All photos by Magdalene Conrad and Parker McCloskey. Click on each photo in the gallery below.
All photos by Magdalene Conrad, Malachi Conrad, Parker McCloskey and Mackenzie Stubblefield. Click on photos in the gallery below to view images.
by Austin Bainbridge
The Red Devils enter a hostile environment tonight against an imposing New Albany team after dropping three out of the last four games.
The environment at New Albany should add to the excitement of the rivalry game.
“New Albany’s a loud environment that really helps their players along with getting in the opponent’s head,” said sophomore guard Cornelius Weobong.
Red Devil fans are also ready to see Jeff get back to form.
“I don’t think New Albany has the basketball IQ to beat our guys,” said sophomore fan Preston McCombs.
Jeff is looking to get back in the win column by changing their approach.
“I think as a team we need to pick it up in practice and work hard to prepare for this team,” said senior point guard Elijah Cheeks.
The team is also looking for leaders to help get the young team ready to play.
“Me and (Terrence) Nord need need to pick up our leadership in game and practice; we have to get people to give it their all,” said Cheeks
The New Albany team is headlined by stars like sophomore shooting guard Noah Washington, who will be a struggle to stop.
“New Albany is looking dangerous this year — they have some good players, but I still have confidence we can stop them,” said head coach Sherron Wilkerson.
The team is also looking to get out to an early lead and retain it throughout the game.
“We want to come out on fire and not wait until our backs are against the wall to comeback and put up points,” said Cheeks.
Jeff has its own players to watch out for, especially junior Jacob Wilkerson.
“(Jacob) Wilkerson has to keep doing what he’s doing — he’s balling right now; he just has to keep on track,” said Cheeks.
While New Albany seems like an unstoppable team, Jeff sees weaknesses to exploit.
“They don’t play defense and don’t really want to guard the ball; I think with our offense we can take advantage of that and win this game,” said Cheeks.
All photos by Parker McCloskey and Malachi Conrad. Click on photos in the gallery below.
All photos by Magdalene Conrad, Malachi Conrad, Parket McCloskey, and Isaiah Stewart. Click on photographs in the gallery below.
by Austin Bainbridge
The Jeff boys’ basketball team faces one of the top-ranked schools in Indiana, Silver Creek, for their home opener in a big benchmark game tonight in Johnson Arena.
“This is an important game; even though it’s not a rivalry like Floyd or New Albany there is a very good team and a win would be huge,” said sophomore guard Cornelius Weobong.
Silver Creek is looking like one of the best teams in Indiana and is searching for a statement win against Jeff.
“They’re really good at sharing the basketball. They’ve got six guys that could score 20 on any given night. So they do a really good job of moving the ball,” said head coach Sherron Wilkerson.
Jeff isn’t looking as potent as last year’s state championship team but still sees this as a competitive game.
“Our biggest keys are — Number one, we’ve got to guard for basketball. Number two, we’ve got to rebound. Number three, we have to take care of it, we cannot turn the ball over,” said Wilkerson.
The fans are also looking forward to a competitive game like this early in the season.
“I’m excited to see our guys play at home. I hope that we can come away with a win against a team as good as Silver Creek — that would be a big momentum boost,” said English teacher David Kummer.
To come away with a victory Jeff is going to have to capitalize on opportunities and not give Silver Creek very many.
“We have a lot of time where you get a good cut, get the ball, and then we miss, we give them free possession again… and then on defense we have got to know where we were at and we’ve got to sprint to our spot. We can’t give them easy points,” said Weobong.
Silver Creek is good as a team, but they also have players who shine above the rest.
“Brandon Hunter — he just recently had a game where he had 13 rebounds at the point guard position. When you have a point guard putting up 13 rebounds, that means that he is worthy of being able to get you a triple double, which probably makes him the most dangerous player on the floor,” said Wilkerson.
The Red Devils are looking to overcome some of early year struggles.
“Our mental toughness and our physical toughness is probably our biggest hurdle right now. And I think that once we’re able to correct those two issues, I think then you will start to see us jell into a unit,” said Wilkerson.
This game has been on Jeffs’ calendar for some time and they’ve been preparing.
“We’ve been preparing for Silver Creek since the buzzer went off at Seymour; we’ve been gameplanning and preparing pretty intensely,” said Weobong.
This young Jeff team could put itself on the map with a Silver Creek win, and they’re ready for tonight’s challenge.
“A win would be huge for us because this particular group as a unit has not been through the fire yet. So it would be nice to be able to go through the fire and come out successful. These guys are ready to be recognized,” said Wilkerson.
In addition to tonight’s battle with the Dragons, Jeff players and coaches will be honored with the presentation of their state championship rings from last season.
by Jaxon Sturgeon
Kentucky basketball fans are not known for patience. When you wear blue and white, expectations are always Final Four or bust. So after a slow start to the season, a lot of fans are already worried. But this team isn’t failing– it’s just still building. And with key players like Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe getting back to full health, things could look a lot different by the time conference play really heats up.
Early in the season, chemistry matters just as much as talent. Kentucky has both, but chemistry takes time. New players have to learn from each other, figure out roles, and build trust on the court. When injuries are added into the mix, that process slows down even more. That’s been part of the problem– the team hasn’t been whole.
The good news is that help is coming. Quaintance brings energy, defense, and presence inside. When he is healthy, he changes the flow of the game down low. Lowe adds speed, scoring, and guard depth that Kentucky badly needs.
Fans want wins immediately. That’s understandable. But basketball seasons aren’t movies– they don’t peak in the first act. What really matters is progress. Kentucky is learning how to finish games, how to handle pressure, and how to stay steady when shots aren’t falling. Those lessons hurt now, but they matter later.
Sometimes a slow start is actually a good thing. It forces a team to grow up fast. Nobody feels comfortable. Nobody assumes anything. When adversity shows up early, teams that stick together usually come out stronger on the other end. This is when leadership is built, and roles become clear.
History shows Kentucky doesn’t need to be perfect in November and December to be dangerous in March. The best teams usually don’t run through the season without problems– they survive them. This group still has time, talent, and reasons to believe.
The season is far from over. Once Quaintance and Lowe are back to 100% and the rotation settles in, Kentucky won’t look like the same team from the first few weeks. This is not the end of the story.
It’s just the awkward beginning.
Photos by Gabrielle Watkins. Click on the photos in the gallery below.
All photos by Malachi Conrad. Captions by Malachi Conrad and Gabrielle Watkins. Click on the photo gallery below to view images.
All photos by Magdalene Conrad and Malachi Conrad. To view photos, click on the gallery below.
by Breslyn Dozal
Sara Nord — JHS alumna, Indiana Miss Basketball (2000), former WNBA player for the Washington Mystics, elected to the UofL Hall of Fame in 2015 — loves to give back to her community.
Nord is the manager for the Spring Hill EnVision Center and Jeffersonville Fieldhouse. She does all that while training kids and giving back to Jeffersonville.
Hayden and Jazmin Doogarsingh, who have known Nord for five years, commented on how caring and how good of a role model she is to the people around her and great with kids.
Nord has always been a team player when it comes to sports or overall life.
“Being a team is important because you have to work with a lot of people throughout life. Have to be a team even when you’re your own boss,” she said.
Nord strives to make basketball mean a lot to people of all ages. She does a lot for a whole little and would do more if she could.
“Personable, outgoing, loyal, hotheaded. I feel like that’s who I am as a person. I meet people easily and I’m loyal to them,” Nord stated on how she thinks people would describe her.
Those who know Nord well describe her as humble despite her accomplishments.
“Very humble, very grateful. I think she knew she deserved it. She is a very gracious winner,” said close friend Greg Manor on how she was when she won Indiana Miss Basketball.
Nord always wants to make the best of people, especially when training with kids. ¨She’s selfless, she’s caring. And loves kids, she loves to help them,” said Manor.
Despite her selflessness, Nord will do whatever it takes to come out first. Whether it’s during a sport or a simple game of Uno, Nord is willing to do anything just for that game-winning feeling.
“Sara’s path to success is a true JHS story; she will be the first to open up and admit that she can identify with kids because Sara wasn’t handed everything on a silver platter. She had to fight for everything she got,” said principal Pam Hall.
She will help everyone get that feeling as well. Nord used to coach at JHS and Rock Creek Community Academy. Now she runs clinics at the Jeffersonville Fieldhouse.
“I think that her dedication on giving back to the community. She helps elementary, middle, and high school students. She is widely known — you can just say ‘Sara’ and people know who you’re talking about,” commented Hall.
Sara Nord, a strong, goodwill, selfless person. She has truly left a mark on everyone she met, and touched many lives. As Hall said, “Sara is kind to people… friendly to everyone in the area.”
“Live life with a purpose.” Sara Nord.
thehyphennews.com 