ll let anyone participate in that thing. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should.

Anyway, the Dragons have rebounded slightly, but have won just one of their last four meetings with the Owls.

Contact Matthew Cress at matthew.cress@newsandtribune.com.

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