Indiana is once again a destination for basketball fans this month.

To help people stay safe while visiting, Sober Ride Indiana is offering a discount on sober rides. 

Gainbridge Fieldhouse is hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on March 22 and 24. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) encourages fans to designate a sober driver to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. 

“The NCAA Tournament is a time for fans to come together and cheer on their favorite team,” said Devon McDonald, Executive Director for ICJI. “We want everyone to enjoy the games, but safety is our top priority.” 

Sober Ride Indiana?is working to prevent impaired driving around the NCAA tournament by offering $10 off Uber and Lyft rides, with up to 1,000 redemptions available each day. Ride credits are available from March 21-24. 

Ride credits can only be redeemed between the hours of 5 p.m. and 3 a.m. Rides are available if they originate in or have a destination of Indianapolis or Fort Wayne. 

ICJI created Sober Ride Indiana in 2020 to combat impaired driving, particularly around high-risk holidays and events. The program receives federal funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

To redeem a $10 ride credit, visit?SoberRideIndiana.com. Click on "Redeem Ride Credits" and follow the instructions for the chosen ride service. Tips are not included in the discount, and users are responsible for any charges exceeding $10. Possession of the code does not guarantee the availability of the credit. 

A season ago, the North Putnam baseball team enjoyed some magic.
Chris Geeser's squad captured the Putnam County tournament and competed against a tough schedule. This season, the Cougars have goals of winning county again and making a deep run this spring in the postseason. 

"Looking back at last season, there were definitely some good things that happened during the season. We won the Putnam County Tournament early in the year, which is always a season goal for our program. I thought we competed really well all season long, which when you consider how busy of a schedule we play with the strength of schedule, is something that can be difficult to do. I thought we also had some really good growth and development from the players in the program over the course of the season," Geeser told The Putnam County Post. 

Geeser said his team's off-season has gone well despite missing a few workouts due to winter weather impacting the school days. 

"We still got a lot of work done. We had a pretty good attendance for the off-season workouts, which can be tough when we are going at 6;6:30 a.m. due to facility availability. I think I can speak for everyone in the program, we are excited to get out of the gym and outside on the field to continue our work. Some of our goals will be to defend our Putnam County championship, improve our conference standing from last year and win that sectional title," Geeser said. 

The Cougars have a host of players returning who saw varsity action last year including seniors Jaylen Windmiller and Brogan Woodall. Windmiller pitches and plays first, while Woodall is an infielder, outfielder and pitcher. 

Juniors Kaden Helderman (outfielder/pitcher) and Braxton Woodall (infielder/designated hitter) return, as do sophomores Alec McKenzie (infielder/pitcher), Griffen Starr (infielder/pitcher), Jayce Monnett (infielder) and Chase Barber (outfielder/pitcher). 

Geeser singled out several freshman who will push for playing time. Those players include: Brayden Chew (catcher/infielder), Owen Thurman (outfielder/pitcher), Camden Greene (infielder/pitcher) and Corbin Conner (infielder/pitcher). 

The skipper said his team enters looking to win another Putnam County Tournament, noting it is "always an early season test." In addition, North Putnam aims to make a run at a sectional crown. 

"With the tournament being early in the season, it's always a test to find your best lineup in the first couple of weeks of the season. I feel like the county games always bring some extra intensity and competitiveness as the kids know each other pretty well.  I believe that us returning a lot of players from last year's County championship team will help us defend our title this year. As far as sectional, I think it is wide open this year. I think there are several teams that are very similar to each other in the sectional. I think the sectional champion this year will be the team that is playing their best baseball at that time of the year and who can stay the healthiest. Avoiding the injuries and fatigued arms is walys key that time of year," Geeser said. 

Seventy-six Indiana high school seniors -- 38 boys and 38 girls -- have been chosen as first-team Academic All-State for 2024 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Tuesday.

North Putnam's Nolan Hackleman is one of the 38 boys on the All-State team.

In addition, 218 more boys and 204 more girls were recognized as honorable mention Academic All-State for 2024, IBCA executive director Marty Johnson said. In total, 498 players received some level of recognition in this year's IBCA Academic All-State program.

The IBCA Academic All-State program is one where academic prowess and athletic prowess both are considered in the selections. Items such as grade-point average, academic class rank and SAT or ACT scores are considered along with athletic performance in areas such as points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game. 

"The quality of these student-athletes shows that success in academics and success in athletics are not separate entities," Johnson said. "Rather, in many cases, a player's success in the classroom directly contributes to his or her success on the floor."

IBCA-member head coaches from schools across the state may nominate their senior student-athletes who meet criteria that include a 3.50 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale, a class rank in the upper 25 percent of one's class and either an SAT score of 1100 (on the reading and math sections) or an ACT composite score of 24. Once nominations were received, an IBCA committee reviewed the information and determined awards for first team and honorable mention.

Those selected will receive certificates from the IBCA for their honor. Plans are for certificates to be distributed in PDF form to coaches via e-mail during April for the coach to print. The coach then may present the certificate to each honored player sometime before the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year.

The IBCA has selected an Academic All-State team for boys since 1973. The program was expanded to include a girls' Academic All-State team in 1980.

Boys' first-team players for 2024 are: Isaac Andrews, Wapahani; Jaskirat Banwait, Whiteland; Sam Essegian, Whitko; Ashton Federspiel, Norwell; Grant Ford, Wabash; Evan Gagnon, North Newton; Cayden Gehlhausen, Evansville North; Noah Godlevske, Bedford North Lawrence; Nolan Hackleman, North Putnam; Aiden Hibbard, Elkhart Christian Academy; Lowell Hillis, Lewis Cass; Clayton Hull, Madison-Grant; Drew Kegerreis, Roncalli; Nolan Kinsella, Munster; Kyler Krull, Whitko; Caleb Lehrman, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger; Jamison Lewis, Southwestern (Hanover); Bryson Luter, Lawrence Central; Dylan Maxwell, East Central; Micah McClure, Adams Central; Jackson McGee, Leo; Drew McKaig, Pioneer; Jack Miller, Scottsburg; Mason Moulton, Yorktown; Zach Nash, Huntington North; Connor O’Guinn, Bloomington North; Grant Porath, Brownsburg; Spencer Proctor, Anderson; Brady Rife, Wheeler; Trever Roy, Hebron; Joey Schmitz, Center Grove; Carter Snepp, Southwestern (Shelby); Robert Sorensen, Guerin Catholic; Colin Taylor, New Castle; Kaden Temple, Eastern (Pekin); Kieran Tewari, Yorktown; Ethan Wolfe, NorthWood; and Ethan Zeiser, Maconaquah.

Girls' first-team players for 2024 are: Madisyn Bailey, Bedford North Lawrence; Allie Boyer, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian; Kaleigh Butts, Perry Meridian; Mary Cox, Monrovia; Morgan Cross, Northridge; Alexandra Cutka, Wheeler; Alexandra DeLisle, Speedway; Skylar Ferry, Hanover Central; Lauren Foster, Indian Creek; Daniella Galvez, Speedway; Becca Gerdt, Valparaiso; Sarah Gick, Benton Central; Rachel Harshman, Mooresville; Emma Hart, New Castle; Carley Higgins, Paoli; Peyton Honchar, Morgan Township; Grace King, Indianapolis Lutheran; Taylor Lewis, Indianapolis Cathedral; Victoria Mann, Bloomington Lighthouse Christian; Elle Marble, Jeffersonville; Nicole Mears, Franklin County; Ellery Minch, Mt. Vernon (Fortville); Josie Page, Wood Memorial; Sara Parkison, Clinton Central; Abagail Rousey, Bloomington Lighthouse Christian; Camryn Runner, Hamilton Heights; Mary Ryan, Oldenburg Academy; Emma Schipp, Jasper; Molly Schulte, South Spencer; Alyssa Simpson, Rising Sun; Emma Sperry, Frankton; Kendall Sterling, Seymour; Rachel Tolen, Benton Central; Taylor Turpin, Shoals; Kate Weber, Oldenburg Academy; Hope Welsh, South Central (Union Mills); Ruby White , Eastern Hancock; and Ava Wilson, Shelbyville.

Treigh Schelsky poured in 24 points to lead Parke Heritage to a 2A boys basketball title over Greencastle, 61-47.

Schelsky scored nearly half of his points at the free throw line on 11-of-12 shooting. He singlehandedly outscored the Tiger Cubs at the free throw line (9-of-11).

The Wolves' Renn Harper added 15 points to lead Parke Heritage (22-5).

Sam Gooch tallied 19 points to to the Greencastle scoring effort. Teammate Anthony Adams was also in double figures with 12 points.

Turnovers were a factor in the outcome although the Tiger Cubs only committed ten. That was compared to just three for the Wolves.

Greencastle's 15-10 record was the first time the Tiger Cubs finished above .500 after two straight losing seasons.

This is the second straight time Parke Heritage knocked Greencastle out of the postseason. Last year, it was in the sectional quarterfinal.

The Wolves will play Northeastern (18-7) in the regional game hosted at Martinsville.