Greencastle Tiger Cubs win 2013 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament championship

Members of the 2013 Putnam County Tournament champion Greencastle basketball team pose after the championship win. (Front, from left) Paige Bragg, Callan Taylor, Alex Basile, Madison Trout, Delanie Stoltey, Bethanie Burgeson, (back) athletic director Greg Hill, head coach Bradley Key, assistant coach Bruce Cook, Taylor Stoltey, Lauren Bridgewater, Jessica Lenihan, Melody White, Allison White, assistant coach Stephanie Wethington, assistant coach Mike Chadd and JV coach Matt Welker. (Photo by GRANT WIEMAN)

The Greencastle girls' basketball team did what it was expected to on Saturday, winning the Putnam County Tournament championship with a victory over Cloverdale 61-51.

But the Clovers made them work for every second of it.

"It's good to get this win. I'm proud of my girls," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "Cloverdale played great. It took everything we had to beat them ... They haven't put up a lot of points in the past but tonight they did an amazing job."

The championship for Greencastle (4-1, 0-0 WCC) snapped a two-tournament win streak by South Putnam.

Cloverdale (1-4, 0-0) hopped out to a 9-4 lead to start the game and battled to the final minute.

The battle made the win even better, Greencastle senior Alex Basile said. Basile, a starter for the past three seasons, has finished runner-up the last two years before leading her team to victory in her final season as a Tiger Cub.

"(I wanted it) really bad," Basile said. "After losing it the past two year I didn't want to go home again with a defeat. It was big game and I'm glad we came out on top."

Basile, the GHS point guard, willed her team back into the game in the early going. She assisted on three of the Tiger Cubs' four baskets in the opening quarter and finished the first half with six points and eight assists.

Point guards Bailee Stevens of Cloverdale (white jersey) and Alex Basile of Greencastle led their teams in an epic battle in the county championship game.

Cloverdale's point guard, junior Bailee Stevens, nearly matched her counter. After sitting on the bench for much of the semifinal win against South Putnam because of foul trouble, she took her frustration and will to the Tiger Cubs.

Stevens had eight points in the first quarter, making her first four shots, and ended the first half with four assists of her own.

"She really stepped up and handled the pressure well," CHS coach Matthew Langdon said. "When we get a point guard that can step up and feel confident enough to break presses, it really breaks things open for us.

"She was able to attack that (press) and it really hurt them. The press ended up giving us a lot of open looks."

The two point guards combined for zero turnovers in the first half and just one in the game. The teams had only 16 combined turnovers and 20 fouls.

Following Basile's lead, the Tiger Cubs took their first lead at 5:15 in the second quarter when junior Lauren Bridgewater drained a corner 3-pointer to put her team up 22-21.

Cloverdale junior Taylor Clark, catching fire in the second quarter, answered back with a 2-point shot from the wing. Clark had eight points in the quarter on 4-for-6 shooting.

"I felt like we played hard, but every time we'd get a lead they'd come right back," Basile said. "They didn't give up and we had to show that we could fight along with them.

"They never gave up and they gave us a well-fought game."

Clark and the Tiger Cubs traded baskets for the next few possessions before GHS picked up a stop and started to command the glass, holding Cloverdale scoreless for the final four minutes of the half.

Four of the Clovers played the first 31 minutes as the team shortened its rotation to try to give its best push.

"We felt like we just had to go for it," Langdon said. "We knew we needed some subs, but we felt like we had the right five on the floor. They battled. I couldn't be more proud of the girls."

Basile, junior Delanie Stoltey and sophomore Allison White combined for eight rebounds in the final few minutes before halftime.

Greencastle pulled back from its 3/4-court press in the second half, concluding Stevens and the Clovers had it solved. Now dropping back into its half court defense, the Tiger Cubs had few breakdowns defensively and started to mount a run, but the Clovers continued to knock down shots at a pace they hadn't in the first four games of the season.

"The girls stepped up," Langdon said. "They put a lot of time in shooting this week and we finally saw some baskets fall."

As the game continued the Tiger Cubs started to get more comfortable prodding at the gaps in the Clovers' zone defense, but they were still forced to hit outside shots.

Clark had three blocks in the game and intimated Greencastle away from the paint.

Greencastle forward Jessica Lenihan shoots from the wing over Cloverdale's Taylor Clark.

GHS senior forward Jessica Lenihan was content to do her work there. Lenihan had a game-high 20 points and had seven rebounds and two blocks.

"When things got tight, we threw it to Leni," Key said. "She was a great passer and did a great job scoring."

Lenihan's consistent shooting and passing helped the Tiger Cubs start to expand their lead. Carrying a four-point advantage into the fourth quarter, Lenihan and Basile traded assists to one-another and expanded their advantage to nine points.

Undaunted, Cloverdale sophomore Kimmy Winders knocked down a jumper from the wing, halting the Greencastle momentum, awakening the crowd and forcing a timeout.

Winders was credited with another 3-pointer on the ensuing play and made it a two-possession game with 5:05 to play. Winders finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

"There were big shots all the way around," Langdon said. "I told the girls I've never seen a team grow so much in a weekend. We had a good week of practice and we look forward to building on this."

The Tiger Cubs re-gathered themselves after the sudden swing. Basile and junior Callan Taylor settled the team down, working the ball around the perimeter searching for a good shot and draining the clock.

Cloverdale slowly expanded its zone defense out further on the perimeter, opening up holes and eventually being forced to foul.

Greencastle hit 4-of-5 free throws down the stretch and added field goals from Lenihan and Taylor.

Basile's two free throws with 48 seconds remaining put the final touch on her complete game. She finished with 11 points, nine assists, three rebounds and two steals.

"I'm just really happy for Alex Basile," Key said. "She had two tough losses the last two years. I'm happy we could get this for her, but it's a process and this is step one. Our whole goal for the last year and every year is for that sectional.

"We've got our work cut out for us."

Stevens had 14 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one steal.

This was the Tiger Cubs sixth-straight trip to the Putnam County championship game and the fourth title they've won since 2008.

Cloverdale last won the county tournament in 2007.

North Putnam has the longest-active tournament drought, with its most recent win coming in 2002 during the season the Cougars reached semi-state.

Alex Basile cuts down the net at the county tournament after finishing as runner-up the past two years.

2013 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament
Championship game