Eagles lose in sectional final
In the championship round of the South Putnam Sectional the Lady Eagle basketball team, which was coming off a win against its Cloverdale rivals, played against Covenant Christian, who had blown out both its sectional opponents.
The hot streak continued for the Warriors as they put an end to the South Putnam season 60-28.
"We knew it was going to be a fast-paced game," Eagle coach Tim Garver said. "We knew they would put a lot of pressure on us. At the start, we just didn't do a good job of handling the pressure. They're just a good team. There is a reason that they are ranked the way that they are. I'm proud of the girls. It's the first time we've been in this position in a while."
The Eagles opened the game trying to keep pace with the Warriors with freshmen Lillie Stein and Miranda Bieghler netting a three pointer. However the 18-pont first quarter and the 16-point second quarter were too much for the Eagles.
The Eagles ramped up the defensive end in the third quarter after a 34-15 halftime deficit. They were able to hold Covenant Christian to just four points in the third.
But the Eagles were unable score themselves in the physical game.
Eagle senior Emily Dobson went scoreless after scoring two points in both the first and second quarter, while junior Katie Hewitt only managed two in each the second and third.
In the end the Eagles never turned off the effort as Hewitt's third-quarter bucket came off a hustle play from Bieghler.
"It's the thing we ask of these kids all year long," Garver said. "In this game they laid it all out as much as they could. I think they played as best as they could and that is all we ask of them."
The fourth quarter wasn't close as the Warriors scored 22 points.
Garver though is happy to have seen his team thrive in tough situations and play for a championship opportunity.
"I'm happy to be here and happy to get the opportunity to coach these kids," Garver said. "I think that we've kind of turned the page on this and got the program headed in the right direction. Looking forward to getting ready and start up in the summer time.
"For my seniors it's hard," Garver said. "At the start of the year, I asked them to buy into the program and that's exactly what they have done. They've just done a tremendous job. For all three of those girls;, Ariel (Higgins), Katelyn (Lady), and Emily, they are going to have a bright future. They are good kids and good leaders."
At South Putham
IHSAA Girls' Basketball Class 2A Sectional No. 44
Final
Cov. Christian 18 16 4 22 -- 60
South Putnam 10 5 4 9 -- 28
Individual scoring
Cov. Christian 17-42 FG Cleary 3-5 6-9 12, R. McLimore 4-10 3-3 12, S. McLimore 4-8 8, Luikart 0-4 7-10 7, Bright 2-6 1-2 6, Johnson 1-2 4-4 6, Joseph 2-2 4, Halderman 1-4 1-2 3, Anderson 0-0 2-2 2 South Putnam 11-39 FG (Bieghler 2-7 3-5 8, Stein 2-9 5, Dobson 2-8 4, Hewitt 2-6 4, Carmichael 2-4 4, McIntosh 1-2 1-2 3)
Team Stats
3-point shots: Cov. Christian 2-8 (Bright 1-1, R McLimore 1-2) South Putnam 2-8 (Bieghler 1-2, Stein 1-4) Rebounds: Cov. Christian 25 (Halderman 6, Luikart 5, R. McLimore 4, Cleary 3, Bruning 2, S. McLimore 2, Joseph 2, Johnson 1) South Putnam 21 (Stein 5, Dobson 3, Hewitt 3, McIntosh 2, Bieghler 2, Hawkins 1, Carmichael 1, Lady 1, Higgins 1, Modglin 1) Assists Cov. Christian 3 (R. McLimore 1, Cleary 1, S. McLimore 1) South Putnam 4 (Carmichael 2, Modglin 1, McHugh 1) Steals: Cov. Christian 16 ( R. McLimore 7, Luikart 3, Jospeh 2, Cleary 1, Halderman 1, Ryals 1, S. McLimore 1) South Putnam 6 (Hewitt 3, Modglin 2, Bieghler 1) Fouls: Cov. Christian 17 South Putnam 26