Middle schools boys' teams to meet tonight at Cloverdale for county championship

With Monday's first round games in the book, the finals are set for the 2008 Putnam County Middle School Boys' Basketball Tournament. Greencastle will play North Putnam in the seventh grade game at 6 p.m. The host Clovers will take on the Tiger Cubs in the eighth grade game, which will follow the first contest.

In Monday's action, the Greencastle seventh grade defeated South Putnam 50-32, while North Putnam beat Cloverdale 37-35. On the eighth grade side, Greencastle beat South Putnam 43-17 and Cloverdale downed North Putnam 52-44.

The key for the GHS seventh grade was scoring 22 points in the third quarter. Hayden Stuckwisch led the way for the Cubs with 16 points. Nick Gilliam added 12.

Lewie Knoy and Aaron Parker led the Eagles with 10 points each.

The North Putnam and Cloverdale seventh grade game was a thriller, with the Cougars winning on a last-second shot.

"The boys played a good game and came up just a little short," Clover coach Gordon Williams said. Dustin Cummings and Justin Wilson led the Clovers with 12 points each.

No scoring stats were available for the Cougars.

In eighth grade action, GHS held South Putnam to just two points in the first half on the way to a lopsided win. Nick Hutcheson led the Tiger Cubs with 16 points. Nine different Cubs got into the scoring mix.

Alex Eickhoff led the Eagles with seven points.

In the other game, Cloverdale took a one-point halftime lead and built it to eight by the final horn. Charles Strunk led the Clover effort with 20 points. Jordan Brinkman was also in double figures with 12.

Kolten Everts led the Cougars with 15 points.

Tonight's seventh grade game tips off at 6 p.m. at Cloverdale Middle School with the eighth grade game to follow.

At Greencastle

Putnam County Tourney First Round

Seventh Grade

Greencastle 50, South Putnam 32

South Putnam -- Knoy 10, Parker 10, Chestnut 8, Crane 4.

Greencastle -- Stuckwisch 16, Gilliam 12, Christy 8, Shuee 6, Miller 4, Perdue 3, Tell 1.

Eighth Grade

South Putnam 0 2 6 9 -- 17

Greencastle 10 13 13 7 -- 43

South Putnam -- Eickoff 7, Stevens 4, Kelley 2, Hewitt 2, Girton 2.

Greencastle -- Hutcheson 16, Law 9, Mitchell 4, Huber 3, Faust 3, Haussin 2, Spencer 2, Stevens 2, Battin 2.

At North Putnam

Putnam County Tourney First Round

Seventh Grade

North Putnam 37, Cloverdale 35

Cloverdale -- Wilson 12, Cummings 12, Smith 9, Williams 2.

North Putnam -- Individual scorers unavailable.

Eighth Grade

Cloverdale 12 10 11 19 -- 52

North Putnam 9 12 8 15 -- 44

Cloverdale -- Strunk 20, Brinkman 12, Williams 9, Lockwood 8, Kern 3.

North Putnam -- Everts 15, Shorter 9, Bryan 7, Wiltermood 7, Simmons 4, Kirkham 2.

Next game -- The North Putnam and Greencastle seventh grade teams meet in the finals at 6 p.m. today at Cloverdale Middle School. The eighth grade game between Greencastle and Cloverdale will follow.