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Inconsistency plagues Eagles in 60-41 loss to Owen Valley Pats
SPENCER -- The South Putnam boys' basketball team twice dug itself deep holes at Owen Valley on Tuesday night, and the second was just too big to overcome, as the Patriots defeated the Eagles 60-41.
It was a night where the bad stretches simply outlasted the good stretches for South Putnam (10-9, 2-3 WCC), a circumstance coach Troy Burgess laid at his own feet.
"My job is to get these kids ready to play, prepare them the best I can and give them the best opportunity to be successful and I didn't do a very good job of that this week," Burgess said.
The game wasn't without its bright spots for the Eagles. After finding themselves down 17-6 on ice cold first-quarter shooting, they put on a show to begin the second quarter.
A 10-0 run, keyed by some Patriot turnovers and key buckets from senior Justin Bumgardner and junior Sawyer Arnold trimmed the deficit to a point at 17-16.
That was the closest the Eagles would get on the night, though, as Owen Valley (9-10, 4-2 WIC) closed the quarter on a 7-0 run for a 24-16 halftime lead.
Even with a couple of second half runs, the Eagles never got closer than eight in the second half.
Burgess couldn't fault his team for effort and resilience in the game. Every time it looked ready to get out of hand, they would make a play or two and close the deficit again.
"I thought we had guys -- Logan Pell, Ryan Chestnut, Trey Moore -- those guys play and give me everything they've got while they're on the floor," Burgess said. "I had a couple guys come off the bench. Cody Snow came in at the end of the game and gave me everything."
But then the Patriots would make a play or two and retake the momentum. Much of the hosts' success on the night was keyed by an aggressive, trapping zone that kept the Eagle offense off balance.
"I've got to go home this weekend and refocus and get ourselves ready to play Tuesday and get us ready to play in sectional," Burgess said. "I know we'll have guys who will play hard. I've just got to do a better job of preparing us and I didn't do a very good job tonight."
Moore led the Eagles with 18 points, shooting 6-8 from the field and 6-9 at the line. Arnold chipped in 11 points.
Evan Wood led the Patriots with 18 points, followed by Josh Parker (13) and Nolan King (11).
Despite Friday's setback, Burgess remains confident in his team heading into Tuesday's rescheduled matchup with North Vermillion. A win against the Falcons (6-12, 0-6 WRC) will guarantee the Eagles their first winning season in 10 years.
"We'll be all right. We're going to bounce back," Burgess said. "This one's on me. We'll bounce back and be ready to go Tuesday."
At Owen Valley
South Putnam.....6 10 9 16 -- 41
Owen Valley.....17 7 15 21 -- 60
South Putnam (10-9, 2-3 WCC): Moore 6-8 6-9 18, Arnold 4-11 0-0 11, Bumgardner 2-6 0-4 4, Pell 1-3 0-0 3, Chestnut 1-2 0-2 2, Vittetow 1-4 0-0 2, Franklin 0-2 1-4 1, Snow 0-1 0-0 0, Long 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-36 FG, 7-19 FT, 41 points.
Owen Valley (9-10, 4-2 WIC): Wood 5-12 4-4 18, Parker 6-14, 1-2 13, King 2-5 7-10 12, Hunter 2-2 1-2 5, M. Mahoney 2-3 0-0 5, Hege 1-2 3-4 5, B. Mahoney 1-1 0-0 2, Daffron 0-2 0-0 0, Roberts 0-1 0-0 0, Shouse 0-0 0-0 0, Woodruff 0-0 0-0 0, King 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-42 FG, 16-22 FT, 60 points.
3-pointers: SP 4-15 (Arnold 3-9, Pell 1-3, Moore 0-1, Vittetow 0-1, Franklin 0-2), OV 6-15 (Wood 4-7, M. Mahoney 1-2, King 1-3, Parker 0-3). Turnovers: SP 20, OV 11. Fouls: SP 16, OV 15.
Next game: South Putnam hosts North Vermillion in its regular season finale on Tuesday, Feb. 19.