Greencastle falls to Marshall

BannerGraphic/JASON JARMAN Greencastle's Brennan Burks goes for two of his game-high 31 points in Friday's Wabash Valley Classic game against Marshall. The Tiger Cubs fell to the Lions, 61-51, and were eliminated from the tournament.

TERRE HAUTE -- The 2006 Wabash Valley Classic is in the books for the Greencastle High School boys' basketball team.

For the second consecutive game, the Tiger Cubs were able to hang close with their opponent for the majority of the contest but lost control late.

Greencastle fell to the Marshall Lions, 61-51, exiting the tournament with a record of 1-2.

"Hopefully the kids will take away the idea that we can compete with anybody," GHS coach Troy Greenlee said. "In order to beat good teams, you've got to be able to take that next step, and for us that means competing at a level in practice that makes us ready for close games."

The Tiger Cubs (5-5) entered the fourth quarter trailing by just one point, 38-37, but the Lions opened the final stanza on a 7-0 run to take an eight-point lead.

Brennan Burks, who led all scorers with 31 points, drained a three-pointer with four minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the contest to end the run, and Austin Miller connected on a pair of free throws to bring the Tiger Cubs within three, 45-42.

But the Lions were undaunted, scoring six straight to take a nine-point lead, 51-42. Marshall pushed its lead as high as 11, sealing the deal with a pair of late free throws from sophomore Logan Eitel.

Marshall will now face either Owen Valley or South Vermillion in the tournament's fifth-place game.

"We got down a little bit," Greenlee said. "We cut the lead to one, and that's the time when we should've been focused on getting shots and getting stops. We just couldn't get over that hump."

The Lions scored the first five points of the game and got Greencastle point guard Michael Richardson into foul trouble. Richardson picked up his third foul with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter.

But Burks kept the Tiger Cubs in the contest early, scoring all 11 of Greencastle's first-quarter points.

He was 4-of-9 from the field in the period and 3-of-3 at the free throw line.

The GHS junior scored four points in the second quarter, which saw the Lions build an eight-point lead, heading into halftime with a 29-21 advantage.

Greencastle came out firing in the third quarter, as Burks scored the Tiger Cubs' first five points on a three-pointer and a two-point bucket.

Marshall responded with a 5-0 run of its own to reclaim an eight-point lead, but Burks scored Greencastle's next six points to pull the Tiger Cubs within four, 36-32.

The Lions maintained a four-point advantage until Zac Remsburg connected on a three-pointer with 20 seconds to go in the quarter to bring Greencastle within one.

Burks was the only Greencastle player to finish in double figures. Kendall Faust finished with eight points, and Remsburg had six.

Burks shot 12-of-25 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc. He also led the Tiger Cubs in rebounding, pulling down nine boards.

But Greenlee said that his team is going to have to step up and support the 6-foot-6 junior if they want to be competitive.

"Brennan had a great game, but we've got to have guys that complement him," Greenlee said. "Teams are going to try to take him away, and if you don't have guys that can step up, it's going to be tough for us."

Greencastle will take the court again Friday when it hosts West Central Conference foe Speedway for a 7:30 p.m. start.

At Terre Haute South

Wabash Valley Classic

Greencastle (51) -- Burgeson 2-11 0-0 4, Faust 2-8 2-2 8, Richardson 0-0 0-1 0, Smiley 0-0 0-0 0, Burks 12-25 5-5 31, Miller 0-2 2-2 2, Remsburg 2-7 0-0 6, Evens 0-0 0-0 0, Marshall 0-1 0-0 0. 18-53 FG 9-10 FT 51 TP.

Marshall (61) -- Lu. Eitel 2-8 2-2 7, Bullock 5-9 2-3 12, Boyer 1-2 2-2 5, Lo. Eitel 6-10 5-5 17, Johnson 5-8 0-0 11, Brashear 1-2 3-5 5, Byrd 2-2 0-0 4, Ooka 0-0 0-0 0. 22-41 FG 12-17 FT 61 TP.

Greencastle 11 10 16 14 -- 51

Marshall 14 15 9 23 -- 61

3-pt shooting -- Greencastle 6-18 (Burgeson 0-5, Faust 2-2, Burks 2-3, Miller 0-1, Remsburg 2-7), Marshall 3-10 (Lu. Eitel 1-3, Bullock 0-3, Boyer 1-2, Johnson 1-2). Rebounds -- Greencastle 27 (Burks 9), Marshall 22 (Lo. Eitel 11). Total Fouls -- Greencastle 17, Marshall 13. Technical Fouls -- Greencastle (Too many players). Fouled out -- None. Turnovers -- Greencastle 15, Marshall 15.

Next Game -- The Tiger Cubs (5-5) will host Speedway Friday at 7:30 p.m.