Greencastle girls place fifth at Terre Haute State Bank Tip-Off Classic

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

TERRE HAUTE -- Greencastle's girls' basketball team made up for a loss Thursday at the Terre Haute State Bank Tip-Off Tournament against Northview by placing fifth after picking up two wins on Saturday.

The Tiger Cubs beat hosts West Vigo in the morning session 52-40 and advanced to the evening session, where they defeated North Central (Farmersburg) 50-39.

Against the Vikings, Greencastle raced out to an early 13-4 lead after a quarter of play, knocking down three of four three-point attempts in opening up a gap they would not relinquish all game.

A slow start to the second quarter for both teams saw the visitors extend their lead with a 7-1 run to end the quarter and entered halftime up 24-12.

West Vigo began to rally, using a 10-0 run midway through the third period to cut the halftime deficit down to 34-27 by the end of the third period.

After Greencastle re-established a 14 point cushion, the Vikings cut the deficit down to five, capped by a three point basket, followed by a steal on the in-bounds play and a quick lay-up.

With the game in the balance, the Tiger Cub defense stiffened, only allowing two more baskets in the final four minutes of play.

Meanwhile, the Greencastle offense found their way to the free throw line, hitting 8-of-14 attempts in the closing minutes to ease away from the Vikings with a 52-40 win.

Callan Taylor led the squad with 16 points, followed by Jessica Lenihan's 10 and Shelby Earl's nine, which included knocking down five of six free throws in the final frame.

Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said that it was important that the squad got out of the gates early.

"I thought it was good to see that we did get off to a better start than we did Thursday night," Key said. "What I really liked was that West Vigo made a run and I was worried about whether the girls would fold up."

"Not a lot of them have been in that position before. We made some silly errors but the group as a whole kept on fighting and did a great job of getting to the free throw line."

"Callan Taylor was a difference maker in that game," Key continued. "It wasn't the prettiest thing, but she took it to the hole, got fouled and as a coach, you love to see that because it rubs off on the other players."

"It's awesome to see the group come together as one. We saw some encouraging signs but with a few mistakes that happen at the beginning of the year."

With the win, Greencastle returned to West Vigo for a third game, this time with the Thunderbirds of North Central.

Neither offense had trouble scoring through the opening eight minutes of play as both teams traded baskets back and forth.

The Tiger Cubs lead 14-12 after one and 23-19 at halftime after allowing only two baskets in the second period.

The game then began to slow down to a high volume of foul calls as both teams ended the game in the double bonus.

Greencastle maintained their four point advantage through the third period and extended the lead throughout the fourth quarter of play, outscoring the Thunderbirds 16-9 in the final period.

Taylor and Lenihan again led the squad in scoring, notching 17 and 12, respectively. Rayleigh Amis added eight points and nine boards in the win.

After two games within five hours, Key said the squad was getting comfortable in their roles on the court.

"Just like the earlier game, Callan Taylor was a difference maker. She does so many things for us offensively and defensively. She has an extra gear that she can go full speed where others might tire," Key said.

"Rayleigh Amis had an outstanding second game. She had nine boards, drew a charge or two and got a lot of touches. That helped us move along today.

"The cool part about this tournament is you get three games right off the bat. You can't correct some mistakes over the period, but overall I'm pretty pleased with the games," Key added.

"We'll do a better job of being smarter and playing better, but we can't complain about being 2-1."

At West Vigo

Terre Haute State Savings Bank Tip-Off Tournament

Greencastle 13 11 10 18 -- 52

West Vigo 4 8 15 13 -- 40

Scoring

Greencastle -- Taylor 16, Lenihan 10, Earl 9, Amis 5, Covert 5, Bridgewater 4, Basile 3. FG 14-62, 3-FG 4-12, FT 20-34

West Vigo -- L. Elkins 13, Cardinal 9, Voils 7, Houser 5, Little 4, Byrley 2. FG 16-61, 3-FG 3-17, FT 5-14

Rebounds -- Greencastle 37 (12 offense), West Vigo 45 (18 offense)

Turnovers -- Greencastle 12, West Vigo 23

Fifth Place Game

North Central 12 7 11 9 -- 39

Greencastle 14 9 11 16 -- 50

Scoring

North Central --Netherlain 12, Evans 8, Kreischer 6, Kennedy 6, Mangram 6, Swalls 1. FG 15-53, 3-FG 2-10, FT 6-13

Greencastle -- Taylor 17, Lenihan 12, Amis 8, Earl 5, Basile 3, T. Stoltey 3, Smiley 2. FG 18-63, 3-FG 0-9, FT 14-23

Rebounds -- North Central 36 (13 offense), Greencastle 30 (10 offense)

Turnovers -- North Central 26, Greencastle 14

Next Game -- Greencastle hosts Southmont Tuesday.