Offensive woes hamper South Putnam in loss to Owen Valley

Butler legend Tony Hinkle said it best, “The team that wins the game is the one that puts the ball in the basket the most times.”

That was never as evident as Monday night at the Eagles’ Nest in a high school basketball game between Owen Valley and South Putnam.

The Eagles could never get an offensive rhythm and Owen Valley made the most of its limited offensive chances to pick up a 48-33 victory over South in a Western Indiana Conference boys’ basketball contest.

The Eagles managed just 14 points in the first half and only 33 for the game. They lost despite holding the Patriots to just 48 points and their top two scorers, Kaden Hamilton and Derrek Atkinson, to a combined one point in the first half and 13 points for the game.

The loss dropped the Eagles to 7-14 overall and 1-8 in the conference. Owen Valley improved to 7-14 and 5-5 in WIC action.

“I am not sure what was going on there offensively. At North Vermillion, we moved the ball really well, got good shots. Disinterested might be the word for it. Offensively, there was no urgency, no balance, no spacing. I thought they were just going through the motions,” South Putnam head coach Josh Estridge said.

Owen Valley jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead spurring an Eagle timeout. The Patriots increased the lead to 10-2 before Khalil Jefferson and Wyatt Mullin hit a pair of jumpers to cut the lead to 10-6.

The score remained the same for almost two minutes of game time before Owen Valley’s Joe Ross got fouled as he sank a three-pointer and hit the free toss with five seconds left in the quarter, giving the Patriots a 14-6 lead after one period.

“Wyatt and Khalil had pretty good games offensively. Owen Valley did a good job of not letting us get anything outside. We only got two threes tonight,” Estridge said.

The two teams continued to play at a slower pace with buckets hard to come by in the second quarter.

Owen Valley pushed the lead to 20-10 as Jesse Durnil hit a three-pointer, but the Eagles rallied with four quick points by Mullin. South finished the quarter down 23-14 and only hit 7-of-21 shots in the half, but still trailed under double-digits due to its defensive acumen.

“I think, defensively, the whole game was pretty good. I told the team if you give up 48 points in a game, you should win,” Estridge said.

The third quarter seemed a repeat of the second period. The Eagles would pick up a bucket, usually a Jefferson shot at the rim, but the Patriots would seem to answer. The teams would only attempt 15 total field goal attempts in the third quarter. South would trail 31-23 heading into the final quarter of action.

The stress and fatigue of the offensive issues finally wore down the Eagles. The Patriots were able to get to the free throw line in the final quarter, scoring 17 fourth-quarter points, seven of them coming from the free throw line, as the Eagles began to pressure trying to get back into the game.

Atkinson would get an old-fashioned three-point play midway through the quarter to put the Patriots up 42-27 and they began to milk the clock, forcing the Eagles to either foul or gamble.

Despite the only two three-pointers in the game finally coming for the Eagles, the points were not enough. Owen Valley would pick up the victory 48-33.

Ross would lead the Patriots with 16 points, Durnil would add 13 and Atkinson 10. Mullin led the way for the Eagles with 13 points, while Jefferson contributed 12.

The Eagles will finish the regular season and conference play on Friday as they host the Indian Creek Braves.

OWEN VALLEY (48) – Hamilton 1-3 0-0 3, Newby 1-2 0-0 2, Ross 5-8 5-5 16, Atkinson 2-7 6-11 10, Durnil 5-5 0-0 13, Hall 2-2 0-0 4, Bell 0-0 0-0 0, Mahon 0-0 0-0 0, Robertson 0-0 0-0 0, White 0-0 0-0 0, Manuel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-27 FG, 11-16 FT, 48 TP.

SOUTH PUTNAM (33) – Mullin 6-12 0-0 13, Witt 2-2 0-2 4, Bozell 1-6 0-0 3, Harris 0-3 1-2 1, Jefferson 6-11 0-0 12, Garner 0-0 0-0 0, Cline 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 15-36 FG, 1-4 FT, 33 TP.

3-point shooting –OV 5-12 (Hamilton 1-3, Newby 0-1, Ross 1-3, Atkinson 0-2, Durnil 3-3), SP 2-11 (Mullin 1-4, Bozell 1-5, Cline 0-2) Rebounds –OV 21 (Hamilton 2, Newby 3, Ross 2, Atkinson 10, Durnil 2), SP – 14 (Mullin 2, Bozell 2, Harris 2, Jefferson 4, Cline 3) FG Pct. – OV 59.3, SP 41.7. FT Pct. – OV 68.8, SP 25.0. Turnovers – OV 13, SP 9.