Stories from Friday, March 3, 2006

Jerry R. Hillman, 68, Poland, died Thursday at Putnam County Hospital. Born in Indianapolis, he was the son of Ronald Eugene and Sarah Elizabeth (VanBuskirk) Hillman. He was a retired advertising manager for the Indianapolis Star. Prior to his employment with the Star, he was advertising manager for the Indianapolis Times, and recently retired as owner/operator of Hillman's Store in Poland...

John Louis Drescher, 78, Springfield, Ill., formerly of Spencer, died Monday at Memorial Medical Center, Springfield. Born in Spencer, he was the son of Morgan L. and Ruby (Hickam) Drescher. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was a retired engineer for Honeywell Electric...

For all those seeking thrills, the South Putnam High School gymnasium was the place to be Friday. In a game that saw six ties and nine lead changes, the No. 2-ranked Tri-West boys' basketball team outlasted No. 11 Cloverdale in an overtime heart-racing thriller, 77-75, advancing to the championship of the Class 2A South Putnam Sectional 45 today at 7:30 p.m...

SPENCER -- Greencastle started out strong, but couldn't hold on. The Tiger Cubs season came to end Friday, losing 80-51 to Owen Valley in the semifinal round of the Class 3A Owen Valley Sectional Greencastle nailed its first two baskets of the game, but the Patriots bounced back fast and hard. ...

As the postseason enters March madness, three Putnam County basketball teams are still alive and well. South Putnam, Cloverdale and Greencastle all play in their respective sectionals tonight, fighting for life to continue on Saturday. The Eagles kick off the ticket, facing off with Cascade at 6 p.m. at South Putnam. The Cadets are 10-10 on the season, coming off an upset of Edgewood in their final game of the regular season...