GHS falls in sectional semi

Friday, March 7, 2014
Senior Holden King looks for two of his eight points Friday. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

BEECH GROVE -- A barnburner of a first quarter looked set to end with Greencastle trailing Indian Creek 22-20 in the semifinal of IHSAA Class 3A Sectional No. 27.

Before the buzzer sounded, however, Brett DeHart hit a three-quarter court shot that gave the Braves a momentum boost they used to help bury the Tiger Cubs 71-48.

Greencastle coach Troy Greenlee said the start of the game was great but sustaining the effort for four quarters proved to be a tall order.

"I thought we were playing great," Greenlee said. "We executed the game plan like we wanted to with the exception that we wanted to defend better.

"We just didn't have enough offensive punch to continue what we did in the first quarter. Once we got down 10, we needed to get consecutive stops against a talented team and we unfortunately couldn't get them."

Greencastle came out firing on all cylinders as both squads traded the lead nine times in the opening eight minutes.

The Tiger Cubs started down 9-4 after six straight Cameron Smith points, but scored seven in reply through Holden King, Brody Bollman and Adam Gerard to take an 11-9 lead.

Two Bollman free throws gave Greencastle a 13-11 lead that proved to be their last.

After Indian Creek took a 20-15 lead, Lane Winslow scored and King knocked down his second three of the game to tie the game at 20-20.

The Braves looked set to have a two-point lead after the opening quarter before DeHart snagged a rebound and, after not being challenged, fired up the 70-footer that altered the game.

Indian Creek scored eight of the opening 10 points of the second quarter and could have had a bigger lead had they made the most of the Tiger Cubs' biggest problem: Fouls.

Greenlee said the fouls caused problems by disrupting the flow of the offense.

"The fouls hurt trying to get a rhythm going," Greenlee said. "Some of the guys were playing well but when they picked up a third foul they had to leave the court. That prevented us from dictating our substitutions."

Fifteen first half fouls put the Braves on the line 24 times, but Indian Creek only netted 12 times and back-to-back Jonathan Newgent baskets meant Greencastle looked to trail by seven at the break.

Again, though, the Braves benefited from a shot with zeros on the clock, this time a fade away jumper from Tim Abel that pushed the lead to 40-31 at halftime.

Greenlee said that while the shots to end the quarters hurt, they were important more in putting pressure on the Tiger Cub offense.

"They hit late shots at the end of both the first and second quarters," Greenlee said. "While it was five points, it swung their way and those points matter in the end."

While Greencastle had kept a respectable offensive pace going in the first half, the scoring dried up in the third quarter.

Indian Creek used its ball movement to repeatedly pry open the Tiger Cub defense, outscoring Greencastle 10-2 over the final five minutes to create a 19-point gap at 56-37.

As the fourth quarter progressed, the Braves picked their spots and continued the trend of outscoring the Tiger Cubs in every quarter, keeping any thoughts of a comeback on the backburner.

With a lead as high as 25 at one point, Indian Creek coasted over the final few minutes as it eyed the winner of the following Tri-West and Danville contest in the sectional final.

The Braves will battle the Bruins at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Beech Grove.

Greencastle, meanwhile, saw its season end with an 8-11 mark.

Newgent provided a major spark off the bench, compiling a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Bollman led the team with 16 points, and King added eight points in his final game.

Greenlee said that after a season full of disruptions and potential hazards, the squad showed character and grit beyond their record, especially seniors King, Newgent and Cole Dixon.

"I am extremely proud of the guys," Greenlee said. "I told the seniors in the locker room I've never been prouder of a group of guys since I've been coaching. They had great attitudes and did anything I ever asked of them.

"They were extremely selfless all year and I cannot say enough about how they conducted themselves as men and basketball players. They've probably been through more adversity than in any year I've been coaching."

Greenlee added that the adversity made for a stronger team in the end.

"Adversity could destroy a team or make them better and I think it did the latter," Greenlee said. "It may not have shown record wise but they played hard every game and as a coach, if you know they're going to do that, you really can't ask for much more than that."

Senior Jonathan Newgent came off the bench to give Greencastle a double-double in his final game as a Tiger Cub.



At Beech Grove High School
IHSAA Class 3A Sectional No. 27
Greencastle 20 11 6 11 -- 48
Indian Creek 25 16 15 16 -- 71
Greencastle --
Bollman 16, Newgent 10, King 8, Winslow 4, Mitchell 3, Gerard 2, Hughes 2, Nicholson 2, Foxx 1, Dixon 0, Basile 0; Totals -- 14-59 FG, 2-12 3-FG, 18-26 FT
Indian Creek --
A. Smith 24, C. Smith 14, Robley 13, DeHart 9, Abel 5, Parks 3, Pugh 2, Hague 1, Foley 0, Rozzi 0, Zachery 0; Totals -- 25-50 FG; 3-8 3-FG, 18-36 FT
Rebounds (Offensive):
G 30 (10), IC 27 (9). Assists: G 7, IC 11. Steals: G 7, IC 4. Blocks: G 1, IC 6. Turnovers: G 9, IC 9. Fouls: G 25, IC 19.

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