SP girls win eighth grade crown

The South Putnam eighth grade girls' basketball team captured the Putnam County Tournament Championship Thursday night with a 53-44 win over Cloverdale.

South had a four-point lead after the first quarter and had extended it to nine points at the half. The two teams played even in the second, with the Eagles winning by nine.

Coach Johnnie Briones called it a "great team win," adding that he was "extremely proud of our bench play."

"(Shanette) Goodpaster came off the bench and took care of the ball extremely well. (Masi) Marsteller and (Kaylin) You played big in the post," Briones said.

Jenny Thompson and Sarah Burnham led the Cougars with 19 and 16 points, respectively.

"Burnham and Thompson stepped it up and played some smart offense," Briones said.

The Clovers' Angela Hacker led all scorers with 21 points. Mariah Neese added 15 for Cloverdale.

At South Putnam

Putnam County Tournament Championship

Cloverdale 7 9 13 15 -- 44

South Putnam 11 14 12 16 -- 530

Cloverdale -- Hacker 21, Neese 15, Skiles 3, Brown 2, Wellington 2, Fulkerson 1.

South Putnam -- Thompson 19, Burnham 16, Dabkowski 8, Boetjer 7, Marsteller 1, You 1, Goodpaster 1.