Undefeated Rams Back on the Court

Conference Match-up Tonight; Senior Night Saturday

Moise Hall, Paolite Staff • 113 Views

February 20, 2026

Zayda Gilbert

Senior Cooper Spires faces an Orleans opponent.

As of February 18, 2026, the Rams Basketball team has had a strong start to the season. The Rams are ranked 1st in Class 2A by the USA Today poll, are undefeated with a 19-0 record, and average 65 points per game while allowing 42. The Rams are led by a host of seniors this year: Starters Chad Sullivan, Cooper Spires, Dane Padgett, Trey Minton, along with Kade Walls, Kirk Hughes, Landon Smith, and Colton Baechle in the fourth quarter, along with startup juniors Ian Sullivan and Dakota Apple, and junior Justin Thorntron are all driving factors in this senior-led team.

In the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference, which includes the Rams, along with Orleans, Springs Valley, West Washington, Mitchell, Perry Central, and Crawford County. The Rams are currently 4-0 after picking up a 73-38 win against the West Washington Senators on their third win, and a 74-44 win against the Mitchell Bluejackets for their tenth win. For their third conference win, the Rams defeated the Spring Valley Blackhawks 62-27. After squeezing out a 45-41 win over the Orleans Bulldogs in a highly contested game, the Rams are the favorites to go 6-0 and win the PLAC conference, as they’re heavy favorites against Perry Central and Crawford County. The second-ranked in the conference, the Orleans Bulldogs have suffered tough losses to Premier teams in the state, including a 28-48 loss to the Number 2-ranked in 1A, the Barr Reeve Vikings, and a 21-46 loss to the Providence Pioneers in the Southridge Holiday Tournament. The Bulldogs defeated the Wolfpack, Blackhawks, Bluejackets, and, finally, the Senators in a very close 45-43 victory after trailing in the 4th quarter, finishing conference play.

Senior Treighlin Minton brings the ball down the floor against the Bulldogs. (Ava Middleton)

The Senators are ranked third in the conference at 4-2. With wins over Mitchell, Perry Central, Springs Valley, and Crawford County. And a loss to the Rams and Bulldogs. The Mitchell Bluejackets are ranked fourth with a 2-4 record, including wins over Springs Valley and Crawford County, along with losses to the Rams, Bulldogs, Senators, and Commodores. The Commodores are ranked fifth, with a record of 2-3, having lost to the Blackhawks, Senators, and Bulldogs, and won against the Bluejackets and Wolfpack. The Blackhawks are ranked sixth with a record of 2-4, losing to Orleans, Bluejackets, Senators, and the Rams. And wins over Crawford County and Perry Central. The Crawford County Wolfpack is ranked 7th, losing all their conference games so far, and will finish conference play against the Rams on the 27th.

The Rams will face their next PLAC opponent, the Perry Central Commodores, at home tonight for Cheer Clinic night.

Donate to PHS Media News

$125

$500

Contributed

Our Goal

Thank you for supporting phsmedianews.com! Your donation helps to cover our annual web hosting fees.

About the Contributors

Moise Hall, Social Media Staff

Moise Hall is a Sophomore at Paoli, and enjoys a plethora of activities and hobbies. He enjoys football, wrestling, and track and field. He adamantly loves school. He loves both his Chemistry and Media classes. He is a member of National Honor Society, Spanish Club, FCA, Booster Club, and is a Student Council Secretary. His favorite restaurants are China Wok at Paoli, Asian Pearl at Bedford and Caso Dip. He loves writing and reading books; his all-time favorites include The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. After high school, he plans on double-majoring in U.S History and Political Science, then going to Law school and getting his Juris Doctor (JD).

Ava Middleton, Chief Photographer

Ava Middleton is a junior at Paoli High School. She has a few roles in the media staff. Ava is Hillcrest’s Chief Photographer and sometimes helps out with yearbook pages. She has been doing photography for about 2 years, and it could be a possible career for her. Ava is competing with Faith Kinnaman to get the most photos published. If she decides to go in a different direction, she will attend Ivy Tech Bloomington to become a paramedic. Another hobby Ava has is Color Guard. She has been a part of Color Guard since her seventh-grade year and just got promoted to captain. When she’s not at school or practice, she’s most likely at Dairy Queen working.

Zayda Gilbert, Photography Staff

Sophomore Zayda Gilbert is a part of the Photo staff. She is a part of the Booster club and is in the Business pathway, and sometimes participates in the Drama Club. She has seven animals (Pig, Dude, Millie, Poe, Norma, Kevin, and a new puppy) and has four siblings. In her free time, she likes to sleep, read, doom scroll, and work. She works in an ice cream and coffee shop in Milltown, Indiana, “Out of the Blue”. Her interests include: Romance novels, writing, and psychology. Although she dislikes people, she thinks people are interesting and beautiful. In her future, she would like to work in some sort of Journalism and or Social Psychology.