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Tiger Cubs clinch share of conference title
Greencastle head coach Troy Greenlee knows a thing or two about second chances and he schooled his team on seizing the moment to capitalize on those opportunities. After losing to North Putnam two weeks ago, the Tiger Cubs needed a win against Monrovia to claim a piece of the West Central Conference title.
"I told our guys after losing to North Putnam last Friday, to have a second chance to win the conference, even though it wasn't an outright win, that doesn't come along that often," Greenlee said. "A lot of times when you have your chance, it's over -- you don't get anymore chances. Fortunately we got that chance tonight and our kids did a great job of taking advantage of it."
They welcomed the Bulldogs Friday and ran away with the game, winning 71-59 behind a powerhouse performance by senior Nick Hutcheson. Hutcheson scored 36 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the win against Monrovia.
Greenlee changed up the starting line up a little and liked what he it brought.
"We mixed some things up with our starting line up," Greenlee said. "I've always said the starting line up to me doesn't make that big of a deal. I want to find out who's going to be ready to play whether they're starting or coming off the bench. I thought a couple guys really showed me some stuff tonight.
"Nate Christy really gave us a calming influence on the point and that's one thing we're trying to do. We're trying to relieve Hayden (Stuckwisch) off the point a little bit and try to get him in scoring positions. I thought Brad Haussin tonight, coming off the bench, was really big for us -- among others. A lot of guys did some great things," Greenlee added.
The first half resembled a foot race more than a basketball game as both team scorched the court and racing to a halftime score of 31-30 in favor of the Tiger Cubs. Hutcheson scored 14 of his game-high 36 points in the opening half to lead GHS.
Greencastle blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-11 and taking a 49-41 lead into the fourth quarter. In the final quarter Greencastle continued its aggressive play and continue to dominate the pace of the game.
In the final quarter, Greencastle was able to connect on 10-of-13 free throws to seal the victory. Greenlee said he liked the fight he saw in his team on the night.
"Monrovia's a heck of a team, very talented, but I thought our kids fought on both ends of the floor and it was really a good comeback victory for us from last weekend," Greenlee said.
Hutcheson, already a member of the 1,000 point club, moved a step close to cementing his place in Putnam County basketball history. With his 18 rebounds Friday, Hutcheson sits 10 boards shy of 1,000 and will become only the second player in county history to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for a career.
Greenlee said his big man did a great job on the night and his teammate did a good job helping Hutcheson get some good looks.
"He (Hutcheson) was all over the place on the boards and scored like crazy," Greenlee said. "I thought our guys did a great job of getting him the ball inside and he really went up and got the ball tonight. We hadn't seen that for the last couple games. He just didn't have his spring that he's had all year. Like I said, teams go through it. Players go through it, but the true merit of a person or a team is how you respond after all that happens. I was extremely pleased with the way our kids bounced back tonight and hopefully we can build on it."
Greencastle will host Brown County tonight with the junior varsity tipping off at 6 p.m.
At Greencastle
Monrovia 17 13 11 18 -- 59
Greencastle 21 10 18 22 -- 71
Individual Scoring
Monrovia -- Fite 14, Sowers 12, Casteel 10, Benefiel 9, Bolton 6, Sichting 4, Gray 2, No. 2 2. Totals: 22-64 FG, 12-18 FT, 59 TP.
Greencastle -- Hutcheson 36, Stuckwisch 14, Haussin 12, Huber 3, Gilliam 4, Christy 2. Totals: 23-41 FG, 24-32 FT, 71 TP.