Greencastle wins good fight against South Vermillion

Greencastle senior Holden King lines up for a 3-point shot over a pair of defenders in a game earlier this year. (Banner Graphic/SHANNON HALL)

The Greencastle boys' basketball team hosted the South Vermillion Wildcats Saturday night.

The Tiger Cubs led most of the night, but they almost let a late comeback haunt them, though, they won 70-61.

"We did a good job building leads, but we didn't respond very well," GHS coach Troy Greenlee said, "A lot of this game was built on how we respond to runs, and we did not do very well."

Greencastle (3-2, 0-1 West Central Conference) came into Saturday night looking to rebound from two straight losses, though both came to a Cloverdale team that started 7-0 before losing its first game Saturday night to the Tri-West.

The Tiger Cubs took on a winless (0-3, 0-1 Western Indiana Conference) South Vermillion squad.

From the start, both teams looked to push the ball. The Tiger Cubs' defense got back quickly and stopped the Wildcat burst. SVHS had a hard time defending GHS, but the Tiger Cubs missed open layups and easy shots.

"(The defense played) OK, I thought we still gave up some easy trasition baskets without them making a pass," Greenlee said.

GHS had big nights from junior Brody Bollman and senior Holden King. Both guys were able to provide big sparks for their team. Bollman scored 29 points and King scored 20.

"Brody is a kid who has worked on his game," Greenlee said. "He's a strong kid, worked on his shots around the perimeter and is all around just tough to guard.

"... (King) can be a very, very good shooter. Some of his shots rolled around the rim and went in, and that is a sign of a good shooter."

When Bollman and King were on the floor, the Tiger Cubs made big runs. King hit three straight 3-pointers in the first half and Bollman finished the job, hitting a last-second 3-point attempt right before the half. Greencastle led by 17 at the half.

Other than the big duo, GHS could not find any offense. The free throw shooting for the Tiger Cubs was inefficient, hitting just over fifty percent of them.

With both Bollman and King off the court, the Wildcats inched their way back into the game. GHS could not find momentum and Greenlee would have to put them back in.

"I think the most of (what to improve) is mentality. We got the lead, but we got to play like we have the lead," Greenlee said, "The trends tonight kind of dictated how loose we were with the ball. Because of that, we let them get back into the game."

The second half started with six quick points by GHS followed by a South Vermillion timeout.

The timeout helped the Wildcats because they created some big stops while getting points of their own. They outscored the Tiger Cubs by one in the quarter.

The fourth quarter was the most exciting of the night. Both teams traded shots on and off, making it a 15-point Tiger Cub's lead with just over a minute to go. Greenlee decided to trust his team and unload the bench.

The decision almost backfired as the Wildcats dwindled the lead to seven with 40 seconds left but the Tiger Cubs held on.

Greenlee said he was about to pull the trigger and put a new group of guys in, but his guys on the floor did had experience. Some of them were seniors and others had played extended minutes before, but they did not play like it, he said.

As it turned out the Greencastle coach did not have to change personnel because senior Jonathan Newgent sealed the deal, hitting both of his free throws with under 15 seconds left.

Greencastle will not play again until after the New Year when they travel to Danville (5-1) on Jan. 3 to play at 7:30 p.m.

South Vermillion (61): Branz 18, Strayer 14, Waldrop 13, Spivey 6, Hines 5, Bogetto 4. Total 23-47 10-18 60.