Charlestown outlasts Corydon Central 69-64 in 3A sectional overtime

Charlestown survived a tense IHSAA Class 3A sectional opener Tuesday, outlasting Corydon Central 69-64 in overtime after a 59-59 regulation tie, with the Pirates’ clutch free-throw work in the extra period deciding the game. MaxPreps lists the matchup on 03/03/26 and shows the victory as a playoff win that required extra time.

The scoring duel featured Anthony Fresh pouring in 35 points and grabbing eight rebounds for Charlestown, shooting 10-for-19 from the field. AJ Todd contributed 13 points and seven assists to keep the Pirates’ offense humming. For Corydon Central, Jack Fessel matched firepower with 32 points and eight rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the floor, and Hudson Withers added 10 points.

Regulation closed deadlocked at 59-59, forcing the extra period that ultimately separated the teams. The supplied accounts credit Charlestown’s free-throw execution in overtime as the decisive factor, though specific free-throw totals and individual shooters in the extra period were not provided in the available box score excerpts.

The win pushed Charlestown’s boys record to 17-7 and snapped together a seven-game winning streak headline that MaxPreps headlined as “Make It Seven in a Row for Charlestown.” Corydon Central’s loss dropped its record to an identical 17-7, and MaxPreps noted that Corydon Central does not have any more games scheduled as of now.

Looking ahead, Charlestown is set to meet Madison at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, a matchup MaxPreps flagged as potentially high scoring given Madison’s defense has allowed 66.18 points per contest in the data included with the recap. MaxPreps also observed that translating regular-season success to the playoffs can be difficult, but Charlestown “had no problem doing just that on Tuesday.”

Meanwhile at the same sectional site, Madison’s girls team handled Corydon Central 74-59 in the Class 3A girls sectional opener. Madison closed the first quarter on an 11-2 run to lead 20-12 and finished the game despite limited practice time after a Jan. 23 snowstorm. Madison advances to the girls semifinal on Friday to face North Harrison, which is listed at 5-16, while the other girls semifinal pairs No. 2 Silver Creek (17-5) against No. 4 Charlestown (20-3). Coach Dennis, discussing that bracket, said, “They've got some players that are pretty good. (Olivia) Brown shoots it really well, and (Grace) Goldman is a good player. And then they got some nice pieces around them. So we're gonna come out again and do the best that we can and try to make it to the next one.”

Charlestown’s offensive leaders — Fresh’s 35-point outburst and Todd’s 13 points and seven assists — set the stage for a Friday rematch environment where scoring will be under the microscope and the Pirates’ seven-game momentum will face Madison’s returning opponents.