By GREG MENGELT
Defending Class 3A state champion Silver Creek moved up two spots in the latest Indiana Basketball Coaches Association poll, which was released Sunday.
The 16-1 Dragons have won four games in a row since suffering their only loss of the season, 49-42 at Bedford North Lawrence on Dec. 16. Creek beat rival Salem (8-6) on Saturday to improve to 6-0 in the Mid-Southern Conference.
Lanesville, which has won 13 games in a row, was one of 39 team to receive at least one votes from the coaches in the single-class poll. Lanesville beat its opponents — South Central and Crothersville — by a combined 163-17 last week and clinched the Southern Athletic Conference championship for the fourth year in a row.
Four different teams received first-place votes in the poll. No. 1 Homestead (15-1) got 13 of the 20 with No. 2 BNL (16-1) garnering two. No. 3 Franklin (18-1) got four top votes and No. 4 Crown Point (13-2) got the other. South Bend Washington (16-2) rounds out the top five.
Regionally, Columbus East (13-3) is No. 17 and East Central (12-4) is No. 18. Evansville North (12-2), Jennings County (12-3) and Washington (15-3) got received votes.
INDIANA BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Rank, School (1st place votes) Record
1. Homestead (13) 15-1, 2. Bedford North Lawrence (2) 16-1, 3. Franklin (4) 18-1, 4. Crown Point (1) 13-2, 5. South Bend Washington 16-2, 6. Noblesville 14-3, 7. Westfield 15-3, 8. Silver Creek 16-1, 9. North Central 15-5, 10. Fishers 13-4, 11. Benton Central 19-0, 12. Lake Central 15-3, 13. Fort Wayne Snider 12-2, 14. Columbia City 16-0, 15. Mishawaka Marian 14-3, 16. Zionsviiile 13-5, 17. Columbus East 13-3, 18. East Central 12-4, 19. Garrett 16-1, 20. Valparaiso 12-3.
Others receiving votes: Ben Davis 10-6, Carmel 10-6, Castle 12-4, Evansville North 12-2, Fairfield 14-2, Hamilton Southeastern 11-6, Jac-Cen-Del 13-4, Jennings County 12-3, Lafayette Central Catholic 14-3, Lanesville 17-1, North Central-Farmersburg 14-4, Northridge 15-4, Penn 12-6, South Central-Union Mills 17-0, Tipton 15-1, Waldron 16-1, Warsaw 12-5, Washington 15-3, Winchester 16-1.
NOTE: Records as of Sunday.
