Indiana

Obituary for Joseph "Joe" Michael Johnson at Madison Chapel

Published

2 years ago

March 9, 2024

Obituary for Joseph "Joe" Michael Johnson at Madison Chapel

Mr. Joseph Joe Michael Johnson, age 69, of Hanover, Indiana entered this life on January 5, 1955 in Madison, Indiana. He was the loving son of the late Franklin Theodore Johnson and Leona Parker Johnson Higgins. He lived all of his life in Madison and Milton and attended school there.

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Indiana

Indiana high school girls basketball scores: IHSAA semistate highlights, photos, recaps

Published

16 minutes ago

February 21, 2026

Press Room

Indiana high school girls basketball scores: IHSAA semistate highlights, photos, recaps

Follow along here for all the scores from the 2025-26 Indiana girls high school basketball semistate games.

Indiana girls high school basketball podcast: The Scorers Table

The Scorers Table will be recapping Saturday’s semistate action LIVE at 1 p.m. Sunday. Watch and subscribe to the channel at YouTube.com/@IndyStarTVPreps

2026 IHSAA girls basketball semistate pairings

Saturday | All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted

Class 4A

LaPorte

G1: McCutcheon 76, Northridge 59, F

G2: Norwell 63, Crown Point 48, F

Championship: McCutcheon vs. Norwell, 7:30 p.m. CT

Jasper

G1: Lawrence Central 53, Floyd Central 47, F

Lawrence Central used a 10-0 run to take control of a one-point game in the third quarter. The Bears converted four-of-five free throws during the surge, and they rebounded the lone miss and earned a return trip to the line.

The Highlanders, who trailed by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter, fought back to make it a two-possession game, but were unable to crack the Lawrence Central defense with any consistency.

Lola Lampley netted a team-high 18 points and converted 8-of-10 free throws for LC, while Aniyah McKenzie added 19 and Keke Butler tallied nine. LeAnah Hyatt chipped in five points for the Bears, who converted 15-of-19 free throws.

Elise Coleman led Floyd Central with 18 points, Mia Gianfagna added 14 and Brinley Clark notched 11.

IHSAA girls’ basketball semistate highlights: Lawrence Central vs Floyd Central

G2: Center Grove 53, Evansville Reitz 37, F

Center Grove hit nine 3-pointers and rolled to a comfortable win over Reitz, setting up a rematch of the 2024 Class 4A semistate championship game vs. Lawrence Central.The Trojans surrendered their first points of the game at the 6:12 mark of the first quarter. They did not allow another point until two minutes into the second and outscored Reitz 18-0 during that stretch.Gracyn Gilliard led Center Grove with 21 points, Lillia Tapak notched 10 and MacKenzie Pierce and Haley Wagoner added nine apiece.Kierstyn Kaiser paced Reitz with 17 points, while Rhyan Wagner poured in 10.

IHSAA girls’ basketball semistate highlights: Center Grove vs Evansville Reitz

Championship: Lawrence Central vs. Center Grove, 8 p.m.

Class 3A

Logansport

G1: Bellmont 57, Culver Academies 46, F

G2: Connersville 50, Fairfield 36, F

Championship: Bellmont vs. Connersville, 8 p.m.

Southport

G1: Jennings County 60, Washington 54, F

Aniston Kent is no stranger to big moments. As a freshman in last year’s sectional semifinal, Kent made a last-second shot to beat Batesville by one point.

So, Saturday’s heroic performance probably should not come as a surprise. Kent, a 5-4 sophomore guard, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to spark Eighth-ranked Jennings County to a 60-54 win over Washington in the first game of the Class 3A semistate.

“You look at moments like that,” Jennings County coach Kristi Sigler said, “and she’s not afraid of them.”

Kent, who came into the semistate averaging 4.2 points per game, missed about three weeks with a leg injury. “She was probably even more engaged than she was before,” Sigler said.

Mollie Ernstes, a 6-foot senior and Kansas recruit, finished with a team-high 21 points to lead Jennings County (21-6) into the semistate championship on Saturday night. Kent finished with 13, including a pair of massive 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to push Jennings County’s lead from one point to seven.

“We talked all week about how when you get to this point in the season, it’s about toughness,” Sigler said.

Jennings County, who has never won a semistate in girls basketball and had not won even a sectional in 21 years, will have a big crowd at Southport on Saturday night. Sixth-ranked Washington finished 22-5.

“It’s amazing to have that support behind you,” Sigler said. “When (Kent) hit the two threes, (Washington) called timeout right after that and you could hear the gym and hear the momentum. They like to win.”

IHSAA girls semistate: Jennings County defeats Washington 60-54

Jennings County defeats Washington 60-54 to advance to semistate final.

G2: Roncalli 58, Northview 40, F

IHSAA girls semistate: Roncalli defeats Northview 58-40

Roncalli defeats Northview 58-40 to advance to semistate final.

Championship: Jennings County vs. Roncalli, 8 p.m.

Class 2A

Frankfort

G1: Bremen 60, Lapel 43, F

G2: Oak Hill 66, Whitko 58, F

Championship: Bremen vs. Oak Hill, 8 p.m.

Greencastle

G1: Parke Heritage 46, Heritage Christian 37, F

G2: Eastern (Pekin) 49, North Knox 44, F

Championship: Parke Heritage vs, Eastern (Pekin), 8 p.m.

Class A

Huntington North

G1: Elkhart Christian 52, North Miami 33, F

G2: Fremont 63, Monroe Central 47, F

Championship: Elkhart Christian vs. Fremont, 8 p.m.

Charlestown

G1: Borden 56, Evansville Christian 38, F

G2: Greenwood Christian 53, Tindley 50, F

Championship: Borden vs. Greenwood Christian, 8 p.m.

IHSAA girls basketball 2026 state finals schedule

All games Saturday, Feb. 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Class A: 10:30 a.m.

Class 2A: 12:45 p.m.

Class 3A: 6 p.m.

Class 4A: 8:15 p.m.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.

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Indiana

Indiana bids to host Hambletonian Stakes at Hoosier Park

Published

12 hours ago

February 21, 2026

Press Room

Indiana bids to host Hambletonian Stakes at Hoosier Park

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Horse Racing Commission has positioned Harrah’s Hoosier Park in Anderson to host the Hambletonian Stakes as soon as 2027 for a three-year commitment.

Touted as one of the most prestigious events in global harness racing, the Hambletonian has been run in New Jersey’s Meadowlands Racetrack for 43 consecutive years. The Hambletonian Society for at least a few months has been considering a venue change, the Indiana commission said in a news release issued Thursday, adding that the group has not yet announced a timeline for a selection.

The plans call for a partnership between the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, the Indiana Standardbred Association, and Hoosier Park operator Caesars Entertainment.

Hoosier Park, a parimutuel racetrack that includes slot machines, opened in June 2008, after the Indiana legislature agreed to allow such facilities a year earlier. Tom Reeg, the CEO of Caesars Entertainment, said in the release that Caesars is prepared to invest in the facility to help deliver a world-class event.

The race is for 3-year-old Standardbred fillies competing at a trot. From the 2025 purse of $1 million, $500,000 went to the winner of the final. The Aug. 2 event drew 17,969 people, up about 1,200 people from a year earlier, online reports show. Wagering for the 2025 race totaled $7.64 million in North America.

From a field of more than 20 horses, Nordic Catcher S, driven and trained by Åke Svanstedt, won the 100th edition of the race by 1-1/4 lengths.

The race generally airs on a nationally available broadcast.

The Hambletonian Stakes race, which began in 1926 in Syracuse, New York, spent its first five decades in Lexington, Kentucky; Goshen, New York; and the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin, Illinois.

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Indiana bumps Curt Cignetti’s salary to $13.2 million after winning national title: Source

Published

1 day ago

February 20, 2026

Press Room

Indiana bumps Curt Cignetti’s salary to .2 million after winning national title: Source

Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers beat Miami to win the 2025 national title. Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is receiving a raise that will bump his annual average salary to $13.2 million — the highest in college football — after leading the Hoosiers to the school’s first football national championship last month, school sources told The Athletic on Friday.

In October, Cignetti agreed to a new eight-year contract that runs through 2033. The deal raised his annual salary to an average of $11.6 million, which would be the third-highest nationally in 2025. The contract said Indiana was required to make a “good faith” effort to ensure Cignetti remained in the top three nationally in salary if the Hoosiers reached the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers did better than that, winning the national championship by going through Alabama, Oregon and Miami in the CFP.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart’s average annual salary is $13 million, and LSU signed new head coach Lane Kiffin to a seven-year deal that will pay him about $13 million per year. Ohio State coach Ryan Day makes over $12 million annually.

Cignetti, 64, is 27-2 in two seasons since taking over what was at the time the losingest program in major college football history.

His contract with IU is fully guaranteed unless Cignetti is fired for cause. The deal calls for a $15 million buyout to Indiana if Cignetti were to leave for another school, up from $10 million in his previous deal, the person briefed on the details said. The buyout is halved if school president Pamela Whitten or athletic director Scott Dolson leaves Indiana.

In 2024, Cignetti received an eight-year contract through 2032 and a significant raise to $8.3 million amid a 10-0 start to the season.

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